Photo by: Brett Rojo
TULSA FOOTBALL NOTES: NAVY GAME
11/30/2020 4:01:00 PM | Football
No. 22 Tulsa Travels to Annapolis to Face Navy on Saturday
GAME #7
#22/22 TULSA (5-1, 5-0 AAC) vs. NAVY (3-5, 3-3 AAC)
Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020 • 3:30 p.m. (ET) / 2:30 pm (CT)
Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (34,000), Annapolis, Md.
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Big Country 99.5 FM
FOR FULL GAME NOTES PACKAGE, CLICK HERE
TULSA 5-1, 5-0 The American
Head Coach: Philip Montgomery
(Tarleton State '95)
6th year at Tulsa
Career Record: 29-38 (6 years)
TU Record: same
NAVY 3-5, 3-3 The American
Head Coach: Ken Niumatalolo
(Hawaii '89)
13th year at Navy
Career Record: 101-65 (13 years)
Navy Record: same
THE STORYLINES . . .
• Tulsa is in its 121st season of football.
• Tulsa has the smallest FBS enrollment with 3,269 undergraduate students … the U.S. Naval Academy's enrollment is 4,400
• Tulsa's 5-0 AAC record marks the best league start in its 7 years as an AAC member … it is also the best conference start for a Tulsa team since a 7-0 start in Conference USA in 2012.
• Tulsa has won 5 straight games after a season-opening loss … it is the longest winning streak for Tulsa since 7 straight wins in the 2012 season.
• Tulsa is 7-1 in its last 8 games dating back to 2 wins in its final 3 games of the 2019 season.
• If this was a normal year, Tulsa would have completed its regular season last week on Nov. 28, instead it's Tulsa's 7th game … Navy is playing its 9th game.
TULSA RANKED NO. 22 IN BOTH POLLS . . .
• In the recent national rankings, Tulsa is No. 22 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Amway Coaches polls.
• Tulsa moved into the AP's top-25 on Nov. 15 with at No. 25 following a 28-24 win over No. 19 SMU … Tulsa jumped to No. 24 a week later after a win over Tulane.
• Tulsa debuted in the USA Today Amway Coaches poll at No. 25 on Nov. 22.
• The AP ranking this year is the first time Tulsa has been ranked in the AP poll since ending the 2010 season ranked 24th nationally … before that, Tulsa was ranked in the AP poll for three weeks during 2008.
• The last time Tulsa was in the USA Today Coaches poll was at the conclusion of the 2012 season when the Hurricane was ranked No. 25.
• Tulsa has received votes in both AP and Coaches polls since the Oct. 4 rankings.
• In the initial College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings on Nov.24, Tulsa was 25th.
THE SERIES . . .
• This is the 8th meeting between Tulsa and Navy.
• Navy leads the series 6-1 and has won the last 5 meetings, including a 45-17 win last year in Tulsa.
• Tulsa's only win in the series came in its first road game at Navy in 2006, 24-23 in overtime… Navy is 4-0 in Tulsa and 2-1 at home in the series.
• The margin of victories for Navy at home is just 3 points … Tulsa has averaged 31.0 points to Navy's 34.0 points in Annapolis.
• In Tulsa, Navy holds a 37.3 to 14.8 scoring edge over Tulsa for a 22.5 margin.
COLLINS NAMED SEMIFINALIST FOR BUTKUS AWARD . . .
• A three-time winner of the National Defensive Player of the Week Award, Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins was named one of 16 semifinalists for The Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker, this week.
• Collins is the lone non-Power 5 selection chosen to the Butkus list.
• Collins has won each of the 3 Defensive Player of the Week Awards in different weeks this year – the Bednarik, the Bronko Nagurski and the Walter Camp Foundation.
• In 6 games this year, Collins has totaled 48 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, 4 sacks, 4 INTs, 2 TDs off INTs while being named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week 4 times.
• Two of his INTs were game-clinchers … his INT against #19 SMU stopped any possible final scoring drive for the Mustangs … his pick-6 against Tulane in overtime went 96 yards for the game-winning score.
COLLINS NAMED NATIONAL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK THREE TIMES . . .
• Tulsa has played only 6 games, but 6'4" junior linebacker Zaven Collins has been named the National Defensive Player of the Week three different times this year, once each by the 3 main awards handed out for that category.
• Collins is one of only 2 players to earn each National Defensive Player of the Week honor this year, but the only one to earn the award in different weeks … Texas Joseph Ossai won all 3 on the same week, Oct. 31.
• Collins was named the Bednarik National Defensive Player of the Week against No. 11-ranked UCF on Oct. 3.
• He was selected as the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week by the FWAA for his performance against #19 SMU.
• Collins was the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week award winner after his 15-tackle, game-winning pick 6 against Tulane.
COLLINS ALSO NAMED THE AAC'S DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOUR TIMES . . .
• Zaven Collins garnered the AAC's Defensive Player of the Week award 4 times this season, coming after his performances against #11 UCF, USF, #19 SMU and Tulane.
• Against 11th-ranked UCF, Collins had 10 tackles, 3.5 TFLs for -11 yards, 2 PBUs, one interception and one safety in Tulsa's 34-26 comeback win on Oct. 3.
• In the USF game, Collins totaled 6 tackles, including 5 solos, forced one fumble and returned an interception 38 yards for a TD in Tulsa's 42-13 win on Oct. 23.
• Collins had 6 tackles, 2 TFLs for -10 yards, one sack for -10 yards and the interception that sealed Tulsa's win over #19 SMU.
• His 4th weekly AAC honor came after the Tulane game when he had 15 tackles and the game-winning 96-yard INT return to end the game in overtime.
BEST START SINCE 2016 . . .
• Tulsa is off to a 5-1 start this season for its best start since Philip Montgomery's second season in 2016.
• The Hurricane posted a 4-1 mark in 2016 after its first five games with the only loss coming against #4-ranked Ohio State on the road.
• The last time Tulsa had better than a 5-1 record was starting 7-1 in 2012.
• Tulsa's lone loss this year came on the road at #11-ranked Oklahoma State.
TAKING DOWN TWO TOP-20 TEAMS FOR FIRST TIME . . .
• Tulsa's 34-26 win over #11 UCF was the first for the Hurricane against a ranked opponent since handing #24 Hawaii a 62-35 loss in the 2010 Hawaii Bowl.
• It was the first win over a top-15 opponent since Tulsa defeated No. 15 Texas A&M 35-34 in Sept. 1991.
• Before that, it was 1971 that Tulsa defeated a higher ranked team with a 21-20 win over #7 Arkansas.
• The win also snapped a 21-game home winning streak for UCF … the last team to defeat UCF on its home field was the 2016 Tulsa team on Nov. 19, 2016, 35-20.
• When Tulsa defeated No. 19 SMU on Nov. 14, it marked the first time in school history that Tulsa defeated two ranked teams in the same season.
KARDIAC KIDS . . .
• Borrowing the moniker from the 1980 Cleveland Browns, Tulsa has been the college version of the Kardiac Kids this year.
• In 4 of its 5 wins this season, Tulsa has had to come back from double-digit deficits, trailing by 18, 14 and 21 points all in the first half, and then 14 points at the end of 3 quarters.
• In the Philip Montgomery era, Tulsa has come-from-behind 16 times since 2015 … in 14 of those 16 comebacks Tulsa trailed by double digits.
• The first comeback this year was on the road Oct. 3 against the 11th-ranked UCF Knights when the Hurricane trailed by 18 points (23-5) with less than 2 minutes remaining in the first half.
• The second comeback was at home on Oct. 30 against ECU … Tulsa scored 31 points in the second half after trailing 17-3 at halftime.
• Tulsa trailed No. 19-ranked SMU 21-0 early in the second period and 24-7 at halftime, but outscored the Mustangs 21-0 in the second half for a 28-24 win.
• A week later, Tulsa trailed Tulane 14-0 after 3 quarters and then 21-14 with 1:38 left in the game … Tulsa, with its third QB of the game, Davis Brin, scored 21 4th quarter points and 9 in overtime for a 30-24 win.
• Tulsa's 21-point comeback vs. SMU is the second largest come-from-behind victory in the Montgomery era, behind overcoming a 31-0 deficit against Fresno State in 2016 for a 48-41 win … the 18-point win is the third largest deficit Tulsa has come back from in that time.
BRIN BRINGS BACK HURRICANE . . .
• After starting QB Zach Smith went out in the first quarter and backup Seth Boomer left the game late in the third quarter, both with injuries … trailing 14-0, redshirt sophomore Davis Brin took the reins of the offense with under 3 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter.
• On Tulsa's first possession of the 4th quarter, Brin guided Tulsa to an 84-yard, 10-play drive and ran the final 18 yards for the first Tulsa score at the 9:17 mark.
• After the Tulsa defense held Tulane to 8 yards in 5 plays, Brin again took the Hurricane down the field and on a 4th-and-15 completed a 19-yard pass to Josh Johnson in the back of the end zone to tie the game at 14-14 with the PAT with 3:16 left in the contest.
• Trailing 21-14, Tulsa took possession with 1:38 on the game clock from their own 25-yard line … Brin marched the Hurricane down the field by completing 5-of-8 passes to reach the Tulane 37-yard line with just 0:06 remaining on the clock.
• Brin took the snap on 3rd-and-7, avoided a tackler and launched a 'Hail Mary' pass to the right corner of the end zone to a waiting JuanCarlos Santana for a 37-yard completion and after the PAT a 21-21 tie with no time remaining.
• For the game, Brin completed 18-of-28 passes for 266 yards and 2 touchdowns, while rushing for 11 yards and one touchdown on 4 carries.
JC FOR THE TD . . .
• Junior receiver JuanCarlos Santana entered the Tulane game with 215 receiving yards on the year.
• He would end the game having half that total with a career-best 132 yards on 8 receptions.
• Santana made some big catches in the game including a 37-yarder on Tulsa's first scoring drive on a 3rd-and-5.
• But none were any bigger than the 37-yard in the corner of the end zone as time expired and he pulled in the "Hail Mary" pass from Davis Brin to tie the game after the PAT.
• The TD was Santana's 3rd of the year and 4th of his career.
RBs MAKING UP FOR LOSS OF BROOKS . . .
• The school's 5th-leading all-time rusher Shamari Brooks' senior season ended before it started with an ACL injury the week of the season opener against OSU.
• In his absence, Tulsa has used a trio of backs –– Deneric Prince, Corey Taylor II and TK Wilkerson.
• These 3 backs have combined to average 152.7 yards per game on the ground … they have combined to total 916 yards on 188 carries for a 4.9 average per attempt this year.
• Prince has a team-leading 386 yards in 6 games, followed by T.K. Wilkerson with 300 yards and Corey Taylor II 260 yards, both playing in 5 games.
• Prince and Taylor have each had a 100+ rushing game this year, while Wilkerson was just 6 yards shy of 100 with 94 yards against #19 SMU.
• Taylor had a season-high 132 yards against Tulane for his first 100+ rushing game since gaining 117 yards on Nov. 10, 2018 against Memphis.
• Prince had a season-high 109 yards and 2 TDs at USF, while Taylor added 67 yards and 2 TDs in that contest.
• Prince led Tulsa with 82 yards on 15 carries vs. #11 OSU, while Wilkerson was Tulsa's leading ballcarrier vs. #11 UCF with 86 yards and one TD on 22 carries and Taylor added 60 yards on 11 carries.
• In back-to-back games against ECU and SMU, Wilkerson totaled 183 yards and 3 TDs in those two games, totaling 89 yards and 2 TDs on 18 carries against ECU and 94 yards and one TD on 21 attempts vs. SMU.
Players Mentioned
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