Tulsa Goes East to Face UConn Saturday

Saturday, October 21

Storrs, Conn.

11 AM

Tulsa

UConn

Tulsa Goes East to Face UConn Saturday

10/20/2017 5:49:00 PM | Football

By: The University of Tulsa copyright

GAME 8: TULSA (2-5, 1-2 American) vs. UCONN (2-4, 1-3 American)
Date/Time:	Saturday, October 21/11:01 a.m. (CT)/ 12 noon (ET)
Site:	East Hartford, CT
Stadium:	Pratt & Whitney Stadium (40,000)
Coaches:	TULSA – Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State '95), 3rd year UCONN – Randy Edsall (Syracuse '80), 13th year
TV:	ESPNU
Talent:	Mike Couzens (pxp), John Congemi (analyst)
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM or Online
Talent:	Bruce Howard (pxp), Rick Couri (analyst), Jeremie Poplin (sidelines)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	First Meeting
First Meeting:	None
Last Meeting:	None
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| UConn \| American Athletic Conference

Hartford, Conn. –– Tulsa goes back on the road this week for a first-ever meeting with the UConn Huskies in a meeting of American Athletic Conference West vs. East Division opponents. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 noon (ET)/11 a.m. (CT) from Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, Conn.

Tulsa will be looking to accomplish something that the Huskies did last week, win its first road game of the season. While Tulsa handed favorite Houston a 45-17 loss at H.A. Chapman Stadium a week ago, the Huskies claimed a 28-24 victory over a favored Temple team in Philadelphia.

Both teams snapped a 4-game losing streak with those victories. Tulsa comes into the game with a 2-5 overall record and 1-2 American Athletic Conference record, while UConn is 2-4 overall and 1-3 in the league.

In wins last week, it was both teams defenses that played major roles. The Hurricane scored 21 points off of three Tulsa takeaways, while UConn scored two TDs from Temple turnovers.

This week the Hurricane will have to slow down an offense that puts up nearly 300 yards per game and an average of 13.2 yards per catch.

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 and have been sidelined for at least one contest.

Senior end Jeremy Smith has been the leader of a young Hurricane defensive front, while totaling 39 tackles and 6 TFLs for -54 yards. Last week, Smith totaled seven tackles, 3 TFLS, 2 sacks, one pass break-up and forced a fumble against Houston. Jesse Brubaker, Trevis Gipson and Frankie Davis also man the end spots for the Hurricane.

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 totaled 4 tackles last week in a starting assignment.

Sophomore Cody Edmiston and senior Petera Wilson have shared playing time at the MIKE linebacker spot. Edmiston has totaled 51 tackles with two fumble recoveries and one interception, while Wilson has 48 tackles, 2 sacks for -14 yards and 2 fumble recoveries, including one for a 3-yard TD run a week ago.

Fellow linebackers Craig Suits and Diamon Cannon have also been active. Suits has totaled 39 stops and has intercepted a team-high 2 passes, while Cannon has totaled 34 tackles.

Junior McKinley Whitfield moved over from his STAR linebacker spot to safety when Mitchell went down with the injury, while Christian Williams starts at the other safety spot in place of Bunch. Whitfield has a team-high 66 tackles, and last week had a 51-yard interception return that led to a Tulsa touchdown. Williams has been credited with 25 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 6 starts, Thomas 4 and Evans has started the last 4 games.

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

The UConn offense has developed into a passing team this season, and has already reaped the benefits with career games being set in the pass game. Senior quarterback Bryant Shirreffs set career-highs twice this year when he passed for 406 yards and 3 TDs against ECU and 408 yards and a pair of touchdowns against SMU.

The UConn offense ranks 24^th in the nation for passing with 289 yards per game, while Shirreffs has completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 1,580 yards and 12 touchdowns, and ranks 10^th nationally with a 163.5 passing efficiency.

Shirreffs has targeted 12 different receivers as running back Arkeel Newsome leads the Huskies in receiving with 21 catches for 356 yards, and is second in rushing with 209 yards and a 4.3 average per carry.

For the first time in school history, UConn has had four receivers with at least one 100-yard receiving game, while the Husky receivers have caught 131 receptions for a 21.8 average per catch. Red-shirt freshman receivers Quayvon Skanes and Keyion Dixon lead thee receiving corps with 19 catches for 167 yards and 17 receptions for 211 yards between them.

Nate Hopkins has rushed for 251 yards and 6 touchdowns to lead the Husky ground attack.
The UConn offensive front is big, averaging 6'6" in height and 295 pounds, as 6'6" senior center Brendan Vechery and senior guard 6'5" Trey Rutherford anchor a line that also has two freshmen and one sophomore as starters.

For Tulsa's offense, the Hurricane has tried to maintain its balance between the run and pass game, but after 7 games the Hurricane averages 100 yards more on the ground (271 ypg) than through the airways (171 ypg).

The Tulsa offense averages 35.4 points and totals 443.6 total yards per game.

Last week, red-shirt freshman Luke Skipper started his first game at quarterback for the Hurricane, and in 3 games this season has completed 60-percent of his passes for 394 yards and 2 touchdowns. Skipper wasn't the only Tulsa quarterback behind center, as Chad President, who started the first 6 games, came in and rushed for 32 yards and 2 touchdowns.

President has gained 397 yards and 7 TDs on the ground for the Hurricane this year, while throwing for 809 yards and 2 TDs.

Senior D'Angelo Brewer leads the nation's 11^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 consecutive 100-yard rushing games. Brooks has totaled 504 yards and 7 TDs on the ground for the Hurricane, and is nearing the all-time rushing record for a true freshman of 582 yards, held by Kenneth Lee (1986).

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 166 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.

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 61 of Tulsa's 92 receptions for 861 yards.

The Huskies defense is anchored by an all-senior three-man front that has 70 starts between them. Big 6'4", 303-pound Folorunso Fatukasi, a Bronko Nagurski and Outland Trophy candidate for the nation's top defender and interior lineman, holds down the middle of the defensive front with 20 tackles and 3.5 TFLs.

It's a veteran group of linebackers for UConn as well with seniors Vontae Diggs and Junior Joseph and junior Chris Britton. Joseph has a team-high 56 tackles, while Diggs has 40 stops on the year. Britton has 30 tackles and shares the lead for TFLs with four.

The UConn secondary has seen a total of 11 players start at least one game this year and is led by Jamar Summers and Marshe Terry, both with 5 starts under their belt this season. Summers has 34 tackles and a team-best 4 pass break-ups, while Marshe has 30 tackles.

In all, UConn's defense has recorded 18 pass break-ups this season and has forced seven fumbles.

The game will be televised on ESPNU 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.