Chandler Miller isn’t about to let the so-called experts get in the way of his plans for Tulsa football in 2018. Even being picked last in the AAC West Division isn’t going to sway him.
“I definitely plan to leave on a high note. I came in here expecting to win a conference championship. That still hasn’t changed,” said the 6-foot-3, 297-pound senior mainstay center for TU. “It would mean a ton.”
Any chances of a conference championship start with a perennially outstanding offensive line anchored by Miller, who registered the amazing feat of starting all 38 games the last three years. Miller was an All-AAC first team selection in 2016 and a second team pick in 2017.
“When I committed here five or six years ago, they had come off a conference championship,” said Miller of the 2012 Conference USA Championship. “You just always assume you will win two or three in your time. But when I got here, and even the year before, you realize that winning college games is really hard to do.”
In his time at TU, Miller has almost seen it all. The Bixby graduate has had the high feeling of finishing 10-3 in 2016, as well as the low of a 2-10 record last season.
One thing, however, has remained constant. The running game, behind a terrific offensive line, has flourished.
It is no coincidence that three of the top five single season rushing performances, including two of the top three, have occurred with Miller playing center and paving the way for a ground game that goes mostly up the middle.
James Flanders set the record in 2016 with 1,629 yards, while D’Angelo Brewer had the third highest total with 1,517 yards in 2017. Also in 2016, Brewer had 1,435 yards to rank fifth.
And it is just not the running game either. Dane Evans set the school career passing record mostly due to his last two seasons, in which Miller and company were protecting him. Last season’s dip in passing performance was due to inexperience at quarterback and at receiver.
Along with Miller, two of the other four positions this season are being manned by returnees. Fellow seniors Willie Wright (6-3, 296, Houston, Tx.) at right tackle and Tyler Bowling (6-6, 327, Yukon, Ok.) at left guard have a wealth of experience, with Wright starting 35 games the last three years, and Bowling starting all 25 games the last two seasons (2nd team All-AAC 2017).
“We have a great line. Tyler and Willie, those are two veteran guys who have played just as long as I have,” Miller said. “When me and Tyler work double teams and everything, it’s just natural. It’s something that we’ve done all the time. It’s something we’re used to dealing with.”
New starters this year are expected to be Chris Ivy (6-3, 291, Jr., Wichita, Ks.) at left tackle and Tiller Bucktrot (6-5, 325, So., Stroud, Ok.) at right guard.
“Chris Ivy and Tiller Bucktrot have come in and have really taken to heart what the standard and everything that we’ve set," Miller explained. "It’s been a smooth transition so far.”
Miller's transition in the classroom, like most students at Tulsa, wasn't easy, but he has learned to excel there as well. He graduated in May with a degree in Accounting, and is currently working on his Master’s in Accounting.
“It was a huge adjustment,” Miller said of academics at TU. “When you’re in high school in all your classes, you really don’t have to study. You might look it over right before the test. The big change coming in here is you have to work for it, study four or five hours, and sometimes that is not even enough. That’s probably the biggest change, the amount of effort you have to put into each class.
“Originally, I got into Engineering here. I kind of had a change of heart, halfway through college. You don’t really know a whole lot about the academic side coming in, you just hear it is a great Engineering program. Honestly, I didn’t know what an Engineer was until I got into those classes.”
Miller plans to either go into accounting or be a coach after college. He would also like to play in the NFL.
But before that, he is concentrating on the opener against Central Arkansas. He acknowledges the challenge he will be facing at bigger schools like Texas and Arkansas later in the year, but isn’t dwelling on it at the moment.
“They’re always exciting, but we’ve played in a lot of big games here,” Miller said of playing in front of big crowds. “We’ve played at Ohio State and Oklahoma. Really, the loudest place we’ve played in is Houston so far. Yeah, surprisingly. It was a conference game and there was a lot on the line there. That kind of added to it.
“Once you get on the field , you really don’t notice the fans. It really doesn’t bother you. Really, it doesn’t matter if you are playing in front of 10,000 of 100,000, I personally never have noticed that much of a difference.”
The biggest factor in all the games will be the improved experience and maturity of the rest of the team, especially at quarterback. Miller is confident in all of the quarterbacks at TU.
“They’ve definitely improved,” said Miller of the quarterbacks. “The biggest thing I’ve noticed about them is the leadership aspect. It’s kind of hard coming in when you’re younger and you’re just trying to get the plays right. They’ve been here a while now. They’ve matured and are ready to take leadership and push people on the offense.
“It’s just a big development. I can tell you personally, my redshirt freshmen year to my sophomore year was a night and day difference. A year of college football, understanding blitz schemes and everything they are going to throw at you. It is a big difference maker.”
Miller is certain the steps have been made at TU for a turnaround from 2017.
“The difference between the worst teams in the conference and the best teams is not that big of a difference,” Miller said. “We lost six or seven games by a touchdown last year. The turnaroud can happen really quick. It’s just kind of working on the killer mentality and working on finishing in the fourth quarter.”
No matter how much improvement Tulsa makes this season, Miller will always be glad he became a Golden Hurricane.
“The majority of my family is from Tulsa, and it’s meant the world to me to have my brothers, my parents, and my grandparents and everybody and my friends come and watch games every Saturday,” Miller said.
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