Why the Tulsa Golden Hurricane Will Defeat the Oklahoma Sooners

Bradford out

Sam Bradford will likely be out when Tulsa comes to Norman on Sept. 19. The last time Tulsa beat Oklahoma was on Sept. 28 1996 in Norman. Before the season began, Tulsa had a stated goal of going 14-0 and their coach said they would be in a position to be able to win every game. Tulsa will not only be capable of competing with OU, they will have what it takes to leave Norman with a win.

The last time Tulsa came to Norman?

It was 2005. Sooners led by a marginal 17-15 score with four minutes left in the fourth quarter...in Norman. Tulsa will again be very motivated to play. Some are saying the 2009 Sooners are a lot like the 2005 Sooners. Tulsa is also showing similarities to its 2005 team with a balanced offense and defense. Tulsa finished that season at 9-4 and won the C-USA championship. 

What's in it for Tulsa?

After BYU beat OU, they were propelled into the top-10. After Houston beat Oklahoma State, they entered the AP top-25 for the first time since 1991. Tulsa knows the significance this game could have for their program. Additionally, it is an oppurtunity to beat an in-state opponent. Tulsa has plenty of motivation.

Oklahoma Sooners' Woes

Besides the Bradford injury, there are many concerns for OU. Star TE Gresham is officially out for the season. Backup LB Wort is out for the season. Balogun will be out as well. Starting Center, Brody Eldridge who is a converted TE, has a broken finger. As some predicted, the offensive line is the weakness of this Sooner team.

Even before Bradford went out, the Sooner offense was barely able to move the ball and the team was plagued by incessant penalties and poor play of the offensive line. The defense looked good, but they gave up a touchdown when it was most crucial.

Tulsa's season-opener troubles?

Tulsa has had trouble in the season opener in each of the last three years against much weaker opponents. In 2007, they posted a meager 35-17 win over Louisiana-Monroe. In 2008, they were down 22-21 at halftime to UAB!

Tulsa was vastly better in each of those seasons than the first game would indicate. Although there is still plenty of room for improvement, Tulsa played a decent first game. The defense improved in week 2 and the offense began to show signs of greatness as G.J. Kinne passed for over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Tulsa's defense

In the season opener, Tulsa had a formidable defense. Overall, it was not excellent, but it showed signs of excellence. MLB Mike Bryan was brilliant. He had 10 tackles, five for loss, a forced fumble and an interception. He could be a difference maker.

In game 2, Tulsa's defense was dominant. So far, Tulsa's defense has allowed only 1 touchdown. They are #2 in the nation in tackles for loss and #2 in sacks. They forced 6 fumbles against New Mexico. They have allowed only 84 rushing yards on 59 carries.

OU's rushing game, which is now the cornerstone of their offense, struggled against BYU. If Tulsa can hold OU's running game in check and force OU to be one-dimensional, they will have a chance at pressuring the brand-new quarterback into making some mistakes. Look for Tulsa to blitz through the middle and challenge Eldrige.

Tulsa's Offense - The Sleeping Giant

Tulsa's offense played very conservatively in their first two games, but still won 37-13 and 44-10. After the first game, coach Todd Graham said "We weren't as flashy as you'd think or want...This game was never in Jeopardy." As the Tulsa World reported, the first-time starting quarterback "Kinne was asked before the game just to manage Tulsa’s offense. He wasn’t expected to have a superstar effort."

G.J. Kinne exceeded expectations as a first time starter with 75 percent completion, 211 yards, 77 rushing yards, a couple of touchdowns and zero interceptions. He only threw the ball 20 times. To date, G.J. Kinne has 521 yards passing and leads the team in rushing with 130 yards. He has 6 TD's and zero INT's.

His zero interceptions is no anomaly. He had 47 touchdowns to 1 interception during his senior year in high school. After that he was heavily recruited by several major programs including OU and also Texas, where he signed on before transferring to Tulsa.

Tulsa has played a very conservative offense so far. Todd Graham hinted that they are not using too many big-yardage plays until they need them in the more important games (OU, Boise State). Look for the Tulsa offense to come into the Oklahoma and Boise State games stretching the field, similar to the Tulsa-offense we've seen the last two years.

Oklahoma Sooner Defense vs Dual-threat Quarterbacks

Its interesting to note that in recent history, OU has had trouble against dual-threat quarterbacks... Before BYU, their last three losses were to teams with dual-threat QB's: WVU with quarterback Pat White, Texas with Colt McCoy and Florida with Tim Tebow.

Their other two "scares" in 2008 were to teams with dual-threat QB's including the lowly Kansas State with Josh Freeman and Oklahoma State with Zach Robinson. G.J. Kinne's scrambling might be the biggest part of Tulsa's running game, as he led Tulsa in rushing in the first two games.

Tulsa's Offense vs Oklahoma Defense

So far OU has only allowed 6 yards rushing. That is no typo, but don't get too excited Sooner fans. Idaho State, held to -22 yards rushing against the Sooners, had -5 rushing yards against Arizona State. BYU was without star running back Harvey Unga.

The OU defense may be absolutely dominant, but there is a legitimate chance of an upset, if Tulsa can come out early and put the OU staff in a bad mood.

Tulsa's offense will have a tough time with the improved Sooner defense, but they should be able to win if they can get at least 3 TD's (which would be the lowest total since OU held them to 21 in 2007 when OU had the best defense in the Big 12).

Considering how the Sooner offense played against BYU (with or without Bradford), it is not too much of a stretch to say Tulsa could win the game with 21 points. Tulsa's backfield is very fast - faster than OU's. Several of Tulsa's receivers could compete for a starting WR spot at OU.

 Bottom line

A Tulsa victory over OU (which would have sounded comical a couple weeks ago) would bring OU down more than it would bring Tulsa up. Nevertheless, if there ever was an opportunity for the Golden Hurricane to beat the Sooners, this is it.