Golden Hurricane See Opportunity
Despite “Expert” Opinions
by Brett Hill
NCAA Correspondent
Tulsa - The 2010 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team finished with a 10-3 record, capping their season by convincingly defeating the University of Hawaii Warriors in the self-named Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, 62-35. After their dismantling of the Warriors, a few important questions were left to be answered going forward. Would head coach Todd Graham be back for the ’11 season and would NCAA record-holder and Tulsa playmaker Damarius Johnson return for his senior season?
As we found out, the latter came true for the Golden Hurricane, but the former did not. With Graham taking his first BCS conference job at Pittsburgh, the void a head coach was left to be filled by Tulsa area native, former Tulsa Union Coach, and current running wide receiver and running back coach, Bill Blankenship.
And, while the players on the Golden Hurricane team seem not to mind the change, those media “experts” and fellow coaches obviously feel that Coach Blankenship has a virtual mountain to climb. One might point to Tulsa’s non-conference schedule as an area of great concern - after all, it is the toughest of all division 1 FBS teams. Just don’t tell that to the players.
Wide-out Thomas Roberson said, “I see [our schedule] as an opportunity for us to see how good of a team we are right off the bat. It’s an opportunity and we want to embrace it. Playing the number one team to start the season, I think, is going to be a benefit to our team. Everyone’s going to go out and try that much harder, work out that much harder, so I think our team is really going to benefit from our schedule.”
Alex Singleton, who looks to be in the mix for starting running back, shared in his teammate’s enthusiasm, “Our schedule could have more top five teams…whatever, I’m going into the season with the attitude that, ‘Hey, they’re human, they’re not machines. It’s just a name and we’ll try our best to break them down.’”
With a total of nineteen returning starters, Tulsa’s veteran group is poised to make a statement early on this season. With road trips to Norman and Boise, one might feel that the Hurricane’s chances are slim. But allow me to remind you of a trip this team made last season to South Bend, Indiana. That contest saw a Tulsa team with a 4-3 record go in, heavy underdogs, only to pull out a last second victory on the hands of John Flanders as he intercepted a would-be touchdown pass.
Sophomore linebacker Shawn Jackson shared his thoughts about the experienced group coming back on both sides of the ball, “Our expectations are very high. We have a lot of starters coming back on both sides of the ball. We feel like we have a strong team overall and special teams is going to be a big part of [our season] as well.”
“I think our strength is that we have a lot of guys coming back and I don’t think we have any weaknesses,” boasted pre-season Conference-USA guard Clint Anderson. Anderson also added that “...I usually don’t get into [paying attention to the polls], if I’m reading a magazine, it’s usually a fishing magazine, but yeah, when someone thinks you’re not good, it makes you want to go out and show them a little something.”
I will be the first to concede that Notre Dame isn’t anywhere near the level of competition the Golden Hurricane will find when they step on the Sooners and Broncos field this September. However, with this team’s success from the previous season and with all the returning starters, one has to believe that both OU and BSU will have their hands full when Tulsa storms into town.
John Flanders shared his thoughts about having to travel to difficult venues like Norman and Boise and if the Hurricane’s previous year’s schedules at Notre Dame, Arkansas, et al have helped the team in preparation for the 2011 season.
“It gives us more confidence because we’ve played at a couple of big schools and after [the Notre Dame win] and going out to Hawaii and winning our bowl game out there, our confidence kept boosting up and after all our hard work, we feel like we can go in anywhere and get a win.”
After the success that Todd Graham continued after taking over for Steve Kragthorpe, expectations are indeed high again for Coach Blankenship and the Tulsa Hurricane. A common theme, especially amongst the seniors, was the expectation to win the Conference-USA Championship. The two “big names” on the football team going into the 2011 season – quarterback GJ Kinne and wide receiver and return specialist Damarius Johnson – were more than happy to offer their thoughts on what this Tulsa team can and will accomplish.
Johnson said, “The one thing we haven’t achieved yet since I’ve been here has been a conference championship. My freshman year, we went there, got beat, and seeing the seniors…I was a young and mad and didn’t understand it and now, as a senior, my time has went by so fast. I feel good about our chances to do that and win the conference this year.”
“Our schedule gives us a great opportunity. Playing Oklahoma, Boise and Oklahoma State will be great for us and I look forward to seeing how we match up to those guys. Our number one goal is to win a conference championship, so, whatever we have to do to get there is what we’re going to do,” Kinne added.
Lastly, having to deal with a new head coach and another new offensive coordinator, many college athletes would have balked at having to go through so much change. Fortunately for Tulsa, their quarterback has not been fazed by the constant change. But, being the reigning Conference-USA Player of the year will do that for you.
“It’s not a big deal. Coach Blankenship has been here and I am totally comfortable with him. I think he is going to continue our winning ways and I’m proud to play for him.”
Coming off three consecutive 10-win seasons, having two deadly weapons like Kinne and Johnson on offense, returning a solid offensive line, and riding a 7 game win streak dating back to their October 16th win against Tulane, expectations couldn’t be higher for this group.
Look for an experienced Golden Hurricane squad to give the likes of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Boise State all they want and more come September 3rd, 17th and 24th, respectively. All 11 of Tulsa’s games are slated for television at this time, so be sure to tune in for all those Golden Hurricane games this season as we know one area standout, Adam Boyd, will for sure be watching intently as Tulsa takes the field this year. My prediction for the Golden Hurricane in 2011: 11-2 with a Liberty Bowl appearance, which means that coveted Conference-USA Championship these players crave.
No comments:
Post a Comment