This appears to be Luke Skipper's time, as Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery has named Skipper as the starting quarterback for the upcoming season opener. Either he establishes himself as an accomplished passer and leader, or it will be somebody else’s turn.
Such is the nature of the quarterback position, and Skipper not only embraces the challenge, but he is extremely confident.
“I want to win every game. If you’re not looking at it like that, then you’re in the wrong mindset,” said Skipper. “Take it one game at a time. Prepare for each like it is your last.”
Skipper won the starting job this fall over redshirt freshman Seth Boomer and junior Chad President.
The 6-foot-2, 211-pound Skipper took over the job in the middle of game six last season, down 21-0 early at Tulane with Tulsa’s record standing at 1-4 and going nowhere fast.
Skipper had a terrific performance in a lopsided loss in howling wind, completing 10 of 14 passes for 256 yards. He led TU to victory in his starting debut the next week against Houston, but Tulsa failed to win another game with Skipper having mixed results.
With a combination of his and his receivers’ inexperience, along with a banged up defense, Tulsa finished 2-10. Skipper missed the last game of the season due to a concussion.
The experience Skipper gained last season gave him the edge in the quarterback battle, and has allowed him to believe this season will be completely different for the Golden Hurricane.
“In-game experience, you can’t trade it for anything,” Skipper described. “When you get that, especially with some young guys around you, it brings you closer, and it allows you to work better because you both have seen things and been in the same situations. It’s a huge part of being able to grow together as a team.
“I think I’ve progressed a lot in terms of my eyes and being ready for my reads and hitting stuff on time. Also, my confidence, knowing that you’ve been there before, knowing that you’ve been in the fire. That’s huge.”
When Skipper reviews last season, he even looks back at the Tulane game as an example of how much he has improved since last year.
“I look back on that film and there's so many things I wish I could have changed,” Skipper explained. “Knowing that my mental game is so much better. Preparation is so much more important now. I can’t even put it into words now.”
Skipper just completed his second quarterback competition. He narrowly lost last season to President in a decision that wasn’t announced until game time of the season opener at OSU.
President lost the job in mid-season because he was an ineffective passer, and Skipper showed enough potential to keep the job. But Skipper knows that the passing game has to improve from only six combined touchdown passes (three apiece for Skipper and President) if Tulsa is to prove 2017 was an aberration.
By comparison, Tulsa’s career leading passer Dane Evans threw for 32 touchdown passes in 2016. And Evans averaged 257.5 yards passing per game, while Skipper, if you take away his brief appearance early in the OSU game, averaged 188.5 yards passing per game.
Skipper’s mental outlook this season is something he believes has tremendously improved.
“One thing I wished I would have done last year is just being mentally mature about things,” Skipper explained. “That just comes with growth.
“My footwork and timing with my receivers has also improved tremendously. We’ve put in so many drills this summer. All the receivers were here. It’s evolved so much, even since the spring. We’re clicking.”
Tulsa’s top receivers from last year, Justin Hobbs and Keenen Johnson, are back and should be much improved, as should other returnees Josh Stewart and Keylon Stokes. And it is possible that a newcomer like redshirt freshman Sam Crawford will break through.
“They can all go. That’s the best part,” Skipper said of his receivers. “Hobbs is so big, you can’t do anything about it. Then you’ve got Keenen, and he can run by anybody, and so can Keylon. You’ve got J. Stewart on the outside too.
“They’ve put in so much work, I’m excited about seeing what everyone can do. Everybody can go off on anybody at any given time. That’s a great feeling to have as a quarterback.”
Any TU quarterback will be inevitably compared with Evans. So if a true comparison is really to be made, the entire picture has to be present.
Evans and Skipper both had very similar freshman seasons where they took over in mid-season in losing seasons. But looking at the stats, a slight edge goes to Skipper. They both started five games, with Evans playing in eight and Skipper playing in seven. Skipper threw for 1,141 yards while Evans passed for 898 yards. Skipper won the completion percentage battle (55.9 to 43.1) and in touchdown-interception ratio (Evans 4-10, Skipper 3-4).
Evans improved a lot the next year as a sophomore, albeit on a losing team, and continued to improve every year until leading the Golden Hurricane to a 10-3 record as a senior.
It also needs to be noted that Evans benefited from having standout 1,000-yard receivers like Keyarris Garrett, Keevan Lucas and Josh Atkinson playing at a high level later in his career. Tulsa’s current group hasn’t yet reached that level, just as Evans’ receivers had not when he was a freshman.
Now Evans is in the CFL, and recently got his first playing time, completing all three of his passes. His CFL debut didn’t escaped Skipper’s notice.
“I was excited for Dane,” Skipper said. “It’s exciting, because it gives you hope.”
Comparisons between Skipper, Boomer and President will also continue until Skipper establishes himself as a standout. Also, with heralded Baylor transfer Zach Smith waiting in the wings, Skipper knows being a quarterback will never be easy.
“It pushes you to be great,” Skipper said of the competition. “It forces you to show your stuff every day because you can’t have a bad day. Everybody in the room loves each other. That’s the best part. I’m trying to get them better just like they’re trying to get me better. Because at the end of the day, anybody can go in. And we want our team to have the best possibility to win.
“I try to be as consistent as I can every day and give it everything I’ve got. And if I don’t get it, I don’t get it. Then I’ll support Boom and Chad or whoever else gets it. I’m about the team and trying to get wins here, that’s the only thing that is important.”
For now, Tulsa's best chance to win this season appears to be with Skipper.
