Just when the Tulsa Golden Hurricane appeared to have some momentum going in the last few games, they come crashing down, hard, back to the ground, bringing the hope of their fans down with them.
Golden Hurricane head coach Bill Blankenship is and should be the first to blame for Tulsa’s descension that started immediately after the 2012 Conference USA champions defeated the Big 12’s Iowa State in the Liberty Bowl.
Not only is Blankenship 5-17 since beating Iowa State, but his team’s production on both sides of the ball has greatly diminished. Remember when Todd Graham and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn were shredding defenses with their lethal offensive attack? Me neither.
At 2-8 in 2014, it’s apparent that changes at the top must be made for Tulsa to regain its place as a competitive program.
Here are three reasons why Blankenship should step down following the season finale on November 28.
1. Blankenship will likely finish ’14 with a 24-27 coaching record at Tulsa
Accumulating a record below .500 in four seasons as a head coach is a valid argument for firing just about any coach at the FBS level.
With more money permeating through the bloodstream of Division I conferences than ever before, athletic facilities are nicer than they’ve ever been, and college football fan support at an all-time high, the demonstrative expectations placed on FBS head coaches matches the vast resources handed to them as public figures in our country’s second-most watched sport.
No, Blankenship isn’t benefiting from $20 million siphoned to Tulsa from a major TV deal (American Athletic Conference members split roughly $20 million among 11 schools). Tulsa doesn’t have 90,000 fans piling in Chapman Stadium on Saturdays. Renowned Oklahoma State booster T. Boone Pickens isn’t writing Tulsa million dollar checks at the drop of a hat.
But Blankenship is leading a program with almost 600 all-time wins — more than any current AAC member — which only missed a bowl game twice from 2003-12. Tulsa is about to miss a bowl for the second consecutive year, and unless minor miracles are performed, will lose its last two games of 2014 to Houston and East Carolina, giving Blankenship two consecutive seasons of nine or more losses.
Kelly Hines of Tulsa World put Blankenship’s Tulsa tenure into perspective in a recent article: If Tulsa loses to Houston and ECU, Tulsa “will have gone from a combined 19 wins in Bill Blankenship’s first two seasons to a combined 19 losses in the two seasons since.”
2. Where were the changes with the coaching staff?
Blankenship fired offensive coordinator Greg Peterson after the program’s forgettable 3-9 follow-up to the 2012 C-USA championship season. Instead of hiring a young up-and-coming coordinator with, at least, minor experience, Blankenship turned to his son, Josh, to coach quarterbacks and lead the Golden Hurricane offense in 2014.
So, let me get this straight: you fire a guy with coordinating experience and bring in a guy who has taken orders from you since he was in diapers and has zero coordinating experience. That’s a license to fire, according to one disgruntled Tulsa fan.
Josh Blankenship probably knows more about football than most of us, having been an All-State quarterback in high school and being the son of a longtime head coach and assistant. But was this right time for Blankenship to bring him in to orchestrate the offensive schemes?
To add to fuel to an already questionable decision, Bill Blankenship is still the primary play-caller for the offense.
You bring in your son to help improve the offense, but you’re still the one calling plays?
Uh, not sure what your plan was, Bill.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnVQXqrD2S4?list=UUCM89Zk2s49DxKXFQBv-tkg]3. Tulsa is in the AAC, not C-USA
I’ll make this one short and sweet: Tulsa moved to a better conference coming off a 3-9 campaign, now the team is headed for a 2-10 season; sounds like an opportunity for a fresh start to me.
Blankenship is reportedly very well liked by the Tulsa faithful. He’s a former Golden Hurricane and loves the state of Oklahoma. He also comes with a cheap $650,000 salary — near the bottom of the FBS. But, how much longer can you allow a CEO who’s lead the business to crumble just because he’s the nicest guy in the room?
“Nice Guys Finish Last” is one of Green Day’s classic hits. Looks like the punk rockers may have a point.
Tulsa needs a fresh start in what will be just its second season in the AAC in 2015. If Blankenship returns for another year, look for Tulsa to fall further and further down the hole of an improving conference.
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