A win at Tulane could turn Tulsa's season around

Playing Tulane has usually been the gift that keeps on giving.

But is this the year that gift certificate runs out?

A struggling Tulsa (1-4, 0-1 AAC) will find out when it plays at Tulane (2-2, 0-1) Saturday at 11 a.m. at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans.

Since 2005, when Tulsa and Tulane started playing each other every year, Tulsa is 11-1 against the Green Wave. And most of those games have been lopsided.

The average margin of victory for Tulsa in those 11 wins is over 26 points per game. Only two of Tulsa’s 11 wins against Tulane have been close games, and only one, the 2014 overtime victory to start that season, was decided by less than 11 points.

This has been the case because, let’s face it, Tulane has been lousy for most of those years. Tulane has had only one winning season since 2005, which was a 7-6 record in 2013. Not coincidentally, that is the only time in that span Tulsa has not defeated Tulane.

Tulsa’s last loss to Tulane was a 14-7 loss in 2013 in what turned out to be a disastrous 3-9 season. Tulsa even won the 2014 game despite finishing 2-10.

Tulsa’s struggles in the passing game this season have been well documented, as have its defensive problems.

Tulsa most certainly will have to improve in all areas to win any more games this season, but another determining factor is whether or not Tulane is actually any good this year.

Tulane has defeated one major college team this season – Army, by a 21-17 score. Beating FBS Subdivision team Grambling doesn’t really mean much. The Green Wave almost defeated Navy, falling 23-21 in Annapolis. They also got demolished 56-14 by OU.

The offensive totals of 21, 14, and 21 against major college competition are not staggering by any stretch of the imagination. However, throwing out the OU game, holding Navy to 23 points at Navy and Army to 17 points shows some decent defensive ability.

Perhaps playing Navy, since Tulane is also an option running team, wasn’t that hard for the Wave since it practices against an option offense every day.

The Tulane v. Tulsa matchup is intriguing because neither team has proved anything yet. The loser is likely to have a losing season, which in Tulane’s case, would be the norm.

Since 1982, Tulane has had only five winning seasons, and has had only three winning seasons since going 12-0 in 1998 with future NFL quarterback Shaun King.

In 2016, Tulsa defeated Tulane 50-27 when the Green Wave finished 4-8. They finished 3-9 the previous two seasons.

This year, the Green Wave is led by running back Dontrell Hilliard, who has gained 342 yards for a 5.8 yards per carry. Quarterback Jonathan Banks is coming off a less than stellar 10 of 22 completions for 103 yards in Tulane’s win over Army. He has rushed for 148 yards and a 4.8 average this season in three games.

Tulane looks to be a fairly decent, capable team, but is also a team that you have to beat if you expect to go to a bowl game.

A loss at Tulane would send Tulsa to a 1-5 record and almost end any realistic postseason hopes. A win would restore some confidence going into a tough Houston game at H.A. Chapman next Saturday afternoon.

To win against Tulane or any team, Tulsa must have more than the 17 passing yards it had midway through the fourth quarter against Navy last week. That number is beyond belief for a team that prides itself on having an uptempo offense.

Whether or not Chad President is the answer at quarterback remains to be seen. He has shown he can run, as evidenced by his 151 yards on 12 carries against Navy. But can he pass effectively enough to keep the staring job?

President’s receivers have dropped a few passes this season, but not significantly more than in past seasons when the passing game was humming. Inexperience from the passer and the targets has been a big factor so far. But the current group needs to grow and improve.

The number of Tulsa fans who want Luke Skipper to get a chance at quarterback grows weekly as Tulsa’s offense continues to stall. Perhaps the most interesting question that remains so far for TU this year is whether Skipper will get that chance.

A win at Tulane this Saturday would go a long way to silence Tulsa’s critics and show its fans that success is not far away.

"When you go down in that locker room, those guys are still believing in each other and believing in what we're doing and understanding that it's close," TU coach Philip Montgomery said.