Hurricane will lean on QBs
Getting offense on track could boost success
Tulsa took a massive step backward last season in part due to a rash of injuries.
The Golden Hurricane went from 10 wins and a second-place finish in the American Athletic Conference West Division in 2016 to just two wins and a lastplace finish in 2017. It was the fourth time since 2000 the program has won two or fewer games in a season.
Rebuilding Tulsa is No. 111 in Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel’s preseason 2018 college football rankings. Murschel ranked all 129 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 129 to our projected No. 1 team.
Tulsa Philip Montgomery (18-20, entering fourth season; 18-20 overall)
2-10, 1-7 in the American Athletic Conference, sixth in the West Division
Tulsa opened up the 2017 campaign with a blowout loss at Oklahoma State. The team bounced back with a blowout victory over Louisiana before suffering through a four-game losing streak. A win in mid-October against Houston was followed by a five-game skid to wrap up the regular season. According to the school, Tulsa lost five games by seven points or fewer in the last minute of the game, including a pair of three-point losses sealed by game-ending field goals.
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RB D’Angelo Brewer, OL Evan Plagg, OL Zac Uhles, DE Jesse Brubaker, DE Jeremy Smith, LB Craig Suits, CB Kerwin Thomas, K Redford Jones
QB Chad President, WR Josh Stewart, TE Chris Minter, S Manny Bunch, LB Diamon Cannon, LB Cooper Edminston, DT Garrett Flanary, DT Myle Mouton, CB Reggie Robinson II
Perhaps the biggest challenge is replacing D’Angelo Brewer, the program’s all-time leading rusher. Brewer managed to finish his career with close to 4,000 yards and 23 touchdowns, racking up a league-best 1,517 yards in 2017. Shamari Brooks, who set the school freshman mark with 687 yards last season, returns as the top candidate to replace Brewer.
Chandler Miller, Willie Wright and Tyler Bowling return to anchor Tulsa’s offensive line. They have combined for close to 100 career starts. The group allowed 26.0 sacks in 2017, but they also produced the league leader in rushing for the second consecutive season.
Montgomery is hoping experience gained during an injury-riddled 2017 season will pay off for the defense. Eight different players earned starts in the secondary last season, providing the group some much-needed depth heading into 2018. Defensive back McKinley Whitfield finished as the team’s leading tackler (113) and he’ll be joined by safety Manny Bunch, who is returning from a knee injury that cost him the second half of last season.
There’s ambiguity surrounding the quarterback position. Chad President and Luke Skipper split time at the position last season. Skipper, a prototypical passer, threw for 1,141 yards with three touchdowns, while President was the team’s third-leading rusher with 429 yards and nine rushing touchdowns before suffering an ACL injury in the regular-season finale. Both are expected to compete for the starting job in the fall, according to Montgomery.
The secret to Tulsa’s success lately has been its prolific offense. The Golden Hurricane went from averaging nearly 43 points per game in 2016 to just 30 in 2017. In order to bounce back this season, the quarterbacks need to improve.