SB Nation - Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Week Fourteen BlogPoll Ballot Draft

T Kyle King — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:52:12 -0000

The time has come to cast my final regular-season BlogPoll ballot---or, at least, I think it has; I’m assuming we’re not submitting new top 25s after next weekend’s Army-Navy game---and here is what I came up with after starting with a blank piece of paper:

Rank	Team	Delta

1	Alabama
2	Cincinnati	2
3	Texas
4	Boise State	1
5	TCU	1
6	Florida	4
7	Oregon
8	Ohio State
9	Georgia Tech	1
10	Iowa	1
11	West Virginia	9
12	LSU	1
13	Arizona
14	Oregon State	2
15	Southern Cal
16	Virginia Tech	5
17	Stanford
18	Miami (Florida)	4
19	Pittsburgh	7
20	California	1
21	Oklahoma State	2
22	Brigham Young	1
23	Nebraska	1
24	Penn State	7
25	Wisconsin	1
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Houston (#18), Central Michigan (#25).

The Alabama Crimson Tide (13-0) are No. 1. Duh! Of the dozen Division I-A opponents beaten by Nick Saban’s squad, nine finished with winning records, including the sixth-ranked Florida Gators, the twelfth-ranked LSU Tigers, and the 16th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies. The Tide’s only close calls came in rivalry games against teams who will be playing on New Year’s Eve or later.

In spite of their close call against the Pittsburgh Panthers in a game played in the snow featuring two botched extra point attempts, the Cincinnati Bearcats (12-0) captured the No. 2 spot on my ballot by virtue of seven regular-season wins over teams that finished above .500, among them the 11th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers, the 14th-ranked Oregon St. Beavers, and 19th-ranked Pitt. Also, Cincy gets credit for having a logo reminiscent of Chick-fil-A's.

While I understand and respect C&F’s argument, I awarded the No. 3 ranking to the Texas Longhorns (13-0) because Mack Brown’s outfit went undefeated against a slate that included no Division I-AA schedule fodder and only four teams that posted losing ledgers. Wins over the No. 21 Oklahoma St. Cowboys and the No. 23 Nebraska Cornhuskers provided heft to the Big 12 standard-bearer’s resume.

I ranked the Boise St. Broncos (13-0) ahead of the TCU Horned Frogs (12-0) for a variety of reasons. Both took advantage of a Division I-AA victim and each faced five Division I-A teams with winning records, but Boise State has an additional win and Texas Christian has two close shaves (at Air Force and at Clemson) as opposed to the Broncos’ one (at Tulsa). Boise State’s second- and third-best wins (over Nevada and Fresno State) are comparable to the Frogs’ (over Utah and Clemson), but the Broncos’ marquee victory over the seven-ranked Oregon Ducks far outshines TCU’s best pelt, that of the 22nd-ranked BYU Cougars.

The Sunshine State Saurians (12-1) slipped to sixth after their less than competitive neutral site outing against ‘Bama, as befits the nation’s lone once-beaten team, and Oregon (10-2) led the parade of two-loss teams because the Ducks fell to two quality teams on the road and made up for those setbacks with wins over three teams ranked in my top 20 (Arizona, Oregon State, and Cal).

The Ohio St. Buckeyes (10-2) earned a No. 8 ranking on the strength of wins over the tenth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, the 24th-ranked Penn St. Nittany Lions, and the 25th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (11-2) rode their ~~fourth-place finish in the SEC East~~ ACC championship to the No. 9 ranking, although the Ramblin’ Wreck’s loss to the Georgia Bulldogs at home serves as a drag on a resume that includes five close calls in the Golden Tornado’s ten Division I-A wins. Only two of the Engineers’ victims finished with fewer than five losses, but one of those triumphs came over No. 16 VPI.

Iowa (10-2) carded quality victories over a trio of top 25 teams (Arizona, Penn State, and Wisconsin, all by double-digit margins) to overcome respectable losses to Ohio State and Northwestern, both of whom will be playing on New Year’s Day. (For whatever it might be worth, I would point out that the five BCS bowls pit No. 9 v. No. 10, No. 7 v. No. 8, No. 4 v. No. 5, No. 2 v. No. 6, and No. 1 v. No. 3 on my ballot. This ought to be a pretty good bowl season.)

West Virginia narrowly edged out Louisiana State in my estimation. Both teams boasted similar resumes: both finished 9-3; both won three games by a touchdown or less; both lost one game by a touchdown or less. However, as ashamed as I am to admit it, the Mountain Men’s win over Pitt counts for more this season than the Bayou Bengals’ win over Georgia. I know, it hurts me to admit that, too; visions of Tony Dorsett and Dan Marino will haunt my dreams tonight.

A glut of 8-4 clubs out of the Pac-10 proved difficult to untangle, but I declared the Arizona Wildcats first among equals by awarding Mike Stoops’s troops the No. 13 ranking. Three of Arizona’s four losses came on the road, two of them were nailbiters, and only one of them was the handiwork of a team with fewer than eight wins. The Wildcats carded victories over No. 14 Oregon State, the 15th-ranked USC Trojans, and the 17th-ranked Stanford Cardinal, with Central Michigan thrown in for good measure.

The Beavers landed right behind Arizona, partly because of wins over Cal and Stanford but mostly because of a quartet of quality losses. Oregon State’s four setbacks all came against opponents sporting eight or more wins, and, of the four, only the one against the No. 2 team in the country wasn’t a close call.

I will grant that it appears somewhat strange that I placed Stanford at No. 17, two spots behind Southern California (a club the Cardinal beat handily in Los Angeles) and three spots ahead of the California Golden Bears (a squad that defeated Jim Harbaugh’s outfit at the Farm), but Stanford had no legitimate third-best victory after the Cardinal’s wins over Oregon and USC to overcome the trio of triumphs notched by the Men of Troy over Ohio State, Oregon State, and Cal. Likewise, the Bears of Berkeley had trouble overcoming the fact that all four of their losses came by margins of 17 points or more. Oddly enough, Southern California, Stanford, and California each lost to a 5-7 team on the road, but the Trojans’ loss to the Washington Huskies and the Cardinal’s loss to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at least had the virtue of being close.

Sandwiched amid those West Coast outfits were No. 16 Virginia Tech (9-3), which beat top 25 teams Miami and Nebraska while sustaining three respectable defeats (including two to top ten squads); the 18th-ranked Miami Hurricanes (9-3), who are able to boast of a marquee win over Georgia Tech; and 19th-ranked Pittsburgh (9-3), which sneaked ahead of California by virtue of a more forgivable set of losses. The Panthers’ three setbacks all came by close margins, with two of those coming in down-to-the-wire clashes with top eleven opponents Cincinnati and West Virginia. Pitt’s loss to N.C. State was comparable to Cal’s loss to Washington---both came on the road against 5-7 squads---but the Wolfpack won by seven and the Huskies won by 32.

The inclusion of Oklahoma State (9-3) attested to the fact that next year’s BlogPoll should rank only 20 teams instead of 25---which the Associated Press poll did prior to 1989, by the way---but somebody had to be No. 21, so the Pokes were as qualified as anyone. Why was Les Miles’s old team ranked nine spots behind Les Miles’s current team when both have identical records and both count a win over the ‘Dawgs among their most impressive conquests? Simple: LSU lost to three teams with a combined 33-5 record by a combined 62-41 margin, while OSU lost to three teams with a combined 30-8 record by a combined 113-49 margin.

BYU (10-2) had absolutely no business being ranked after getting positively smoked by TCU and the hapless Florida St. Seminoles, but Brigham Young beat the Oklahoma Sooners and the Utah Utes, which counts for something. Nebraska (9-4) did little to impress me in the win column---the ‘Huskers beat only two teams with winning records---but, since all of the Big Red Machine’s losses were to teams that finished .500 or better and three of those were by razor-thin margins, I gave Bo Pelini’s team the benefit of the doubt.

The fact that Penn State (10-2) and Wisconsin (9-3) made the grade proves that I was scraping the bottom of the barrel; both the Nittany Lions and the Badgers lost convincingly to the Big Ten’s two top ten teams and neither beat more than two Division I-A teams that finished above .500, but the dearth of quality squads at the bottom of my ballot allowed a PSU team whose best win was against Temple and a Wiscy unit whose best win was against Fresno State to sneak undeservedly into the top 25.

Consideration was also given to the Boston College Eagles and the Mississippi Rebels. I’d like to tell you that I took a look at the Central Michigan Chippewas, East Carolina Pirates, Houston Cougars, Missouri Tigers, Navy Midshipmen, North Carolina Tar Heels, Northwestern Wildcats, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and Texas Tech Red Raiders, but, if I said so, I’d be lying.

I watched the Oregon-Oregon State game on Thursday, the Central Michigan-Ohio (Ohio) game on Friday, and a Saturday slate consisting primarily of the Cincinnati-Pittsburgh, Alabama-Florida, and Clemson-Georgia Tech games, with bits of the Nebraska-Texas and Hawaii-Wisconsin tilts sprinkled in for variety.

As always, I actively solicit your input with respect to what is, after all, a draft ballot. Feel free to register your disagreement or lobby for or against particular teams in the comments below.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Mountain West and their Road to the BCS: 11/6/09

Jeremy Mauss — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:04:07 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

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Time to feature games of interest that will affect the possibility of the Mountain West getting into the BCS this year. These games will not include all the teams ahead of any MWC team, but will be games that the higher ranked team may lose and thus drop in the rankings All rankings listed are from the BCS.

TCU still controls their own destiny if they win out. As always absolute chaos is my goal in an effort to promote change.

All time eastern:

New Mexico @ 14 Utah (MTN, 4pm)

Only reason Utah is here is because they technically are still in the BCS race by winning out and a Boise loss. Utes are experimenting at the quarterback position with most likely Jordan Wynn getting the nod.

MWC rooting interest: The Utes of course, because if they can at least get into the top 14 to possibly force the BCS to take two non-BCS.

9 LSU @ 3 Alabama (CBS, 3:30pm)

This game will shape the SEC West to see who gets to go to the conference title game. Now, if my research is right the winner clinches the SEC West title. With only two teams per league able to get into the BCS the loser is essentially eliminated from the BCS and will be heading to the Cotton Bowl.

MWC rooting interest: LSU, because TCU should be able move ahead of Alabama --at least temporarily-- and move closer to the number two spot that even with an LSU win is still out of reach.

Connecticut @ 5 Cincinnati (ABC, 8pm)

Cincy wants revenge after last year beat down, and only conference loss en route to their first BCS apperance. Cincinatti is the obviously better team, but the quarterback situation is still undecided whether starter Tony Pike or backup Zach Collaros will start.

MWC rooting interest: Connecticut, this is a long shot with the way the Bearcats playing at home and are just really good. A Bearcat loss does essentiall the same as an LSU win over Alabama.

22 Navy @ Notre Dame (NBC, 2:30pm)

Notre Dame gets WR Michael Floyd back after breaking his collar bone earlier in the season. Navy gave Ohio State all they could handle on opening day, and will need to have a similar game. The Midshipmen need to control the time of possession and try to get pressure on QB Jimmy Clausen.

MWC rooting interest: Navy, but not likely. The Irish only need to get into the top 14 to be considered, but everyone knows if they are available they will get in.

Northwestern @ 4 Iowa (ESPN, Noon)

Northwestern is not all that good, but Iowa seems to struggle against all opponents and has yet to blow any team all year.

MWC rooting interest: Northwestern, because Iowa is due for a loss someday, and if Iowa some how sneaks into the title game they will get crushed. Who am I kidding they will get smoked in the Rose Bowl as well against Oregon.

16 Ohio State @ 11 Penn State (ABC/ESPN2, 3:30pm)

The Terrelle Pryor Nutcracker shirts are being recalled, but there is still reason to watch this game. The winner will move into the top 14 of the BCS, and Ohio State controls their destiny to the Rose Bowl if they win out. This game also is known as 'what quarterback is under-achieving the most.'

MWC rooting interest: Penn State, not for BCS standings but if the Buckeyes lose then ESPN's Gameday will most likely be headed to Fort Worth with the Utah vs. TCU game.

12 USC @ Arizona State (ABC, 8pm)

USC is trying to recover from their worse loss in the Pete Carrol era. Arizona State could be in for a beat down by the revenge factor by the Trojans.

MWC rooting interest: Arizona State, but really? No way Peter Carrol is losing three conference games, and USC is trying to stay in the picture for a BCS bowl game.

15 Houston @ Tulsa (CBS College Sports, 7:30pm)

Tulsa used to have a great offense, but it could re-emerge with the lackluster defense of Houston. An interesting fact is that if Houston QB Case Keenum throws for 400 yards his passing average goes down! Expect this to have a lot of points and go down to the end.

MWC rooting interest: Houston. They should be in the top 14 in the BCS standings and be an at-large choice. While they probably will not be choosen, but it narrows the BCS schools to be choosen and possibly for the BCS cartel to take two non-BCS teams in Boise or TCU/Utah and take away money from the Big Six leagues.

Mid Major College Football Breakdown Week 10

AgentZer0 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:05:13 -0000

Mid Major Game of the Week:

Fresno State vs. Idaho

This should be an interesting one for Idaho, losing their last 6 against Fresno State with their last victory against the Bulldogs in 1967. The key matchup in this game is going to be the Idaho run defense agasint the Fresno State run offense. Fresno State relies heavily on it's run offense, averaging 259.6 yards per game. Junior RB Ryan Mathews leads the nation in rushing as well posting an average of 164.5 yards per game. Idaho has allowed 706 rushing yards in the past two games, and although 484 of those yards were against Nevada, the Vandals still allowed 222 yards against Louisiana Tech. If Fresno has success on the ground this weekend, (meaning over 200 yards) they will win.

Best Mid Major vs. BCS Game:

Notre Dame vs. Navy

The Irish offense has been booming, but they may lack the talent on defense to keep up with the Midshipmen. The Irish defense has struggled this season, especially against the pass, and their run defense is just OK, although they haven't played a team like Navy, who is an awful passing team, and will make a concerted effort to push the ball on the ground. Navy expects QB Ricky Dobbs to be back on Saturday as well as FB Vince Murray. These two will be the key to Navy's rush attack. The Irish will spend a lot of time moving laterally against the Midshipmen, so strong safety Kyle McCarthy will almost serve as an extra linebacker. Watch out for Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd as well, whose return could be nightmarish for Navy.

Here's your chance, now show us what you can do:

Despite suffering a concussion in last week's loss to SMU, Tulsa QB G.J. Kinne is expected to start Saturday against Houston. Any chance the Golden Hurricanes have to win this game will depend on Kinne and the offense. Tulsa has averaged 41 points and 450.5 total yards on offense in its four victories. In their four losses, 14.5 points per game and 328.5 total yards. Kinne, a first year starter, has good mobility, but must be effective this weekend for the Golden Hurricanes to have a shot.

Mid Major Picks of the Week:

Houston 35 Tulsa 28

Boise State 41 Louisiana Tech 20

Navy 17 Notre Dame 28

Army 21 Air Force 27

BYU 38 Wyoming 24

Iowa's Five Worst Upsets in All of History

Oops Pow Surprise — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:15:15 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

FILE -- This is a Sept. 27, 2008, file photo showing Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz looking on during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Northwestern, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

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1. Northwestern 2008: jNWU 22, Iowa 17

This is the obvious choice for the worst loss in Iowa history, mainly because nobody could see it coming. Ricky Stanzi had the case of the turnoversies that he usually saves for cupcake opponents like A-State, Indiana, and jNWU.

But even with a expulsion-worthy helmet-to-helmet hit incapacitating Shonn Greene by Brad Phillips and Stanzi's full smorgasbord of new and creative changes of possession, Iowa still had a 1st and goal inside the jNWU 10-yard line with time running out. Alas, the four plays called failed--obviously because O'Keefe was O'Throwing the O'Football game--and Northwestern walked away with college football's most stunning upset of 2008.

Karma rewarded Northwestern when lowly Missouri ran them out of the stadium in the Alamo Bowl later that year, while Iowa cruised against the far superior South Carolina.

2. Northwestern 2005: jNWU 28, Iowa 27

The sight of Kyle Schlicher pushing the field goal that would have made the game 30-14 late in the 4th quarter haunts us to this day. What ensued was an epic meltdown, with Iowa giving up a quick touchdown, an onside kick, and another quick touchdown.

Did the pain end there? No no, friends; no no. Drew Tate got the Hawkeyes moving after the fatal touchdown and had the ball inside Northwestern territory with under 30 seconds to play; two passes bouncing off Herb Grigsby's hands later, we all tried to kill ourselves.

3. Northwestern 1999: jNWU 23, Iowa 21

Some people may think of this as not being much of an upset, being that 1999 Iowa was the school's single worst team in the past 35 years, and Northwestern didn't win until a touchdown on the game's final play. Well, yeah, that's why this is #3 on the list of worst Iowa upsets of all time and not #1.

4. Northwestern 1990: Iowa 56, jNWU 14

Just Northwestern fought gallantly for upwards of four minutes (real time, not game time; that'd be ridiculous). Alas, Iowa was much too tough, and God's Team prevailed again. No, the real upset here that we didn't hurt their boys too bad. That usually happens.

5. Tulsa 1996: Tulsa 27, Iowa 20

AAAAGH AAAAGH AAAAGH AAAAGH KILL THIS MEMORY DEAD WITH A FLAMETHROWER. But it's not as bad as only beating jNWU by 42. They're just Northwestern.

Gameballs for Boise State versus Tulsa

Kevan Lee — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:08:28 -0000

The Broncos got out of Tulsa with a hard-earned victory on Wednesday night, pushing their record to 6-0 and crossing off one of the toughest road tests left on the schedule. Fistpumps all around.

With the game still fresh in our minds, let's hand out some gameballs to the deserving players, plays, and moments from Boise State's big win. I'll list my gameball recipients after the jump. Feel free to add yours in the comments.

via media.idahostatesman.com

Reader's choice award for player of the game

Doug Martin

What can I say? You guys love yourselves some Doug Martin. The sophomore tailback ended the night with 112 yards and a hair under five yards per carry, highlighted by a 70-yard gross on a long third quarter Bronco drive.

Did Martin look better than Avery did against Tulsa? For sure, Martin was hitting the hole with reckless abandon and dragging defenders for extra yardage. He wasn't blowing past helpless defenders like he was against Bowling Green, but his quickness and vision worked really well with the blocks he was getting up front. Lou Holtz credited his success to some great cutback runs, and the old Lou-ster might have been onto something.

At any rate, Martin looked super for long stretches against the Golden Hurricane. If he could have muscled his way into the end zone in the third quarter or past the first down sticks on BSU's last drive, his night would have been even better.

Best Boise-State-like play-calling

Tulsa

The Golden Hurricane's playbook was most definitely on display for the world to see last night, as TU did just about everything short of the center sneak to find something that worked against the Broncos. A WR pass caught the Broncos peeking on Tulsa's first touchdown, and some serious misdirection and playaction led to the GH's last score.

The Tulsa offense in general had a lot of sneaky elements that you have come to expect seeing from the Broncos. Reverses, screens, and the like were all used to varying degrees of success by the Golden Hurricane. Which begs the question: Who is Boise State saving their playbook for? Idaho? Nevada? Next year's VaTech game?

Subway sub of the game

Nate Potter and Joe Kellogg

Potter and Kellogg teamed up to affect change on Boise State's starting offensive line for the fourth time in six games. And they looked good doing it.

Potter apparently jumped Matt Slater on the depth chart, and Kellogg came in for a homesick (or, rather, sick at home) Kevin Sapien and dinged up Brenel Myers. It will be interesting to see what the lineup will be for Boise State's next game against Hawaii.

Obligatory Kellen Moore reference

Kellen Moore

He's good.

Postgame comment theme that is so spot on

Who cares about the polls and rankings?

The Boise State - Tulsa game was thrilling, interesting, and a lot of fun to watch. Coverage of the Boise State - Tulsa game was downright unbearable.

True football fans don't watch the game to see how big a blowout will be compared to another team's blowout, yet that's what college football has come to. OBNUG readers and commenters like OBNUG Intern and MKingery were spot on with their assessments. Buying into the BCS and the rankings is unhealthy and ludicrous. I'll let csf68 pick up the thought from there.

I am getting really bored with the over evaluation of a win. Not having a playoff in NCAA FB is sucking the joy out of close wins. This game was a fun game to watch, yet BSU fans will treat it as a moral loss; because we didn’t run up the score! The weekly beauty contest from the panel of "quality win" judges is insane. I could not believe my ears when I heard the announcers comparing Oklahoma’s win to BSU’s win over Tulsa. That is the kind of speculation we used to do in elementary school; that kind of BS talk has now penetrated college football’s daily sports talk shows…(i.e.) We beat Oregon by 11 and Oregon beat Cal by 40 points; (I whip out my calculator) according to my calculations we could beat Cal by 51 points! Right? But wait…Fresno beat UC Davis by 51 points and we beat Freso by 17 points…but, we only beat UC Davis by 18 points instead of my calculated 68 points. WARNING, SYSTEM MELTDOWN…DATA CAN NOT COMPUTE…WARNING INFORMATION OVERLOAD…AUTOMATIC SHUTDOWN SERIES IMPLEMENTED.

I WAS JUST LEARNING ... TO ... LOVE. [/office'd!]

Sorest loser, emphasis on "loser"

Damaris Johnson

The best offensive player on the field for Tulsa was far and away Damaris Johnson. Forgive the Boise State defense if they can't all be more like him.

"They don't have the most athletic guys, but they're a good team and they played hard."

Boise State: Getting it done with slow-twitch mouth breathers since 1999.

Two-point conversion of the year

Kyle Efaw

Not only was Efaw's conversion important in the game's big picture, it was a really good play. The sophomore tight end snagged Austin Pettis' lob with one hand, like Paul J. Schneider reaching for an apple fritter at the media buffet. Who says Boise State players aren't athletic? Oh, right; that was Damaris Johnson.

The Coach Pete face

Coach Pete

via media.idahostatesman.com

Is it just me or does it seem like Coach Pete ages a year every time the Broncos play a football game?

Boise State defense kryptonite

The big play

Somewhere, Ryan Mathews was smiling. For the second straight ESPN telecast, the Broncos were victimized by the big play, allowing two 50-plus-yard TDs to the Golden Hurricane. Is it a product of the Boise State defense being too aggressive? Would Bronco fans sacrifice some of that aggressiveness for a little more caution?

via media.idahostatesman.com

Best impersonation of Austin Pettis

Tommy Gallarda

Gallarda is listed as Boise State's starter at tight end, but when it comes to catching the ball, he typically takes a back seat to the handsier Kyle Efaw. Well, not tonight.

Gallarda flashed paws that Bronco fans have rarely seen from the big TE. His first two catches of the game went for TDs, but they weren't even your garden variety TE touchdowns. The first was a slick grab in the back corner of the end zone where he tapped two toes and nearly a third before falling to the ground with the reception. His second TD catch came as he crossed the back of the end zone and snagged a Kellen Moore pass that was intentionally thrown behind him.

What's next? A Tommy Gallarda jump ball on the goalline?

Lou Holtz homer tie award

Referees

Rarely do I nitpick a referee performance that actually helps out the Broncos, but there is something to be said for last night's zebra crew. Many of their calls were good. Two of them were pretty bad. A phantom pass interference penalty on a Titus Young deep ball was as bogus as they come. Then in the fourth quarter, Tulsa was penalized for a sideline infraction when a coach bumped into a referee.

(Award history: Lou Holtz sported a blue and orange tie (HT: Butte Rat) to the game last night, perfectly complementing his orange fake bake. Holtz takes his homerism seriously.)

via media.idahostatesman.com

Party of the year

Ryan Winterswyk and Shea McClellin's sack party

A lot has been written in the postgame about the effort of Boise State's defensive line. I'd like to jump on that bandwagon.

Winterswyk and McClellin combined for 5 TFLs and 3.5 sacks, spending more time in the Tulsa backfield than Tulsa's huddle did. Unfortunately for McWinterslellin, Bronco fans will now be expecting these kind of numbers every week from now until forever.

Honorable mention for almost completely changing the game

Boise State kick coverage

On the game's opening kickoff, Travis Stanaway popped kick returner Damaris Johnson, forcing the ball onto the turf. Tulsa recovered, and we had ourselves a close game.

Early in the second quarter, following Boise State's go-ahead touchdown, Brotzman blooped the kickoff short and into the waiting arms of a Tulsa returner who got nailed by Jerrell Gavins and coughed the ball up. Tulsa recovered, and we had ourselves a close game.

Those fumbles will go Boise State's way eventually. Of this, I am 40 to 50 percent certain.

Boise State escapes Tulsa with the win, beats Golden Hurricane, 28-21

Kevan Lee — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:24:43 -0000

The Broncos survived a tough road game against the Golden Hurricane, winning 28-21 on the strength of a sturdy Boise State defense and solid games by Kellen Moore and Doug Martin. Should it have been that close? Probably not, but Boise State can certainly be happy with the win.

What did you think about the game? Happy with the result? Concerned about how it might have looked to voters? Couldn't care less? Share your thoughts in the comments. Analysis after the jump.

Well, that was closer than it needed to be

Boise State won by a touchdown, but it felt like so much more. For starters, Tulsa had three big plays that resulted in 14 points; they only had one sustained drive all night. The Broncos settled for a field goal on the one-yard-line, turned the ball over twice, and held a huge time of possession advantage (10 minutes more).

Were you worried in the fourth quarter?

How big was that two-point conversion

Boise State took two following its first touchdown of the night. Had they not, the final score might have been 27-21 and Tulsa would have been driving to win, not driving to tie at the end of the game (true, Tulsa could have gone for two and the win had they scored, but still).

What went wrong in the fourth quarter for the Bronco offense?

Doug Martin was running through folks in the third quarter. Kellen Moore was winging it at will in the first and second. In the fourth quarter, the Broncos could do nothing. What gives?

Fumbles are fun ... NOT!!

The only thing keeping Tulsa in the game in the first half was the butterfingers from Kyle Wilson and Doug Martin. Let's make excuses for them. Both turnovers came in the first half with the rain coming down much harder than at any other point in the game (except during Lou Holtz soliloquies). Wilson was probably anxious to actually get a chance to return a kick; nerves might have played a part. On Martin's fumble, it looked like Kellen Moore handed it off to him around the neck, which is probably not Martin's preferred handoff location.

Still, the Broncos won by a touchdown while going minus-2 in the turnover battle. On another note, Boise State hasn't forced a turnover in two weeks.

Under pressure, the G.J. Kinne story

Kinne had a long night running from pressure, throwing under pressure, going down under pressure. When there wasn't a man in his face, there was a man getting after his face and forcing Kinne to send wayward passes anywhere but near his receiver. Like Lou Holtz and Rece Davis said, the difference in the game was the pressure on Kinne and the lack of pressure on Moore.

Why didn't Todd Harris ask Karl Benson about his cool new look?

WAC commissioner Karl Benson was looking natty during his sideline cameo, sporting a slicked back hairdo, a striped Tommy Hilfiger button up, and some rather expensive Lasik eye surgery. And all Todd Harris wanted to talk about was how high Boise State could get in the polls? Missed opportunity, Mr. Harris. Did your Jared Zabransky interview teach you nothing?

When did college football become more about winning pretty and less about winning?

I really hate college football sometimes.

The halftime show of the Boise State - Tulsa game analyzed the first half by comparing Boise State to Oklahoma. Come again? With the Broncos holding an 18-14 lead, BSU got called on the carpet for not dominating the Golden Hurricane the same way that Oklahoma did.

Give me a break. The Broncos looked just fine in the first half, apart from a couple costly turnovers and one solid Tulsa drive. Teams don't play in order to look good. They play to win. Boise State was doing that, weren't they? Get a life, Trevor Matich, and stop making me wish longingly for the NHL.

Boise State's penalties did not make the trip (flu-like symptoms)

The Broncos, as penalty-loving as any team, took the night off from backing themselves up, ending with only three accepted calls against them. What made the difference? Fear of gassers, I guess. I'm just happy we didn't see any unnecessary false starts or defensive pass interference calls because those bum me out and make Coach Pete sad. Losing only 24 yards to penalties (as opposed to 65 from Tulsa) makes a big difference.

Which leads us to ...

Boise State in the red zone looks much more like you'd expect Boise State to look in the end zone

The Broncos had three TDs on five trips inside the Tulsa 20, which beats their rush-loss, penalty, fumbled-snap trifecta once the goalline gets closer. For the record, Moore hit TE Tommy Gallarda for two of the three scores and Austin Pettis for another. Those seem like a couple good options going forward.

The two trips that the Broncos took and didn't end up with six ended up huge. Ending the first half, a touchdown would have made a big difference, but Brotzman settled with a FG. On the third quarter drive that ended with a fourth and goal from the one-and-a-half and a Brotzman field goal was a big stop for Tulsa. Would you have gone for it? I'll say this: You're never wrong to take the points. And Coach Pete is never wrong in general.

Boise State's offensive line version 2.0

Kevin Sapien stayed home with the flu, and Nate Potter took over for Matt Slater at LT. That left the Boise State starting O-line as Garrett Pendergast, Joe Kellogg, Thomas Byrd, Will Lawrence, and Potter - only two of whom (Byrd and Lawrence) were in the lineup in the season opener.

The best part was that this group looked good. Kellen had plenty of time to throw, and there were just as many running lanes as there were in any other game. Anyone stand out to you?

Kellsy being Kellsy

Kellen Moore was his usual unflappable self for the majority of Wednesday night, and as per the norm, Boise State won. So Kellen Moore goes, so goes the Broncos? Perhaps. It might be more of "so goes the offensive line, so goes the Broncos." Moore was set up for success by having all day to pick his spots and find the open man. And he sure did.

Shea McClellin does his best Ryan Winterswyk

McClellin had a good first half for a Boise State D-lineman. He had a great first half for anyone from the city of Caldwell. Be it sacks, QB pressures, and batted passes, McClellin was seemingly everywhere, including perhaps the Tulsa lockerroom, tapping G.J. Kinne on the shoulder and doing that creepy eyebrow shrug just to let him know he's thinking of him.

McClellin's was excellent. Winterswyk was superb. Baker and Winn were solid.

And how big was Winterswyk's sack on Tulsa's final drive? Not only did it keep the clock running, but it forced a much tougher fourth down than it could have been.

Assorted thoughts that I couldn't work into a paragraph

How about Tommy Gallarda tapping his toes for the TD? El oso beautisimo!
Cullen Moore and Doug Harper would make a pretty good backfield duo.
Anyone else think Lou Holtz would have a grand old time with Tom Scott and Mark Johnson?
Does 2009 Kyle Wilson punt returner give anyone else deja vu of 2008 Vinny Perretta punt returner?
Doug Martin had over 100 yards. Didn't it feel like it all came on one drive?

Poll

Who was Boise State's player of the game against Tulsa?

Kellen Moore

42 votes

Doug Martin

92 votes

Ryan Winterswyk

24 votes

Shea McClellin

32 votes

190 votes | Poll has closed

Final pregame thoughts on Boise State vs. Tulsa

Kevan Lee — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:18:58 -0000

More photos » by Matt Cilley - AP

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Boise State's biggest nonconference road test of the season is only hours away, and per the norm, that makes me sweat profusely. Anyone else?

With gametime nearing, let's vent our pregame thoughts, fears, and stresses so that we can sit back and enjoy tonight's nationally televised Bronco showcase (6:00pm MT, ESPN). Gamethread will be up this afternoon. For now, let's share some pregame thoughts.

Time to open the playbook

The offensive gameplan against UC Davis could best be described as Tom Brandstater-ish. There was little creativity for the Broncos, and that was probably by design. No sense wasting life-changing X's and O's on a I-AA team.

Well, this week should be much different. Tulsa poses one of the toughest tests remaining on the Broncos' schedule, and in that case, Bryan Harsin should open the floodgates. Hold nothing back. Throw caution to the wind. Burn every single instance of a Mitch Burroughs quick pass.

What kind of plays are you hoping to see tonight? Here's mine:

The Wild Avery first reared its amazing little head against Bowling Green on a forgettable five-yard carry. Though Avery's plunge into the back of several offensive linemen might not have looked like much in the play-by-play text, make no mistake: this is revolutionary.

Everyone and their mother has some version of the Miami Dolphins' wildcat formation (my mom's is called the Wild Thank You Note). Boise State saw variations of the offense against Fresno and Bowling Green, and it is sure to pop up many more times this season.

The design is simple enough: A quarterback splits out wide, a running back takes the snap, and chaos ensues. In the Broncos' version above, Avery started Titus Young in motion from the left of the formation. At the snap, Young bubbled back toward Avery for a fake handoff on a sweep with a lead block by Doug Martin. Avery kept the ball and dove up the middle for a short gain.

Boring? Hardly. There are so many variations out of this formation that the Broncos could exploit; I hardly even know where to begin. Here's one: Avery could hand off to Young. I imagine that Avery was reading the defense on this play to see if the playside defensive end was following the play action to Young. Essentially, it becomes a read play for Avery. If the DE cheats toward Young, Avery keeps; if he cheats down to stop Avery's rush, Avery hands off.

That alone makes the formation intriguing. But now there's this: Boise State's alignment could allow for an eligible left tackle to sneak out on a pass pattern. The Broncos lined up with the LT uncovered and the playside tight end covered. Against Bowling Green, the personnel remained standard with Tommy Gallard at the TE position and Matt Slater at LT. But what about this:

You'd have the play action fake to Young on the sweep. You'd have Efaw or Gallarda slipping out from the left side of the formation. Shoemaker or Pettis could run a fly or post from the slot. And Young could hang out in the flat following his fake and pick up a flare pass.

I need to stop talking about this. I'm getting too worked up.

This forecast calls for pain, er, rain

According to the Scott Dorvals at Weather.com, it's going to be a wet and wild one tonight in Tulsa.

So far this season, the Broncos have played in temperatures ranging from the seventh-level-of-hell-hot in Fresno to Christmas-in-October-cold against UC Davis. And according to KsigBronco, the rain is only half the battle in steamy, muggy Oklahoma:

Having lived in tulsa there’s another factor to be accounted for, Tulsa is one of the most humid places i’ve ever been to and there’s thunder storms and rain predicted on wednesday. This could play into their hands for sure.

Dustin Lapray had better pack an extra set of bandannas.

Mark May, Lou Holtz, and Rece Davis on the call

Can the Broncos make Mark May a believer?

This question matters very little to Bronco players and coaches, but it makes a little bit more difference to a national viewing audience composed of East Coast media who largely make their opinions based on what they hear on TV. I couldn't care less what May thinks of the Broncos were he not given the propaganda platform of being ESPN's college football studio analyst. Three hours of May pointing out the Broncos' weak strength of schedule might be too much for me to bear.

Lou Holtz to the rescue? While Mark May hates all things Broncos, Lou Holtz loves the little guy. Too bad Holtz comes off incoherent half the time. Hopefully the octogenarian can keep the peace in the booth long enough for ESPN viewers to actually enjoy the game.

Rece Davis? He's just eye candy, I guess.

(Speaking of which, vote in the Mikrino poll. You'll be glad you did.)

Allow me to bogart some comments

Will Kellen Moore be in for a big game? leadtrumpetdave thinks so.

Did anyone see Kellen's interview clip talking about the Tulsa ‘D’? I’ve never seen Kellen seem so focused and intense. He almost always has that goofy smile going. Not this time. I can only assume that a re-focused Kellen (after a sub par UC-Davis game) is an unstoppable Kellen.

My thought: If Kellen Moore has time to throw and opportunity to throw, Boise State will put a lot of points on the board. If he has pressure in his face and if the Broncos stick to the running game, he'll have less of an impact.

A big part of Boise State's success tonight will need to be a good defensive effort, a la Oregon. BroncoFever has an interesting take:

Tulsa gets offensive yardage, but in the end can’t get close enough to score more than one touchdown.

Sound familiar? This was the exact blueprint that Boise State played to perfection last season. Bend but don't break. The Broncos might let Tulsa have the little stuff, and if they keep them to only the little stuff, they'll be just fine.

(Note: Winston Venable and George Iloka are really good in open space on receivers. I could watch them tackle receivers on five-yard curl routes all day.)

Of course, a Bowling Green-type defensive effort wouldn't be bad either. Right, OBNUG Intern?

I am envisioning a similar game to the BG game; quick scores, lots of defense (Bronco D that is).

Reader Bankssz is not alone in thinking that the Broncos are going to be focused, ready, and a little mad tonight.

Statement game. I have a feeling players are pissed. Tulsa stays stingy on the run.

And then there's the question of if Tulsa is even any good or not. As forum8usa puts it:

Boise State will dominate tomorrow night. With exception to Oklahoma, Tulsa hasn’t played anyone. Boise State has put up huge numbers on the road this year and it will be the same tomorrow.

Personally, I think Tulsa will provide a very good test for the Broncos. I doubt that the Golden Hurricane's defense is as good as it has looked so far this season, but I'm not going to doubt them. And that offense can score points fast. If we learned anything from Fresno State, it is that quick-hit scores can make a lopsided game seem close in a hurry.

Tulsa will be one of the best teams that Boise State plays this year, which doesn't necessarily mean that the game won't be a blow out. Can you guys help me talk Finloopio off the edge?

I hate to say it, but I have a real bad feeling about this game.

Nuts. I started sweating again.

Your turn

Share your thoughts in the comments. Excited about the Wild Avery? Disappointed that I named it the Wild Avery? What about the weather tonight? Got any good Mark May jokes? Gamethread will be up later this afternoon. Until then, have at it in the comments.

Opponent preview: Can Tulsa's 3-3-5 defense keep the Bronco ground game in check?

Kevan Lee — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:14:47 -0000

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

3 months ago: Tulane quarterback Joe Kemp (7) is sacked by Tulsa cornerback James Lockett (6) and Tulsa linebacker Curnelius Arnick (32) in the first half of an NCAA college football game in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Friday, Sept. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

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Since the schedule was released earlier this year, the Tulsa game has been cause for great consternation among Bronco Nation. How will Boise State handle Tulsa's no-huddle, fast break offense? Will a Wednesday night road game affect the outcome? Can the Bronco offense find success against that vaunted Tulsa D?

OK, so that last question wasn't exactly on anyone's mind. But after five games of the 2009 season, Tulsa's defense looks better than ever. Can the Golden Hurricane shut down the run on Wednesday? Join me after the jump as I discuss that and other factors for Wednesday's showdown. Feel free to share your own analysis in the comments.

5-0, (1-0)

No. 5 Boise State at Tulsa

Kickoff: Wednesday, 6:00pm MT, TV: ESPN Radio: 580 KIDO

Weather forecast: High of 69, scattered t-storms, 50% chance of rain

Spread: Boise State by 10

4-1, (2-0)

Tulsa's season to date

The Golden Hurricane lost offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn in the offseason in much the same way that Boise State will lose offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin someday. Malzahn was just too brilliant to be a coordinator in a non-BCS conference.

Malzahn's loss, coupled with the graduation of QB David Johnson and the loss of 2600 yards of offense from Tarrion Adams and Brennan Marion, might have been cause for other teams to be concerned, but not Tulsa. At least, not yet. The Golden Hurricane have streaked to a 4-1 start with the only loss coming on the road to Oklahoma. Speaking of that loss:

The Oklahoma game aside, Tulsa had played with a revitalized defense and the same cutting edge offense as always. Offensively, there have been hiccups (like 19 allowed sacks), but overall, there is not too much to complain about. Here's to the good times!

Tulsa's last game

27-10 WIN vs. Rice

Rice is bad. Tulsa is good. Yet the Golden Hurricane and the Owls entered the second half tied at 10, and the game didn't reach a three-score margin until early in the fourth. Wait a second. Bad opponent, rain, sluggish effort? I think I've seen this movie before.

While rain made life miserable for the announced crowd of 11,420 at Rice Stadium, a swarm of TU defenders dominated the Owls’ offense.

Tulsa controlled the line of scrimmage and held Rice to a season-low 191 yards, including just 87 after halftime. Rice averaged just 2.7 yards per snap.

The Hurricane (4-1 overall, 2-0 in C-USA) needed every bit of the strong effort against a resilient Rice team in the opening 30 minutes.

The halftime score was knotted at 10 as Tulsa was sluggish in the first half.

Give Tulsa a UC Davis-esque mulligan on this one.

Tulsa on offense

WR Slick Shelley
WR A.J. Whitmore
WR Damaris Johnson
LT Brandon Thomas
LG Clint Anderson
C Eric Sproal
RG Curt Puckett
RT David Lazenby
QB G.J. Kinne
RB Jamad Williams
RB Charles Clay

You probably know of Tulsa's offense through reputation. The frenetic, no-huddle style of Tulsa fits its skill players well, and can wear out opposing defenses. Kinne, a Texas transfer in his first season as the starter, has 1142 yards and 10 TDs and has only been picked off by Oklahoma (granted, eight of his 10 scores have come against New Mexico and Sam Houston State). WR Damaris Johnson is the team's biggest offensive weapon, as he leads in receiving with 369 yards, though he's only reached the end zone once. Kinne is the team's leading rusher (173 yards); Jamad Williams is close behind (169). Running is not Tulsa's best feature.

Tulsa on defense

DE Odrick Ray
NT Wilson Garrison
DE Cory Dorris
LB George Clinkscale
LB Mike Bryan
LB Tanner Antle
S/LB DeAundre Brown
S/LB James Lockett
S Kenny Sims
CB John Destin
CB John Flanders

The defensive side of the football might be Tulsa's biggest surprise this season. For the past couple years, Tulsa was awful on D. This year, they are No. 27 nationally overall and No. 16 against the run. Their 3-3-5 formation allows for lots of variation in coverage and blitzing. Teams typically have more success running against a 3-3-5, although that has not been the case this year.

Tulsa special teams

K Kevin Fitzpatrick
P Michael Such
KR/PR Damaris Johnson

Johnson has been solid on punt and kickoff returns this season, taking a punt back for a score against Tulane.

Spotlight on ...

DeAundre Brown

Brown plays the Bandit position for Tulsa, which is similar to Boise State's nickelbacker hybrid, and like Ellis Powers last year and Winston Venable this year, Brown is in on a lot of plays.

He leads the team in tackles with 36, and he has recorded an INT and a forced fumble so far this season. Even better for Tulsa, Brown is just a sophomore, and he appears to be taking big strides. By 2011 when Tulsa returns the one-and-one series at Boise State, Brown could very well be C-USA's best defensive player and a real force to be reckoned with. Boise State will have to account for him on Wednesday night, for sure.

"Not in the face!" (via www.tulsaworld.com)

Tulsa's run defense through five games

Surprise, surprise, Tulsa has been very strong on run defense this season. How strong? I can't really tell.

Tulane, ranked 96th in rushing offense; 39 yards against Tulsa
New Mexico, ranked 106th in rushing offense; 55 yards against Tulsa
Oklahoma, ranked 24th in rushing offense; 193 yards against Tulsa
Sam Houston State, a Division I-AA team; 141 yards against Tulsa
Rice, ranked 111th in rushing offense; 47 yards against Tulsa

Any time you can hold multiple teams to less than 60 yards rushing, you are definitely doing something right. Let me be clear about that. Tulsa's run defense is certainly not bad by any stretch of the imagination.

However, their No. 16 national ranking against the run is not quite as threatening as it looks. Out of Tulsa's five opponents this season, only one is in the top 95 in the country in running the football. Two teams are 100 or worse, and a third doesn't play Division 1-A football. Tulsa should be shutting down the running games for these teams because the running games for these teams just aren't very good.

Also, in each of Tulsa's four wins, the Golden Hurricane has been ahead late in games, forcing opponents to abandon the run. Rushing defense always looks better on teams that are ahead all the time.

Boise State's rushing offense through five games

Ask any Bronco fan whether they'd take Boise State's rush offense from this year over BSU's rush offense from last year, and the answer will almost always be, "Yeah, duh." The Broncos have looked better running the ball in 2009. But looks can be deceiving.

Tom Scott did some research on the Bronco running game last week. His results:

Over the first five games, the Broncos have had eight rushing plays go for 25 yards or longer, averaging a staggering 49.8 yards on them. The other 177 runs have averaged 3.7 yards a carry. Versus the Aggies, BSU netted just 3.1 yards per tote, and its longest run was only 13 yards by Jeremy Avery. The Broncos are hoping for a better sprinkling of those 10 to 15-yard bursts that have been a staple of their running game over time--a staple of any good running game.

So wise. He's like a miniature Buddha covered in hair.

Keys to the running matchup on Wednesday

It will be interesting to see which part of the Bronco offense that Tulsa plans to take away. Will they focus on the run to make Kellen Moore beat them? Will they take away the deep pass and force the Broncos to chip away? We should be able to tell after the first couple series on Wednesday night. If the running game ends up becoming a big factor, here are some keys to watch to see who will get the upper hand.

Stick with your assignments

This one works both ways. Tulsa will want to play assignment football, making sure no one gets out of position or overreacts to misdirection. On the other side of the ball, the Boise State offensive line needs to make the right block and get on the guy they're assigned to. Last week against UC Davis, BSU had multiple missed assignments, especially near the goalline, and it cost them in the final rushing numbers.

Defensive penetration

Making plays in the backfield will be a big key for Tulsa's run defense. Boise State's running plays from the shotgun can be stymied by pressure up the middle and off the ends. The myriad sweeps and reverses that the Broncos like simply won't work if backfield pressure is there.

Broken tackles

Doug Martin has shown a propensity for busting through tackles, and Jeremy Avery is always hard to bring down. If they can work some more magic against Tulsa, the Bronco ground game will certainly benefit. Flip side: Tulsa needs to fly to the ball to cover for anyone who misses a tackle.

Jeremy Avery in space

Boise State does some creative things to get Avery the ball with room to operate. If Avery can get to the edge or find some holes up the middle, he'll have a good game.

Matchups from motion and shifts

Another Bronco staple is presnap movement, and Tulsa will have to be ready to adapt to what the Broncos throw at them.

What other factors might come into play?

Pass rush. Tulsa has allowed 19 sacks so far this year, and they are minus a top-flight LT. A few Boise State sacks would go a long ways toward ending Tulsa drives and neutralizing the Golden Hurricane offense.

Special teams. Kyle Wilson has yet to break a punt return, but his counterpart has. Kick coverage will be key, and any chances Kyle Brotzman gets, he'll need to convert. Tulsa can score in bunches, and Boise State will need to get points whenever they can.

CB play. The Broncos looked shaky last week against UC Davis with Brandyn Thompson and Jerrell Gavins on the corners. Will Kyle Wilson's return make a big difference? I'm curious what kind of schemes Justin Wilcox will draw up to defend Tulsa. The 3-3-5 maybe? Something new? You don't want to give that guy extra time to plan for you. Right, Chip Kelly?

Kellen Moore. He often gets lost in pregame build-up like this, but he will have just as much impact on Wednesday as anyone else. If he's sharp, he could easily take the Broncos on long marches down the field, which would help keep the Bronco defense fresh and the Tulsa offense on the sideline.

Coaching. Wilcox and Harsin will certainly have some tricks up their sleeves for this one. Coach Pete is sure to have the team ready to play following last week's semi-letdown. Can Coach Pete outcoach Todd Graham? Will Tulsa have any surprises for the Broncos?

Others. What ones can you think of?

Your turn

What factors do you think will be most important on Wednesday? Will the Bronco defense be able to contain the high-powered Tulsa offense? Will it be Oregon redux or UC Davis blahfest? Share your thoughts in the comments. Let's discuss.

Fear The Stache But Keep Perspective

ccmachine — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:38:05 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

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There may not be a more famous mustache in the history of OU football than the one covering the lip of Landry Jones. Already recognized by the American Mustache Institute the Landry Jones stache, like other famous Sooner facial hairs, represents more than just a fashion statement.

The Tony Casillas stache of the mid-80's represented the power of an unstoppable force. The Captain Kangaroo like Howard Schnellenberger stache of the mid-90's represented the disappointment of mediocrity. Now in 2009 Oklahoma's newest rendition of the stache represents pride and hope. It's the pride of being Oklahoma and finding a way to overcome adversity and achieve success. It's the hope of the future where a new but proven gunslinger is waiting in the wings of what is now a program with a tradition of award winning quarterbacks

In the words of one of our own readers, "Landry Jones has proven to be more than just a serviceable backup." Jones has completed nearly 61% of his passes for 673 yards and 9 touchdowns (3 Int's) in his two-and-a-half games as Oklahoma's backup. To put some perspective on how well he's played the last few weeks, Florida's Tim Tebow has completed 67% of his passes for 540 yards and 5 touchdowns (1 Int) and Texas' peanut butter and jelly eating Colt McCoy has completed 68% of his passes for 286 yards and 6 touchdowns (4 Int's). As we Okies like to say, "That ain't bad company."

However, while we're talking about perspective let's keep in mind that Landry Jones is Sam Bradford's backup. When comparing Bradford and Jones two words should standout to quell the conversation. The words "Heisman" and "Trophy" carry a lot of weight. Oklahoma needs a healthy Sam Bradford to survive the season. This crazy notion that Sam Bradford should be put on the shelf and OU will be fine without him is just plain...crazy! Sam Bradford, if healthy, needs to be back on the field for the Sooners to attempt to lead them to do what he came back to school to do.

Forget the fear of being injured again as well. That's something that fans talk about but players don't think about. If a football player allows himself to worry about being hurt then he might as well quit playing altogether because he's lost his edge. It's easy to get caught up in a record breaking performance like the one that Landry Jones had on Saturday and forget how accurate of a passer Bradford is. Before his injury he had completed over 71% of his passes with a score and no interceptions.

Oklahoma has some really big games coming up and while Jones has given us some memorable moments we must keep in mind that he led the Sooners to victory over the two weakest opponents on the schedule. We've not seen him play on the road. We've not seen him play in a conference game and we've not seen him play in a big game. There is a lot about Landry Jones that is unknown. Meanwhile Bradford is 1-1 against Texas, 2-0 in Big 12 Championship games and has played for a BCS Championship.

With Miami, Baylor and Texas the next three games on the schedule and road trips to Lawrence, Lincoln and Lubbock looming I want a guy back there that's proven in those types of games. If healthy, Sam Bradford is Oklahoma's best chance at winning and if he's healthy he needs to be on the field a week from Saturday.

Tulsa Game Position Grades

ccmachine — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:28:19 -0000

More photos » by ALONZO ADAMS - AP

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I have to admit, I expected a much tighter game against Tulsa last Saturday. I didn't think it would be the kind of game to be won by a field goal or anything but I did expect the Golden Hurricane to at least score. To say that the Sooners played good is an understatement and to say that Tulsa was a Top 25 caliber opponent is an overstatement. However, TU should have been a stronger test for the Sooners and their inability to impress had a lot more to do with OU than it did with us touting an opponent too highly. Good Grades are in abundance this week!

Quarterback A

Let's hear it for the Big 12's Offensive Player of the Week! Landry Jones completed 25 of 37 passes for 336 yards and a school record 6 touchdowns. He did throw two interceptions on two really bad passes and he still seems to occasionally lock in on a receiver without reading through his progressions so there is room for improvement but we must applaud the effort.

Running Backs A+

DeMarco Murray averaged 6 yards per carry and Chris Brown 4.6. Neither back scored on the ground but Murray made and amazing touchdown catch in which he spun around twice and flipped into the end zone. Murray had two catches for 38 yards and a score. In mop up time Jonathan Miller, for the second week in a row, looked stronger and faster than Jermie Calhoun. As a team the Sooners rushed for 193 yards.

Receiver/Tight End A

Adron Tennell's dropped touchdown pass was surprisingly not shocking based on his on field productivity so far this season. Trent Ratterree also joined Tennell in dropping a touchdown pass and while this has been a recurring theme for Oklahoma this season it was only a subplot on Saturday while Brandon Caleb having his breakout game was the main story. Caleb hauled in 5 passes for 104 and two touchdowns to become the perfect complement to Ryan Broyles who added 128 and three touchdowns on 11 catches. Landry Jones also found his tight ends on his record day as a Sooner. Jones completed passes to James Hanna and Eric Mensik.

Offensive Line A

No one is ready to anoint this group as championship ready but they've come a long way since opening night. The line gave up no sacks on Saturday afternoon and helped Oklahoma to an average of 6.5 yards per play on offense. This line looks more mentally focused than they've been all season which is good because they are about to face a stretch in which the level of their success will define the rest of Oklahoma's season.

Defensive Line A

Oklahoma's defensive line had Tulsa quarterback G.J. Kinne running for his life all day long. Jeremy Beal had three sacks and a forced fumble, Adrian Taylor recovered a fumble and Oklahoma ran a plethora of players through the line.

Linebackers A+

Ryan Reynolds let the team in tackles with 13 and was followed by Keenan Clayton who had 11. Travis Lewis added 7 tackles to the linebackers totals giving the starters 31 total tackles. Reynolds also had two sacks and Lewis had one.

Secondary A+

This was a physical game for Oklahoma's secondary and it needed to be. As we stated in our pregame coverage, Oklahoma's secondary making sure tackles and big plays would be the key to shutting down the Tulsa offense. Brian Jackson and Quinton Carter responded with 9 tackles and an interception each. Sam Proctor also added 5 tackles.

Special Teams A

The chief criticism with this unit was the missed field goal but as a whole they had a very solid game. I guess we could also call out the partially blocked punt. However, OU averaged 42 yards per punt and held Tulsa without a return. They also held Tulsa to just 21 yards per kickoff return while taking their lone kickoff return 32 yards.