Tulsa travels to SMU hoping to get back on the winning track
Losing at UConn last Saturday was perhaps the most disappointing loss of the season, given that it was a game that Tulsa should have won, and that it made accomplishing a winning regular season impossible.
On the flip side, Tulsa’s near comeback after trailing 20-0 in the fourth quarter was truly amazing, and showed a never give up spirit.
When Tulsa plays a lot closer to home this Friday night in Dallas against SMU, it will be Tulsa’s last chance to stave off a losing season. And, quite frankly, Tulsa fans absolutely hate losing to the Mustangs.
So what type of chance does Tulsa (2-6, 1-3 AAC) have of upsetting an SMU (5-2, 2-1) team that probably isn't as good as its record shows?
That depends greatly, as it has all season, on how Tulsa’s passing game plays. Since the Golden Hurricane, with an offense designed to feature the pass, has not torched any opponents this year through the air, the team has struggled.
With two starts under his belt, Luke Skipper is 1-1. In neither game did he excel, but when he was given a chance to open up the offense late in the game, Tulsa finally started to move the ball, albeit it was against the worst pass defense in college football.
It would be nice to see what Skipper can do if opponents aren’t ganging up against the run. Shamari Brooks had a strong game at UConn replacing banged up D’Angelo Brewer, gaining 164 yards and scoring two touchdowns on 31 carries.
But too many unsuccessful running plays on first and second down at UConn had Tulsa’s inexperienced passing game facing third-and-long, and it often did not come through.
Trailing only 3-0 at halftime, Tulsa’s much maligned defense had put the Golden Hurricane in position to win the game, but they finally wore down in the third quarter before Tulsa’s late rally.
Tulsa needs to find out if Skipper is the answer. The last four games could do just that.
Winning at SMU has never been an easy proposition for TU, going 4-8 against the Mustangs. But Tulsa did win 40-31 in 2015 in Dallas the last time the Golden Hurricane visited Gerald J. Ford Stadium.
When analyzing SMU’s season, their 5-2 record isn’t really very impressive. Throw out the minor college win against Stephen F. Austin, where they scored a meaningless 58 points. SMU is only 4-2 against FBS teams.
Beating North Texas (4-3) and Arkansas State (4-2) at home is not inspiring. And SMU beat a bad Cincinnati (2-6, 0-4) team in overtime last week.
In comparative games, SMU lost 35-22 at Houston (4-3, 2-2), and won 49-28 at home against UConn (3-4, 2-3). Both are the reverse of how Tulsa fared with the home and away aspect reversed. SMU's 56-36 loss at TCU (7-0) wasn’t bad.
So when you really look at it, SMU’s best win is over (take your pick) UConn, North Texas or Arkansas State. Not really anything to write home about.
The Mustangs do have a good offense under third year coach Chad Morris, who is 0-1 in the series between the two teams. In his one year at Tulsa in 2010 under Todd Graham as offensive coordinator right out of the high school ranks, TU lost 21-18 in Dallas.
After two losing seasons in Morris’ first two years right off of Lovers Lane, the Mustangs have an excellent chance of having a rare winning season. Ever since the death penalty was handed to SMU after the 1986 season, the Ponies have had winning records in four of 28 seasons. Three of those came in the June Jones tenure (2009-2014).
Morris is seemingly doing a good job in a 2017 season full of patsies. However, accomplishing a winning season this year would be difficult without beating Tulsa.
The Ponies schedule after TU is not easy. They play UCF (6-0, 4-0) at home, at Navy (5-2, 3-2), at Memphis (6-1, 3-1), and Tulane (3-4, 1-2) at home. The Mustangs should only be favored in the Tulane game. And that game is no gimme.
Over the last five games, SMU is 3-2, outscoring its opponents 36.4 to 33.6. By contrast, TU is 1-4 in its last five, being outscored 29.2 to 24.2.
SMU quarterback Ben Hicks has some weapons at his disposal, with receiver Trey Quinn catching 71 passes for 773 yards and five touchdowns. Running back Xavier Jones has rushed for 547 yards at 6.0 yards per carry. Hicks averages 281 yards per game through the air – a yardage total not reached by a Tulsa quarterback in any game this year.
The point spread, hovering around SMU being favored by nine points, seems fair. The Ponies should be favored.
However, it is not too late for the Golden Hurricane to salvage something out of this season. Beating SMU would get Tulsa back on the right track, and is very possible, especially if Skipper and company improve.