TU and BYU boast similar bowl resumes
Brigham Young has won eight of its last nine games and scored at least 40 points in three straight contests.
That likely isn't nearly enough to impress Tulsa.
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Balanced teams with similar philosophies will be on display in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 30 in Dallas.
Since losing two of its first three games, BYU (9-3) has been among the best teams in the nation. The Cougars followed their disappointing start with five straight wins before losing to TCU, but ended the regular season with three victories by an average of 30.3 points.
Tulsa (8-4), meanwhile, suffered all four of its losses to teams ranked in the top 10 at the time. The Golden Hurricane had a seven-game win streak snapped with a 48-16 loss to then-No. 8 Houston in their regular-season finale Nov. 25.
With junior quarterback Riley Nelson making his first start since suffering lung and rib injuries against Idaho on Nov. 12, BYU closed its regular season Dec. 3 with a 41-20 win at Hawaii. Nelson completed 25 of 37 passes for a career-high 363 yards and three touchdowns.
"This team feels like it can compete with anybody right now," Nelson said.
The Cougars boast a capable offense that ranks 42nd in the FBS with 30.6 points per game and 41st with an average of 410.8 total yards.
Both of those totals, however, are bettered by Tulsa, which is 24th in the nation in scoring (34.1) and 23rd in total offense (454.4).
Before losing to Houston, Tulsa had scored a combined 116 points in wins over Marshall and Texas-El Paso and reached the 35-point mark six times during its seven-game streak.
That formidable offense is led by fifth-year senior quarterback G.J. Kinne, who rushed for more than 400 yards, threw for 25 touchdowns and passed for 300 or more yards five times this season. Kinne gets plenty of help from running backs Ja'Terian Douglas and Trey Watts, who each ran for more than 800 yards, with Douglas leading the FBS with 8.2 yards per carry.
While BYU's running game can't boast quite the same production as Tulsa's, the Cougars' top rushers - JJ Di Luigi and Michael Alisa - combined to break the 1,000-yard mark.
Slowing down BYU's passing attack will pose the biggest challenge for the Golden Hurricane, who will want to keep a close eye on BYU sophomore wideout Cody Hoffman, who has 821 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Ross Apo added 453 yards and nine scores.
"The fact that BYU and Tulsa used to be in the same conference, the Western Athletic Conference, we certainly are no strangers to BYU and vice versa," Tulsa coach Bill Blankenship said. "I think BYU is certainly an opponent that people will get excited about with what can happen on the field between these two teams."
While Tulsa has the statistical edge on offense, that is offset by BYU's stingy defense which ranks 23rd nationally in points per game allowed (20.3). The Golden Hurricane yield an average of 27.6 points.
The Armed Forces Bowl has historically produced some top offensive showcases since its 2003 inception. While last season's matchup only produced 30 total points, the three previous games all surpassed 60.
Because both of these teams possess high-powered offenses, fans could be in for another entertaining affair similar to the last meeting between these schools Sept. 15, 2007, when Tulsa outscored BYU 55-47.
That was the first victory for the Golden Hurricane in seven all-time meetings with the Cougars.
"I certainly remember the game. We had no idea what we were defending quite frankly," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "That was one of the most explosive offensive schemes we'd ever seen."
This will be the seventh consecutive bowl appearance for BYU under Mendenhall. The Cougars have won four of those six games, including a 52-24 victory over UTEP in last year's New Mexico Bowl. A win in this bowl would give the program its fifth season of 10 or more wins in Mendenhall's seven-year tenure.
"If you look statistically at BYU, what they've accomplished this year, absolutely great defense, high ranking across the board, defense, pass defense, total defense," Blankenship said. "Very balanced offense, not unlike ourselves. They don't have a lot of statistical standouts which tells me they're very much devoted to the team concept."
Tulsa has won three straight bowl games, averaging 56.6 points in wins over Bowling Green, Ball State and Hawaii. Kinne passed for 343 yards and three TDs in a 62-35 win over Hawaii in the 2010 Hawaii Bowl.
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