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TULSA ARRIVES IN FORTH WORTH FOR BOWL GAME
12/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 26, 2011
Fort Worth, Texas - The University of Tulsa football team arrived in Fort Worth on Monday afternoon for Friday's Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Game after a four hour bus ride from Tulsa. The Hurricane then went through a 90-minute workout at Kennedale High School, a 15-minute drive from Tulsa's headquarters hotel in downtown Fort Worth.
Tulsa will face BYU in Friday's 11:01 am (CT) contest that will be aired on ESPN. Tulsa comes into the contest with an overall 8-4 mark, while the independent BYU Cougars have posted a 9-3 mark.
Tulsa went through its first practice session since last Thursday when the Hurricane worked out at H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa. It took a few periods for the Hurricane players to work out the cobwebs from a three-day layoff.
"It took us awhile to get going. I think four to five periods into practice we got going and we finished practice really well," said Tulsa Head Coach Bill Blankenship. "As coaches, it probably wasn't as bad as I anticipated, but it wasn't as good as what we needed it to be.
"Today, was mainly getting Christmas out of our system, and get the tempo back up to speed. It's hard to be off three days, travel and come out and bounce around like we needed to. It took us a while. Our game plan is in. We spent the last 10 days before leaving for Christmas doing that, so we just needed to get refocused from our break," added Blankenship
Following practice, the Hurricane team enjoyed a barbeque dinner before departing for Dallas and an NBA game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Denver Nuggets.
"The guys are pretty excited. We'll watch the Mavericks play the Nuggets tonight. It's an opportunity for our guys to see an NBA game, and let alone the defending World Champions. It's a pretty good deal. It should be a great way to kick off bowl week," said Blankenship.
Tulsa will have position meetings Tuesday morning, depart for an 11 am practice at Kennedale High School. The Hurricane will return to the Omni Fort Worth Hotel for lunch and additional meetings. A Team Welcome Event will take place for both Tulsa and BYU at 6 pm Tuesday night at Billy Bob's Texas.
Fans can still purchase tickets for $40 by calling the TU athletic ticket office at 918.631.GoTU (4688) or online at www.tulsahurricane.com.
