Tulsa Football Hosts Navy Saturday on Military Appreciation Day

Saturday, September 30

H.A. Chapman Stadium

2:30 PM

Tulsa

Navy

Tickets

Tulsa Football Hosts Navy Saturday on Military Appreciation Day

9/29/2017 8:44:00 AM | Football

By: The University of Tulsa copyright

GAME 5: TULSA (1-3, 0-0 American) vs. NAVY (3-0, 2-0 American)
Date/Time:	Saturday, September 30/2:32 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Tulsa, Okla.
Stadium:	Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium (30,000)
Coaches:	TULSA – Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State '95), 3rd year NAVY – Ken Niumatalolo (Hawaii '89), 10th year
TV:	ESPNU
Talent:	Mark Neely (pxp), Ray Bentley (analyst)
Tickets:	To purchase tickets, click here
Gameday Guide:	For gameday guide, click here
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM or Online
Talent:	Bruce Howard (pxp), Rick Couri (analyst), Jeremie Poplin (sidelines)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	Navy leads 3-1
First Meeting:	Navy 29, Tulsa 0 (Sept. 18, 2004), Tulsa, Okla.
Last Meeting:	Navy 42, Tulsa 40 (Nov. 12, 2016), Annapolis, Md.
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| Navy \| American Athletic Conference

Tulsa opens American Athletic Conference play on Saturday afternoon with a home game against the Navy Midshipmen on Military Appreciation and Hall of Fame Day. The game kicks off at 2:30 p.m.

The Mids come into the game with an overall 3-0 record and a 2-0 mark in league play with conference wins over Tulane and Cincinnati. Tulsa looks to get back in the win column after last second losses on field goals in each of the past two weeks.

If this year's game is anything like last year in Annapolis, when Navy pulled out a 42-40 win, fans will be in store for a barnburner of a game. This game features two offenses that rank 2^nd and 4^th in the nation for rushing.

Tulsa will need to get back to its offensive form this week that saw the Hurricane average 58.5 points in weeks 1 and 2, while the defense will look to contain a Navy team that is rushing for a nation's second-best total of 393 yards per game.

Senior D'Angelo Brewer leads a Tulsa running game that averages a nation's fourth-best 311.5 rushing yards a game. Brewer is ranked 6th in the nation with 144.5 rushing yards per game, while turning in three straight 100-yard rushing games. True freshman Shamari Brooks is averaging 69 yards per game and 5.9 per carry for the Hurricane.

Chad President has led the Tulsa offense after a preseason battle with Luke Skipper to open the season as the starter. President has completed 56-percent of his passes for 677 yards with one touchdown pass. He has scored 4 TDs of his own on the ground, while rushing for 210 yards and a 6.2 average per carry.

The running game hasn't manufactured those yards without the big boys up front creating holes.
Tulsa's offensive line has paved the way for over 300+ yard rushing games in 10 of the last 17 contests. 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.

Receivers Justin Hobbs, a junior, and sophomore Keenen Johnson lead a young receiving corps as the duo has combined for 44 of Tulsa's 59 receptions for 525 yards.

Tulsa's offense, however, will face another defensive unit that holds its opponent to less than 100 yards rushing on the year. Ten of the 11 starters on the Navy defense are juniors or seniors.
The Mids defensive unit has held opponents to just 342 yards per game, including 96.3 rushing yards, to rank 15^th nationally, and 246 yards through the air.

The men across the front line – Jarvis Polu, Jackson Pittman and Tyler Sayles – have freed up an athletic set of Navy linebackers to make plays. Micah Thomas, Hudson Sullivan, D.J. Palmore and Jerry Thompson have combined for 59 tackles and 10 TFLs for -44 yards from their linebacker positions.

Safety Sean Williams leads the team with 22 tackles and 3 pass breakups. Williams, fellow safety Jarid Ryan and cornerbacks Elijah Merchant and Tyris Wooten patrol the secondary for the Midshipmen.

Navy brings its option attack to Tulsa with the nation's second-best rushing offense, averaging 393 yards on the ground and 491 total yards. It seems as though every time Navy graduates an outstanding option quarterback, another is waiting in the wings, and that's no different this season.

Junior quarterback Zach Abey is in his first season as the starter and is the leader of the offense, averaging 157 yards on the ground. Fullback Chris High, from Oklahoma City's Douglass High School, is next with 199 yards, followed by slot back Malcom Perry, who has gained 115 yards and an 8.8 average per carry

Navy doesn't go to the air much, but when they do Abey averages 32.7 yards per completion with his main target being 6'4 senior Tyler Carmona, who has caught 4 passes for a 47.0 average and 2 TDs. Another 6'4" senior receiver Brandon Colon, although he hasn't caught a pass, is critical in Navy's outside run game.

The Mids offensive line is a veteran group with three seniors and two juniors.

The Tulsa defense will face its second of three offenses in consecutive weeks that play a version of the option game. So far this season, two of Tulsa's first four opponents were ranked among the top-10 offenses in the country – Oklahoma State and Toledo, currently ranked 4^th and 10^th nationally.

Senior end Jeremy Smith has been the leader of a young Hurricane defensive front, while totaling 21 tackles and 3 TFLs for -17 yards. Jesse Brubaker, Trevis Gipson, Frankie Davis and Myles Mouton also man the end spots for the Hurricane. Tulsa has had mainly a three-man rotation on the interior this season with true freshman Garrett Flanary, sophomore Shemarr Robinson and senior Kolton Shindelar,

Senior Craig Suits has been active from his linebacker corps, totaling 19 tackles, 2 interceptions and one pass breakup. Sophomore Cody Edmiston and senior Petera Wilson will man the MIKE linebacker spot against the Midshipmen. In his most extensive playing time at that spot in his career, Wilson totaled 17 stops last week against New Mexico. Edmiston has 29 tackles and one interception on the year.

Due to Jordan Mitchell's season-ending knee injury, junior McKinley Whitfield moved over from his STAR linebacker spot to safety, where he spent the first two years of his career. He has totaled 28 tackles, three stops for -9 yards and one pass break-up.

Fellow safety Manny Bunch has a team-leading 30 tackles along with one pick-off this season. Sophomore Christian Williams will also see time at safety for the Hurricane

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.

The game is Military Appreciation and Hall of Fame Day. Fans can stop by any of your Local Oklahoma Ford Dealer locations and pick up a voucher for a $5 ticket to the Tulsa-Navy game. The voucher is good for up to four $5 tickets. The only opportunity to receive this special discount is to get a ticket voucher from your local Oklahoma Ford Dealers.

Retired and active military personnel will receive one FREE admission to the Tulsa-Navy game with a military ID.

If fans do not take advantage of the $5 ticket voucher from your Local Oklahoma Ford Dealers, advance tickets are $15, $30 and $40. Tickets at the gate are priced at $20, $35 and $45.

Hurricane Alley is located on Chapman Commons and provides fans an entertainment area prior to the game. Hurricane Alley will open at 11:30 a.m. for the Tulsa-Navy game.

Stadium gates open at 1:00 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPNU and can be heard on the Golden Hurricane Radio Network as well as on the nationally on the Tulsa Tune-In App.