Tulsa-SMU Football Game Preview

Friday, October 27

Dallas, Texas

8:00 pm

Tulsa

SMU

Tulsa-SMU Football Game Preview

10/26/2017 2:34:00 PM | Football

By: The University of Tulsa copyright

Tulsa Back on the Road Against SMU Friday Night

GAME 9: TULSA (2-6, 1-3 American) vs. SMU (5-2, 2-1 American)
Date/Time:	Friday, October 21 / 8:05 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Dallas, Texas
Stadium:	Gerald J. Ford Stadium (35,000)
Coaches:	TULSA – Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State '95), 3rd year SMU – Chad Morris (Texas A&M '92), 3rd year
TV:	ESPN2
Talent:	Dave LaMont (pxp), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), Alex Corddry ) Sideline
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM or Online
Talent:	Bruce Howard (pxp), Rick Couri (analyst), Jeremie Poplin (sidelines)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	SMU leads 13-10
First Meeting:	SMU 14, Tulsa 0 (Oct. 5, 1935), Tulsa, Okla.
Last Meeting:	Tulsa 43, SMU 40 /OT (Oct. 7, 2016), Tulsa, Okla.
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| SMU \| American Athletic Conference

DALLAS, Texas –– Tulsa squares-off against the SMU Mustangs in a nationally televised game from Gerald J. Ford Stadium Friday night. The game kicks off at 8:05 p.m.

Tulsa (2-6, 1-3 AAC) comes into the game looking to get back into the win column after a 20-14 road loss last week at UConn, and trying to secure its first road win of the season. With a 5-2 overall record, an SMU victory will make the Mustangs bowl eligible.

The Tulsa defense will have to slow down an offense that puts up nearly 500 yards of total offense and scores 42 points per game. The key to the Mustangs offense has been a passing game with sophomore quarterback Ben Hicks throwing to LSU transfer Trey Quinn and third-year player Courtland Sutton.

Hicks has completed 60-percent of his passes for 1,967 yards and 17 touchdowns, while the junior tandem of Quinn and Sutton have combined for 108 receptions for 1,343 yards and 14 touchdowns. Quinn has hauled in 71 passes for 773 yards, while Sutton has a team-high 9 touchdowns to go along with 570 yards on 37 receptions.

SMU has been effective in the run game as well with a trio of backs – Xavier Jones, Ke'Mon Freeman and Braeden West – combining for over 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns. Jones leads the way with 547 yards, a 6.0 average and 4 TDs, while Freeman has a team-high 8 rushing touchdowns.

The Mustangs are led upfront by 6'3" senior center Evan Brown, and is flanked on the left side by a pair of juniors and on the right side by a sophomore and red-shirt freshman.

The Tulsa defense has been stung with injuries this year, and for the remainder of the season will be without its two safeties that began the season as the starters – Jordan Mitchell, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the third game of the year, while Manny Bunch also suffered a season-ending knee injury on the first drive against Tulane.

A total of 7 Tulsa defenders have missed at least one game this year, including 6 players who have started games in 2017.

End Jeremy Smith has been the leader of a young Hurricane defensive front, while totaling 42 tackles and 7 TFLs for -60 yards. In the last two weeks, Smith totaled 10 tackles, 4 TFLs, 3 sacks, one pass break-up and forced a fumble. Jesse Brubaker, who had a solid game last week with 7 tackles, starts opposite Smith and the two seniors are backed up by Trevis Gipson and Frankie Davis.

Tulsa has used seven players at the two interior spots this season with true freshman Garrett Flanary, sophomore Shemarr Robinson and senior Kolton Shindelar taking most of the snaps. Red-shirt freshman Tyarise Stevenson saw more extensive playing time the last two weeks, while Myles Mouton has moved inside from his end spot and has started the last two games, while totaling 6 tackles.

Sophomore Cody Edmiston and senior Petera Wilson have shared playing time at the MIKE linebacker spot. Edmiston has totaled 68 tackles with two fumble recoveries and one interception, while Wilson has 51 tackles, 3.5 TFLs for -17 yards, 2 sacks for -14 yards and 2 fumble recoveries, including one for a 3-yard TD run.

Fellow linebackers Craig Suits and Diamon Cannon have also been active. Suits has totaled 47 stops and has intercepted a team-high 2 passes. Cannon has totaled 40 tackles, while as a tandem have combined for 9 TFLs.

Junior McKinley Whitfield moved over from his STAR linebacker spot to safety when Mitchell went down with the injury, while Cristian Williams starts at the other safety spot in place of Bunch. Whitfield has team-highs of 76 tackles and 4 pass breakups, while returning his one interception for 51 yards. Williams has been credited with 29 stops.

The corner slots have seen three different starters for the two positions this year –– senior Kerwin Thomas, sophomore Reggie Robinson and true freshman Akayleb Evans, while another true freshman Allie Green IV and sophomore Keidrien Wadley have also seen time at corner. Robinson has 7 starts, Evans has started the last 5 games and Thomas has 4 starts.

Wadley, who has missed games this year with injury, is seeing more playing time in the secondary and against Houston took an interception 37 yards that led to a Tulsa touchdown.

For Tulsa's offense, the Hurricane has tried to maintain its balance between the run and pass game, and after 8 games Tulsa averages 80 yards more on the ground (262 ypg) than through the airways (182 ypg).

The Tulsa offense averages 32.8 points and totals 449 total yards per game.

It took the offense last week to the 4^th quarter before getting some points on the board. Trailing 20-0, the Tulsa offense scored two touchdowns in the final 7 minutes, and had the chance to win the game on a throw in the end zone as time expired.

Luke Skipper has two starts at quarterback under his belt for the Hurricane has completed 61-percent of his passes for 653 yards and 2 touchdowns in 4 games this year. Chad President, who started the first 6 games, has also played the last two games behind center, rushing for 34 yards and 2 touchdowns.

President has gained 399 yards and 7 TDs for a 7.4 average per carry for the Hurricane, while throwing for 809 yards and 2 TDs.

Tulsa was without its leading rusher a week ago, as senior D'Angelo Brewer sat out with an injury. Brewer, who is expected to return this week, leads the nation's 14^th-ranked rushing offense with 824 yards, a 5.0 average per carry, seven TDs and 117.7 yards per game. Brewer is complimented by the play of true freshman Shamari Brooks, who is coming into the game with 3-straight 100-yard rushing games. In a starting role at UConn, Brooks totaled a season-best 164 yards and rushed for 2 TDs. On the year, Brooks has totaled 668 yards and 9 TDs on the ground for the Hurricane, and is just 97 yards shy of tying the school's all-time freshman rushing record.

Tulsa's offensive line will be a big contributor in getting Tulsa's run game going this week against a defense that has held the opposition to 149.6 yards rushing per game. From left to right – Tulsa lines up on the front with senior Evan Plagg, junior Tyler Bowling, junior Chandler Miller, senior Zac Uhles and junior Willie Wright. Plagg's return to the lineup is questionable this week after missing the UConn game with an injury. Filling in for Plagg a week ago was red-shirt freshman Waahid Muhammad.

A young corps of receivers will look to create some plays downfield with junior Justin Hobbs and sophomore Keenen Johnson leading the way. The duo has combined for 73 of Tulsa's 109 receptions and 1,037 yards.

Johnson has been a key target of Skipper's during the last three games with at least one reception for 50+ yards in each game.

SMU's defensive unit has held opponents to under 450 yards per game, including 150 on the ground and 287 through the air. The Mustangs have totaled 54 TFLs for -206 yards and have sacked opposing quarterbacks 23 times for -139 yards.

STAR linebacker Kyran Mitchell had a total of 44 tackles, but included in that total is an American Athletic Conference leading 12.5 TFLs for 50 yards. Senior end Justin Lawler leads the league in sacks with 6.5 for -41 yards, and has also totaled 8.5 TFLs for -43 yards on the year.

Lawler is the mainstay on the four-man front that includes a group of 3 sophomores in the starting lineup. Sophomore safety Mikial Onu headlines a sophomore laden secondary as well. He leads the Mustangs with 51 tackles and has added 3 pass breakups, while fellow sophomore safety Rodney Clemons has tallied 43 tackles and 4 PBUs.

Junior cornerback Jordan Wyatt is the veteran of the secondary and has returned his 2 interceptions this year for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns, while adding 35 tackles, 4 pass break-ups and two forced fumbles.

The game will be televised on ESPN2 and can be heard on the Golden Hurricane Radio Network, Big Country 99.5 FM locally, as well as nationally on the Tulsa Tune-In App.

Next week, Tulsa returns home to face the 24^th-ranked Memphis Tigers in another Friday night game with a kickoff time slated for 7 p.m. at H.A. Chapman Stadium.

Fans can pick up a $5 ticket voucher for the Tulsa-Memphis game from any of the area PhoneDoctors locations for Faith & Family Night. The game is also slated as a Black-Out Game. All fans are encouraged to wear black. Official Black t-shirts are available for purchase at the Campus Corner Bookstore on the corner of 11th and Harvard Avenue. A post-game fireworks show will also take place.