From FanRag...
In the Miami Beach Bowl, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane almost certainly would have preferred to have played Oklahoma State, not the Central Michigan team which defeated the Cowboys in one of the most controversial games of 2016.
However, when paired with the Chippewas before a sparse crowd on a Monday afternoon inside a Major League Baseball stadium, the Golden Hurricane didn’t sulk.
They treated the Miami Beach Bowl as serious business. The flow and ultimate result of the game affirmed as much.
This game was a stroll through the park — Marlins Park — for coach Philip Montgomery and his team. Even though a few penalties cost Tulsa points and possessions in the first half, the Golden Hurricane still blew away the Chips, 55-10. The Miami Beach Bowl might not be nearly as important as the Super Bowl, but the final score matched the San Francisco 49ers’ thumping of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV (1990).
This game was more lopsided than Joe Montana’s final NFL championship victory.
The Tulsa offense which tore through the American Athletic Conference is the offense which lived up to its billing in Miami. Quarterback Dane Evans pitched the ball well (over 300 yards with 5 touchdowns). Receivers Josh Atkinson (12 grabs for 131 yards) and Keevan Lucas (72 yards and 3 touchdowns) caught the pigskin. Running backs D’Angelo Brewer and James Flanders (both reaching 100 yards). Central Michigan’s defense never had a chance. This game was exactly what one would have expected in a matchup between a 9-3 team from a good conference (the AAC) and a 6-6 team from a less formidable league which had a down year in 2016 (the MAC).
The Miami Beach Bowl lacked drama, but it didn’t lack excellence. Tulsa provided it, setting up a fascinating 2017 season.
An early read on that season: Tulsa in 2017 feels a lot like Navy in 2016.
Here’s the explanation:
Navy, in 2014, won seven regular-season games. The Midshipmen went through an adjustment period and won 10 regular-season contests in 2015. Navy maxed out with a stud senior quarterback, Keenan Reynolds, who operated a humming offense at a very high level. Everything about 2016 suggested Navy would decline, and such fears increased after a day-one injury to new starting quarterback Tago Smith. Navy’s ability to compete in the AAC West was questioned, and the questions were more than legitimate.
Yet, with Will Worth filling in for Smith — and in a larger context, Reynolds — Navy’s offense didn’t miss a beat. The Midshipmen won the AAC West for the first time. A late-season injury to Worth cost them a win over Army, but all things considered, Navy (which can still win game 10 in the Armed Forces Bowl against Louisiana Tech) played like a 10-win team almost all of the season. Coaching, player development, and talent all enabled the Mids to stay afloat in the AAC West.
That could be Tulsa next season, minus the plot twist of two quarterback injuries in the same season.
Evans is a senior. Atkinson and Lucas are seniors at the wideout spots. Flanders is a senior at running back. It’s easy to anticipate regression for the Golden Hurricane, but coaching, player development and talent could all make Tulsa the 2017 AAC West champion.
First of all, Tulsa hosts Houston next year, unlike this season. Similarly, Navy lost at Houston in 2015 but used home field in 2016 to surpass the Cougars. Next season, Tulsa also hosts the Navy team which narrowly prevented the Golden Hurricane from winning the West this year. The schedule helps Tulsa.
Second — and more germane to this conversation — Philip Montgomery offers every appearance of a star coach in the making. He substantially improved Tulsa this season and made the Hurricane more competitive than many thought. If, in the post-Dane Evans era, he cultivates a new quarterback, Tulsa might be able to win the West, much as Navy did with a fresh signal-caller.
Yes, a blowout of a 6-6 (now 6-7) MAC team doesn’t mean Tulsa is headed for a huge 2017. However, a mature performance — compared to a lot of bowl favorites (hi, UCF!) — does indicate that Montgomery has the attention and respect of his players.
The idea of a Tulsa regression in 2017 is reasonable, but as Navy showed this year, an AAC West team with a new quarterback could be better than many anticipate.
In the Miami Beach Bowl, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane almost certainly would have preferred to have played Oklahoma State, not the Central Michigan team which defeated the Cowboys in one of the most controversial games of 2016.
However, when paired with the Chippewas before a sparse crowd on a Monday afternoon inside a Major League Baseball stadium, the Golden Hurricane didn’t sulk.
They treated the Miami Beach Bowl as serious business. The flow and ultimate result of the game affirmed as much.
This game was a stroll through the park — Marlins Park — for coach Philip Montgomery and his team. Even though a few penalties cost Tulsa points and possessions in the first half, the Golden Hurricane still blew away the Chips, 55-10. The Miami Beach Bowl might not be nearly as important as the Super Bowl, but the final score matched the San Francisco 49ers’ thumping of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV (1990).
This game was more lopsided than Joe Montana’s final NFL championship victory.
The Tulsa offense which tore through the American Athletic Conference is the offense which lived up to its billing in Miami. Quarterback Dane Evans pitched the ball well (over 300 yards with 5 touchdowns). Receivers Josh Atkinson (12 grabs for 131 yards) and Keevan Lucas (72 yards and 3 touchdowns) caught the pigskin. Running backs D’Angelo Brewer and James Flanders (both reaching 100 yards). Central Michigan’s defense never had a chance. This game was exactly what one would have expected in a matchup between a 9-3 team from a good conference (the AAC) and a 6-6 team from a less formidable league which had a down year in 2016 (the MAC).
The Miami Beach Bowl lacked drama, but it didn’t lack excellence. Tulsa provided it, setting up a fascinating 2017 season.
An early read on that season: Tulsa in 2017 feels a lot like Navy in 2016.
Here’s the explanation:
Navy, in 2014, won seven regular-season games. The Midshipmen went through an adjustment period and won 10 regular-season contests in 2015. Navy maxed out with a stud senior quarterback, Keenan Reynolds, who operated a humming offense at a very high level. Everything about 2016 suggested Navy would decline, and such fears increased after a day-one injury to new starting quarterback Tago Smith. Navy’s ability to compete in the AAC West was questioned, and the questions were more than legitimate.
Yet, with Will Worth filling in for Smith — and in a larger context, Reynolds — Navy’s offense didn’t miss a beat. The Midshipmen won the AAC West for the first time. A late-season injury to Worth cost them a win over Army, but all things considered, Navy (which can still win game 10 in the Armed Forces Bowl against Louisiana Tech) played like a 10-win team almost all of the season. Coaching, player development, and talent all enabled the Mids to stay afloat in the AAC West.
That could be Tulsa next season, minus the plot twist of two quarterback injuries in the same season.
Evans is a senior. Atkinson and Lucas are seniors at the wideout spots. Flanders is a senior at running back. It’s easy to anticipate regression for the Golden Hurricane, but coaching, player development and talent could all make Tulsa the 2017 AAC West champion.
First of all, Tulsa hosts Houston next year, unlike this season. Similarly, Navy lost at Houston in 2015 but used home field in 2016 to surpass the Cougars. Next season, Tulsa also hosts the Navy team which narrowly prevented the Golden Hurricane from winning the West this year. The schedule helps Tulsa.
Second — and more germane to this conversation — Philip Montgomery offers every appearance of a star coach in the making. He substantially improved Tulsa this season and made the Hurricane more competitive than many thought. If, in the post-Dane Evans era, he cultivates a new quarterback, Tulsa might be able to win the West, much as Navy did with a fresh signal-caller.
Yes, a blowout of a 6-6 (now 6-7) MAC team doesn’t mean Tulsa is headed for a huge 2017. However, a mature performance — compared to a lot of bowl favorites (hi, UCF!) — does indicate that Montgomery has the attention and respect of his players.
The idea of a Tulsa regression in 2017 is reasonable, but as Navy showed this year, an AAC West team with a new quarterback could be better than many anticipate.
