TU eyes rebound from ‘out of character’ loss
After experiencing last Friday night's loss against Houston first hand, the University of Tulsa football team had to relive it during a painful film session to examine what went wrong.
“We did a few things that weren't our normal selves, things that were out of character,” safety Kendarin Ray said. “Our coaches are showing us how to learn from it and improve so that we can make sure that we can get better and get ready for this week.”
Following the 45-10 thumping that produced TU's largest margin of defeat in an American Athletic Conference game, the Hurricane also had a longer-than-usual team meeting, perhaps a defining moment near the midpoint of a season that has gotten off track.
“It was a chance for us to come together and kind of lay some things out and make sure that we were good and understand where we're at and what type of team that we have,” coach Philip Montgomery said. “I think we have a good team.
“We've shown to be a good team throughout this year. Our record may not always show that; some of that is who we played and some other things. I think we've got a good football team that has taken really positive steps. We took a step backwards the other night.”
What transpired was a stunning turn of events for a team showing progression, having competed with Oklahoma State and Ohio State and looking solid on offense and defense in a win against Arkansas State the previous week. Houston jumped out to a 28-0 lead and the Hurricane couldn't recover.
“Those games are going to happen,” Montgomery said. “You don't want them to happen. You hope they don't happen. But at some point in time, throughout your career as a player and coach, you're going to have a game like that that's hard to explain.
“You can come up with a ton of reasons and excuses, but that's what those are. And we've never done that around here. So for us, it's about getting back to work.”
TU (1-4, 0-1 AAC) had more than dozen players get sick with a stomach virus early in the week, resulting in some missing practice time. That may have played a role in the lethargic performance.
“Other guys can speak for themselves, but I feel I didn't get a full week of preparation,” tight end Ethan Hall said. “That is huge. You all have covered football. You need a full week of preparation. And if you're not practicing, then you're not getting the same looks. You've got to practice a full week so you're prepared for the game.”
Despite its lackluster showing against Houston, the Hurricane is favored Saturday night against a Memphis team that is also reeling after dropping two in a row by a combined five points. In games immediately following losses of 20 points or more, Montgomery is 6-4.
“All you can think about is the next week,” Hall said. “That week just didn't go our way, so we're already on to the next. … It'll be fun to go out (to the practice field) and get back to work. That's what we do. We love playing ball and this team loves to work hard, so that's what we're going to do.”