Coach: Philip Montgomery (19-25 in fourth season at Tulsa and overall)
Record: 1-5, 0-3 American Athletic Conference
Offense: Spread
Defense: 4-3
Returning Lettermen: 52 (25 offense, 25 defense, two special teams)
Returning Starters: 17 (8 offense, 7 defense, two special teams)
Players to Watch: RB Shamari Brooks, RB Corey Taylor II, WR Keenen Johnson, LB Cooper Edmiston
Series Record: Arkansas leads 54-16-3
Last Meeting: Arkansas def. Tulsa 19-15 on Nov. 3, 2012, in Fayetteville.
The Skinny on Tulsa
The Golden Hurricane are coming to Fayetteville during a down year for the Razorbacks.
Sound familiar?
Tulsa’s timing is impeccable and has nearly led to upsets over Arkansas in the last two visits down Highway 412. The Razorbacks won 30-23 during Bobby Petrino’s first season in 2008 and 19-15 during John L. Smith’s interim season in 2012.
But this Tulsa team is not the caliber of the past two teams that came to Arkansas. The 2008 Golden Hurricane were undefeated and ranked No. 19 at the time of the loss, and finished the season 11-3. The 2012 team finished 10-3.
This year, Tulsa has been able to keep final scores respectable, but those scores haven’t always been indicative of the way the games went. For instance, against Texas, Tulsa fell behind 21-0 at halftime, then shored up some defensive problems and scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to fall by one score, 28-21.
The Golden Hurricane have played from behind for much of the season. They had to overcome a 27-24 deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat Central Arkansas in the season opener, 38-27.
Tulsa enters on a five-game losing streak after blowing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter of a 25-24 loss to South Florida last Friday.
Tulsa Key Stat
The Golden Hurricane have lost 18 consecutive games to Arkansas, although the teams have played only four times since the Razorbacks joined the SEC.
Tulsa’s last win over Arkansas came in 1976 when freshman Steve Cox kicked three field goals and the Golden Hurricane won 9-3 over Frank Broyles’ final team in Fayetteville. Cox transferred to the Razorbacks two years later and became a two-time All-Southwest Conference selection and a 1980 All-American as a punter. Cox is now a member of the UA Board of Trustees.
Arkansas and Tulsa once were annual opponents, playing every season but one between 1933-90.
Tulsa Key Player
It is difficult to say which sophomore running back is more important to Tulsa, Shamari Brooks or Corey Taylor II.
Brooks had 14 touchdowns and six 100-yard performances in his first 13 games. He has missed four games in his career — three last season after suffering a broken collarbone against SMU and the game at Houston with a sprained ankle.
Taylor, who obtained a medical redshirt last season, doesn’t put up numbers as big, but he is equally crucial to the Golden Hurricane’s attack. Entering the South Florida game, both backs had 92 carries and four touchdowns this season.
As the stats suggest, Brooks is the big-play threat among the two — he has the team’s longest run of 37 yards against Arkansas State — but he is physical at the goal line, as evidenced by his two short touchdown runs against Texas that required yards after contact.
Taylor is the more physical of the two runners, but is capable of picking up chunks of yardage. He rushed for a career-high 152 yards on a career-high 33 carries at Houston.
Tulsa on Offense
Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery and Arkansas coach Chad Morris are largely responsible for the spread offenses that have overtaken Texas high school football. Together, they have seven state championship rings.
Montgomery spent nearly 20 years as the right-hand man to Art Briles. In fact, when Morris replaced Briles as head coach at powerhouse Stephenville High School in 2002, he inherited quarterbacks that were coached by Montgomery.
At Tulsa, Montgomery has attempted to replicate his offenses that were so successful during his days as offensive coordinator at Houston and Baylor. But without quarterbacks like Kevin Kolb and Robert Griffin III, Tulsa has relied more on the run than the pass under Montgomery.
In 2016, Tulsa was the nation’s eighth-best rushing team. Last year, the Golden Hurricane were 14th.
The running game is even more important since starting quarterback Luke Skipper suffered an injury during a game against Temple. Backup quarterback Seth Boomer is not an overly accurate passer. If Boomer has to pass more than 30 times, it should bode well for the Razorbacks.
Tulsa’s top receivers are Justin Hobbs and Keenan Johnson, who each are averaging better than 50 yards per game from their positions on the perimeter. Hobbs, Johnson and slot receiver Keylon Stokes all average between three and four catches per game. Johnson and Stokes each had long catches at Texas.
Center Chandler Miller, left guard Tyler Bowling and right tackle Willie Wright have all started more than 40 career games for the Golden Hurricane, but Tulsa has inexperience at the other two positions, where right guard Tiller Bucktrot and left tackle Chris Ivy Jr. had never started prior to this season.
Tulsa on Defense
It would not be surprising for Arkansas’ offensive staff to review their SMU game film against Tulsa a year ago.
In that game, SMU quarterback Ben Hicks shredded the Golden Hurricane defense with deep passes (20 yards or more downfield) that totaled 206 yards. Hicks finished the game with a 106.3 passer rating and 92.8 overall game grade, which according to Pro Football Focus was the fifth-best by a college quarterback in 2017.
Hicks was most effective passing to the middle of the field, completing 11 of 18 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown between the numbers.
While Arkansas’ offense has not shown the explosiveness of SMU’s from a year ago, it has shown improvement since SEC play began, largely because coaches have stuck with one quarterback and the same offensive line. Ty Storey had time and was able to complete the majority of his passes against Alabama, so it would not surprise to see him have success against Tulsa.
The Golden Hurricane are led defensively by junior Cooper Edmiston, a two-year starter at middle linebacker. Edmiston is strong against the run and leads Tulsa in tackles and had a fumble recovery against Texas, but he’s also strong in pass coverage and has three interceptions this season, including two at Temple. Given Arkansas’ preference to target tight ends and SMU’s success throwing against the middle of the Tulsa defense last season, that will be something to watch in this game.
Tulsa does not have a strong pass rush, partly because the Golden Hurricane are apt to drop as many as eight into coverage on any given play. The star position, manned by Trevis Gipson, is a hybrid who can act as a fourth defensive lineman or fourth linebacker.
The soft coverage makes Tulsa susceptible to giving up big plays in the run game. Houston averaged 7.6 yards per carry against the Golden Hurricane, and Texas and Arkansas State also had strong rushing performances.
Tulsa on Special Teams
Nate Walker is a consistent field goal kicker and has made just under 75 percent of his attempts this season. Walker is best inside of 40 yards, but has struggled with longer kicks this season, just 1-for-3 from 40 yards and beyond.
Walker missed field goal attempts of 43 and 29 yards at Texas, and was replaced by John Parker Romo, who missed from 36 yards. Walker has handled field goal duties since.
Thomas Bennett averages 48.2 yards per punt and has a long 68 yards. Bennett is downing about one in every six punts inside the 20-yard line. Romo has a 50-percent touchback rate on his kickoffs.
Jarion Anderson is Tulsa’s primary punt returner, but has not been a threat to this point, averaging just more than seven yards per return. Keylon Stokes and Sam Crawford Jr. are each averaging better than 20 yards per kickoff return.
Deven Lamp blocked a punt at Texas.
The Bottom Line
If ever there was a must-win game for Arkansas, this is it.
After a month of touting improvement, the Razorbacks cannot afford a slip up against another regional, non-Power 5 team in Fayetteville.
Like North Texas, Tulsa is a team Morris saw every season as head coach at SMU from 2015-17. Morris’ Mustangs were 1-2 against Montgomery’s Golden Hurricane. All three games were close and high scoring, with an average margin of defeat of 5.3 points and an average combined score of 75.3 points.
Arkansas is better team than Tulsa on paper, but still lacks consistency at times in all three facets, which can keep any opponent within striking distance.
The Golden Hurricane have played good competition — Texas and South Florida are top 25 teams — and should not be intimidated by the crowd at Razorback Stadium, where Arkansas has not had a crowd larger than 50,000 this year. An announced attendance of 90,000-plus watched the Golden Hurricane give Texas a scare in Week 2.
Tulsa Depth Chart
Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr.
OFFENSE
QB 12 Seth Boomer 6-3 205 R-Fr.
10 Chad President 6-2 226 Jr.
RB 3 Shemari Brooks 5-9 193 So.
24 Corey Taylor II 5-10 218 R-So.
WR 29 Justin Hobbs 6-4 230 Sr.
1 Josh Stewart 6-3 211 So.
TE 6 Chris Minter 6-3 253 Sr.
38 Cole Neph 6-3 240 Sr.
RT 58 Willie Wright 6-3 296 Sr.
78 X’Zauvea Gadlin 6-4 290 Fr.
RG 68 Tiller Bucktrot 6-5 325 So.
71 Chris Paul 6-4 302 R-Fr.
C 74 Chandler Miller 6-3 297 Sr.
73 Dylan Couch 6-3 295 So.
LG 72 Tyler Bowling 6-6 327 Sr.
67 Tristan Wyatt 6-4 299 Jr.
LT 65 Chris Ivy Jr. 6-3 291 Jr.
76 Waahid Muhammad 6-5 294 So.
WR 2 Keylon Stokes 6-0 190 So.
4 Jarion Anderson 5-9 179 Jr.
WR 8 Keenen Johnson 6-1 200 Jr.
9 Sam Crawford Jr. 6-1 205 R-Fr.
DEFENSE
DE 96 Myles Mouton 6-2 257 Sr.
91 Cullen Wick 6-2 255 So.
DT 54 Shemarr Robinson 6-4 310 Jr.
93 JaJuan Blankenship 6-0 281 So.
NG 97 Tyarise Stevenson 6-3 330 So.
90 Jaxon Player 6-0 285 Fr.
STAR 15 Trevis Gipson 6-4 260 Jr.
58 Deven Lamp 6-5 235 R-Fr.
SLB 6 Diamon Cannon 6-2 227 Jr.
24 Treyvon Reeves 6-2 213 So.
MLB 42 Cooper Edmiston 6-3 237 Jr.
30 Justin Wright 6-2 215 Fr.
WLB 23 Zaven Collins 6-4 250 R-Fr.
19 Grant Sawyer 6-3 200 Fr.
CB 9 Reggie Robinson 6-1 197 Jr.
12 Allie Green IV 6-3 215 So.
SS 5 McKinley Whitfield 6-4 217 Sr.
29 Brandon Johnson 6-0 185 Jr.
FS 10 Manny Bunch 6-2 198 Jr.
13 Jordan Mitchell 6-2 205 Sr.
CB 26 Akayleb Evans 6-2 192 So.
1 Keanu Hill 6-1 195 Sr.
SPECIAL TEAMS
K 90 Nate Walker 5-9 172 Sr.
P 33 Thomas Bennett 6-3 180 Jr.
H 20 Cannon Montgomery 5-10 175 R-Fr.
LS 42 Adam Higuera 6-1 223 So.
PR 4 Jarion Anderson 5-9 179 Jr.
KR 2 Keylon Stokes 6-0 190 So.
AND 9 Sam Crawford Jr. 6-1 205 R-Fr.
Arkansas Depth Chart
OFFENSE
QB 13 Connor Noland 6-2 207 Fr.
OR 15 Cole Kelley 6-7 258 R-So.
RB 5 Rakeem Boyd 6-0 200 R-So.
2 Chase Hayden 5-10 200 So.
WR(9) 8 Mike Woods 6-1 190 Fr.
16 La’Michael Pettway 6-2 219 Jr.
TE 44 Austin Cantrell 6-3 263 Jr.
85 Cheyenne O’Grady 6-4 251 R-Jr.
RT 60 Brian Wallace 6-6 318 Sr.
78 Dalton Wagner 6-9 300 R-Fr.
RG 62 Johnny Gibson 6-4 324 Sr.
68 Kirby Adcock 6-5 280 R-Fr.
C 66 Ty Clary 6-4 287 So.
57 Shane Clenin 6-6 302 R-Fr.
LG 51 Hjalte Froholdt 6-5 315 Sr.
54 Austin Capps 6-4 311 Jr.
LT 74 Colton Jackson 6-5 301 Jr.
73 Noah Gatlin 6-7 293 Fr.
WR(5) 1 Jared Cornelius 5-11 203 R-Sr.
9 De’Vion Warren 5-10 180 So.
WR(2) 3 Deon Stewart 5-11 161 Jr.
10 Jordan Jones 6-1 180 So.
DEFENSE
DE 3 McTelvin Agim 6-3 279 Jr.
91 Michael Taylor 6-2 248 Sr.
DT 90 Armon Watts 6-5 298 Sr.
7 Briston Guidry 6-2 292 So.
DT 52 T.J. Smith 6-3 304 Jr.
42 Jonathan Marshall 6-3 301 So.
DE 10 Randy Ramsey 6-4 236 R-Sr.
6 Gabe Richardson 6-3 240 Jr.
MLB 8 De’Jon Harris 6-0 244 Jr.
31 Grant Morgan 5-11 220 So.
WLB 23 Dre Greenlaw 6-0 227 Sr.
16 Bumper Pool 6-2 223 Fr.
CB 21 Montaric Brown 6-0 187 R-Fr.
11 Ryan Pulley 5-11 198 R-Jr.
SS 2 Kamren Curl 6-2 201 So.
18 Myles Mason 6-2 208 Fr.
FS 9 Santos Ramirez 6-2 204 Sr.
17 Joe Foucha 5-11 198 Fr.
CB 24 Jarques McClellion 6-0 173 R-Fr.
14 Britto Tutt 6-1 190 Jr.
NICKEL 30 Kevin Richardson 5-11 180 R-Sr.
36 D’Vone McClure 6-2 215 So.
SPECIAL TEAMS
K 19 Connor Limpert 6-1 175 Jr.
P 28 Reid Bauer 5-11 198 Fr.
H 14 Jack Lindsey 6-2 195 So.
LS 48 Jordan Silver 6-1 217 R-Fr.
PR 3 Deon Stewart 5-11 161 Jr.
KR 9 De’Vion Warren 5-10 180 So.
3 Deon Stewart 5-11 161 Jr.
This originally appeared in Hawgs Illustrated