Class, we’ve hit midterm, er, midseason for the 2014 campaign. Time to issue grades and see where each team in the American Athletic Conference stands after playing six games.
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane (1-5, 1-1 AAC) are one of the conference’s poorer performers in the first-half of the 2014 season. Tulsa started off with a bang by defeating former Conference USA and current AAC rival Tulane 38-31 in double-overtime, but the Golden Hurricane have looked more like a golden shower during their five-game losing streak — losing by an average of 22.6 points.
Tulsa showed improvement against the Temple Owls (4-1, 2-0 AAC), gaining over 400 yards of total offense against a strong Owls D and holding a slim 24-21 lead early in the fourth-quarter. However, the erratic Tulsa secondary allowed Temple QB PJ Walker to throw 20-yard and 30-yard TD passes to complete a 35-24 comeback victory and send the reeling Golden Hurricane to their fifth-straight loss.
The following grades should give Tulsa fans a full explanation for why their team is wearing the dunce cap after six games.
Offense: B-
Earning a “B-” in a class isn’t necessarily bad. Your parents probably wouldn’t yell at you, or ground you for two weeks, but they certainty would throw out the “you can do better” card and “let’s try to make an ‘A’ next time.”
The Golden Hurricane offense has shown a lot of good in six games, but miscues and repetitive mistakes keep it from the Dean’s List.
So, what has the offense done well?
Tulsa is fourth in the AAC in yards per game (424); only six yards behind No. 2 Cincinnati. The Golden Hurricane are third in the AAC in passing yards per game (283) and have completed a solid 64 passing plays of 20 plus yards thus far. The offense had arguably its best showing last Saturday, despite losing, against Temple’s 22nd FBS ranked defense, gaining 438 total yards, 178 on the ground.
Senior quarterback Dane Evans hasn’t played spectacular, but he’s thrown a respectable 1,627 yards — second in the AAC behind ECU’s Shane Carden — and tossed 11 touchdowns in the first six games (third in the conference) with help from AACFootballFever Midseason All-AAC wide receiver Keevan Lucas who leads the AAC with seven TD catches and 108 yards receiving per game.
The rushing attack was running back-by-committee for the season’s first five weeks, until junior Zack Langer seized the starting role against Colorado State after scoring touchdowns in the previous games at Florida Atlantic and home against Texas State. Langer ran for a season-high 113 yards battling a stingy Temple rush defense and notched another TD to give him three on the season. If Langer continues his momentum carrying the rock as the Golden Hurricane’s primary running back, the offense should become more balanced, opening the door for a better second-half of the season.
http://player.espn.com/player.js?pcode=1kNG061cgaoolOncv54OAO1ceO-I&width=576&height=324&externalId=espn:11680776Now what about the bad?
While the offense has, statistically, looked good, and Lucas is transforming into one of the AAC’s best players, it’s averaging a sub-par 4.95 yards per play — seventh in the conference. In games at Florida Atlantic and at Colorado State, Tulsa’s offense was held under 400 total yards, despite playing defenses ranked 100 and below nationally in yards allowed per game.
Last Saturday’s loss to the Owls is the only game this season where Dane Evans did not throw an interception. In four games, Evans tossed the ball to the wrong jersey twice in each contest for a total of eight INTs. He also threw an interception in an overtime loss at home to Texas State. Evans must also improve his 55 percent completion percentage for Tulsa to win more games in the second-half of 2014.
Defense: D
Reviewing the defensive side of the ball at midseason won’t take as long. I promise; there’s nothing positive to reflect on. The only reason I gave Tulsa’s defense a “D” and not an “F” is because (statistically) it’s not the worst overall in the conference. Cincinnati has earned that honor.
The Golden Hurricane are ranked 121st in total defense in the FBS, allowing over 508.7 yards per game. The defensive unit, if we should still call it that, is second to worst nationally (127) in yards allowed per play (7.43) and has surrendered a staggering 40 20-30 yard plays to opponents through six games.
To exemplify the defenses devotion for allowing big plays even further, it’s given up 14 plays between 50-60 yards; last in the AAC by a wide margin — No. 10 Cincinnati has given up only five. The secondary’s defamatory play this year is a major disappointment, considering four defensive backs and 2013 preseason first team All-Conference USA safety Demarco Nelson returned from academic suspension.
Tulsa earns a “D” for defamatory, disappointing defense.http://player.espn.com/player.js?pcode=1kNG061cgaoolOncv54OAO1ceO-I&width=576&height=324&externalId=espn:11681124
Special Teams: B-
Senior place-kicker Carl Salazar has connected on 7-of-10 field goal attempts with a career and season long 44-yarder at Temple. After missing his first two attempts in Week 1 against Tulane, Salazar made six straight. He’s also perfect on PATs thus far. Punter Dalton Parks is third in the AAC in punting average at 43 yards on 39 punts.
The Golden Hurricane are ranked third in the AAC in kickoff return average at 20 yards per return. The offense’s midseason grade would be far worse if not for the kickoff team setting up decent field position.
Tulsa’s special teams looses points on punt returns, however. Primary punt returner Conner Floyd is only averaging five yards per return with 40 total return yards — much less than AAC leading returner Temple’s Khalif Herbin’s 15.43 yards per return on seven returns.
Coaching: C-
Oh, coaching; the most difficult area to critique. I’m not a coach, but I imagine being one at the highest level in college football summates more pressure than pressure cooker.
Tulsa headman and alumnus Bill Blankenship is lying in a pressure cooker with a 23-22 record (including this season) in his fourth year with the Golden Hurricane. Tulsa World writer Kelly Hines wrote this week that Blankenship’s job is safe, according to Tulsa AD Derrick Gragg.
Yeah, we’ll see. The Athletic Director “vote of confidence” is common AD speech like “We’re taking it one game at a time” is the go-to phrase for coaches when their interrogated by the media.
Blankenship appears to be letting things play out when it comes to making personnel changes. Despite Dane Evans throwing nine interceptions at midseason, he’s still the clear starter at quarterback with backup Joseph Calcagni playing in only three games so far. The obscure secondary that’s getting blown away by opponents offenses has maintained the same starting group, with the second-string occasionally seeing the field.
Tulsa, statistically speaking, seems better overall than last years 3-9 team. But the jump in competition, consequential by moving to the AAC from C-USA, a stringent non-conference schedule that included Oklahoma and Colorado State (both are 5-1), and lack of defensive improvement have factored into the Golden Hurricane’s 1-5 midseason start.
Gragg may feel after 2014 that new leadership will do the Golden Hurricane good as the program finds its footing in the AAC. Blankenship might have to make a few difficult personnel changes in the second-half of the season if he wants to keep his job.
Overall: C-
Giving Tulsa a “C-” is kind considering its 1-5 record. I thought the Golden Hurricane got their grove back on offense after the Week 1 double-overtime shootout victory over Tulane (592 total yards), but the unit’s been riding a roller-coaster full of ups and downs since the season’s start.
Lack of solid defensive play is mostly to blame for the team’s low overall grade. Tulsa has the AAC’s top two offensive units still to play in 2014 with Memphis and East Carolina; giving little hope in defensive improvement.
Tulsa’s second-half of 2014 kicks off Saturday with a Homecoming matchup against South Florida (2-4, 1-1 AAC), followed by Memphis on the road, SMU at home; back-to-back road games versus UCF and Houston, and finishes at home against AAC leading ECU.
With that type of schedule facing the Golden Hurricane, a 1-11 or 2-10 season is likely, unless they can bump their “C-” performance up a letter grade.
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