QB uncertainty remains for Tulsa as the Hurricane faces Tulane
At first glance, Tulsa's game at No. 20 Tulane Saturday at 11 a.m. in New Orleans looks like it shouldn't even be competitive. A major Green Wave victory of epic proportions.
Especially considering how bad Tulsa has been playing, losing its last 4 games, including last week's embarrassing overtime loss to Charlotte (3-6, 2-3 AAC).
However, Tulsa (3-6, 1-4) is looking to prove all the doubters wrong against Tulane. A tall order, but you truly never know.
Tulane (8-1, 5-0) is the reigning AAC champion that knocked off USC in the Cotton Bowl last year and finished 12- 2, 8-1 in conference play.
But when looked at closely, Tulane could be vulnerable.
Tulane almost lost at horrid East Carolina (1-8, 0-5) last Saturday, finally prevailing 13-10. More disturbing for Tulane is that the Green Wave only scored 3 points in the entire second half, a field goal in the fourth quarter.
The previous week, Tulane squeaked out a 30-28 win at Rice (4-5, 2-3). The week before last, Tulane beat North Texas (3-6, 1-4) 35-28 at home at Yulman Stadium.
There is definitely a pattern there. Quite honestly, Tulane is not overwhelming anybody.
Still, rightfully so, Tulane is a 23-point favorite over Tulsa.
The way things have been going for Tulsa, playing a close game at Tulane would be somewhat surprising. And would be a major step up.
So, is there any reason for hope for Tulsa? Especially since quarterback Cardell Williams likely will not play this week, and perhaps the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury.
Unfortunately, Braylon Braxton, who was supposed to be a force for TU, hasn't been able to find any consistency at all. Quite honestly, it has been shocking to see how ineffective Braxton has been before and after his ankle injury he suffered in the first game of the season.
With Williams out after leading Tulsa to a 17-3 first-half lead against Charlotte, and with Braxton's woes, TU coach Kevin Wilson turned to true freshman Metro Christian product Kirk Francis in the second half.
"If Cardell is limited and cannot play, I would guess we'll probably end up having to play a little bit of Braylon and maybe Kirk as well," Wilson said of the QB situation against Tulane. "I thought (Francis) handled it really well. He missed on a few things, but I thought he handled it well."
Although a walk-on, Francis, a fifth-stringer to start the season, was someone Tulsa thought about giving a scholarship to last spring. Offensive coordinator Steve Spurrier even said, before the season, that if the current staff had seen more of Francis during the recruiting process, they would have offered him a scholarship.
Francis has done enough to vault him over fellow walk-on Stephen Kittleman and former third-stringer Roman Fuller, who started against OU.
"I've liked, all along, the way he's handled things," Wilson said of Francis. "He's smart. He was recruited at the mid level. Chose to walk on here. He's still a non-scholarship guy. So is he the answer? No. He's just a talented young guy we like. We like a lot. But I also like Cardell. I like Braylon."
The reality is that Francis (6-1, 188) played well enough against Charlotte, rallying TU with less than a minute left and starting at TU's 25-yard-line, to send the game into overtime.
Francis showed enough to merit starting against Tulane. Quite honestly, he showed more than Braxton has shown all season.
Really, the way Braxton has been playing, it would be a disservice to him to start him. Play him in certain spots, but don't play him a lot unless a potential Francis starting debut turns out poorly.
Better find out what Francis can do the rest of the season. With the way things have been going for Braxton, the future for Braxton at TU is up in the air.
As far as stopping Tulane's offense, quarterback Michael Pratt is good, and has shown he's developed every year. When a QB leads a team to a conference championship and Cotton Bowl win, it says something.
Pratt has grown leaps and bounds from the guy that Zaven Collins had a walk-off pick six against in overtime in Tulsa's dramatic win in 2020.
Pratt is a dual threat with passing and running. He averages 228.1 yards passing per game, completing 70.2 percent of his passes in 7 games. He is second on the team in rushing with 264 yards, averaging 37.7 yard per game. Pratt was 16 of 25 for 213 yards and a TD last week against East Carolina.
Tulane's leading rusher is a good one. Makhi Hughes has 877 yards for a 5.3 yards per carry average. He rushed for 105 yards on 25 carries last week.
Tulsa had some energy last week with Cardell Williams in at quarterback, and with Francis in.
"We're at a point where Kirk has not played, so we're not going to lose a redshirt year," Wilson said of how Francis can't exceed the four games a player can play and still redshirt. "I do think he throws the ball well enough, and as well as any of those guys to give us a chance.
"You're young, what's the reaction this week? He'll get a tremendous challenge from the front, the coverages, the post-snap, the way they make you work as a quarterback. They make you work as an offense. He'll have his hands full if he has the opportunity to play."
A lot of energy, along with a lot more performance, will be needed for Tulsa to pull off an almost unthinkable upset this week.