Tag: Golden Hurricane

Sep 14, 2024; Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA; Tulsa Golden Hurricane head coach Kevin Wilson during warmups before a game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

Reports: Tulsa to fire head coach Kevin Wilson

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Tulsa is expected to fire head coach Kevin Wilson, multiple outlets reported Sunday.

The Golden Hurricane fell to 3-8 overall (1-6 in American Athletic Conference) this season and 7-16 during Wilson’s two years as their head coach with a 63-30 setback to South Florida on Saturday.

While Tulsa gained 478 yards against South Florida, the Golden Hurricane turned the ball over five times and allowed 715 total yards.

Tulsa wraps up its season against FAU (2-9, 0-7) next Saturday.

Wilson, 63, posted a 26-47 record, including losses in two bowl games, during six seasons as the head coach of Indiana (2011-16). In between head-coaching jobs, he was the offensive coordinator at Ohio State.

Per ESPN, wide receivers coach Ryan Switzer has accepted the interim coaching role.

Switzer, 30, excelled as a wide receiver at North Carolina and played in 41 NFL games (one start) over three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys (2017) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2018-19).

–Field Level Media

Oct 8, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; South Florida Bulls running back Brian Battie (21) runs with the ball against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the first half at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Underwhelming seasons collide when Tulsa faces USF

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South Florida and host Tulsa will chase down a rare victory when the teams meet Friday night.

The two American Athletic Conference programs find themselves at the bottom of the standings, with the Bulls owning the cellar due to an eight-game skid. Tulsa is standing right outside the door after dropping three straight.

USF (1-9, 0-6) earned its only win when it defeated FCS Howard 42-20 on Sept. 10 in Week 2. The campaign’s low point occurred Nov. 6 when the Bulls fired head coach Jeff Scott after a 54-28 road loss to Temple.

Interim head coach Daniel Da Prato stepped in Saturday against SMU. The Bulls played better at times, forging a 17-17 tie at halftime before succumbing in a 41-23 setback on their home field.

“Obviously, a difficult week for our young men and for our department. We were able to fight through that for the week and we came out and I’m proud of our kids and their effort,” Da Prato said. “But at the end of the day you play this game to win.”

Quarterback Katravis Marsh was stretchered off the field in the fourth quarter but was “in good spirits, with movement in his extremities,” according to Da Prato.

Running back Brian Battie recorded his third straight 100-yard game, with 145 on the ground, and is within 127 yards of the school’s 10th 1,000-yard rushing season.

In its home finale Friday, ninth-place Tulsa (3-7, 1-5) will try to avoid slipping into last place by improving on offense. Behind quarterbacks Davis Brin and Braylon Braxton, the Golden Hurricane offense generated just 207 yards in Saturday’s 26-10 loss to Memphis. The pair combined to go 17 of 37 for 176 passing yards.

Through its first three games, Tulsa’s offense topped FBS schools with over 43 points per game and 413 passing yards per game, but it has regressed with Brin’s injuries and Braxton’s inconsistency.

“Early in the season, I thought we were hitting on all cylinders and things were coming together,” Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery said. “Where I thought this offense was going to be able to go is in a totally different end of the spectrum than where we are right now.”

USF holds a 3-2 edge in the all-time series, but Tulsa has won the past two meetings — 32-31 last season in Tampa and 42-13 in 2020 at Tulsa.

–Field Level Media

Oct 22, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Southern Methodist Mustangs quarterback Tanner Mordecai (8) throws downfield during the first half against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports

Tanner Mordecai’s status uncertain for SMU vs. Tulsa

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SMU and host Tulsa will meet in an American Athletic Conference game on Saturday in Oklahoma in which both teams are seeking a much-needed win if they are to become bowl-eligible.

The Mustangs (3-4, 1-2 AAC) have dropped four of their past five games after a 29-27 loss to then-No. 21 Cincinnati on Saturday. The Golden Hurricane (3-4, 1-2) ended a three-game losing streak with a 27-16 win at Temple on Friday.

The biggest question facing the Mustangs is at quarterback. Tanner Mordecai suffered a concussion late in the third quarter against Cincinnati and was replaced by Preston Stone. Mordecai is in concussion protocol and his status is unclear for Saturday.

“Tanner’s in a day-to-day world,” SMU offensive coordinator Casey Woods said. “We’ve got confidence in Preston. He’s done a good job, so seeing him operate within the entirety of the offense has been fun and I know he’ll be ready if called upon.”

Stone almost rallied SMU from a 15-point, fourth-quarter deficit. But his two-point conversion pass was incomplete following Tyler Lavine’s 1-yard touchdown dive that pulled the Mustangs to within 29-27 with 1:57 remaining.

Mordecai — a transfer from Oklahoma — has completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 2,121 yards with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while Stone has gone 17 for 31 for 169 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Rashee Rice, the team’s top receiver with 53 catches for 802 yards and four touchdowns, has been slowed by a toe injury.

Tulsa also has one of the conference’s top receivers. Keylon Stokes became the school’s all-time leading pass-catcher after posting 37 yards on four catches against Temple, giving him 3,352 receiving yards for his career. Stokes has 48 receptions for 802 yards and four scores this season.

Deneric Price rushed for 231 yards, including an 84-yard touchdown run, on 20 carries against the Owls. He also scored on an 18-yard reception.

“Obviously, Deneric had a couple of big, explosive runs,” Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery said. “The one late — man, what a huge play that we needed right there to really extend the lead.”

Tulsa is 13-15 all-time against SMU but has won two straight in the series.

–Field Level Media

Dec 20, 2021; Conway, South Carolina, USA; Tulsa Golden Hurricane running back Shamari Brooks (3) is tackled by Old Dominion Monarchs safety Terry Jones during (13) in the 2021 Myrtle Beach Bowl at Brooks Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports

Tulsa storms past Old Dominion to win Myrtle Beach Bowl

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Davis Brin passed for 285 yards and two touchdowns to help Tulsa post a solid 30-17 victory over Old Dominion on Monday afternoon in the Myrtle Beach Bowl at Conway, S.C.

Josh Johnson caught eight passes for 129 yards and a touchdown as the Golden Hurricane (7-6) won their fourth consecutive game. Shamari Brooks rushed for 107 yards and a score on 26 carries to move into second place in school history with 3,729 yards, passing Tarrion Adams (3,651 yards from 2005-08).

Ethan Hall also caught a touchdown pass and Zack Long booted three field goals for Tulsa, which outgained Old Dominion 529 to 247 while controlling the contest. The Golden Hurricane had a huge edge in plays (99 to 47) and first downs (35 to 10) while controlling the ball for 39 minutes, 43 seconds.

LaMareon James returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for the first of Old Dominion’s two touchdowns. Hayden Wolff completed 19 of 28 passes for 176 yards and one interception and Blake Watson rushed for 77 yards and a score for the Monarchs (6-7), who had a five-game winning streak halted.

James supplied electricity at the outset by navigating his way down the field for his second kickoff return of the season.

But the Golden Hurricane needed just 1:42 to answer and Brooks capped the seven-play, 74-yard drive by scoring from the 1.

Tulsa moved ahead 14-7 later in the quarter as Brin (22-of-34 passing) tossed a 23-yard scoring pass to Johnson with 4:47 to go.

Old Dominion’s Nick Rice kicked a 32-yard field goal with 12:50 left in the second quarter, but Long countered with a 35-yarder with nine seconds remaining to give the Golden Hurricane a 17-10 halftime lead.

Long added field goals of 25 and 32 yards in the third quarter to boost Tulsa’s advantage to 23-10.

The Monarchs threatened early in the fourth quarter as Wolff connected with Ali Jennings III for 30 yards. But Tulsa’s Tyon Davis punched the ball out of Jennings’ grasp inside the 5-yard line, and it rolled into the end zone and out the right side for a touchback.

The Golden Hurricane responded with an 11-play, 80-yard drive that increased their lead to 30-10. Brin capped it with a 4-yard toss to Hall with 9:04 left in the contest.

Watson scored on a 2-yard run to pull Old Dominion within 13 with 7:15 remaining.

–Field Level Media

Nov 6, 2021; Greenville, North Carolina, USA; Temple Owls quarterback D'Wan Mathis (18) looks over at the sidelines during the first half against the East Carolina Pirates at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Temple tries to snap five-game skid, ruin Tulsa’s senior day

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Temple will hope to avoid a sixth consecutive loss when it battles host Tulsa on Saturday.

The Owls (3-7, 1-5 American Athletic Conference) last won 34-31 against Memphis on Oct. 2. Since then, they’ve been outscored by a whopping 217-35.

Temple has been besieged by injuries and has continued to play a bevy of freshmen.

“I feel like we have a good, young nucleus,” Temple head coach Rod Carey said. “They’re on their way to being experienced.”

The Owls’ most recent defeat came against No. 24 Houston, falling 37-8 last Saturday.

Once again, they will have some uncertainty at quarterback going into this road matchup. D’Wan Mathis has been struggling with a couple of nagging injuries and it’s unclear whether he’ll start. Justin Lynch is also a strong possibility.

“I know there’s improvement,” Carey said of Mathis’ health. “I don’t know the extent of that improvement.”

The Owls don’t have much to play for except to carry positive momentum over into the offseason. But don’t tell that to Carey with all the hard work the senior leaders have put in to the program.

“We have a good group of seniors that are fully engaged and competing,” he said.

Tulsa will look to keep its postseason bowl hopes alive with a win over Temple. Tulsa also has one final regular-season game against Southern Methodist and could finish 6-6 to potentially qualify for a bowl.

The Golden Hurricane (4-6, 3-3) put themselves in position to inch closer to bowl contention with a thrilling 20-13 win in overtime over Tulane last Saturday.

Justin Wright played a large role in the victory with 12 tackles on his way to being named AAC Defensive Player of the Week.

While Tulsa looks to be favored over the reeling Owls, nothing is guaranteed.

“It’s college football,” Tulsa’s Jaxon Player said. “You can’t base (an opinion of) anybody off their record. Everybody shows up on Saturday.”

Tulsa will be facing Temple for the first time since 2018.

Since this will be the final home game for the Golden Hurricane, especially their 23 seniors, they hope to come out with extra intensity. Especially if they want to keep their bowl hopes alive.

“We’ve been in a lot of tight ballgames. We’ve won a few. We’ve lost a few,” Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery said. “All of our intentions are on the next game. All of our focus is on Temple. To have control of our destiny is a good thing.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 16, 2021; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell looks on before the NCAA football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the UCF Knights at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Albert Cesare / The Enquirer-USA TODAY Sports

No. 2 Cincinnati focused on wins, beating Tulsa, not rankings

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The No. 2 Cincinnati Bearcats claim not to be worried about rankings, but stockpiling wins. And the next opportunity to chalk up another victory is Saturday when the Tulsa Golden Hurricane visit Nippert Stadium.

The Bearcats (8-0, 4-0 AAC) aim for their second consecutive 9-0 start and face the team that nearly denied them that record in 2020. The Hurricane (3-5, 2-2) dropped a 27-24 decision at the end of regulation in Nippert last fall. UC moved to 9-0 with a victory in the AAC Championship Game.

But more than a title game rematch, the game offers the Bearcats another chance to potentially impress the College Football Playoff selection committee. The 13-person committee will decide the four teams that qualify for the playoff. Despite a perfect record and a road win at Notre Dame earlier this season, the Bearcats are assured of nothing so far.

The initial CFP rankings came out Tuesday night. UC quarterback Desmond Ridder was asked to appear on the broadcast. He declined.

“As much as we want to be on (the show), that’s not something we’re focused on right now,” Ridder said earlier Tuesday. “If it was a show about the (AAC) standings, I probably would have joined it. Because we can’t do anything without these next four games and the conference championship game.”

Ridder, 39-5 as a starter, was named as a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award and has thrown for 1,847 yards with 21 total touchdowns. But Ridder is just one part of a balanced Bearcats’ outfit. Running back Jerome Ford has rushed for 846 yards and is tied for third in the nation with 14 rushing touchdowns.

Cincinnati is the only team in the country to have a top-10 scoring offense (39.9 ppg, 9th) and defense (14.3, 2nd). The Bearcats trail only Georgia in scoring defense. UC’s 14 interceptions also rank second in the country.

Still, head coach Luke Fickell said he doesn’t have time to delve into playoff potential.

“I’m not saying ignore the hype … but if you ingest it all, it will mentally wear you out,” he said. “We’ve got to be ready. We got a battle on our hands and (last year) in some ways they outplayed us.”

Tulsa pushed Cincinnati to the limit a year ago. The Hurricane are in the midst of a lowering tide in 2021.

Philip Montgomery’s team ranks just eighth in the AAC in both scoring offense and defense and last week lost 20-17 at home to Navy. The Midshipmen won despite failing to complete one forward pass.

“We have an opportunity to go up there and do some special things,” head coach Philip Montgomery said. “All year long they’ve been one of the best teams in the country. We’ve got to focus on us and what we have to do to give ourselves a chance.”

The Hurricane have tools to limit the number of possessions and grind out an upset bid. Tusla has six individual 100-yard rushing games this season, and running backs Shamari Brooks (588 yards, 4 touchdowns) and Deneric Prince (406, 3 TDs) ranked fifth and sixth in the AAC, respectively, in rushing on a per-game basis.

Tulsa leads the all-time series 17-16-2, but the Bearcats have won two straight head-to-head matchups.

Cincinnati will be trying to keep pace with Houston (7-1, 5-0) atop the AAC and has another hurdle to clear this month in the form of SMU (7-1, 3-1). But like a spot in the playoff, those are concerns for another day. UC hopes to make it 25 straight home wins, and 12 in a row against AAC focus on Saturday.

“With everything going on, we just have to be able to handle it,” Fickell said.

–Field Level Media

Sep 25, 2021; Provo, Utah, USA; South Florida Bulls quarterback Timmy McClain (9) looks to pass in the second quarter against the Brigham Young Cougars at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

South Florida’s AAC losing streak looms large against Tulsa

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Tulsa will be looking to remain in the conference title hunt while South Florida will just be seeking a win period when the two teams meet in an American Athletic Conference clash Saturday afternoon in Tampa, Fla.

The Golden Hurricane (2-4, 1-1 AAC) have won two of their last three outings after holding on for a 35-29 win over Memphis last week while the Bulls (1-4, 0-1) are coming off an open date with only a win over Florida A&M, an FCS foe, on the positive side of their ledger.

The Bulls have not won a league game since Nov. 26, 2019, when they beat East Carolina 45-20. Their conference losing streak reached 12 games with their 41-17 loss to SMU in their last outing.

Second-year coach Jeff Scott sees the open date as a chance to refocus the season.

“Our season is not going to be determined by our first five games,” he said. “It’s really going to be determined by our last seven games.”

Despite the record, Scott sees some positives in the Bulls’ early play. They outscored Florida 17-7 in the second half of a 42-20 loss to the Gators, got a 28-6 gap down to one score in a 35-27 loss at BYU, and were within 10 points late in an eventual 41-17 loss to SMU.

“We showed in two quarters in a couple of these games what we’re capable of,” Scott said, “but we’ve got to be a lot more consistent.”

True freshman Tim McClain (54 of 92 passing for 781 yards) will be making his fourth consecutive start at quarterback against a veteran Tulsa defense that starts four graduates along with five seniors and two juniors.

The Hurricane also have a two-prong rushing attack behind Shamari Brooks (416 yards) and Anthony Watkins (282).

Tulsa has an open date after this but then takes on Navy and league leader Cincinnati its next two games.

“It’s a difficult week and we don’t want to be thinking ahead,” Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery said. “I don’t think we can afford to do that at all.”

–Field Level Media

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) throws the ball against Oregon Ducks during the fourth quarter in their NCAA Division I game on Saturday, September 11, 2021 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Osu21ore Kwr 33

No. 9 Ohio State seeks redemption at home vs. Tulsa

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Ohio State looks to restart its quest for a national title when the No. 9 Buckeyes host Tulsa on Saturday.

The Buckeyes (1-1) were ranked third last week before then-No. 12 Oregon handed them a 35-28 loss in Ohio Stadium, ending the third-longest active FBS home winning streak.

It was also the first regular-season loss for Ryan Day since becoming head coach before the 2019 season.

“You find out a lot about people, find out about their true character,” Day said. “A great opportunity for our guys to learn about that and grow.”

Tulsa (0-2) gave Oklahoma State all it could handle before losing 28-23 on Saturday.

Tulsa’s tough loss last week was a better performance than the season opener when UC Davis stung the host Golden Hurricane 19-17 for their first loss to a lower-level Football Championship Subdivision team in more than 30 years.

Seventh-year Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery looks forward to the challenge of facing what should be a motivated Ohio State team.

“The good part about our football team is we played in front of a lot of big crowds and in a lot of big stadiums since I’ve been here,” he said. “It’s a special place, obviously, with all the tradition and the history that goes along with it.

“We’ve been in loud stadiums before and now it’s just about us going in and handling the environment in between the lines and executing plays.”

All the pressure is on the Buckeyes to replicate the 2014 season when they also lost the second game, at home to Virginia Teach, but went undefeated the rest of the way to win their most recent title with a victory over Oregon in the inaugural College Football Playoff championship game.

Ohio State’s turnaround must start with an improved defense that has put defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs on the hot seat.

In their first two games, the Buckeyes allowed Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim to run for 163 yards, while Oregon’s CJ Verdell had 161 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown.

Day said changes in roles for the defensive staff have been discussed.

“We are looking at all those types of things,” he said. “No hard decisions have been made.”

Deneric Prince has rushed for 180 yards and two TDs in two Tulsa games and the Golden Hurricane are averaging 5.0 yards per carry.

The Buckeyes allowed Oregon’s rushers a 7.1-yard average per carry and did not have a sack for the first time since 2018, stats that give Tulsa’s Montgomery hope.

“It’s about us going up and finding ways to move the football, being unique in that part of it,” he said. “You’ve got to continue to find chain movers if you will.”

There’s no question Ohio State can move the ball. The 612 total yards vs. Oregon were its most ever in a loss. C.J. Stroud threw for 488 yards, second-most in program history, but the Buckeyes failed to score four times in the first half when they had the ball inside the Ducks’ 40.

Day doesn’t blame Stroud.

“For me to do what I need to do on offense, I need the defense to be on point,” the coach said.

— Field Level Media

Oct 23, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tulsa Golden Hurricane wide receiver Juancarlos Santana (5) catches a touchdown pass as South Florida Bulls defensive back Mike Hampton (7) defends in the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Tulsa shakes off layoff, routs South Florida

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The Tulsa Golden Hurricane showed no signs of rust after a 19-day layoff, cruising to a 42-13 win over South Florida Bulls on Friday night in Tampa, Fla.

Tulsa remains one of five unbeaten teams in the American Athletic Conference after winning its first game since Oct., 3 when it upset then-No. 11 UCF 34-26. A scheduled game last week against No. 8 Cincinnati due to a COVID-19 outbreak with the Bearcats.

The Golden Hurricane (2-1, 2-0 AAC) totaled 462 yards overall with a near-perfect balance of 235 passing and 227 rushing. Sophomore Deneric Prince (15 rushes, 109 yards) and senior Corey Taylor II (12 rushes, 67 yards) each ran for two touchdowns.

Tulsa outgained South Florida 289-113 in total yards in the first half and led 21-6 at halftime.

Golden Hurricane junior linebacker Zaven Collins was responsible for two of the three South Florida turnovers, forcing a fumble in the first half and returning an interception 38 yards for a touchdown that helped the Golden Hurricane pull away in the third quarter.

South Florida (1-5, 0-4) lost its fifth consecutive game and struggled to find any consistent momentum on offense. The Bulls used three quarterbacks in the game with grad transfer Noah Johnson taking the most snaps. Johnson completed 18 of 26 for 150 yards with one touchdown and one interception. His 4-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Miller cut Tulsa’s lead to 21-13 with 8:43 left in the third.

Sophomore Johnny Ford — the Bulls’ leader in total yards — was held to 19 yards combined rushing and receiving.

The Bulls struggled on third down, converting just 2 of 15 tries.

In the middle of the third quarter, Prince took a handoff from Tulsa senior quarterback Zach Smith, cut to the inside and sprinted up the middle for a 62-yard touchdown that sparked a run of 21 unanswered points. That TD increased the lead to 28-13, and five minutes later, the margin was up to 42-13 after Collins’ pick-six and a 1-yard Taylor scoring run.

Smith completed 16 of 24 passes for 233 yards with one interception and a 33-yard touchdown pass to JuanCarlos Santana that opened the game’s scoring.

–Field Level Media