GAME PREVIEW: TULSA HOSTS HOUSTON TONIGHT

Friday, October 1

Tulsa, Okla.

6:30 pm

Tulsa

Houston

Tickets

Photo by: Brett Rojo

GAME PREVIEW: TULSA HOSTS HOUSTON TONIGHT

10/1/2021 9:54:00 AM | Football

IT'S FRIDAY NIGHT COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN TULSA AS THE COUGARS VISIT CHAPMAN STADIUM

GAME 5: TULSA (1-3, 0-0 American) vs. HOUSTON (3-1, 1-0 American)
Date/Time:	Friday, Oct. 1, 6:35 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Tulsa, Oklahoma
Stadium:	Skelly Field @ H.A. Chapman Stadium
Coaches:	TULSA – Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State '95), 7th year HOUSTON – Dana Holgorsen (Iowa Wesleyan '93), 3rd year
TV:	ESPN
Talent:	Roy Philpott (pxp), Andre Ware (analyst), Paul Carcaterra (sidelines)
Tickets:	Buy HERE
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM or Online
Talent:	Bruce Howard (pxp), Rick Couri (analyst), Jeremie Poplin (sideline)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Virtual Program:	Game Day Program
Series:	Houston leads 25-19-0
First Meeting:	Dec. 2, 1950 (Tulsa 28, Houston 21), Houston, Texas
Last Meeting:	Nov. 23, 2019 (Houston 24, Tulsa 14), Tulsa, Okla.
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| Houston \| American Athletic Conference

TULSA, Okla. –– Tulsa football will take the spotlight tonight at H.A. Chapman Stadium as the Golden Hurricane and Houston meet in an American Athletic Conference game in front of a nationally televised ESPN audience.

Tulsa is coming off a 41-34 win last week against Arkansas State, while the Cougars opened up conference play with a 28-20 victory over Navy to move to 3-1 overall on the season.

Friday night's game kicks off at 6:35 p.m.

Tonight's matchup features a Houston defense that is The American's best and ranks among the top units in the country, while the Hurricane offense has put up big offensive yardage numbers and averages 25.5 points.

The visiting Cougars rank first in the league for total defense and second against the run, pass and for scoring defense. Houston has held its first four opponents to just 255.6 yards and 16.3 points per game. Tulsa is second for total offense in The American with a 489.7 average and passing offense at 302 yard per game, while its 187.7 yards rushing is ranked third in the league.

Houston's defense has no holes. Linebacker Donavan Mutin leads the way with 25 tackles and fellow backer Deontay Anderson has totaled 15 stops.

The interior of the defensive front has four guys that make it difficult for opposing offenses to run the ball. Logan Hall and Latrell Bankston are the starters at tackle and nose and are spelled by Atlias Bell and Olivier Charles-Pierre. Hall has 16 tackles, Bankston 13 and Bell 11 to lead the way up front.

On the outside, Derek Parish and David Anenih create havoc for quarterbacks as the duo has combined for 31 tackles and four sacks.

Corner Damarion Williams leads the secondary with 21 tackles, while fellow senior Marcus Jones also brings great speed in coverage. The safeties Gervarrius Owns and Hasaan Hypolite have combined for 20 tackles.

The Tulsa offense has made positive strides each week and needs to have a balanced attack against the conference's top-ranked defense tonight. The Hurricane has put up 1,164 total yards in each of the last two weeks – 501 at No. 9-ranked Ohio State and 663 yards against Arkansas State – for an average of 582 yards per game.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane running back Shamari Brooks (3) UC Davis vs TU - BRETT ROJO/For the University of Tulsa — Shamari Brooks

Davis Brin, the reigning AAC Offensive Player of the Week, has completed 62-percent of his passes for 1,209 yards and five touchdowns. Brin had a career-high 428 yards against the Buckeyes two weeks ago and last week completed 68-percent of his passes for 355 yards.

The Hurricane has played without career 2,500-yard receiver Keylon Stokes for the last two games, but Tulsa's core receiving group has come up big. Josh Johnson has turned in two 100+ receiving games, while Sam Crawford Jr. had two catches for 105 yards last week, both going for touchdowns. JC Santana has also been on the receiving end of some big passes, totaling 177 yards on 12 receptions the last two weeks.

Tulsa's rushing attack gives the Hurricane the balance it needs. Three Tulsa runners have rushed for over 100 yards in at least one game this season. Shamari Brooks had 155 yards on 22 carries last week, while Anthony Watkins turned in a 115-yard performance on seven carries, including a 75 -yard TD run. Deneric Prince also rushed for 100-plus yards with 151 yards on 14 carries in the season opener against UC Davis.

Brooks enters this week's game just eight yards shy of becoming the school's fifth 3,000-yard career rusher.

The backs run behind a veteran and versatile offensive line, led by all-AAC tackles Tyler Smith on the left side and Chris Paul at right tackle. Dylan Couch and Bryce Bray are slotted at guard and Gerard Wheeler handles the snapping duties. X'Zauvea Gadlin has seen considerable playing time at both guard and center this season.

Tulsa tight ends Ethan Hall and James Palmer have been important cogs in Tulsa's run game.

The Houston offense is potent as well and is led by Clayton Tune at quarterback. The junior has thrown for 729 yards and five touchdowns while completing an astounding 71-percent of his passes.

Nathaniel Dell is the top target of Tune's with 25 receptions for 342 yards and three touchdowns. Tight end Christian Trahan is a big target for Tune as well, catching 14 passes for 138 yards. In the backfield, Alton McCaskill has a team-high 233 yards and four TDs, but look out for fellow runners Mulbah Car and Chandler Smith.

A name familiar to Tulsa fans, Patrick Paul, the younger brother of Tulsa offensive tackle Chris Paul, plays the left tackle spot for the Cougars. Seniors Dennis Bardwell at right tackle, left guard Keenan Murphy and center Kody Russey give Houston experience upfront.

For Tulsa up front, the Hurricane features a solid two-deep led by tackle Jaxon Player, nose guard Tyarise Stevenson and end Cullen Wick in the starting rotation of Tulsa's 3-3-5 scheme. Anthony Goodlow, Everitt Rogers Deven Lamp, Joseph Anderson and transfer Elijah Taylor will all see considerable playing time up front as well.

Wick has totaled 17 tackles and 5.5 TFL for -21 yards, while Player has tallied 11 stops and 3.5 TFL for -5 yards to lead the front line.

Player will miss the first half of this game after being called for targeting early in the third quarter a week ago.

Tulsa's linebacking corps has seen a number of players contributing this season. Yohance Burnett, Justin Wright and Grant Sawyer were the starters a week ago, while graduate transfer Jon-Michael Terry, Robert Revels III, Dorian Hopkins and Mitchell Kulkin have seen valuable playing time. Tulsa hopes to have Treyvon Reeves back in the lineup this week after the senior missed the first four games.

Burnett has 24 tackles, Terry is next with 15, Wright with 14, Sawyer with 11, Hopkins with 10 stops and Revels has nine tackles.

Tulsa's starting three safeties were all back in action together last week for the first time this season. Kendarin Ray, at 6'4", leads the way with a team-high 29 tackles in four games, but he missed the first half at Ohio State. TieNeal Martin, who missed the opener, has nine stops and two pass breakups and nickel safety Cristian Williams has tallied five tackles in just two games.

Bryson Powers has not missed a beat in a starting role at nickel safety and has totaled 21 tackles, one pass breakup and one forced fumble. LJ Wallace and Jaise Oliver have seen increased playing time and have started games for the Hurricane in the secondary this year.

The corner slots are manned by senior Tyon Davis and graduate transfer Travon Fuller and are spelled by three quality guys in the likes of Tyree Carlisle, Reggie Ellis and Kenney Solomon. Davis has 28 tackles and two pass breakups this year, while Travon Fuller has 10 stops, a team-high four pass breakups and one interception.

In special teams, Tulsa will have to bottle in Houston return man Marcus Jones, who already has returned two punts for touchdowns this year.

Tulsa has experience with bother their kicker and punter. Senior Zack Long has connected on 6-of-6 field goals this year, including a season-long of 45 yards. Sophomore Lachlan Wilson has averaged 47.4 yards on 24 punts and has placed seven inside the 20-yard line.

Long snapper Rey Higuera is in his fifth season starting for the Hurricane, while Cannon Montgomery handles the holding duties for the fourth year.