Tulsa to Face 12-1 Ball State in GMAC Bowl
12/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 7, 2008
• GMAC Bowl Central
Tulsa, Oklahoma - The University of Tulsa will be playing in its fourth straight bowl game as the Hurricane will be making a return trip to the GMAC Bowl to face the Ball State cardinals of the Mid-American Conference.
The game will be played at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, on January 6 at 7:00 pm (CT).
"Naturally, we're disappointed we didn't win the Conference USA Championship, but on the same hand we're very excited to have the opportunity to represent Conference USA at the GMAC Bowl and play an opponent like Ball State," said Tulsa Head Coach Todd Graham. "They're a 12-1 team and a nationally ranked team which is what we're excited about."
Last year, Tulsa set an NCAA Bowl Game record with its 56-point margin of victory against Bowling Green in a 63-7 victory at the GMAC Bowl in front of 36,962 fans.
Ball State has posted a 12-1 record and fell over the weekend in the MAC Championship game against Buffalo 42-24. The Cardinals have been nationally ranked for a good portion of the season and is currently ranked 22nd in the USA Today/Coaches poll and 23rd in the Associated Press poll. The Hurricane dropped the Conference USA title game on Saturday by a 27-24 score to East Carolina.
Both teams have potent offenses featuring solid run and pass games. The Hurricane is led by running back Tarrion Adams and quarterback David Johnson. Ball State junior quarterback Nate Davis has completed 3,446 yards and 26 touchdowns on the season, while Tulsa's Johnson has thrown for 3,866 yards and 43 touchdowns.
Tulsa's Adams, with 1,316 yards on the season, will enter the GMAC Bowl needing 93 yards to become the school's career rushing leader, while Ball State's MiQuale Lewis has been one of the nation's top rushers this year gaining 1,701 yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground.
Tulsa's 10-2 record marks the second straight 10-win season for the Hurricane, marking the first time Tulsa has ever had consecutive 10-win campaigns. "We're awful proud to see where this program has come in the last five years and go to four straight bowl games is remarkable. With back-to-back 10-win seasons and having gone to three of the last four conference championship games says a lot," said Graham.
This is the 16th bowl game appearance for the Hurricane and the fifth in the last fsix years. It's also the first time since the 1964 and 1965 Bluebonnet Bowls that Tulsa returns to the same bowl game in back-to-back years. The Hurricane also played in consecutive Sugar Bowls on January 1, 1943 and 1944.
"In going to the same place our guys have seen a lot of Mobile, but on the same hand the opponent is what our guys are so excited about and getting the opportunity to go play a marquee game like this on ESPN against a ranked opponent like Ball State gives us a great opportunity as a program," added Graham.
Graham talked about last year's GMAC Bowl experience for the Hurricane. "It was first-class. The hospitality was incredible. We had an incredible experience last year and we're looking forward to going back," said Graham.
Tickets for the GMAC Bowl are $45 and will go on sale Tuesday at the Tulsa athletic ticket office, online at www.tulsahurricane.com or by calling 918-631-GoTU (4688). Trip packages are also available through the TU alumni office. Go to www.tulsahurricane.com or www.utulsa.edu for trip information.
