InsideTulsaSports.com - TU happy to be home

October 31, 2009

Matthew Christian
InsideTulsaSports.com Staff Writer

It is Homecoming weekend for the University of Tulsa, and the Golden Hurricane football squad sits at 4-3 after playing five of seven games on the road to open the season. Tulsa hosts SMU today in a game that is crucial to their conference title hopes, especially after falling at UTEP last week when TU held an 11-point fourth-quarter lead.

"Our goal of being the Conference USA champion is still intact, but you also have to play well," said Tulsa head coach Todd Graham. "In 2007, it's kind of eerie. It's the exact same scenario. We had just lost to Oklahoma and got beat by UTEP where we mismanaged the clock.

"When that happens, you bring it on yourself and rightfully so. You get a lot of negative. We were 4-3. That's where we are at right now. What that team and that staff were able to do was rally the troops. That's what we did and we won out. That's what you have to do now.

"The margin of error is small. What we have to do is just focus on the next game. Our guys have a great confidence and belief in each other. We had a lot of guys sick and that's been bizarre all over the country."

Playing the majority of their games on the road wasn't the only obstacle for Tulsa in the first half of the season. TU also played two games on Wednesday night on national television, which has forced adjustments.

"It has not been an easy schedule," Graham said. "The academic rigor here and schedule is already difficult with the different nights that we are playing. The exposure that we get is big for our program.

"It's been difficult. Five of the first seven on the road, I've never done that before. If we come out and win (at UTEP), you're sitting 4-1 on the road and it would have been pretty nice.

"The schedule has been tiring and wearing on you, but it is positive that we play four of the next five at home, especially the next three in a row that are going to be difficult games."

SMU has struggled ever since the program was reinstated form its infamous death penalty. However, the Ponies hired June Jones from Hawaii, and in his second year with the program, they have made great improvement.

"I think Coach Jones has done a great job with their program to this point," Graham described. "The thing I'm most impressed with is their defense. They have a transfer from Texas A&M playing linebacker, they have a kid from Estonia, 6-8, 290-pound guy. Their defensive line is impressive. They held Houston to their season low in yardage. They're very much improved. They don't look like the same group defensively."

But defense isn't the only area of improvement.

"They throw the ball all over the place and have a great scheme there," said Graham. "I'm very impressed with their special teams. We're going to have to do a great job covering punts and kicks. They ran the opening kickoff back against Houston and had it called back. They're very athletic and a very good football team. Like every week in Conference USA, we're going to have to get out here and play well."

Compared to the last two seasons, Tulsa has struggled a bit on offense. Injuries along the offensive line have caused problems for new quarterback G.J. Kinne, but the Hurricane offense is still near the top of the conference.

"There's no question that we're not putting up the numbers of last year," Graham said. "The difference is that it's a different group of guys with a different set of circumstances. We're trying to adapt and do the best that we can. We've put up good numbers. Our offense is toward the top end of Conference USA and the country.

"We've had a lot of positives. The hard thing is we put up so much out-of-sight numbers in the past, it makes it difficult. Have we been pleased with how it's gone? No, we haven't been. But for most of the games, we have four offensive lineman that we didn't have playing last year. You have a new quarterback and you're missing Tarrion Adams and Brennan Marion.

"People focus the most on Gus (Malzahn) leaving. Are all those things factors? Of course they are factors."

With all of that said, Graham says he and his staff feel confident.

"I'm very pleased with where we're at, and I have a great belief in what we are doing. We have a great system in how we are doing things. We have to adapt to our guys."

FEATURED PRODUCT