The Man in the High Castle: Tulsa Football

[ZFG]

Note: This is a combination of an alternate history storytelling plus me playing out the seasons on NCAA Football 2014. I've made many changes to the historical situation, which I'll explain, but if something is amiss (such as a coach being an ahistorical school, that is probably my intention). I hope you enjoy my winter break project.

Prologue

The history of the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane had truly changed on that day late in 1945 when Paul "Bear" Bryant met oil tycoon William G. Skelly at a cocktail party in Washington, D.C. Fresh out of the Navy, having turned down assistant coach offers at Alabama and Georgia Tech, Bryant was still searching for an opportunity to be a head coach. With a dream of becoming the head coach at the flagship university of his native Arkansas, Bryant listened carefully to Skelly as he talked about the potential of the University of Tulsa. With Tulsa having recently appeared in the Sun Bowl, two Sugar Bowls, and having just won the Orange Bowl, Bryant knew he could build a winning program that would nearly guarantee him his dream job of leading the Razorbacks.

With Coach Henry Frnka departing for Tulane, Bryant took over the Golden Hurricane program for the 1946 season. Bryant sustained Frnka's run of excellence during the post-war years with several additional major bowl appearances before he left to replace Otis Douglas in Fayetteville after the 1952 season. However, during this run of several Top 10 finishes, the Golden Hurricane had turned themselves into a major player on the national football stage. As such, TU was invited to join the then-Big 7 conference, along with Oklahoma A&M to create the Big 9 Conference.

At the same time, Bear Bryant felt like Arkansas was the odd man out in the Southwest Conference and always given second billing to the Texas schools and always on the outside of SWC politics. Additionally, he was angered by the private schools that he felt like limited Arkansas' ability to become a true national power [perhaps because the private schools liked to turn in the public schools for violations]. As such, he engineered the Razorbacks joining the Big 9 Conference. In the years following, to ease scheduling and regional travel, the conference admitted Colorado State University and the University of Wyoming to form the Big 12 Conference. The Razorbacks abandoning a major conference would result in shifted thinking in the SWC, which would aggressively expand in the coming decades.

While Tulsa never won a national championship, the Golden Hurricane retained their winning ways throughout the 1950s and into the early 1960s. Nevertheless, by the mid 1960s, the Golden Hurricane were floundering and barely noticeable as a competitor in the Big 12, which was increasingly dominated by Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas, and Colorado. With mostly losing records throughout the 1980s, the TU leadership were looking for a new answer come the mid-90s. Recognizing the need to innovate in order to compete with the large, rich programs like OU and Nebraska, TU scoured the country looking for a coach who could bring Tulsa an advantage on the football field. With desperation following three straight 2-win seasons, TU settled on a Division II coach with a relatively light resume but an exciting offense: Hal Mumme. Mumme came to Tulsa in 1993 and proceeded to reel off winning seasons in 1993 and 1994 followed by a conference runner-up in 1995 to #1 Nebraska and an appearance in the Cotton Bowl. Mumme was hired to replace the retiring Hayden Fry at Iowa following the 1995 season, and TU chose continuity by hiring his offensive coordinator, 34-year old Mike Leach as the head coach for the 1996 season.

The College Football Landscape

[Note: One of the approaches I took in realigning was to experiment with other conferences acting more like the SWC and being focused on in-state schools. I also had some other schools and conferences make different decisions throughout history. And I added in some non-FBS schools to create a good narrative. There's no specific reason for these things, other than I thought it would make things interesting. I have, however, tried to keep things at least somewhat plausible...mostly changes that could have occurred pre-WW2.]

As the Bowl Championship Series comes into being, these are conference lineups:

Atlantic Coast Conference

1. Maryland
2. Virginia
3. Virginia Tech
4. William & Mary
5. Duke
6. North Carolina
7. NC State
8. Wake Forest
9. East Carolina
10. Clemson
11. South Carolina
12. Emory

Big East Conference

1. Boston College
2. Syracuse
3. Connecticut
4. Rutgers
5. Temple
6. Penn State
7. Pittsburgh
8. West Virginia
9. Michigan State
10. Cincinnati
11. Florida State
12. Miami

Big Ten Conference

1. Ohio State
2. Miami Univ.
3. Michigan
4. Notre Dame
5. Indiana
6. Purdue
7. Illinois
8. Northwestern
9. Chicago
10. Wisconsin
11. Minnesota
12. Iowa

Big 12 Conference

1. Arkansas
2. Tulsa
3. Oklahoma
4. Oklahoma State
5. Missouri
6. Iowa State
7. Kansas
8. Kansas State
9. Nebraska
10. Colorado
11. Colorado State
12. Wyoming

PAC-12 Conference

1. Washington
2. Washington State
3. Oregon
4. Oregon State
5. California
6. Stanford
7. San Jose State
8. Southern California
9. UCLA
10. Fresno State
11. San Diego State
12. Hawaii

[Note: I would have liked to have had Pacific or Long Beach State instead of Hawaii, but the EA Create-A-Team function no longer works, so I was stuck with the schools I could find to download. This was also true on some other conferences.]

Southeastern Conference

1. Georgia
2. Georgia Tech
3. Florida
4. Tennessee
5. Vanderbilt
6. Kentucky
7. Alabama
8. Auburn
9. Louisiana State
10. Tulane
11. Ole Miss
12. Mississippi State

Southwest Conference

1. Baylor
2. Houston
3. Rice
4. Texas A&M
5. SMU
6. TCU
7. Texas
8. Texas Tech
9. UTEP
10. New Mexico
11. Arizona
12. Arizona State

And the non-BCS conferences:

Conference USA: Marshall, UCF, USF, FAU, Stetson, Florida A&M, Louisville, UAB, Memphis, Southern Miss, Louisiana Tech, Troy State
Mid-American Conference: Buffalo, Akron, Kent State, Ohio, Bowling Green, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Ball State
Western Athletic Conference: BYU, Utah, Utah State, Boise State, Nevada, UNLV, Air Force, North Texas, West Texas A&M, Southwest Texas State, North Dakota State, South Dakota State
Independents: Army, Navy, Arkansas State, Southwest Louisiana, Northeast Louisiana

 

[Rjjackson4]

Must know your history to know where your going

 

[ZFG]

1996 - Offseason

Upon the departure of Hal Mumme and a number of assistant coaches to Iowa, the first responsibility for freshly minted TU Head Coach Mike Leach was to fill out his staff. Given his youthful age (34) and his limited experience as a coach, AD Judy McLeod expected him to fill the open offensive coordinator position with an experienced head coach.

The reality is that Coach Leach was McLeod’s fifth or maybe even sixth choice. She had very publicly interviewed ECU HC and TU Alum Steve Logan, as well as interviewing Northern Illinois HC and TU alum Charlie Sadler. Nebraska OC Frank Solich interviewed, but he demanded that TU lower academic expectations for football players, which was a non-starter with the administration. Other coaches rumored to have interviewed included Florida OC Carl Franks and Arkansas DC Joe Lee Dunn. For whatever various reasons, McLeod finally settled on Leach as her last choice.

The good news is that young DC Jim Leavitt, whom had been hired off of Bill Snyder’s staff at K-State by Mumme, elected to stay at TU. Leavitt was definitely miffed at not having been given a serious interview for the HC position. He also did not join Mumme at Iowa, as the desire was for a more experienced DC with Big Ten ties. So Leavitt decided to stick it out at TU, where his aggressive 3-4 defenses had proven to cause a lot of issues for Big 12 teams.

In filling the OC role, McLeod presented Leach with a list of candidates with head coaching experience. Few had the same offensive mindset at Leach, with the Air Raid still in its development phase. Candidates presented included fired Southwest Texas State HC Jim Bob Helduser, fired TCU HC Pat Sullivan, and former BC Head Coach Jack Bicknell. Leach settled on Helduser given his Texas recruiting ties and his ability to coach the offensive ties and interest in the Air Raid offense. But regardless of titles, Leach was the playcaller and the true offensive coordinator, aided by assistants Mark Mangino (OL) and Dana Holgorsen (WR).

With the staff assembled, Leach was now confronted with finishing the recruiting season and the need to fill several key positions including QB, where Troy DeGar had gone pro (4th Round) after a massive season in Mumme’s Air Raid. Most importantly, LB Muadianvita Kazadi had elected to forego the draft and return for his senior season. Kazadi was the lynchpin in Leavitt’s 3-4 Predator alignment as the edge rusher.

Leach had already secured a commitment from underrecruited QB Damon Jude from Bryant, AR. Jude didn’t have a top caliber arm but seemed to have the smarts for the Air Raid. But Leach really felt the need to try to bring in another higher rated QB. He found a nearly unrecruited QB from New Hampshire named Barrett Cannon. Cannon’s name was accurate – he was a solid passer and smart QB. Cannon’s problem in getting recruited was his home state as well as his desire to go to a university with strong academics. This had led him to focus his efforts on Army and Navy, but he did not fit with their option offenses. Thus, Tulsa was able to sneak in and steal a potential star from New England with Cannon attracted to TU for academics and the Air Raid.

Other key recruits –

4* WR Gerald Andrews – Fairview Park, OH – 6’1 with above average speed and athleticism, great hands, great route runner, wanted to play in the Air Raid

2* WR Melvin Sanders – Hugo, OK – 6’6 with above average straight line speed, limited athleticism, good hands, great route runner

2* LT Ray Dawson – El Toro, CA – 6’3, 288 lbs. Projects to start. Diamond in the rough, no other FBS offers, and should have been a high 3*. Also part of our efforts to build a pipeline in California to supplement Oklahoma and Texas.

3* C Jason Goodwin – Fort Bliss, TX – Projects as four-year starter at center after a redshirt year. Chose TU for academics.

2* LE Trevor Simmons – Poteau, OK – Likely moves to OLB in the 3-4, but is 6’7 with solid athleticism.

2* RE Matt McMahan – Warr Acres, OK – 6’6, 298. Will be a four-year starter at DE after a redshirt year.

Transfer LB Dusty Renfro – Amarillo, TX – Left UT-Austin for playing time at TU in the 3-4. Projects to be a dominant LB in the Big 12. [Renfro was actually a star LB for the Horns.]

Next up, the season…

 

[ZFG]

1996 Season - Part 1

Following TU’s win in the Cotton Bowl in 1995, expectations for 1996 were high. TU was favored to win the Big 12 South, but Nebraska was expected to win the conference and the national championship. Other highly favored NC contenders included Florida, Florida State, and Penn State.

The Big 12 had apparently decided that TU-Arkansas would be the kickoff game every year, so the Razorbacks would come to town for game one. The rest of the schedule shook out quite favorably with all the toughest opponents at home.

Game 1 – Arkansas @ #24 Tulsa

HC: Houston Nutt, 1st year

In Week 1, the TU offense started slowly under starting QB Barrett Cannon. TU took the lead late in the first with Cannon making a long scramble into the end zone. Yet, on the next TU drive he fumbled when sacked and Arkansas scooped and scored. At half-time, the game was 17-17, but Cannon was completing just 43% with an INT and a fumble. For the second half, Coach Leach inserted FR QB Damon Jude who went 18-26, 264, and 3 TDs in leading TU to a dominant second half and a 34-17 roasting of the Hogs.

Game 2 – North Texas @ #22 Tulsa

After a good week of practice, Leach decided to stick with Cannon as the starting QB. His decision paid off as Cannon went 24-39, 308, 1 TD and 1 INT in a 30-13 whipping of the Mean Green.

Game 3 – #21 Tulsa @ Tulane

HC: Buddy Teevens, 5th year

TU traveled for the first time in the year to visit SEC opponent Tulane. TU was heavily favored going into the game, but the entire team appeared unfocused for the noon kickoff. TU struggled mightily in the turnover department. First, Cannon threw 2 INTs before being benched, then Jude fumbled twice, before Cannon came back into the game. Solomon White scored a TD, and Wes Caswell continued to establish himself as an effective slot WR with 114 yards on 8 catches and a TD.

Going into the 4th Quarter, TU led 24-14, but the fumbles by Jude let Tulane back in the game, and they tied the game with 2:35 to go. Cannon drove TU into position for the game winning FG, but Tulane successfully iced the kicker, and the game went into OT. Tulsa was on defense first and held Tulane to a FG. On TU’s possession, Cannon threw a 12 yard TD to Wes Caswell for the winner.

Following the game, Coach Leach was livid about the team’s lackadaisical play suggesting that the players had been unfocused in preparing for an opponent coming off a 1-11 season, and followed up by stating, "As coaches, we fail to get through to them. As coaches, we fail to make our coaching points and our points more compelling than their fat little girlfriends. Their fat little girlfriends have some obvious advantages. For one thing, their fat little girlfriends are telling them what they want to hear, which is how great you are."

Game 4 - #19 Oklahoma @ #21 Tulsa

HC – John Blake, 1st year

The Oklahoma Sooners came in ranked looking to right the ship after the mess left by Howard Schnellenberger. OU scored first on a 47-yd keeper by Justin Fuente, but Barrett Cannon then got the Hurricane rocking despite a heavily mixed crowd in Chapman Stadium. Cannon went off 25-38, 318 yd, 4 TD, 1 INT aided by Solomon White’s 159 rushing yards, and dominant play by freshman WR Melvin Sanders. Sanders had grown up an OU fan and took it personally when they didn’t recruit him, reeling in 7 catches for 113 yards. Kazadi added two sacks at LB in what proved to be the Golden Hurricane’s biggest win in the series since Bear Bryant had beaten OU three straight in the 50s.

The final score of 41-7 left OU, the entire state of Oklahoma, and arguably the entire country in utter shock.

“And this is the Sooner post-game radio call-in show. Let’s hear from Billy Joe from Altus.” “Well now, Tulsa is a smart kid school. And their coaches are a heck of a lot smarter than ours. I mean, for real, 41-7? How does that happen at OU? It was like none of them coaches watched any tape. I was 2A, 3rd-team all state, and I’ve never seen a team so unprepared. I could do a lot better job than them. Blake looked like he didn’t have a damned clue how to defend that passing gimmick offense. Schnellenberger left him garbage talent, but these guys were clowned by some failed lawyer and some nerds with slide rules. Tulsa might be in our conference, but they ain’t supposed to be in OU’s league.”

“Bring back Barry, I’ll hang up and listen.”

Game 5 - #18 Tulsa @ #24 Kansas

HC: Glen Mason, 9th year

The Golden Hurricane hit the road to Lawrence to play a tough matchup against a Jayhawk team on the rise. Both offenses struggled early with KU scoring the first TD to take a 7-3 lead with under 5 minutes to go in the 2nd quarter. TU kicked a second FG on the subsequent drive to make it 7-6, before a FS Jason Jacoby INT resulted in Solomon White scoring on a 10 yard pass from Barrett Cannon with just seconds left in the half to go up 12-7 (2pt conversion failed).

In the second half, KU came out with strong adjustments against Coach Leavitt’s aggressive defense with some highly effective screen plays resulting in two long TDs and KU taking a 20-18 lead into the 4th Quarter. However, KU QB Johner looked to hit his wide WR on a crossing route just before LB Kazadi stepped right in front of it and took it back 23 yards for a pick 6. Final score, 28-23 in a game that KU could well have won.

Game 6 - #1 Nebraska @ #15 Tulsa

HC: Tom Osborne, 24th year

The defending national champion Cornhuskers came to Chapman Stadium in a nationally televised matchup that many projected would be rematched in the Big 12 championship game. TU had a puncher’s chance with the explosive passing game, but Nebraska had future NFL talent across the team. Barrett Cannon showed his future potential going 30-50, 358 yards, and 4 TDs with TE Chris Anderson leaving the team in receiving. Despite LB Kazadi sacking Scott Frost three times, Nebraska’s offensive-line manhandled TU’s undersized defensive front in putting up nearly 350 yards rushing between efforts by Frost, Lawrence Phillips, and Ahman Green. The Huskers head home from Tulsa with a 52-31 win over the Golden Hurricane. SS Terrance Joseph picked off Frost in the most notable effort by the defense.

Game 7 – Vanderbilt @ #20 Tulsa

HC: Ron Dowhower, 3rd year

Following the thrashing by Nebraska, some injuries had piled up for TU on the lines. The run game was sluggish with some backup starters on the O-line. Thus, TU had to rely on Barrett Cannon, who rose to the occasion throwing for 374 yards and 2 TDs. He was aided in the efforts by WRs Wes Caswell, Jeff Utter, and Marshall Gordon, who all went for over 50 yards, as well as TE Chris Anderson. On the defensive side, LB Jody Sparks led the defense with 9 tackles. Kicker James Anderson put all three attempts through the uprights, leading TU to a 24-14 win over the Commodores.

 

[ZFG]

1996 Season – Part II

Game 8 – #18 Tulsa @ Missouri

HC: Larry Smith, 3rd year

Missouri HC Larry Smith might have the hottest seat in college football. The Tigers are 3-5 coming off a 2-10 season. It’s not looking great for the coach’s job security as the Golden Hurricane roars into Columbia. However, Missouri comes out strong, really limiting TU’s offense and forcing 2 INTs. Thankfully, Coach Leavitt’s defense is able to hold Missouri to FGs, as it’s late in the 2nd quarter when Melvin Sanders scores on a 9 yard pass from Cannon to make it 9-7 Missouri. However, TU follows up on the last drive of the quarter by punching in a 2nd TD making it 14-9 at half. In the third quarter, Coach Leach makes some adjustments and the offense starts roaring as Cannon tosses two more TDs to Sanders, as TU romps to a 31-17 win. Sanders had 5 catches for 98 yards, and 3 TDs in getting the game ball – not bad for a lightly recruited 2*!

Game 9 – Iowa State @ #16 Tulsa

HC: Dan McCarney, 2nd year

The Hurricane dominated the Cyclone(s) right from the start and romped to a 45-20 win over a hapless Iowa State team. Although Iowa State put up a good effort on offense, the TU defense forced 3 turnovers (INT by Kazadi, FFs by DE Sean O’Boyle and DT Tim Martin). Solomon White had a dominant game on the ground with 15 carries for 120 yards and a TD.

Game 10 - #12 Tulsa @ #25 Wyoming

HC: Joe Tiller, 6th year

Wyoming is TU’s fixed opponent in the North Division, so this annual matchup has become something of a rivalry game. It certainly felt like a rivalry. Wyoming, expected to have a winless season, was instead in the Top 25. It was an intense atmosphere in Laramie on a cold, windy night with some snow flurries. Tulsa fans at the game had a feeling that the Hurricane was in for a struggle against the Cowboys.

In what ESPN would identify as one of the Top 10 games of the year, Tulsa and Wyoming battled back and forth throughout the night. At half-time, it was tied at 17. Both teams made defensive adjustments in the third quarter, and there was no scoring until under 7 minutes in the 4th quarter, when TU broke the tie on a pass from Cannon to Sanders. However, Wyoming tied it up on their next drive. Then, TU went 3-and-out trying to drive for the win. With 1:45 to go, Wyoming WR R. Peace beat Bill Seif down the sideline for a 44 yard TD, putting Wyoming up 31-24. Cannon gathered his forces together, and Wes Caswell, Chris Anderson, and Solomon White had big receptions on the TU drive to tie the game with under a minute to go.

In the first OT, TU scored a TD on a pass from Cannon to Sanders, which was answered by Wyoming. In the 2nd OT, Wyoming kicked a FG, but TU WR Sanders unfortunately fumbled trying to score the winning TD, thus sealing the win for the Cowboys.

Wyoming QB J. Wallwork was lauded as NCAA Offensive Player of the Week for going 16-21, 211 yards, 4 passing TDs while adding 149 yards on 16 carries and a rushing TD on the ground.

Game 11 – #19 Tulsa @ Oklahoma State

HC: Bob Simmons, 2nd year

Bob Simmons and his entire staff were on the hot seat coming into this game. Oklahoma State came into the game 2-9 following a similar season last year. Tulsa’s defense had several injuries and was still recovering from Wyoming running straight over them. Knowing that a win might salvage their coach’s job, the Cowboys were well motivated for this rivalry game. At halftime, Tulsa led 17-10, but Oklahoma State came out roaring in the 3rd quarter with QB Hartfield completing a 75 yard TD to WR T. Richardson. Tulsa responded with a 46-yard TD pass from Cannon to Sanders. The Cowboys upped the ante again with a 55 yard run by RB B. Johnson, which TU again matched. Then the Cowboys scored on a third consecutive drive, with TU answering before the end of the quarter. In total, 45 points were scored in the 3rd quarter, resulting in a 40-32 TU lead heading into the 4th quarter. With under 3 minutes in the 4th, Solomon White punched in a 19-yard run looking to secure the game. However, Oklahoma State had another 46-yard strike on the subsequent drive and converted the 2-point play to get within 7. However, TU recovered the onside kick and was able to run out the clock.

Game 12 – Northeast Louisiana @ #14 Tulsa

HC: Ed Zaunbrecher, 3rd year

In a game scheduled on a weekend with just Army-Navy and a smattering of random matchups, TU rolled to a 60-7 win over Northeast Louisiana. This game proved important in providing a great experience for recruits on late official visits before the dead period for the conference championship games and bowl games.

Big 12 Championship Game – #1 Nebraska vs #12 Tulsa at Mile High Stadium in Denver

In what proved to be a replay of the earlier matchup, TU’s undersized defense simply couldn’t contain Nebraska’s power run game. Again, Lawrence Phillips and Ahman Green both went for triple digits, while Scott Frost added over 70 rushing yards and over 200 passing yards himself. However, the TU offense was really rocking and rolling in a game that proved to be a shootout. It was 28-20 Nebraska at half time, but the Huskers began to wear down the TU defense in the 2nd half en-route to a 62-48 win. TU was paced by Barrett Cannon throwing for 534 yards and 2 TDs and Kazadi led the defense along with Allen Blackmon, each with 11 tackles.

The Orange Bowl - #5 Tennessee vs #13 Tulsa

HC: Phil Fulmer, 4th year

The 10-3 Golden Hurricane qualified for the Orange Bowl as the Big 12’s automatic selection with Nebraska heading to the BCS National Championship game to take on #2 Penn State, the 12-2 champion of the Big East.

The Orange Bowl started as a defensive battle with both teams limiting opponents’ drives, but TU broke through midway through the first with a short passing TD from Cannon to Andrews. The same pair scored against a few minutes later, giving TU an early 14-0 lead. While TU was finally fully healthy on defense, it seemed like Coach Fulmer was mailing it in. Surely his 10-win SEC side with stars like QB Peyton Manning, WR Peerless Price, and LB Leonard Little could handle an undersized team that had gotten run over by Nebraska twice and also lost to another team with a power run game. Perhaps the Volunteers were disappointed to have again fallen short to Florida, the SEC champ, but whatever the case, the Golden Hurricane played with gusto. Tennessee finally awoke in the 4th Quarter as Manning led two TD drives to give Tennessee a 24-20 lead. TU got the ball back with under 4 minutes to go, with backup RB Charlie Higgins catching a pass from Cannon with under 2 minutes to go to win the game 27-24.

Tennessee had been a difficult obstacle, even with the lackluster play calling from Coach Fulmer’s staff. Peyton Manning was limited to 10-20 for 118 yards and 3 TDs. Tennessee averaged over 4.5 yards per carry but couldn’t seem to maintain drives, converting just 38% of third downs. Meanwhile, Barrett Cannon went off, throwing for 378 yards and 3 TDs, Solomon White added 71 yards on the ground, and Kazadi again led the defense with 9 tackles include 2 TFLs. No sacks on Manning, however.

TU Season - 11-3 final record (10-2 regular season)
Game 1 - Arkansas @ Tulsa, TU wins 34-17
Game 2 - North Texas @ Tulsa, TU wins 30-13
Game 3 - Tulsa @ Tulane, TU wins 30-27 in OT
Game 4 - Oklahoma @ Tulsa, TU wins 41-7
Game 5 - Tulsa @ Kansas, TU wins 28-23
Game 6 - Nebraska @ Tulsa, Nebraska wins 52-31
Game 7 - Vanderbilt @ Tulsa, TU wins 24-14
Game 8 - Tulsa @ Missouri, TU wins 31-17
Game 9 - Iowa State @ Tulsa, TU wins 45-20
Game 10 - Tulsa @ Wyoming, Wyoming wins 41-38 in OT
Game 11 - Tulsa @ Oklahoma State, TU wins 47-40
Game 12 - Northeast Louisiana @ Tulsa, TU wins 60-7
CCG - Nebraska vs Tulsa, Nebraska wins 62-48
Orange Bowl - Tennessee vs Tulsa, Tulsa wins 27-24

 

[HuffyCane]

A lot of nostalgia in this thread. Houston Nutt, John Blake, Bob Simmons. Dont get me started.

Oh, what TU football might have been with a little bit of vision and just a little more cash.

 

[TU1NNJ]

This is all just how I remember it except for Judy becoming the AD! That was just pure fantasy 😉

 

[ZFG]

So, I didn't really enjoy writing the game recap style. It took a lot longer than I thought it would, and it's a lot of text for posting on a message board. Future posts will be focused more on keeping a narrative style.

End of 1996/Beginning of 1997

The 1996 season for the Tulsa Hurricane was hailed by the Tulsa World as their finest since the days of the legendary Bear Bryant. Despite a disappointing loss to Wyoming, their stunning victory over the much-favored Tennessee team in the Orange Bowl was a highlight. The season was marked by intense competition, notably Nebraska's nail-biting clash with Penn State, where the Nittany Lions snatched victory in the final moments, earning coach Joe Paterno his third national title and preventing Nebraska from claiming a third consecutive championship.

TU's team boasted remarkable talent, with QB Barrett Cannon and WR Melvin Sanders earning Freshmen All-American honors. The standout, however, was linebacker Muadianvita Kazadi, who won the prestigious Butkus Award, recognizing him as the nation's top linebacker. Several other players received All-Big 12 honors, including Wes Caswell as a first team wide receiver.

The Heisman Trophy was awarded to Nebraska's running back Lawrence Phillips, amidst controversy due to his character issues. The competition this year was less intense, with finalists like Georgia's quarterback Mike Bobo and Penn State's wide receiver Joe Jurevicius.

TU's coach, Mike Leach, was busy preparing for the upcoming National Signing Day when news broke that defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt would be leaving to replace Bob Simmons in Stillwater. The search for Leavitt's replacement led to some tension, as athletic director Judy McLeod and Coach Leach had different views on the ideal candidate. Eventually, with McLeod pushing Leach to hire another experienced coordinator, the choice seemed to lean towards Jackie Sherrill, a seasoned coach recently fired at Mississippi State. However, Sherrill's arrival and insistence on defensive strategy changes posed potential challenges for TU, especially considering the team's current lineup and defensive formation.

Financial constraints were another hurdle. Hiring Sherrill meant stretching the football program's budget, impacting other coaching positions. This issue became evident when the team needed to find a new offensive assistant following the departure of a previous coach who left for a better-paying position. After being told to fill the position at well below market value, Coach Leach managed to engage some supporters of local high school coach Bill Blankenship to fund him joining the staff.

Offensive Assistants:

1. OC/RB - Jim Bob Helduser
2. OL - Mark Mangino
3. Inside WR/TE - Dana Holgorsen
4. Outside WR - Bill Blankenship

Coaching Changes of Note

1. Oklahoma fires John Blake. Hires East Carolina HC Steve Logan (TU alumnus).
2. Oklahoma State fires Bob Simmons. Hires Tulsa DC Jim Leavitt.
3. Missouri fires Larry Smith. Hires Nebraska OC Frank Solich.
4. Oregon fires Mike Bellotti. Hires Florida OC Carl Franks.
5. SW Texas State fires Mark Duffner after one year. Hires Baylor LB coach Gary Joe Kinne.

Recruiting

TU faced significant challenges with player turnover. Running back Solomon White was picked in the 4th round of the draft, while the award-winning linebacker Kazadi surprisingly went undrafted. The team also lost several key seniors, leaving gaps across the board.

In response, Coach Leach adopted a targeted recruiting strategy. He focused his limited resources towards players drawn to TU for its academic reputation or unique playing styles. This approach emerged from the realization that vying for recruits primarily seeking high-profile coaches, top-tier programs, or the allure of major conferences was unfeasible for TU due to lack of resources and poor facilities. [If you have a good season or two, the game treats your coach like he’s as prestigious as Tom Osborne or Bobby Bowden, so I’m not recruiting players interested in TU for that reason.]

Top 3 recruits:

1. 4* CB Tony Thomas - Lombard, IL - #3 CB in the country, chose TU for academics and playing time. Will start immediately as the field corner.
2. 4* WR Jeremy Brown - Douglas, GA - 6'6 WR with above average speed coupled with great hands and route running ability. Chose TU for the Air Raid offense. Likely starts as a flanker on day one.
3. 3* DT Trevor Willis - Columbia, MO - Will be vital in making the transition to Sherrill's 4-3 defense. Could use a redshirt year but will probably end up playing significant snaps. Chose TU for location and academics.

 

[HuffyCane]

Have you written your last season?