Tulsa could easily be 3-1
TULSA — For Tulsa, the difference between one win and one loss has been incredibly small.
If not for last-second field goals by Toledo and New Mexico in its previous two outings, the Hurricane could be 3-1 instead of 1-3.
“Both of those two games could have gone the other way,” coach Philip Montgomery said. “We’ve just got to keep working the way we’re working and trending upward and catch a little luck here and there. You’ve got to create that luck by the way you work.”
TU shifts attention to its American Athletic Conference opener against Navy at H.A. Chapman Stadium on Saturday afternoon while trying to put the recent heartbreaks in the past.
“It’s just everybody on the team trying to keep everyone’s heads up,” linebacker Craig Suits said. “Obviously, we were down after the game (last week). We lost a really close game for the second week in a row, so nobody was happy, as you’d expect.
“It’s just us coming together as a family and encouraging each other and keeping each other up so we can get better for the next week.”
After heartbreaking conclusions in the last two weeks, Tulsa can’t afford to get into a backand-forth game with Navy, which has won 62.7 percent of its games decided by eight points or fewer under coach Ken Niumatalolo. In 2016, the Midshipmen played eight games decided by one possession and prevailed in five, including the controversial 42-40 victory against TU.
If Navy has a weakness, it might be in defending the pass.
The Midshipmen are allowing 246 passing yards per game. The Hurricane has a pair of talented receivers in Justin Hobbs and Keenen Johnson
but has struggled to find them.
The run-first Midshipmen make their few passes count, totaling nine receptions for 295 yards and three touchdowns in their first three games. The 32.8 yards per catch is the best in the country.
Navy is coming off a 569-yard outing against Cincinnati, missing its program rushing record by 3 yards only because the Midshipmen took a knee twice late. They are averaging 393 rushing yards per game, ranking second in FBS.
The well-disciplined Midshipmen have one of the best kickoff coverages in the country, surrendering only 16.9 yards per return.