Ole Miss presents big challenge and big opportunity for Tulsa
Will the spirit of Willie Townes be there to guide Tulsa to extend its series record to 4-0 against Mississippi?
The last time Tulsa played Ole Miss, Townes, a native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, almost single-handedly destroyed the Rebels in the 1964 Bluebonnet Bowl in Tulsa's 14-7 victory.
The vengeance of Townes was evident, since he wasn't recruited by Ole Miss because of his race. Remember, that was back in the segregated and lethally dangerous deep South.
Mississippi wouldn't have an African American player on their football team until 1972.
Townes, who passed away in 2017 at age 74, played with such a chip on his shoulder in that game that it was like a man against boys.
Of course, Townes was a dominant player at TU. Only Zaven Collins' All-American year in 2020 has ever surpassed anything Townes did on defense for the Golden Hurricane.
After TU, Townes went on to be a starter for the Dallas Cowboys for his first 2 1/2 years before injuries significantly shortened his career after being drafted in the second round. In his first two years with the Cowboys, Townes had 15 sacks, including 9 sacks as a rookie.
Townes started at left defensive end in two NFL championship games against the Green Bay Packers in 1966 and 1967 that were decided in the final seconds. That included the famous Ice Bowl game where he sacked and caused a fumble by Bart Starr that was returned for a TD.
Amazingly, Tulsa hasn't played the Rebels since that 1964 game, and this Saturday's game will be the first time Tulsa has played in Oxford, Miss. Tulsa defeated Ole Miss 26-0 in Tulsa in 1932, and won 44-0 in Memphis, Tenn. in 1944.
There is a significant link developing between the 1964 and 2022 TU teams. That 1964 team featured Heisman Trophy runner-up Jerry Rhome, a four-year Dallas Cowboy who put up NCAA record passing yards at the time. He averaged 287 yards per game in 1964.
Fast-forward to Davis Brin, who has started the year leading the NCAA in passing yards per game after three games (402 yards per game). His 373 yards in the first half alone against Jacksonville State last Saturday was outrageous.
Also, Keylon Stokes is having a terrific year at receiver with 28 catches for 457 yards (152.3 yards per game). Legendary receiver Howard Twilley was terrific in 1964, but not many receivers in NCAA history have had a year like Twilley did in 1965, when he was the Heisman Trophy runner-up.
For its time, with significantly less plays per game then, Twilley's numbers were absolutely staggering. He averaged 177.9 yards and 13.4 catches per game in TU's 10-game schedule, finishing with 134 catches for 1,779 yards in 1965. NCAA records that stood for years.
Twilley is also noteworthy for being a starter for the only NFL undefeated Super Bowl champion team, the 1972 Miami Dolphins, where Twilley caught a TD pass in the 14-7 Super Bowl VII win.
Stokes, with 3,007 yards, is now in fifth place for TU, and is only 336 yards behind Twilley's TU all-time record that has stood almost 57 years.
Ole Miss (3-0), ranked No. 16, and favored by 21.5 points, will have to deal with Brin, Stokes and the rest of Tulsa's talented offense.
"Anytime you are playing the No. 16 team in the country, or 13, depending on which poll you are looking at, guys are going to be geared up and ready to play," said Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery.
Tulsa (2-1), will have to deal with an Ole Miss team that has outscored its last 2 opponents 102-3. Granted, those opponents weren't formidable, to say the least.
Last week's 42-0 win was over a Georgia Tech team that finished 3-9 in 2021. Beating Central Arkansas 59-3 at home is nice, but that is an FCS opponent that finished with a losing record last year. A lot like Tulsa's 54-17 win against Jacksonville St. last week, where Tulsa led 40-3 at half.
An opening week 28-10 win over Troy was solid but workmanlike. All three of the Ole Miss opponents had losing records in 2021.
The Rebels figure to be good, and finished 10-3 last season. Third-year noteworthy head coach Lane Kiffin has some real weapons at his disposal. The controversial former head coach of the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee and USC is many things, but he is not dull.
Kiffin is considered by some to be an offensive mastermind, especially due to his assistant coaching/coordinator stints at USC and Alabama, where he won national championships.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart is a USC transfer who started 3 of his 6 games as a true freshman for USC in 2021, passing for 1,353 yards and 9 TD's. He was the national 2020 Gatorade Player of the Year at Corner Canyon HS in Utah and the Max Preps National Player of the Year.
The 6-2, 200-pound Dart has passed for 543 yards (181 ypg) this year, completing 65.5 percent of his passes, with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He is a running threat as well, rushing for 85 yards on 22 carries.
Dart has shared time with Luke Altmyer, a 6-1, 200-pound sophomore who started against Central Arkansas, going 6 of 13 for 90 yards and 2 TD's before leaving with a dinged shoulder. He played a little against Georgia Tech.
At running back, Ole Miss is loaded. So loaded, in fact, that UIysses Bentley is only fourth on the team in rushing with 75 yards. The same Bentley that was a stud running back for SMU, especially in 2020 when he led the AAC in rushing with 913 yards (5.4 ypc) in the Covid shortened season. Bentley rushed for 610 yards (6.4) last season for the Mustangs.
Former 5-star high school prospect Zach Evans is the lead runner for Ole Miss, rushing for 317 yards (6.5 ypc) so far this season. Evans, a TCU transfer, rushed for 648 (7.0 ypc) yards for the Horned Frogs last season. Evans and Bentley are considered NFL prospects.
True freshman Quinshon Judkins is a major talent as well. Judkins has 296 yards (6.7 ypc) so far this season.
Jonathan Mingo is a 6-2, 200-pound explosive senior receiver who is averaging 22.6 yards per reception on 9 catches for 203 yards.
But it is the Ole Miss defense that should worry the Golden Hurricane the most. Any defense that is giving up only 4.3 points per game, and 13 total points in 3 games, no matter who they are playing, must be respected.
The Rebel defense is only allowing an average of 192.7 yards through the air, and 71.7 yards on the ground. Safeties Isheem Young and Otis Reese, and linebacker Troy Brown are a few of Ole Miss' NFL prospects. Linebacker Khari Coleman has 6.5 tackles for loss so far this season, including 2.5 sacks.
The increased talent level Tulsa is playing against, as well as Tulsa's young offensive line and so far limited running game, are Tulsa's biggest concerns coming into the game.
If Tulsa's young offensive line can protect Brin, then Brin and his terrific receivers will have a chance to shock the Ole Miss defense and put up yardage and points. If that is the case, it should be a terrific game to watch.
Remember, Tulsa last year played three top-10 teams on the road, and all down to the wire, and could have won all of those games. So don't think TU will be intimidated.
"I do think they relish the opportunity to perform on a stage like this and do well," Montgomery said of playing at Ole Miss. "Everything will be decided between the white lines and nowhere else."
It could get really interesting.
