Stakes are high in Tulsa's match-up with SMU

The only really shocking outcome of Tulsa’s upcoming Saturday night game with No. 19 SMU would be if it wasn’t close.

Because in most cases, the games between the two rival schools have been nail biters.

Historically, and especially recently, when TU and SMU meet, the games have been crazy and tight.

In the last four seasons, only seven total points, or an average of 1.75 points per game, have separated the two teams at the end of regulation. Two of those games went to overtime. Tulsa and SMU have split the overtime games and the overall games in that span, with the winners being the home teams.

Saturday’s 6 p.m. game at H.A. Chapman Stadium will give Tulsa (3-1, 3-0 AAC) a chance to avenge a galling 43-37 triple overtime loss in Dallas where Tulsa blew a 21-point fourth quarter lead and had multiple chances to finish off an SMU team that finished 10-3.

Most TU fans recall vividly that Tulsa led 30-9 going into the fourth quarter, and remember that TU missed a potential 43-yard walk-off field goal attempt in the second overtime.

“This will be a big game on a number of different levels. They’re ranked, they’re coming to our place, you can throw in last year’s part of it,” said TU coach Philip Montgomery. “You can throw in the rivalry part of it. There’s just a lot of things that factor into it.

“This is not one of those weeks that you have to talk to about things to get guys up and ready to play. I think they’ll be ready to play on both sides.”

This will be the 24th time that TU and SMU have played each other in the last 25 years. Since 1996, only in 2013 have the two teams not met. SMU is 14-9 against TU since 1996, but Tulsa has won four of the last six, and five of the last eight.

For the first time, TU (favored by 1.5) and SMU are conference frontrunners when they play each other. Usually, one team or another, or both, have not been very good when the two teams meet.

SMU (7-1, 4-1) has played twice as many games at TU, which gives the Mustangs the experience advantage, but Tulsa’s lack of games will also make it fresher.

The postponed Navy game from last week will give TU star LB Zaven Collins and the foot he injured and played with against East Carolina two weeks ago a chance to further heal. That in itself could be the key to the game – how healthy is Collins.

The key for Collins and company will be stopping fifth-year senior Shane Beuchele, who can be a nightmare to defend. He certainly has Montgomery’s attention and admiration.

“Shane is playing lights out. He’s kind of really, in my opinion, the catalyst to it all,” Montgomery said. “He’s calm in the pocket, he uses his feet to extend plays, he’s pushing the ball down the field. One of the best deep throwers that I’ve seen in a long time, as far as placement, accuracy, all of those things.

“He’s got a lot of weapons and does a great job of spreading the ball around.”

SMU doesn’t have any one player, outside of the 6-1, 207-pound Beuchele, who has gaudy offensive stats. But Beuchele had a bunch of capable receivers, and a really good freshman running back.

Rashee Rice (6-1, 187) leads a deep group of five accomplished SMU pass catchers with 39 catches for 580 yards (72.5 yards per game). TE Kylen Granson (6-3, 235) has 30 receptions for 485 yards, Reggie Roberson (6-0, 200) is a big play guy with 22 catches for 474 yards (21.5 yards per catch), Tyler Page (5-11, 193) has 383 yards on 32 catches, and Danny Gray (6-1, 180) has 355 yards on 25 receptions.

As for stopping Beuchele, getting pressure will be important for Tulsa’s front, as well as whoever is blitzing when Tulsa is mixing up its coverages. Defensive tackle/Nose guard Jaxon Player seemingly lived in East Carolina’s backfield in Tulsa’s last game (as well as blocking a field goal).

The Golden Hurricane did a really good job of holding Beuchele and company in check in last year’s game, especially until late. Beuchele completed only 23 of 40 passes (57.5 percent) for 280 yards (padded by three overtimes) and two touchdowns, compared with averaging 302.2 yards and a 62.7 completion percent average in 2019.

Beuchele is having an even better season this year, averaging 322.6 yards and completing 66.5 percent of his passes. He has 20 touchdown passes and only three interceptions, compared with 34 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season.

Running for yardage isn’t Beuchele’s strength, as he has only 87 yards rushing for the season. But he is hard to sack, and can pick up key scrambling yards when needed.

Ulysses Bentley, in addition to having one of the cooler names in college football, already is a force at running back with his shifty moves. The 5-10, 184-pound redshirt freshman already has 774 yards rushing (5.9 yards per carry), 10 touchdowns, and averages 96.8 yards per game.

TU isn’t dwelling on last year’s triple-overtime loss, but at the same time, it is an incredible motivating factor. Montgomery definitely thinks about it from time to time.

“We had a decent lead going into the fourth quarter. You’ve got to be able to finish games like that,” Montgomery said. “This is one of those games that will come back down to the wire again.

“If you get a chance to get a lead, man you better keep pouring it on, you better continue to keep driving, you better continue to stay positive and keep locked in because there are too many weapons on both sides not to.”

Tulsa’s Zach Smith completed 23 of 41 for 346 yards and four touchdowns in the 2019 game, and outplayed Beuchele for most of last year’s game. Keylon Stokes had five catches for 101 yards.

Smith and Stokes will need to be clicking in a game that could become an offensive shootout. SMU gives up an average of 32.6 points in conference games, while TU has averaged giving up 23 points per game.

Luckily for Tulsa, the Golden Hurricane survived a pesky East Carolina two weeks ago that could have been devastating to their chances at winning the conference. TU will need to play much better to beat the Mustangs.

A win for Tulsa over SMU will likely catapult TU into the top 25 and keep Tulsa’s conference title hopes in good shape. A loss for SMU would probably knock them out of contention for the conference championship and out of the top 25.

The stakes are high in what has become a good rivalry for both schools.

“Just location wise, only being four hours apart. You’re recruiting a lot of the same guys. You’re in the same conference. Those kids know each other,” Montgomery said. “So the rivalry has been one of those consistent ones throughout the years. It’s been back and forth throughout the years.”

For TU, the game will likely be more back and forth, continuing the trend of alternating wins over the last four years in this series.