Tulsa hopes to cap stellar season with bowl win
After such an outstanding season, the last thing Tulsa intends to let happen is for it to end poorly.
Looking to finish the season in the Top 25, No. 22 Tulsa plays Mississippi State on Thursday at 11 a.m. on the last day of 2020 in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth.
Tulsa (6-2, 6-1 AAC) has a chance to not only finish strong, but also make a statement by sticking it to an opponent from the mighty SEC.
"This group has been special all year," said TU coach Philip Montgomery. "We get an opportunity to finish up the season in a way that we would like to and really celebrate what these guys have accomplished and what they've done all year long."
It will be an emotional final for Tulsa's seniors who are looking to end one of the more accomplished seasons in TU history. Some seniors, such as quarterback Zach Smith, receiver Keylon Stokes, cornerback Allie Green, safety Cristian Williams, and nose guard Tyarise Stevenson, are continuing to audition for a chance at playing in the NFL.
Others, such as second-team All-AAC kicker Zack Long, want to go out in style after a storybook season.
And there is the chance that it may be the last TU game for junior cornerback Akayleb Evans, who could decide to turn pro after the game.
However, seniors do have the opportunity to come back and play another season next year, as the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility due to the shortened season. One TU senior that plans to come back is safety TieNeal Martin.
"Honestly, for the most part, I feel like I left a lot out there on the field," Martin said this week. "So I feel like I have a lot more to show, a lot more to prove. So, I’m most definitely coming back next year."
Tulsa will have to play the bowl game without its star linebacker Zaven Collins, who declared for the NFL draft after winning the Bronko Nagurski Trophy for being the National Defensive Player of the Year.
Replacing Collins won't be easy, but when Tulsa had to play without Collins for parts of three halves this season, the Hurricane's outstanding defense has still been able to function, especially in the second half against Navy in the regular season finale when Collins was out with a foot injury.
"We've had guys step up all year long when guys have been out due to injury or due to the virus or whatever else it has been," Montgomery said. "Guys have stepped up, and we're going to continue to do that, and I know they expect that out of each other."
Replacing Collins at the Will linebacker spot will be senior Robert Revels, who will be backed up by sophomore Mitchell Kulkin, both of whom have shown they can play when Collins has been out.
Mississippi State (3-7, 3-7 SEC) is a deceptive opponent because their record doesn't look good. However, since all of its games were in the SEC, its overall record doesn't represent what a typical record would be in a regular type of season.
With a usual guaranteed three to four wins in a non-conference schedule that historically isn't very strong, MSU would likely have had a record ranging anywhere from 7-5 to 5-7 with the same performance it had in conference play this season had it had been a normal season.
After defeating defending national champion LSU (5-5) 44-34 to start the season, the rest of the year didn't turn out as expected while going through a brutal schedule that featured No. 1 Alabama(11-0), No. 5 Texas A&M (8-1), and No. 9/11 Georgia (7-2).
Yes, the Bulldogs lost 41-0 at Alabama, but have been respectable in almost every other game. They lost 31-24 at Georgia a little over a month ago, and lost 28-14 at home to Texas A&M.
In its most recent game, Mississippi State clocked Missouri (5-5) 51-32 to end Mike Leach's first regular season as MSU head coach.
"Obviously, extremely well coached by Coach Leach and what he has done throughout his career," Montgomery said of Leach, who was successful in head coaching stops at Texas Tech, and most recently, Washington State, as well as being OU's offensive coordinator in Bob Stoops' first seasons in Norman.
That Mizzou game could be telling because it actually featured a running game where MSU didn't pass in crazy numbers. Jo'Quavious Marks had 70 yards on 12 carries to lead a ground attack of 151 yards on 28 carries (5.4 avg.).
Those rushing totals are significant because MSU has averaged only 36 yards rushing per game on 2.1 yards per carry for the entire season. Marks leads MSU with 240 yards on 4.1 yards per carry. Dillon Johnson has 168 yards on 4.1 yards per carry.
Perhaps it is fitting that Tulsa faces a quarterback named Will Rogers. The 6-foot-2 freshman completed 21 of 36 passes for 295 yards and a strong 14.1 yards per reception against Missouri.
This trend of not passing almost every down may continue with weather expected to be cold and possibly rainy on New Year's Eve in Fort Worth.
Comparably, Rogers averaged 52.5 pass attempts over the previous four games since he became the full-time quarterback, taking over for senior grad transfer K.J. Costello. Rogers has 1,828 yards passing with 10 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
Costello opened the season with an astounding 623 passing yards at LSU, completing 36 of 60 for five touchdowns and two interceptions. But after that game, his performance fell off the table, throwing for one touchdown and nine interceptions the rest of the year while playing only two more complete games.
The good news for Tulsa is that both Rogers and Costello are not running threats, at all, with a combined minus 97 yards rushing between the two. Rogers has minus 32 yards on 25 carries.
This is a welcome sight for the Golden Hurricane after facing prolific runner Desmond Ridder against Cincinnati in the heartbreaking 27-24 AAC title game loss.
Another welcome sign is that Rogers averages only 8.3 yards per completion, and 5.8 yards per attempt.
Rogers' favorite target is Jaden Walley, who has 48 catches for 691 yards and two touchdowns. Walley is one of six Mississippi State receivers who have at least 34 catches.
"They spread the ball around, just like coach Leach always has," Montgomery said. "They're going to have multiple receivers get a ton of different catches. They're going to make you be aware of what they're going to do underneath. So they're going to dink and dunk and keep moving chains and all the crossing routes and all the things they do so well in their offense.
"Then all of a sudden you think you've got a good grasp of that and then somebody slips by you. You've got to eliminate those big plays. You've got to do a good job on early downs and get them in those long yardage situations. Then they are at least a little more predictable when it comes to that part of it."
Tulsa's offense is coming off playing a very accomplished Cincinnati defense where Tulsa was able to move the ball all game in the rain that made passing the ball tough at times. Still, the Golden Hurricane was able to almost pull off the road win.
The standout on offense against Cincy was fifth-year senior Corey Taylor. The Holland Hall graduate had possibly his best career game, considering the circumstances. Taylor rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries (5.9 avg.).
Taylor's performance was supplemented by Deneric Prince, who had 78 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just nine carries.
Montgomery is concerned with MSU's defense that has played well for most of the season.
"They are basing out of an odd front, but they play just as much even as they do odd," Montgomery said. "They're giving you a bunch of different coverages. They're twisting, they're moving, they're blitzing from different looks, they're rolling different guys into the box. They're being multiple.
"Obviously, we've had to go against that a lot this year, but they've got really talented guys doing it. They're bringing a lot of different pressure looks. We've just got to have our eyes in the right spot, be assignment sound, and have opportunities to find ways to move the football."
The Golden Hurricane, slotted as 2.5 point favorites, believe they have what it takes to compete against any team from any conference, and there has been no reason to disbelieve them so far.
In a season where Tulsa has had a chance to win every game late in the fourth quarter, and has made several noteworthy comebacks, it would seem smart to not pick against the Golden Hurricane.
It is time for Tulsa to finish the season the way it has played all season. And if that is the case, Tulsa will find a way to win for the seventh and last time of 2020.