Shamari Brooks and Corey Taylor are what make Tulsa’s offense tick. Without them grinding out first downs, the clock would be broken.

The two Tulsa high school products are going to be needed to have even bigger years in 2019. They provide TU with some certainty, as well as effectiveness, in an offense that hasn’t provided much outside of the running game the last two seasons.

With an anticipated better passing game this season, to go with an already strong running game, Tulsa’s offense could again be lighting up scoreboards.

“They’re a good one-two punch,” Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery said of Brooks and Taylor. “They play off of each other extremely well. They are both humble, and they’re not seeking all the reps or all the glory. They do a good job of working well together.”

Brooks and Taylor should again carry the bulk of the offense this season. Even when Tulsa has passed for a lot of yards in Montgomery’s offense, it has been the running backs that have carried the load for much of the time during Montgomery’s four-year reign.

Together, the two combined for 1,813 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns in their sophomore seasons in 2018. Brooks led the way with 967 yards and seven touchdowns at 4.2 yards per carry in 11 games, while Taylor added 846 yards and 11 touchdowns at 4.8 yards per carry.

“They are two different styles of runners,” Montgomery said. “Shamari is the real electric kind of quick cut, burst, accelerate. He can run over you, can run around you. He’s a guy that’s pretty electric with the ball in his hands. Got great vision and understands it.

“He has done a much better job of catching the ball out of the backfield. We’ve worked a lot on that this spring. I think he can become a true weapon from that sense.”

A 5-foot-9, 193-pound dynamo from Tulsa Union, Brooks caught only six passes for 31 yards last season. A boost in his productivity in the passing game would be an enormous help.

“Shamari plays with a chip on his shoulder,” Montgomery described. “He’s always angry when it comes to playing on the field. He wants to prove to everybody who he is and what he can do. He wants to continue to develop.”

Brooks built upon an exciting year as a true freshman where he gained 687 yards and 10 touchdowns at 5.8 yards per carry in nine games before being injured.

For the 5-10, 218-pound Taylor, a graduate of Holland Hall, 2018 was a year where he showed he would be a force. He had shown a glimpse of his ability in 2017 when he rushed for 179 yards in two games. His highlight was rushing for 111 yards on 20 carries at OSU, including a 55-yarder for a touchdown. He was granted a medical redshirt that year after being injured in game two. Taylor rushed for 4 yards and a touchdown on five carries as a freshman.

“Corey is a little bit quieter than Shamari. He is a real dense runner,” Montgomery said. “When people hit him, they feel his power. Probably pound for pound one of the strongest guys we have in this program. He’s got good speed, runs downhill, can get outside. Both of them do a good job on pass protection. He’s continuing to work on his hands as well.”

Finding dependable backups for Brooks and Taylor is of utmost importance.

“We’ve got two really productive players if we can stay healthy there,” Montgomery said. “Last year, both of them missed a little time via injury and the other one had to really step up and take some reps. We had times where both of them were pretty banged up. So it’s about keeping them healthy.