Tulsa Game Notes vs. Fresno State
9/19/2016 2:50:00 PM | Football
GAME 4:
TULSA (2-1, 0-0 The American) vs. FRESNO STATE (1-2, 0-0 Mountain West)
Saturday, September 24, 2016 • 1:30 p.m. (PT)/3:30 p.m. (CT)
Bulldog Stadium
DIGITAL: Mountain West Network
Radio: Big Country 99.5 FM
FOR FULL GAME NOTES PACKAGE, CLICK HERE
THE COACHES
TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANE
Head Coach: Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State '95), 2nd year
Career Record: 8-8 (2 years)
TU Record: same
FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS
Head Coach: Tim DeRuyter (Air Force '85), 5th year
Career Record: 30-25 (5 years)
FS Record: same
THE STORYLINES . . .
• This is the seventh meeting between Tulsa and Fresno State
• Fresno State won the first four games of the series, while Tulsa has won the last two meetings.
• Tulsa and Fresno State were members of the Western Athletic Conference together from
1996-2004.
• Tulsa has won the two non-conference games between the two teams.
• Tulsa has the smallest FBS enrollment with 3,473 students, while Fresno State has an enrollment of 24,136 students.
QUICK HITS . . .
• A total of 15 freshmen have seen action in at least one of the first three games this year, including 10 red-shirt freshmen and five true freshmen . . . two transfers also made playing debuts this year.
• The five true freshmen who have played this season include – DB Manny Bunch, LB Cooper Edmiston, DS Robert Hill, LB Robert Revels III and DT Shemarr Robinson . . .
• Tulsa returned 27 different players who had previously started at least one game in their careers, either on offense (15) or defense (12).
• Only two players – OG Tyler Bowling and DT Hayden Carman – had not made a previous start among starters in the first three games this year . . . Bowling and Carman have started all three games for the Hurricane in 2016.
• Tulsa's defense has had three interceptions, and two have gone for touchdowns, covering 24 and 65 yards.
• In 16 games under Philip Montgomery, Tulsa has scored over 40 points nine times and has posted a 7-2 record when doing so.
• Through three games, Tulsa's defense has allowed 26.3 points, which is 12.7 points less than the defensive unit allowed last year through three games.
THE SERIES . . .
• This is the seventh meeting between Tulsa and Fresno State.
• Fresno State leads the series 4-2.
• The Bulldogs won the first four games, while Tulsa has won the last two games.
• FS has a 2-0 mark at home with those wins coming in 2000 and 2002.
• Fresno State has outscored Tulsa by 18.5 points in their four wins, while Tulsa has a 4.0 win margin in its two wins in the series.
• Fresno State's four wins were when the two were members of the Western Athletic Conference.
• Tulsa's first win in the series came when the two teams met in the 2005 AutoZone Liberty Bowl, where Tulsa won 31-24.
DEFENSE IS OPPORTUNISTIC . . .
• Through three games this year, Tulsa's defense has forced six turnovers, including three fumbles recoveries and three interceptions.
• All but one of those takeaways has led to a Tulsa score.
• Tulsa has scored 35 points, including 21 against San Jose State (2 fumbles/1 INT) and 14 points vs. NC A&T (2 INTs), off of those takeaways.
• Among Tulsa's three interceptions two have been returned for TDs.
• In the last nine games, dating back to last year's SMU game on Oct. 31, 2015, Tulsa defenders have had six interception returns for touchdowns –– one at SMU, one vs. UCF, two at Tulane and one each this year agaisnt San Jose State and North Carolina A&T.
WHAT'S SO SPECIAL . . .
• The Tulsa special teams has been opportunistic this year, scoring a total of 34 points through the first three games.
• In addition, McKinley Whitfield has blocked two punts, both against NC A&T, that led to the offense scoring touchdowns on both occasions.
• Redford Jones has accounted for 28 points on 13-of-13 PATs and 5-of-6 FGs
• Whitfield scored the remaining six points on a fumble recovery in the end zone on a punt against San Jose State.
• Eleven of the opponents 38 drives starting after a Tulsa kickoff or punt, began at the oppositions 20-yard line or inside the 20.
• Jones has kicked off 21 times for a 63.3 average with 11 touchbacks.
• Dalton Parks has punted 17 times for a 42.0 average with 5 landing inside the 20-yard line and 3 touchbacks.
THE CONNECTION . . .
• The passing combination of senior quarterback Dane Evans to senior receiver Keevan Lucas connected for a touchdown against North Carolina A&T for the first time in nearly a year.
• Evans threw three TDs to Lucas against NC A&T on Sept. 17, 2016, while the last time the two hooked up on a TD was Sept. 19, 2015 at Oklahoma (Lucas missed the final nine games in 2015 with an injury).
• Lucas caught four passes in the NC A&T game for 119 yards and three went for touchdowns.
• All but one of Lucas' 20 career touchdowns have come from Evans . . . Lucas' first career TD, covering 24 yards, as a true freshman in 2013 came from Cody Green.
MCKINLEY MAKING PLAYS . . .
• Sophomore safety McKinley Whitfield has made some big defensive plays for the Hurricane through three games.
• In the season opener against San Jose State, Whitfield recovered a fumble on an attempted punt return in the end zone for a touchdown putting Tulsa ahead 38-7 in the second quarter.
• Against North Carolina A&T, Whitfield blocked two punts . . . the first gave Tulsa the ball at the NC A&T one-yard line, and the second put Tulsa at the NC A&T 27-yard line.
• In between those blocks, Whitfield also had an interception that put Tulsa on their own 49-yard line.
• His blocked punts and interception led to 21 Tulsa points against NC A&T.
DANE EVANS NAMED TO ALLSTATE AFCA GOOD WORKS TEAM® . . .
• Senior QB Dane Evans was named one of 24 players to the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, one of the most coveted off-the-field honors in college football.
• The Good Works Team® award is celebrating 25 years of recognizing college football players who dedicate their time to bettering their communities.
• Evans has volunteered for Feed My Starving Children, tornado Team Relief, Youth Day Camps, FCA events, St. Francis Children's Hospital visits and elementary school reading and activities.
TULSA (2-1, 0-0 The American) vs. FRESNO STATE (1-2, 0-0 Mountain West)
Saturday, September 24, 2016 • 1:30 p.m. (PT)/3:30 p.m. (CT)
Bulldog Stadium
DIGITAL: Mountain West Network
Radio: Big Country 99.5 FM
FOR FULL GAME NOTES PACKAGE, CLICK HERE
THE COACHES
TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANE
Head Coach: Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State '95), 2nd year
Career Record: 8-8 (2 years)
TU Record: same
FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS
Head Coach: Tim DeRuyter (Air Force '85), 5th year
Career Record: 30-25 (5 years)
FS Record: same
THE STORYLINES . . .
• This is the seventh meeting between Tulsa and Fresno State
• Fresno State won the first four games of the series, while Tulsa has won the last two meetings.
• Tulsa and Fresno State were members of the Western Athletic Conference together from
1996-2004.
• Tulsa has won the two non-conference games between the two teams.
• Tulsa has the smallest FBS enrollment with 3,473 students, while Fresno State has an enrollment of 24,136 students.
QUICK HITS . . .
• A total of 15 freshmen have seen action in at least one of the first three games this year, including 10 red-shirt freshmen and five true freshmen . . . two transfers also made playing debuts this year.
• The five true freshmen who have played this season include – DB Manny Bunch, LB Cooper Edmiston, DS Robert Hill, LB Robert Revels III and DT Shemarr Robinson . . .
• Tulsa returned 27 different players who had previously started at least one game in their careers, either on offense (15) or defense (12).
• Only two players – OG Tyler Bowling and DT Hayden Carman – had not made a previous start among starters in the first three games this year . . . Bowling and Carman have started all three games for the Hurricane in 2016.
• Tulsa's defense has had three interceptions, and two have gone for touchdowns, covering 24 and 65 yards.
• In 16 games under Philip Montgomery, Tulsa has scored over 40 points nine times and has posted a 7-2 record when doing so.
• Through three games, Tulsa's defense has allowed 26.3 points, which is 12.7 points less than the defensive unit allowed last year through three games.
THE SERIES . . .
• This is the seventh meeting between Tulsa and Fresno State.
• Fresno State leads the series 4-2.
• The Bulldogs won the first four games, while Tulsa has won the last two games.
• FS has a 2-0 mark at home with those wins coming in 2000 and 2002.
• Fresno State has outscored Tulsa by 18.5 points in their four wins, while Tulsa has a 4.0 win margin in its two wins in the series.
• Fresno State's four wins were when the two were members of the Western Athletic Conference.
• Tulsa's first win in the series came when the two teams met in the 2005 AutoZone Liberty Bowl, where Tulsa won 31-24.
DEFENSE IS OPPORTUNISTIC . . .
• Through three games this year, Tulsa's defense has forced six turnovers, including three fumbles recoveries and three interceptions.
• All but one of those takeaways has led to a Tulsa score.
• Tulsa has scored 35 points, including 21 against San Jose State (2 fumbles/1 INT) and 14 points vs. NC A&T (2 INTs), off of those takeaways.
• Among Tulsa's three interceptions two have been returned for TDs.
• In the last nine games, dating back to last year's SMU game on Oct. 31, 2015, Tulsa defenders have had six interception returns for touchdowns –– one at SMU, one vs. UCF, two at Tulane and one each this year agaisnt San Jose State and North Carolina A&T.
WHAT'S SO SPECIAL . . .
• The Tulsa special teams has been opportunistic this year, scoring a total of 34 points through the first three games.
• In addition, McKinley Whitfield has blocked two punts, both against NC A&T, that led to the offense scoring touchdowns on both occasions.
• Redford Jones has accounted for 28 points on 13-of-13 PATs and 5-of-6 FGs
• Whitfield scored the remaining six points on a fumble recovery in the end zone on a punt against San Jose State.
• Eleven of the opponents 38 drives starting after a Tulsa kickoff or punt, began at the oppositions 20-yard line or inside the 20.
• Jones has kicked off 21 times for a 63.3 average with 11 touchbacks.
• Dalton Parks has punted 17 times for a 42.0 average with 5 landing inside the 20-yard line and 3 touchbacks.
THE CONNECTION . . .
• The passing combination of senior quarterback Dane Evans to senior receiver Keevan Lucas connected for a touchdown against North Carolina A&T for the first time in nearly a year.
• Evans threw three TDs to Lucas against NC A&T on Sept. 17, 2016, while the last time the two hooked up on a TD was Sept. 19, 2015 at Oklahoma (Lucas missed the final nine games in 2015 with an injury).
• Lucas caught four passes in the NC A&T game for 119 yards and three went for touchdowns.
• All but one of Lucas' 20 career touchdowns have come from Evans . . . Lucas' first career TD, covering 24 yards, as a true freshman in 2013 came from Cody Green.
MCKINLEY MAKING PLAYS . . .
• Sophomore safety McKinley Whitfield has made some big defensive plays for the Hurricane through three games.
• In the season opener against San Jose State, Whitfield recovered a fumble on an attempted punt return in the end zone for a touchdown putting Tulsa ahead 38-7 in the second quarter.
• Against North Carolina A&T, Whitfield blocked two punts . . . the first gave Tulsa the ball at the NC A&T one-yard line, and the second put Tulsa at the NC A&T 27-yard line.
• In between those blocks, Whitfield also had an interception that put Tulsa on their own 49-yard line.
• His blocked punts and interception led to 21 Tulsa points against NC A&T.
DANE EVANS NAMED TO ALLSTATE AFCA GOOD WORKS TEAM® . . .
• Senior QB Dane Evans was named one of 24 players to the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, one of the most coveted off-the-field honors in college football.
• The Good Works Team® award is celebrating 25 years of recognizing college football players who dedicate their time to bettering their communities.
• Evans has volunteered for Feed My Starving Children, tornado Team Relief, Youth Day Camps, FCA events, St. Francis Children's Hospital visits and elementary school reading and activities.
Players Mentioned
Offensive Guard
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SAF
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Defensive Tackle
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LB
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Quarterback
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Deep Snapper
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Place-kicker/Punter
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Wide Receiver
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Punter
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LB
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Defensive Tackle
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Safety
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