GAME PREVIEW: TULSA FACES SMU IN DALLAS SATURDAY

Saturday, November 27

Dallas, Texas

3:00 PM

Tulsa

SMU

GAME PREVIEW: TULSA FACES SMU IN DALLAS SATURDAY

11/26/2021 12:22:00 PM | Football

HURRICANE LOOKING TO GET BOWL ELIGIBLE WITH WIN

GAME 12: TULSA (5-6, 4-3 American) vs. SMU (8-3, 4-3 American)
Date/Time:	Saturday, Nov. 27, 3:05 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Dallas, Texas
Stadium:	Gerald J. Ford Stadium (35,000)
Coaches:	TULSA – Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State '95), 7th year SMU – Sonny Dykes (Texas Tech '93), 4th year
TV:	ESPN2
Talent:	Beth Mowins (pxp), Kirk Morrison (analyst), Dawn Davenport (sideline)
Tickets:	Contact SMU Ticket Office
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM or Online
Talent:	Bruce Howard (pxp), Rick Couri (analyst), Jeremie Poplin (sideline)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	SMU leads 15-12
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| SMU \| American Athletic Conference

DALLAS, Texas –– Tulsa goes into Gerald J. Ford Stadium on Saturday with a tall task against an SMU Mustangs team that has a 5-0 home mark. The Golden Hurricane needs a victory to get bowl eligible.

Tulsa comes into the contest on a two-game winning streak with a 5-6 overall record and 4-3 league mark. SMU (8-3, 4-3 AAC) looks to bounce back from a loss last week against the nation's No. 2-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats. The Mustangs won its first seven straight games before dropping three of its last four contests.

Kickoff is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. The game will be aired on ESPN2 with Beth Mowins, Kirk Morrison and Dawn Davenport calling the action.
Team entrance

The Tulsa-SMU matchups, especially in the recent past, have been close encounters. Since Tulsa's Philip Montgomery became the Hurricane coach in 2015, Tulsa has led the series 4-2 and since then has held an edge in scoring 209 to 200. In the last five games the scoring totals of the two teams are even at 169 points apiece.

SMU's offense is prolific while its defense has been stout against the oppositions' run game.

The Mustangs lead the American Athletic Conference in total offense with 471.4 yards per game while scoring second in the league at 39.1 points behind Cincinnati's 40 points. Quarterback Tanner Mordecai, a transfer from Oklahoma, is among the nation's best with 302.7 yards per game and a total of 38 touchdowns, which ranks second nationally.

Mordecai has all kinds of weapons at his disposal as four receivers have caught passes for over 450 yards and two running backs have gained over 550 yards on the ground.

Wide-outs Rashee Rice, Danny Gray and Reggie Roberson Jr. have combined for 24 touchdowns and 1,997 yards. Gray has a team-high 803 yards and nine TDs on 49 receptions, Rice has 58 catches for 620 yards and nine scores as well, while Roberson had 574 yards and six touchdowns on 47 receptions.

Tight end Grant Calcaterra, a graduate transfer from Oklahoma, is a vital piece of the SMU pass game as well, catching 38 passes for 465 yards and four touchdowns.

The running game is a two-headed monster with Tre Siggers and Ulysses Bentley IV. Siggers leads the way with 727 yards and nine touchdowns, while Bentley has still put up 585 yards and three TDs despite battling injuries this season.

The offensive line measures 6'5", 314 pounds and has provided solid protection for Mordecai and running lanes for Siggers and Bentley. An experienced left side of the offensive front with tackle Jaylon Thomas and guard Hayden Howerton lead the way.

Tulsa's defense will have to get pressure on SMU's Mordecai, while also stopping the Mustangs run game from making big plays.

The Hurricane defense, which has started a different lineup in all 11 games this season, starts up front with a line that features tackle Jaxon Player, nose guard Tyarise Stevenson and end Anthony Goodlow. Player has tallied 40 stops with 12 TFLs to lead the front line. Deven Lamp, Joseph Anderson and Elijah Taylor also see considerable playing time up front for the Hurricane, while end Cullen Wick appears to be sidelined with injury again this week.

Tulsa's linebacker corps has seen a number of players contributing this season. Yohance Burnett, Justin Wright and Grant Sawyer are the starters. Treyvon Reeves, who was a starter in 2020, has been back in the lineup after missing the first four contests. Robert Revels III, Dorian Hopkins and Mitchell Kulkin will see playing time as well.

Wright leads the Tulsa defense with 70 tackles and has added 5.5 stops for lost yards, while Burnett has totaled 63 stops and four TFL for -7 yards. Sawyer has collected 28 tackles, Hopkins 24, Reeves 16 and Revels has 12.

Cornerback Tyon Davis has tallied 66 tackles, including 53 solos, and has eight pass breakups, while fellow corner Travon Fuller leads Tulsa with 10 pass breakups and two interceptions to total 12 passes defended.

Tyree Carlisle, Reggie Ellis and Kenney Solomon add depth at the corner slots.

The safety position brings experience to the secondary with three seniors – TieNeal Martin, Cristian Williams and Bryson Powers. Sophomore Jaise Oliver and junior LJ Wallace have filled in at strong safety when starter Kendarin Ray went down with a mid-season injury.

Powers has totaled 37 tackles, one pass breakup, one forced fumble and the one interception this season. Martin has 26 stops and six breakups and Williams has collected 26 tackles in just seven games played.

SMU's rush defense ranks third in the AAC by allowing just 137 yards per game, while Tulsa's run game has produced a league second-best 192.9 yards through 11 contests.

The Mustangs are led upfront by its three-man front as nose tackle Mike Williams holding down the middle of the line with his 6'3", 299-pound frame. Williams has 28 stops, while end DeVere Levelston causes opposing offenses all kinds of problems. He has totaled 35 tackles, 10.5 TFL for -41 yards and six quarterback sacks.

On the other side, Elijah Chatman has been just as active with 38 tackles and nine stops for lost yardage.

At linebacker, outside backers Jimmy Phillips Jr. and Turner Coxe have combined for 84 tackles, while Coxe has seven TFL and six sacks. JACK and MIKE linebackers Delano Robinson and Shane Hailey are one-two on the Mustangs for tackles with 73 and 53, respectively.

The Mustangs bring experience at the safety positions with Trevor Denbow and Chace Cromartie but are young at the cornerback slot with freshman transfer Jahari Rogers and prep freshman Bryce McMorris getting the starting call.

Denbow has 35 stops and Cromartie 33, while each has picked off a pass and has broken up two passes. Rogers leads the way with eight pass breakups.

If there's a time that the Tulsa offense needs to hit on all cylinders, it's against the Mustangs. The Hurricane needs to be explosive but eliminate mistakes and turnovers while scoring in the red zone.

Tulsa puts up 442 yards per game with a balanced attack that averages 193 rushing yards on 448 carries and passing for another 249 yards per game on 344 attempts.

Davis Brin has completed 59-percent of his passes for 2,740 yards and 15 touchdowns from his quarterback position and will need to be on target Saturday for the offense to have the balance needed.

The Hurricane receiving corps has been hit with injuries, including losing leader Keylon Stokes for the season, and Sam Crawford Jr. for the past two games. Senior Josh Johnson leads the way with 868 yards and four touchdowns, while Juan Carlos Santana has caught 41 passes for 569 yards and Ezra Naylor II has filled in for the injured receivers with 333 yards on 24 receptions.

Tulsa's running game has three runners each gaining over 450 yards on the ground. Senior Shamari Brooks, who moved into third place on the school's career rushing chart last week with 3,551 career yards, leads Tulsa's ball carriers this year with 851 yards and six TDs on 174 carries.

Sophomore Anthony Watkins is next with 553 yards and three touchdowns, while junior Deneric Prince has totaled 469 yards and four TDs.

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 X'Zauvea Gadlin are slotted at guard and Gerard Wheeler handles the snapping duties. Paul missed last week's game with an injury, and if he's unable to go Saturday Bryce Bray will fill that spot.

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

Tulsa's special team's unit will need to be solid in kick coverage. After being a sore spot for the Hurricane earlier this season when opponents returned three kickoffs and one punt for touchdowns, the coverage units have made positive strides over the later part of the season.

Tulsa has experience with both their kicker and punter. Senior Zack Long has connected on 17-of-18 field goals this year, including 8-of-9 of 40 yards or more. Sophomore Lachlan Wilson has averaged 45.9 yards on 54 punts and has placed 19 inside the 20-yard line with 22 punts covering 50 yards or more.

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