Tulsa attempts to rebound against Memphis

Can Tulsa climb out of the abyss after a disastrous start to the season? This is the week to find out.

Playing Memphis (3-2, 0-1 AAC) is usually a challenge in itself. But the biggest issue for Tulsa (1-4, 0-1), amazingly favored by 3.5 points, is that it is trying to salvage a season that has shown promise at times but has gone horribly wrong, especially last week.

Will fans at H.A. Chapman Stadium at 8 p.m. Saturday see the team that almost beat Ohio State and Oklahoma State, as well as the team that shredded Arkansas State's defense? Or will they see the team that lost to FCS program UC Davis and got decimated 45-10 against Houston last week?

"Learn from it, move on, win or lose," said TU coach Philip Montgomery. "We've definitely got to do that this week, because we can't let this one just nag on you, gnaw on you. You've got to learn from it, and you've got to move on."

Tulsa has no choice but to move on. Because the Houston game was an embarrassing, complete whipping by a hated longtime rival. It was much worse than the final score would indicate.

When the head coach says, "We didn't have the energy that we needed" in a game that screamed getting excited about, that is a major problem. Why no energy?

Yes, there was some illness on the team during the week. Rumors of the flu affecting the team. That would explain some things. And Tulsa is battling some injuries. But Montgomery said that is no excuse for the way his team played.

At least having inspirational leader Jaxon Player back to start the game should help. The defensive tackle/nose guard is clearly Tulsa's best defensive player. And he is the epitome of someone who always plays with energy. Always.

Player is like the Energizer Bunny, except he is a lot tougher. He always plays with a chip on his shoulder that stems from being under recruited out of Waco despite dominating Texas high school football. His 6-foot height didn't excite the bigger schools.

But never mind the height. Player would excel for any team in the country. Not having him in the first half against Houston because of a ridiculous, inconsistently enforced targeting penalty in the second half against Arkansas State was something that Tulsa didn't overcome.

By the time Player entered the game five minutes into the second half, Tulsa trailed 35-0. The game was over. However, that didn't stop Player from tackling Cougars' quarterback Clayton Tune a yard behind the line on his first play. And his energy was apparent when he batted a pass down on his third play, forcing a three-and-out.

"Getting Jaxon back obviously helps, since he's such a tremendous player for us and a tremendous leader," Montgomery said. "But it wasn't just because Jaxon didn't play in the first half. We have to play better ball."

A win over Memphis would give Tulsa some much needed confidence and make Tulsa 2-4, 1-1 in conference play. There would be hope. A loss to Memphis would make Tulsa 1-5, including 1-3 at home, and 0-2 in conference.

Looking at the season before it started, most Tulsa fans would have expected Tulsa to be 4-2 at the halfway point. A 1-5 start with four home games could signal a season that is spiraling out of control.

The urgency of the Homecoming Game against Memphis cannot be overstated. There can either be an energized fan base and team, or a completely demoralized fan base and team.

Kick coverage, an obvious problem area for Tulsa the last two years, didn't cause the Hurricane to lose to Houston. But it still is awful, and if the game is close, it would likely cause a loss if not fixed immediately. The week after two kicks were returned for TD's against Arkansas State, the opening kickoff was returned for a TD by Houston.

Luckily, a flag bailed Tulsa out. But TU still allowed a 47-yard punt return. Not acceptable in any game.

The most mysterious thing about the game was Tulsa's flat offense. The entire offense played so horribly, the golf equivalent would be like Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods in their prime not breaking 80.

Davis Brin, coming off of being the AAC player of the week, didn't have it at all. He was off target. Threw three picks. But he was also continuously harassed by the Houston defense despite having an offensive line that was supposed to be the strength of the team. The O-Line instead was manhandled easily by Houston.

As for the Memphis Tigers, they are a hard team to figure out. Coming off seven consecutive winning seasons, including 12-2 in 2019 and 8-3 in 2020, the Tigers obviously have a strong team with a potent offense.

Memphis has lost its last two games, including a home loss two weeks ago to UTSA, and a 34-31 loss last week at Temple (3-2, 2-1). The Tigers won 55-50 over common opponent Arkansas State (1-4).

UTSA is 5-0 and won at 2-4 Illinois, but still, Memphis shouldn't have lost at home to the Roadrunners. And losing to Temple is usually not impressive. But beating Mississippi State looks good, especially since Miss. St. (3-2) won at No. 15 Texas A&M last week.

One thing that is for certain about Memphis is that their offense is explosive. The Tigers are averaging 37.4 points per game, with their low mark being 28 points. When playing the Tigers, expect a shootout.

Freshman phenom Seth Henigan (6-foot-3, 200) is averaging 295 yards passing per game, with 12 touchdown passes and only one interception. Stopping him is going to be extremely difficult.

The amazing thing about Henigan is that he isn't attempting an outrageous number of passes. His attempts have ranged from 25 to 40 in each game, with Henigan completing 24 of 40 for 305 yards and three touchdowns last week at Temple.

Senior receiver Calvin Austin is a little 5-9, 162-pound dynamo who already has 35 catches for 637 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 127.4 yards per game.

In the running game, freshman running back Brandon Thomas and junior Rodrigues Clark are a dynamic tandem. Thomas has 509 yards, averaging 6.9 per carry, while Clark has 265 yards at 6.8 yards per carry. Their offense will be incredibly tough to stop.

As tough as the offense will be to stop, the Tigers' defense has trouble stopping anybody. The Tigers aren't very good, giving up an average of 32.2 points per game.

So expect a highly entertaining game between two teams that badly need a win.

For Tulsa, it is time to start salvaging the season and living up to its potential.