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Tulsa Hurricane (2000: 5-7) The following team preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the nation's most comprehensive look at this and all Division I-A teams, be sure to order the 2001 Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518.
Coach and programKeith Burns’ task was made clear when he took over the Tulsa program last year. He needed to build a program, but he also needed to win immediately if the Golden Hurricane was going to have a chance of maintaining success as a Division I-A athletic program.Though Tulsa has more than pulled its weight in basketball, the Golden Hurricane has experienced little success in football the last 10 years, making the school look like one of the classic Division I-A hangers-on. Last year wasn’t a breakthrough year, but it did breath some life into a program that has been desperately looking for any kind of hope. Tulsa still finished below .500, but the strides Burns made and 17 returning starters have Golden Hurricane fans as excited as ever about football. Despite winning only five games in 2000, the team finished with Tulsa’s best record since the 1991 Freedom Bowl season. The Golden Hurricane won two WAC road games for the first time ever and finished the season with two wins for the first time in nine years. And Burns and company did it with a young team that needed 17 freshmen to play a lot. Tulsa is still young (only four senior starters), but Burns believes this is the year the Golden Hurricane can make a breakthrough. The schedule forces the young team to be mentally prepared for a grueling September. After opening against Indiana State, Tulsa goes to defending national champion Oklahoma and then has WAC favorites Fresno State and UTEP in consecutive weeks. If the Golden Hurricane can win one of those conference games, it will show Burns’ team it can compete in a balanced WAC. The most important part of that stretch is keeping junior quarterback Josh Blankenship under control. This season could be a breakout one for Tulsa and Burns. He showed last year he could keep the ship righted during tough times when the Golden Hurricane responded by winning its last two games after dropping five straight.
OffenseThe key to Tulsa having offensive success is establishing a running game and having Blankenship stay calm the whole year. The way the Golden Hurricane likes to throw the ball, Blankenship is going to make his share of mistakes.Blankenship has started since he was a freshman. His 2,507 yards last year were the fourth most in school history. He threw for more than 300 yards twice (New Mexico State and Oklahoma State) and is 77 yards short of 4,000 career yards. In his 17 career starts, he has thrown for 200 yards or more nine times and a 212.7-yard average. Senior Ken Bohanon (6-1, 241), the only upperclassmen in Tulsa’s backfield rotation, is a good short yardage back. He was Tulsa’s leading rusher a year ago with 802 yards on 202 carries. He scored 10 of the Golden Hurricane’s 18 rushing touchdowns. Statistically, senior Donald Shoals (5-10, 175), who was a first-team All-WAC selection in 2000, is one of the nation’s best returning receivers. He was fourth in the nation in receiving yards (1,195), 10th in yards per game (99.6) and 11th in receptions per game (6.7). If all that wasn’t enough, he also finished 10th in the nation in punt return average (15.6).
Defense and special teamsTulsa’s focus is on the offense because the defense could, again, be a problem.Junior nose guard Sam Rayburn (6-3, 290) is the only player with size in the defensive line rotation that returns no one over 260 pounds. That could make for another long season for a run defense that was 103rd in the nation in 2000. The Tulsa linebackers have a different look for the first time in three seasons. Gone is Ashon Farley, who led the team in tackles the last three years, and in are a host of new players, from transfers to those who switched positions to those who are back from injuries. Tulsa coaches are excited about seeing Farley’s replacement, junior Michael Dulaney (6-2, 218) in action. Dulaney played at Oklahoma for two years before transferring and sitting out last year. The defensive backs are the most experienced unit on the Tulsa team. They are also under the most pressure. The leaders are senior free safety Harold Burgess (5-11, 188), junior rover Keithan McCorry (6-0, 177) and sophomore corner C.J. Scott (5-7, 160). Burgess and McCorry are big playmakers against the run. Scott is the best coverage defensive back despite his size. Senior Casey Lipscomb (6-0, 234) is back after averaging 39.3 yards per kick on 64 punts, the third most in the league. Lipscomb is part of a solid special teams unit.
Bottom lineTulsa has a bevy of returning players, but the Golden Hurricane is still young. Only five of the 17 returning starters are seniors and only one of those is on defense. The firepower is there offensively, but the running game and several spots on the offensive line need to be addressed early for Tulsa to improve on its best season since 1991.If the schedule doesn’t beat down the young team early, a run defense that gave up more than 5.0 yards per carry improves and a wins comes against either Fresno State or UTEP, the Golden Hurricane may have enough confidence to contend in the balanced WAC. |
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