Not many predicted that Tulsa would have a shot at 10 wins this year. Even fewer predicted that it would be a record-breaking running game that would lead the charge to big time production on the offensive side of the ball. So when the Hurricane rolled into South Florida for the Miami Beach Bowl, there was more at stake than just postseason pride. The end result was a 55-10 blowout against Central Michigan with several Tulsa players solidifying their places in school history.
Here’s a look at what happened on Monday afternoon and one final look at what turned out to be a historic 2016 season:
DANE EVANS (QB)
• Senior quarterback Dane Evans had 304 yards passing to set a new school record for career 300-yard passing games. He surpassed Paul Smith (2003-07) and now sits atop the all-time chart with 16.
• Evans finished the season with 3,348 yards (the sixth highest total in school history), which makes him the first Tulsa quarterback to throw for 3,000-plus yards in three separate seasons.
• Evans finished with 326 yards of total offense and finished the season with 3,319 (the sixth highest total in school history), which made him the second Tulsa quarterback (along with Kinne) to have three 3,000-yard seasons.
• Evans had five touchdown passes and finished the season with 32, which is tied with Jerry Rhome (1964) for third most in Tulsa history.
• Evans finished his career with 84 touchdown passes, which moved him past G.J. Kinne (2009-11) and previous record holder Smith.
• Evans also surpassed Smith to set a new career total offense record with 11,752 yards.
• Evans finished his career with 12.95 yards per completion, the sixth highest total in school history.
• In AAC play, Evans became the first quarterback to reach the 800-completion mark (820).
• Evans finished his career with 11,680 passing yards. Already the school record holder in that category, he moved past Keith Wenning (Ball State/2010-13), Todd Santos (San Diego State/1984-87), Chad Pennington (Marshall/1997-99), Gino Guidugli (Cincinnati/2001-04), David Greene (Georgia/2001-04) and Geno Smith (West Virginia/2009-12) to land at No. 39 on the NCAA career passing chart.
• Evans finished within 138 yards of the next four players on the list: #35 Carson Palmer (USC/1998-2002), #36 Drew Brees (Purdue/1997-2000), #37 Brady Quinn (Notre Dame/2003-06) and #38 Russell Wilson (Wisconsin/2008-11).
KEEVAN LUCAS (WR)
• With 72 yards receiving, senior receiver Keevan Lucas finished with 1,180 yards for the season, which is the ninth best single-season performance in school history.
• Lucas also surpassed Keyarris Garrett (2011-15) for third on Tulsa’s all-time receiving chart (3,250).
• With three touchdowns, Lucas finished with 15 for the season, which was tied for third most in school history and one shy of the school record held by Howard Twilley (1965) and Dan Bitson (1989).
• Lucas also tied Twilley and Steve Largent (1973-75) for the school career receiving touchdowns record (32).
• Lucas finished the season with a career-best 81 receptions, which is the seventh most for any Tulsa receiver.
JOSH ATKINSON (WR)
• Senior receiver Josh Atkinson finished the game with 131 receiving yards on a career-best 12 receptions.
• Atkinson finished the season with 1,058 yards and became the fifth Tulsa receiver to have two 1,000-yard seasons in his career.
• Atkinson finished his career with 2,654 receiving yards and surpassed Charles Clay (2007-10) and Wes Caswell (1993-98) for seventh on Tulsa’s all-time chart.
• Atkinson finished the season with a career-best 78 receptions, which is tied for the ninth most for any Tulsa receiver.
• Atkinson finished his career as the sixth Tulsa player with 200-plus receptions (202) and surpassed Caswell and Garrett Mills (2002-05) for fifth on Tulsa’s career chart.
• Atkinson also tallied his 12th career 100-yard receiving game, which is tied with Chris Penn (1991, 1993) for third on Tulsa’s career chart.
LUCAS/ATKINSON (WR)
• For the third time in Tulsa history, two or more players had 1,000-plus yards receiving in the same season. Lucas and Atkinson completed the feat this year while Atkinson managed the same feat last season with Keyarris Garrett.
JAMES FLANDERS (RB)
• Senior running back James Flanders rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown against Central Michigan. He finished the season with a new school record 1,629 rushing yards on the season and became the first Tulsa player to hit the 1,600-yard mark in a single season.
• Flanders finished his career with 2,177 rushing yards, which is ranked 12th on Tulsa’s career chart.
• Flanders finished the season with 18 rushing touchdowns and 18 total touchdowns, both of which were tied for second (with Zack Langer in 2015) on those school charts.
• Flanders finished the season with 108 points, which is tied with Zack Langer (2015) and Jarod Tracy (2008) for seventh best on Tulsa’s single season scoring chart.
• Flanders became the sixth Tulsa player to rush for 100-plus yards in 10 or more games.
D’ANGELO BREWER (RB)
• Junior running back D’Angelo Brewer finished the game with 105 rushing yards and 1,435 for the season, which is fourth best in school history.
• Brewer also now has 2,301 career rushing yards, which ranks ninth on Tulsa’s all-time chart. He needs 699 yards next season to become the fourth player in Tulsa history to reach the 3,000-yard mark.
FLANDERS/BREWER (RB)
• Flanders and Brewer rushed for a combined 205 yards in the Miami Beach Bowl. Already the most combined rushing yardage in school history, they finished the season with 3,064 yards and became the first Tulsa duo to combine for 3,000-plus yards in a season.
• While playing together, Flanders and Brewer have a combined 4,572 rushing yards and have surpassed Michael Gunter and Ken Lacy (1980-82) for second most in Tulsa history.
EVANS/FLANDERS/BREWER/LUCAS/ATKINSON
• These five Tulsa players set a new career record for offensive production as the only team in NCAA history to have one 3,000-yard passer (Evans), two 1,000-yard rushers (Flanders and Brewer), and two 1,000-yard receivers (Lucas and Atkinson).
REDFORD JONES (PK)
• Junior kicker Redford Jones scored 12 points and finished the season with 130 points, which is second best in Tulsa history for all players (behind Alex Singleton’s 150 points in 2012) and an extension of his school record for kickers.
• With two field goals, Jones finished with 21 for the season and tied Stu Crum (1982) for the school record.
• Jones now has 238 career points and is 10th on Tulsa’s all-time chart.
JONES/FLANDERS
• Jones and Flanders have become the second Tulsa duo to score 100-plus points in the same season. The only other players to accomplish this feat were Jones and Zack Langer who did so last season.
TRENT MARTIN (LB)
• Senior linebacker Trent Martin had six tackles on Monday and finished his career with 334. He surpassed Ashon Farley (1997-2000) to move into 10th on Tulsa’s all-time chart.
KEENAN JOHNSON (WR)
• Freshman Keenan Johnson finished the season with 307 receiving yards, which is the 10th most for a Tulsa freshman.
TEAM
• Tulsa finished the season with 3,402 rushing yards, which is ranked fourth on the school’s all-time chart.
• Tulsa won its 10th game of the season and has now won 10 or more games for the 10th time in school history.
• Tulsa scored 552 points this season, which is the sixth most in school history and seventh time the program has surpassed the 500-point mark.
• Tulsa scored 40-plus points in 10 games this season and 17 times in 26 games under head coach Philip Montgomery.
TULSA FOOTBALL SEASON RECORDS
PASSING YARDS
1. Paul Smith – 5,065 (2007)
2. Dane Evans – 4,332 (2015)
3. David Johnson – 4,059 (2008)
4. G.J. Kinne – 3,650 (2010)
5. Billy Guy Anderson – 3,454 (1965)
6. Dane Evans – 3,348 (2016)
TOUCHDOWN PASSES
1. Paul Smith – 47 (2007)
2. David Johnson – 46 (2008)
T3. Dane Evans – 32 (2016)
T3. Jerry Rhome – 32 (1964)
TOUCHDOWN RESPONSIBILITY
1. Paul Smith – 60 (2007)
2. David Johnson – 49 (2008)
3. G.J. Kinne – 38 (2010)
4. Dane Evans – 36 (2016)
RUSHING YARDS
1. James Flanders – 1,629 (2016)
2. Tarrion Adams – 1,523 (2008)
3. Micheal Gunter – 1,464 (1982)
4. D’Angelo Brewer – 1,435 (2016)
COMBINED RUSHING YARDS BY TWO TEAMMATES
1. James Flanders/D’Angelo Brewer – 3,064 (2016)
2. Micheal Gunter/Ken Lacy – 2,561 (1982)
RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
1. Alex Singleton – 24 (2012)
T2. James Flanders – 18 (2016)
T2. Zack Langer – 18 (2015)
RECEIVING YARDS
1. Howard Twilley – 1,779 (1965)
2. Keyarris Garrett – 1,588 (2015)
3. Chris Penn – 1,578 (1993)
4. Dan Bitson – 1,425 (1989)
5. Brennan Marion – 1,244 (2007)
6. Garrett Mills – 1,235 (2005)
7. Keevan Lucas – 1,219 (2014)
8. Donald Shoals – 1,195 (2000)
9. Keevan Lucas – 1,180 (2016)
10. Howard Twilley – 1,178 (1964)
11. Rick Eber – 1,168 (1967)
12. Dan Bitson – 1,138 (1988)
13. Damaris Johnson – 1,131 (2009)
14. Brennan Marion – 1,112 (2008)
15. Trae Johnson – 1,088 (2007)
16. Damon Savage – 1,084 (1997)
17. Josh Atkinson – 1,071 (2015)
18. Josh Atkinson – 1,058 (2016)
RECEPTIONS
1. Howard Twilley – 134 (1965)
2. Chris Penn – 105 (1993)
3. Keevan Lucas – 101 (2014)
4. Keyarris Garrett – 96 (2015)
5. Howard Twilley – 95 (1964)
6. Garrett Mills – 87 (2005)
7. Keevan Lucas – 81 (2016)
8. Donald Shoals – 80 (2000)
T9. Josh Atkinson – 78 (2016)
T9. Damaris Johnson – 78 (2009)
T9. Rick Eber – 78 (1967)
RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS
T1. Howard Twilley – 16 (1965)
T1. Dan Bitson – 16 (1965)
3. Keevan Lucas – 15 (2016)
FRESHMAN RECEIVING YARDS
1. Trae Johnson – 1,088 (2007)
2. Charles Clay – 1,024 (2007)
3. Damaris Johnson – 743 (2008)
4. Ronnie Kelley – 675 (1984)
5. Damon Savage – 628 (1996)
6. Dan Bitson – 608 (1987)
7. Justin Hobbs – 551 (2015)
8. Keevan Lucas – 442 (2013)
9. Thomas Roberson – 367 (2010)
10. Keenan Johnson – 307 (2016)
SCORING
1. Alex Singleton – 150 (2012)
2. Redford Jones – 130 (2016)
3. Howard Twilley – 127 (1965)
4. Kevin Fitzpatrick – 111 (2010)
5. Howard Twilley – 110 (1964)
6. Redford Jones – 109 (2015)
T7. James Flanders – 108 (2016)
T7. Zack Langer – 108 (2015)
T7. Jarod Tracy – 108 (2008)
SCORING (KICKING ONLY)
1. Redford Jones – 130 (2016)
2. Kevin Fitzpatrick – 111 (2010)
3. Redford Jones – 109 (2015)
4. Jarod Tracy – 108 (2008)
FIELD GOALS
T1. Redford Jones – 21 (2016)
T1. Stu Crum – 21 (1982)
3. James Anderson – 20 (1996)
TEAM SCORING
1. 2008 – 661
2. 1920 – 621
3. 1919 – 594
4. 2007 – 576
5. 1916 – 566
6. 2016 – 552
TEAM RUSHING YARDAGE
1. 2008 – 3,752
2. 1951 – 3,578
3. 2012 – 3,440
4. 2016 – 3,402
TULSA FOOTBALL CAREER RECORDS
400-YARD PASSING GAMES
T1. Dane Evans – 4 (2013-16)
T1. Billy Guy Anderson – 4 (1965-66)
300-YARD PASSING GAMES
1. Dane Evans – 16 (2013-16)
2. Paul Smith – 15 (2003-07)
PASSING YARDS
1. Dane Evans – 11,680 (2013-16)
2. Paul Smith – 10,936 (2003-07)
COMPLETIONS
1. Dane Evans – 902 (2013-16)
2. Paul Smith – 808 (2003-07)
YARDS PER COMPLETION
1. Ronnie Morris – 17.5 (1950-52)
2. David Johnson – 15.1 (2005-08)
3. T.J. Rubley – 13.7 (1987-91)
4. Paul Smith – 13.5 (2003-07)
5. G.J. Kinne – 12.98 (2009-11)
6. Dane Evans – 12.95 (2013-16)
TOTAL OFFENSE
1. Dane Evans – 11,752 (2013-16)
2. Paul Smith – 11,602 (2003-07)
3. G.J. Kinne – 10,831 (2009-11)
PASSING TOUCHDOWNS
1. Dane Evans – 84 (2013-16)
2. Paul Smith – 83 (2003-07)
3. G.J. Kinne – 81 (2009-11)
TOUCHDOWN RESPONSBILITY
1. Paul Smith – 111 (2003-07)
2. G.J. Kinne – 96 (2009-11)
3. Dane Evans – 94 (2013-16)
RECEIVING YARDS
1. Howard Twilley – 3,343 (1963-65)
2. Dan Bitson – 3,300 (1987-91)
3. Keevan Lucas – 3,250 (2013-16)
4. Keyarris Garrett – 3,209 (2011-15)
5. Damon Savage – 2,952 (1996-99)
6. Damaris Johnson – 2,746 (2008-10)
7. Josh Atkinson – 2,654 (2013-16)
8. Wes Caswell – 2,562 (1993-98)
9. Charles Clay – 2,544 (2007-10)
10. Donald Shoals – 2,441 (1999-2001)
RECEPTIONS
1. Howard Twilley – 261 (1963-65)
2. Keevan Lucas – 238 (2013-16)
3. Keyarris Garrett – 219 (2012-15)
4. Damon Savage – 212 (1996-99)
5. Josh Atkinson – 202 (2013-16)
6. Garrett Mills – 201 (2002-05)
RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS
T1. Keevan Lucas – 32 (2013-16)
T1. Howard Twilley – 32 (1963-65)
T1. Steve Largent – 32 (1973-75)
4. Dan Bitson – 29 (1987-91)
100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES
1. Dan Bitson – 16 (1987-91)
2. Howard Twilley – 14 (1963-65)
T3. Josh Atkinson – 12 (2013-16)
T3. Chris Penn – 12 (1991, 1993)
T5. Keevan Lucas – 11 (2013-16)
T5. Damaris Johnson – 11 (2008-2010)
FIELD GOALS
6. Kevin Fitzpatrick – 45 (2008-11)
7. Redford Jones – 38 (2015-pres.)
8. Eric Lange – 35 (1991-92)
TOTAL TACKLES
1. Nelson Coleman – 413 (2003-07)
2. Michael Mudoh – 406 (2012-15)
3. Shawn Jackson – 401 (2010-13)
4. Michael White – 389 (1987, 1989-91)
5. Robert Tennon – 388 (1976, 1978-80)
6. Lovie Smith – 367 (1976-79)
7. Curnelius Arnick – 356 (2008-11)
8. Chris Chamberlain – 352 (2004-07)
9. Don Blackmon – 336 (1976, 1978-80)
10. Trent Martin – 334 (2013-16)
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE FOOTBALL RECORDS
CAREER PASSING YARDS
1. Dane Evans – 10,802 (2014-16)
CAREER 300-YARD PASSING GAMES
1. Dane Evans – 16 (2014-16)
CAREER COMPLETIONS
1. Dane Evans – 820 (2014-16)
NCAA FOOTBALL RECORDS
CAREER PASSING YARDS
35. Carson Palmer – 11,818 (Southern California/1998-2002)
36. Drew Brees – 11,792 (Purdue/1997-2000)
37. Brady Quinn – 11,762 (Notre Dame/2003-06)
38. Russell Wilson – 11,720 (Wisconsin/2008-11)
39. Dane Evans – 11,680 (Tulsa/2013-16)
40. Geno Smith – 11,662 (West Virginia/2009-12)