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Tulsa-Cincinnati Clash Tonight on Football FIeld
11/13/2015 10:06:00 AM | Football
| Game 10: Tulsa (5-4, 2-3 The American) vs. Cicinnati (5-4, 2-3 The American) | |
|---|---|
| Date / Time: | Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015/6:30 pm (CT)/7:30 pm (ET) |
| Site: | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Stadium: | Nippert Stadium (40,000) |
| Coaches: | Tulsa – Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State '95); Cincinnati – Tommy Tuberville (Southern Arkansas '76) |
| TV: | ESPNews |
| Talent: | Eamon McAnaney (pxp), Rocky Boiman (analyst) |
| Radio: | Big Country 99.5 FM |
| Talent: | Bruce Howard (pxp), Rick Couri (analyst), Jeremie Poplin (sideline) |
| Live Stats: | Live Stats |
| Series: | Tulsa leads 16-13-2 |
| First Meeting: | Tulsa 20, Cincinnati 0 (Nov. 2, 1946), Tulsa, Okla. |
| Last Meeting: | Cincinnati 33, Tulsa 24 (Aug. 28, 1997), Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Game Notes: | Tulsa | Cincinnati | American Conference |
Two of the nation's top offenses, Tulsa and Cincinnati, will clash today in Cincinnati, Ohio, as each team is looking for that treasured sixth win and bowl eligibility. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 pm CT at Nippert Stadium and will be televised nationally on ESPNews.
Both teams come into the contest with identical 5-4 overall records and 2-3 marks in American Athletic Conference play. Cincinnati is coming off of a tough road loss at one of The American's West Division-leaders, Houston, as the Cougars held on for a 33-30 win. Tulsa is on a two-game winning streak after wins against SMU and UCF.
Tulsa's offense ranks 12th nationally, racking up 520 yards per game, but Cincinnati has the nation's 5th-best offense with an average of 578 yards per contest.
The Hurricane defense has its hands full as Cinci comes into the game gaining 387.6 yards through the air and 190 yards on the ground. Cincinnati is the fourth team that the Hurricane defense has faced with a top-10 offense, as those previous three opponents have combined for 3,708 and 260 points.
With multiple weapons, the Cincinnati offense starts with the signal-caller and for the Bearcats, it's not only one, but two quarterbacks that have guided this potent offense.
Junior Gunner Kiel has started seven games and has completed 66-percent of his passes for 2,037 yards and 16 touchdowns. When Kiel was sidelined with an injury, red-shirt freshman Hayden Moore was more than a capable replacement and has thrown for 1,434 yards and eight TDs for the Bearcats.
The weapons for these two QBs start on the outside with seven receivers catching passes for more than 200 yards apiece, led by Shaq Washington's 59 receptions for 704 yards and five touchdowns. With 594 yards and five touchdowns, Chris Moore is one of three Cincinnati receivers who have averaged more than 20 yards per reception. Moore averages 22.0 yards on 27 catches, while Johnny Holton has caught 17 passes for a 27.1 average and Mekale McKay averages 22.6 yards on 14 receptions.
If opposing defenses concentrate too much on the passing game, then the three-headed monster in the run game takes over for the Bearcats. Cincinnati's top three ground-gainers combine to average most of the Bearcats' 190-yard per game rushing average. Hosey Williams has rushed for 565 yards and three TDs, Tion Green has 556 yards and five touchdowns and Mike Boone has gained 496 yards and four touchdowns on the ground this year.
Tulsa's defense will need to have its best performance yet of the season for the Hurricane to come away with a road victory.
Tulsa safety Michael Mudoh leads the Hurricane with 100 tackles on the year, while linebackers Matt Linscott and Trent Martin are next with 75 and 68 stops, respectively. Last week, Mudoh had the school's second-longest interception return when he took a pickoff 86 yards for a touchdown against UCF.
Linscott has collected a team-high 14.5 tackles for -59 yards, while Martin has 13.5 TFLs for -30 yards. Sophomore cornerback Kerwin Thomas leads Tulsa with 10 pass-breakups and two interceptions, including a 31-yard TD return against SMU.
The Hurricane front line is led by senior tackle Derrick Luetjen, who has recorded 34 tackles and 8.5 TFLs, while fellow tackle Jess Brubaker has collected 24 tackles, The ends – Derrick Alexander and Jeremy Smith – have combined for 52 tackles and 11.5 TFLs.
Tulsa's offense is guided by junior quarterback Dane Evans, who has completed 61-percent of his passes, and has senior Keyarris Garrett leading the receiving corps. Evans has completed 197 passes for 2,938 yards and 17 touchdowns, while 65 of those passes have gone to Garrett for 996 yards.
Garrett had an NCAA single-game high this year with 268 yards and three TDs against #17 Memphis on October 23. Fellow receiver Josh Atkinson has caught 44 passes for 706 yards and had a streak of five straight games of over 100 yards.
Red-shirt freshman receiver Justin Hobbs has become an integral part of the passing game since an injury sidelined 2014 leading receiver Keevan Lucas in the fourth game of the year. Hobbs has 22 receptions for 393 yards and a 17.9 average per catch and tallied a season-best 150 yards on seven receptions at SMU two games ago.
Tulsa's ground attack has been a nice compliment to the Hurricane passing game, despite being banged up. Tulsa's top four rushers have each missed at least one game this season. Zack Langer has a team-high 631 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns, but has missed two of the last three games. D'Angelo Brewer has gained 563 yards and two TDs for a 5.4 average per carry, while a third runner stepped up last week when Ramadi Warren gained 168 yards and three touchdowns against UCF and has totaled 310 yards, four TDs and a 6.2 average per carry in five games.
Tulsa's offensive line, with two red-shirt freshmen and one sophomore among the starters, will have to turn in one of its best games this week against a Cincinnati defensive front that will pressure the Hurricane.
The Bearcats are big in the interior with two 6'2", 295-plus lineman in the likes of Cortex Broughton and Alex Pace, while athletic on the outside with 6'3" ends Marquise Copeland and Silverberry Mouhon. The Cincinnati defense holds its opponents to under 400 yards of total offense this year, allowing its opponents just 382.4 yards per game.
The Bearcats is one of the best against the pass, ranking among the top-50 nationally for pass efficiency defense.
Linebacker Eric Wilson leads the Bearcats defense with 81 tackles, while fellow linebackers Bryce Jenkinson and Kevin Brown have totaled 44 and 39 stops, respectively. In the secondary, safeties Zach Edwards and Tyrell Gilbert have combined for 12 pass break-ups, three interceptions and 95 tackles.
There are clear skies in Cincinnati, but as the day goes on temperatures will drop into the 30s during the game.
Players Mentioned
Defensive End
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Wide Receiver
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Running Back
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Quarterback
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Wide Receiver
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Wide Receiver
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Running Back
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Linebacker
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Wide Receiver
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Defensive Tackle
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Linebacker
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Safety
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Defensive End
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Cornerback
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Running Back
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