Tulsa hopes to get back on course in conference opener at Temple

For all the gloom and doom that comes with a listless performance in a loss against a team Tulsa should beat at home, the real question is still unanswered.

Was the Arkansas State game last Saturday night an aberration, or is the season on a downward slide?

After all, if Tulsa had to choose between beating Arkansas State last week or Temple this Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, it is a certainty that Tulsa would choose beating Temple every time. That is the case because it is the conference opener, and it is on the road.

A win at Temple would make a huge statement that Tulsa is back on the right track.

Another intriguing question has to do with which Temple team will show up.

The one that pounded Maryland 35-14 last week on the road, or the one that was pathetic in losing at home the first two weeks to Villanova of the FCS and Buffalo? Buffalo of the MAC conference is 3-0 with its other two wins being over powder puff variety, and they finished 6-6 in 2017. Villanova of the CAA (Colonial) finished 5-6 in 2017 and is coming off a 10-point home loss to mighty Towson.

Another question about both Tulsa and Temple concerns whether they are both much better road teams than home teams.

Because quite frankly, both teams have under-performed at home this year, but have played well on the road. Tulsa's 28-21 loss at Texas was a decent performance, especially considering how Texas defeated #23 USC 37-14 last week in Austin. But Tulsa's loss to Arkansas State was a poor showing, and Tulsa's opening 38-27 win over FCS team Central Arkansas was nothing to brag about.

Tulsa (1-2) can hope this week that they play much better on the road. And since Temple (1-2) has been dreadful at home this season, the Golden Hurricane would benefit from both trends continuing.

TU closed out its 2-10 season in 2017 with a 44-23 home loss to Temple. The Owls went 7-6 in 2017, closing out their season with a victory over Florida International in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl in St. Petersburg.

In order to have a chance at Temple, Tulsa must overcome its poor starts that extend into the second half. Trailing 27-7 in the third quarter last Saturday against ASU was disheartening, but so was trailing 27-24 early in the fourth quarter against Central Arkansas. And trailing 21-0 into the third quarter at Texas was not good, either.

The common denominator in all three games is turnovers, mistakes and blown opportunities. Tulsa, particularly on offense, takes a long time to get going. Yes, Tulsa did score on its opening drive against ASU, but did absolutely nothing on offense after that into the third quarter.

“You can't wait that long, and you've got opportunities, you've got to take advantage of them,” said TU coach Philip Montgomery. “Had opportunities in the first half that we didn't -- I've got to do a better job of making sure that we're all in the right spot, and we've got to do a better job of just executing at a better level.”

The jury is still out on whether quarterback Luke Skipper is the answer. Also, Tulsa’s receivers need to be more productive. Both Skipper and the receivers show flashes of being good, but not nearly often enough. Keylon Stokes looks like he has the most potential of the entire group and could be ready to break through.

On defense, Tulsa has actually been much improved over 2017. However, its trend over the last two games of not being able to get the ball back at the end of the games is disappointing. Both Texas and ASU ran the clock out on extended drives to end each of the last two games.

Temple may be a good match up for Tulsa since the Golden Hurricane has had trouble stopping quarterbacks from running with the ball. Temple quarterbacks Frank Nutile and Anthony Russo are not known for scrambling.

Russo, a redshirt sophomore who had his first career start at Maryland last week for an injured Nutile, had zero rushing attempts in the game. Nutile, a senior who is a graduate student, has rushed nine times for minus 14 yards this season. Nutile has averaged 200.5 passing yards in his first two starts with four touchdowns and four interceptions.

Russo was impressive against Maryland, completing 15 of 28 passes for 228 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Both quarterbacks are big, standing at 6-foot-4.

In last year’s 43-22 win over Tulsa, Nutile completed 20 of 28 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns.

Skipper didn’t get a chance to play against Temple last year, missing the game due to injury. Chad President, who started the first six games before being replaced by Skipper, completed four of 13 passes for 40 yards and a touchdown before leaving with a torn ACL. His replacement, Will Hefley, was two of six for 15 yards and two interceptions.

With those passing numbers, it is amazing Tulsa scored at all, but D'Angelo Brewer finished his stellar career as Tulsa’s all-time leading rusher by gaining 255 yards on 34 carries against Temple.

Brewer’s performance would suggest that Temple may be vulnerable against the run. The Owls have given up 526 yards in three games for an average of 175.3 a game.

This is the fifth game in a series that is tied 2-2. Tulsa won the first two meetings in 1987 and 1988 in seasons it went 3-8 and 4-7, respectively. Ironically, every year Tulsa has played Temple, the Golden Hurricane has had a losing season. TU lost the last two games in the series in 2014 and 2017, where it finished 2-10 both seasons.

The first meeting in Philadelphia was a 24-17 victory at old Veteran’s Stadium in 1987. TU was led by freshmen future stars T.J. Rubley at quarterback and All-American Dan Bitson at receiver and Dennis Byrd at defensive tackle.

In the 1987 game, Tulsa blocked three field goals off a Temple team that finished 3-8. Rubley completed 18 of 35 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns. Bitson caught four passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, and Erick Harrison caught three passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns.

Future NFL running back Todd McNair led Temple’s running attack, and rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries that day. McNair played eight years in the NFL with Kansas City and Houston. He caught 254 passes and rushed for 802 yards in his NFL career.

Perhaps the Owls have another McNair in running back Ryquell Armstead, who rushed for 118 yards on 26 carries against Maryland. He has 256 yards for a 4.7 yards per carry average in three games this season. He gained 604 yards last season for a 3.9 yards per carry average.

In order for Tulsa to pull off the upset (Temple is favored from 6 to 7 points), the Hurricane must continue to play well on defense while showing some consistency on offense during the entire game.

If the offense doesn’t improve, it will be another long season.