Tulsa vs Houston

**SiliconToad** · 11-15-08, 04:50 PM

I'm all over Tulsa today.

I agree with you 100%. UH is a hit or miss team....somedays they look good...others a little below aveage.

**Cougar Bait** · 11-15-08, 05:14 PM

Yep. All over Tulsa too guys. GL this should be an interesting game to watch.

**SportsLockPicks** · 11-15-08, 05:16 PM

is it nationally televised?

**rm18** · 11-15-08, 05:16 PM

no

**SiliconToad** · 11-15-08, 05:17 PM

I live 5 min. from the stadium...I might go....but I hate cold weather.

**Cougar Bait** · 11-15-08, 05:19 PM

It's on CBS C. Gotta have a subscription guys.

**AMBlai01** · 11-15-08, 05:48 PM

I actually really like Houston in this game.....you know both are going to score a ton of points...I know Houston usually starts off slow, but I think they come through here...

**SportsLockPicks** · 11-15-08, 05:54 PM

i don't think this one will even be close

**roasthawg** · 11-15-08, 06:01 PM

I like the UNDER of 80 in this game.

**SportsLockPicks** · 11-15-08, 06:02 PM

yeah, i see a score that should resemble something like 48-28...unbelievable that that would cash the under

**SportsLockPicks** · 11-15-08, 06:03 PM

BC/Fl State OVER is looking juicy too

**xstud** · 11-15-08, 06:05 PM

isn't anyone worried about the reverse line movement going on here? I know it's only 2 pts but still..

**tbond10** · 11-15-08, 06:07 PM

I took under 79.5... May jump on tulsa -3.5 too but haven't decided yet

**SportsLockPicks** · 11-15-08, 06:09 PM

until someone shows me a study of games w/ significant reverse movement ats results, i go with what my numbers say

**BestPlay2day** · 11-15-08, 06:13 PM

Tulsa looks good for tonight, see -3.5 and another book jumped to -4.

**roasthawg** · 11-15-08, 06:17 PM

Originally posted by tbond10

I took under 79.5... May jump on tulsa -3.5 too but haven't decided yet

With you on the under!

**xstud** · 11-15-08, 06:17 PM

you can actually get Tulsa -3.5 at +104 right now at matchbook....

74% of the public on Tulsa...

**SiliconToad** · 11-15-08, 06:41 PM

Okay....I drank enough today....I'm going to the game...more money down on Tulsa!

**bearmz** · 11-15-08, 07:11 PM

HC Graham, a former Tulsa defensive coordinator from 2002-05 was the head coach at Rice University during the 2006 season. In that year the Owls went to their first bowl game in 45 years in which Troy destroyed Rice 41-17.
He had the insight to bring in 'Hurry Up No-Huddle' offensive guru Gus Malzahn, whos produced the top offense in the nation back-to-back seasons at Tulsa. The defense (Graham's bread and butter) is actually an unimpressive 88th in the nation, although they are 2nd in sacks per game.

The Golden Hurricane QB David Johnson leads the nation in pass efficiency and is 5th in total offense (note: Hstn SQB Case Keenum is 2nd in this category). RB Tarrion Adams leads a potent Golden Hurricane rushing attack with 688 yards and 5 TDs. Charles Opeseyitan has also split some carries with Adams and had 286 yards and 3 TDs. Last year the Golden Hurricane had three 100+ yard rushers against the Coogs and this year's defense has struggled against the run. They also have the best deep-threat receiver in the nation in Brennan Marion, along with Damaris Johnson, Trae Johnson and Slick Shelley. In short, they have LOADS of weapons and as their 52.0 points per game show, they aren't afraid to use them.

The Cougar players and fans are still fuming over the 56-7 beating Tulsa gave last year when [NAMELESS FORMER COACH] decided to interview with Baylor boosters instead of making a game plan. I'm positive that Kevin Sumlin and his staff, win or lose, will have this team focused and have a better game plan.
IF the Cougars pull off an upset on Saturday, this will be their second win over a top 25 team. With their 41-27 win over No. 23 East Carolina back on Sept. 27, the Cougars snapped a long streak against ranked opponents. The ranked win was the first for UH since a 56-49
overtime triumph over No. 20 Southern Miss on Nov. 9, 1996, at Robertson Stadium. The last home win over a ranked opponent was Nov. 9, 1996, when the Cougars
knocked off #20 Southern Miss, 56-49, in overtime.

UH has won 11 of its last 12 games in Robertson Stadium, including a 27-10 win over Tulsa in 2006.

UH puts up 37.8 points per game (third best in C-USA), leads the league in pass offense (392.7 yards per game) and is second in total offense (547.3 yards, 46 behind Tulsa’s league-leading average).

On the ground, where Tulsa averages a conference-best 247 yards per game, the Golden Hurricane have Tarrion Adams, A.J. Whitmore, Charles Opeseyitan and Courtney Tennial, who have combined for 1,442 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns.
The only X-factor is that Tulsa has had an extra week to prepare for the game, last playing Nov. 1, a 30-23 loss at Arkansas.
“They’re going to have some new stuff,” Sumlin said. “Coaches get bored during a bye week. You have to expect anything.”

Stat that matters: Tulsa averages 52 points while giving up only 26.6. As UH coach Kevin Sumlin says, “Do the math — for every time you score, they score twice .”
“I’d definitely say that Tulsa is one of our biggest rivals,” said senior offensive guard Michael Bloesch. “It’s big because it’s one of those games that you know have to win if you want to win the conference championship. That definitely makes it a rivalry and makes it a big game.”
“The winner of this game has gone to the conference championship and represented the West in the last two years straight,” said Tulsa coach Todd Graham. “We have our hands full.”

With offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn controlling the levers of Tulsa’s video-game attack, the Golden Hurricane dropped 77 points on UTEP, 63 on Rice, 62 on Central Arkansas and 56 twice (against New Mexico and North Texas). The Cougars’ biggest-scoring game was their season opener against Southern, a 55-3 victory.

Category Houston Tulsa
Scoring 37.8 points per game (3rd) 52.0 points per game (1st)
Total offense 547.3 yards per game (2nd) 593.0 yards per game (1st)
Pass offense 392.7 yards per game (1st) 345.8 yards per game (2nd)
Rush offense 154.7 yards per game (5th) 247.2 yards per game (1st)
Pass efficiency 155.1 (3rd) 194.4 (1st)
3rd-down conversions 51.5 percent (2nd) 58.3 percent (1st)
Total defense 385.2 yards per game (5th) 388.6 yards per game (6th)
Pass defense 213.9 yards per game (4th) 270.1 yards per game (10th)
Rush defense 171.3 yards per game (8th) 118.4 yards per game (1st)

Operating out of a Texas Tech-style attack, HU SQB Keenum has completed 42 passes of 20 yards or more. He is third nationally with 3,392 passing yards and seventh with 29 touchdown passes.
Not bad for an offensive unit that has been virtually rebuilt. Senior tight end Mark Hafner had the only significant catches among UH returnees from last season — 40 for 445 yards. The next four returnees in the receiving corps totaled 17 catches between them.

Senior tight end Mark Hafner leads the Cougars with 65 catches for 689 yards and nine touchdowns and ranks second in the league with more than seven receptions per game.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Tyron Carrier is second on the team with 54 catches and five touchdowns and has added 608 yards.
On the ground, freshman running back Bryce Beall leads the way with 801 yards and 10 touchdowns on 123 rushing attempts. The Tatum, Texas, native also has hauled in 18 catches for 251 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

UH has won two of the last three games.
The Cougars are 11-7 when facing the Golden Hurricane in Houston.

The Golden Hurricane have not played since falling 30-23 at Arkansas on Nov. 1.

HEAD COACH Kevin Sumlin
They are doing a great job on offense and they have some guys that know what they are doing. They run a variety of different things and you can't prepare for it all. You have to be sound in what you are doing and they have had an extra week so there will be a whole bunch of things that we won't be able to practice for. You can expect anything."

Tulsa OPP. DEFENSE STATS Hou
11 Opp. Sack 21
Tulsa DEFENSE STATS Hou
31 Sack 16
Tulsa RETURNS STATS Hou
18 Punt Returns 15
148 Punt Returns Yards 95
42 Kick Returns 39
1128 Kick Returns Yards 806
Tulsa OVERALL STATS Hou
13 / 5 Fumbles/Lost 25 / 12
67 / 115 3rd Down Efficiency Made/Attempts 67 / 130
61 / 9.1 Touchdowns/Pct. 44 / 6.2
45 / 407 Penalties/Yards 60 / 552
Tulsa OPP. OVERALL STATS Hou
16 / 18 Opp. Takeaways/Giveaways 21 / 15
Tulsa OPP. RUSHING STATS Hou
3.5 (118.4) Opp. Yards per Attempts/Per Game 4.2 (171.3) 6 (1.97) Opp. Touchdowns/Pct. 17 (4.68)
Both played 9 games.

Houston (5-4, 4-1 C-USA) got one step closer to that goal with a 42-14 Homecoming win over Tulane on Saturday. The Cougars overcame the slow starts that plagued them for much of the season and went into halftime with a 21-7 lead, scoring three more times in the third quarter to put the Green Wave away.

Against Arkansas, Tulsa gave up 385 yards in the air, including a 13-yard touchdown in the Razorbacks' first drive that would give them the early lead in the first quarter.
The Golden Hurricane has been able to slow the rushing game against its opponents significantly in its victories and one defeat on the season.
Three turnovers haunted the Golden Hurricane against Arkansas. Tulsa quarterbacks senior David Johnson and sophomore Jacob Bower threw a combined two picks in Saturday's game, and senior running back Tarrion Adams coughed up a fumble after a 19-yard completion in Razorback territory.
A team known for its high-scoring offense and owning the fourth quarter was held to 23 points and didn't score in the last quarter of play, despite winning the battle on the ground and total yards ( Total Offense 528- 435 ). Not scoring in the fourth cost the Hurricane a win, as a 96-yard Razorback kickoff return in the third quarter was the difference between success and failure.

HU OL and WR corps banged up.
The Cougars suffered more than a loss when they fell to Marshall, 37-23, on Oct. 28. Houston lost starting wide receiver Patrick Edwards and right tackle Josh Bell for the season. Bell has started just two games after replacing SirVincent Rogers who broke a bone in his foot against UAB.
Tulsa healthy.

on Oct. 9.
2008 FBS Three-and-Out Offensive Leaders
Team 3&Out Games Avg/gm
Missouri 7 10 0.70
Texas Tech 9 10 0.90
Tulsa 9 9 1.00
USC 11 9 1.33
Nevada 13 9 1.44
Houston 13 9 1.44
Most Touchdown Drives Under Two Minutes
Rank Team # of Touchdown Drives
1. Tulsa 32
12. Houston 17

Sumlin knows fans are expecting a shootout.
"They come to games to watch (footballs) go through the air and watch people score," Sumlin said. "But as coaches, we understand the importance of defense.
"In this type of game, you don't know if you can ever stop somebody. Third downs are going to be a key."

Tulsa must rattle Houston into mistakes on offense. The Cougars have suffered turnover woes at times this season and rank second-to-last in C-USA turnover margin. With the way these teams score, this game could have a 14-point swing based on one takeaway. It's important that TU places an emphasis on ball security while creating turnovers.
Damaris Johnson is a legitimate freshman All-American candidate, and could improve that with a big-time outing against Houston. Johnson has a current streak of three straight games with kick return of more than 70 yards. If Houston is able to score on Tulsa, it must kick off to Johnson.
Ball security: The Hurricane won't be able to count on UH quarterback Case Keenum throwing a lot of interceptions.
The sophomore has only nine interceptions in 414 attempts this season while throwing for 3,392 yards and 29 touchdowns. Over two seasons, Keenum set a school record by going 219 attempts without throwing an interception.

Houston is 4-1 since freshman running back Bryce Beall started playing more regularly in a 41-24 win at East Carolina on Sept. 27.
Sumlin said Beall is still learning because he was behind a blue-chipper in high school (Tennessee's Lennon Creer) and started only one year at tailback in Tatum, Texas.

Enuff , as with Loo yesterday, the only real trends/stats in HU’s favor are past home records. They are banged up at WR and OL, while Tulsa’s healthy. Can’t help but look at TU in this one. Line has dropped from openers up to TU-6 to now -3’.
GL

**Cougar Bait** · 11-15-08, 07:16 PM

Good lord. I had a fresh beer when I started reading that! Great work bearmz. Always can count on you for the updates!

**SportsLockPicks** · 11-15-08, 07:16 PM

Another few reasons I love Tulsa, they have had nothing to do but practice for this bounce back game for about 3 weeks!!! They have NO injuries to report, not the same can be said for a decently grueling schedule of late for Houston, who is known as a slow starter...NOT a good thing against a top passing attack like Tulsa exhibits, they will get down early and never get back...this line should be 9.5, almost a touchdown different than it is..but i mean, how do you make a line on a team that can get into the endzone as fast as Tulsa can...they are coming out tonite serious as all hell to show that they are for real.

**jerseydave77** · 11-15-08, 07:21 PM

Visiting Gainesville celebrating another big Gator win - I'm already on Tulsa but the write-ups here have convinced me to press some winnings here.

Good Luck.

**guru-t** · 11-15-08, 07:55 PM

I love houston+4.5 tonight.They have the firepower to keep up with Tulsa.I think the Cougs win outright!!!!It's been a great day for Cougs except washst but they're just kitties!!!

**laxdjock** · 11-15-08, 07:57 PM

Glad to see other Tulsa backers....I capped this at 7-10, at least.

**thezbar** · 11-15-08, 08:04 PM

I need tulsa -2.5 first half to clean the slate for the day

**Cougar Bait** · 11-15-08, 08:42 PM

Tulsa getting smoked out of the gate. Down 14.

**laxdjock** · 11-15-08, 08:44 PM

WOw....anyone watching teh game? My cable went out last night (freaking Comcast).....so I have it on ESPN's Gamecast. Thoughts about the game so far?

**Cougar Bait** · 11-15-08, 08:45 PM

Yeah, I have some thoughts. But most of them involve swear words.

**dr123** · 11-15-08, 08:46 PM

So far some bs... Real early in the game though.

**laxdjock** · 11-15-08, 08:47 PM

I figure if they claw back to 14-10 or 14-14, they should be okay.

2 TOs already, ouch.

**dr123** · 11-15-08, 08:49 PM

IF they can answer with a td before houston gets another everything alright.

**Cougar Bait** · 11-15-08, 09:06 PM

Here's a thought: My name is Cougar Bait. I played against the BYU Cougars, lost. Played against the Houston Cougars, losing. Hmmm. Maybe I really am Cougar Bait. Thank God the other teams I bet on weren't playing against the Cougars, otherwise I would have lost money this week!

**laxdjock** · 11-15-08, 09:08 PM

They NEED to convert this drive to a TD. and then get a stop, and then a score. Wow.

**dr123** · 11-15-08, 09:09 PM

Its college football... throwing up tds is cake... we'll just see who shows up!