Hurricane Elite Magazine Winter 2016-2017

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for all the sports you play, we’re on your team. at eastern Oklahoma Orthopedic center, we’ve been caring for athletes just like you for many years. that means, when you’re seen by one of our sports medicine specialists, you’re seeing the same doctors who care for the elite athletes of the University of tulsa, Oral roberts University, and many other college and high school teams. from physicals to physical therapy and beyond, our team is here to help you be the best athlete you can be. call the sports medicine experts at eastern Oklahoma Orthopedic center at (800) 283-3662 today.

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3939 South Memoria Dr • Tulsa • 918.665.3420 • www.donthorntoncadillac.com

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6 | New Look Hurricane The Golden Hurricane men’s basketball team is primed for a run in the AAC.

22 | Going Bowling Again Reign Cane!!! The cry of TU supporters and fans alike. Philip Montgomery shows even more improvement from last year to earn a spot int he Miami Beach Bowl and a shot at 10 wins.

48 | Recruiting News Annual Subscription includes three publications: • ANNUAL FOOTBALL AND FALL SPORTS PREVIEW (AUGUST) • ANNUAL BASKETBALL PREVIEW (NOVEMBER) • ANNUAL RECRUITING ISSUE (FEBRUARY) For all the best in the highest quality publication covering The University of Tulsa Athletic Programs, get it all with Hurricane Elite. Go to HurricaneElite.com

The fall brought about many Tulsa commitments and basketball signees. We break down all the football and basketball future Hurricane of 2016 thus far.

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Publisher Austin Chadwick Senior Writer/Recruiting Chris Harmon Contributing Writers Kyle Kendrick, Austin Chadwick Feature Photographer Brandy Moton, Brad Heath, Dave Crenshaw Contact Information Website: www.VYPEOK.com • Phone: 918.495.1771 • Fax: 918.495.1787 Hurricane Elite is published tri-annually by Trinity Media Group, LLC. Reproductions in whole or in part without permission are prohibited. Hurricane Elite is not responsible for the return of unsolicited artwork, photography or manuscripts and will not be responsible for holding fees or similar charges.

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THE University of Tulsa

FRANK HAITH RELOADS WITH MANY NEW FACES

By JOHN E. HOOVER

The path to the NCAA Tournament can be a treacherous one. And for many teams, that first step can be a doozy.

For Tulsa, that first step was a misstep — an 84-73 loss to Jacksonville State back on Nov. 11.

“Y’all see the first game?” asked Oklahoma State coach Brad Underwood after the Cowboys sweated out a 71-67 victory at TU on Dec. 10. “That wasn’t a very good basketball team.”

In the month between just falling flat against Jacksonville State and falling just short against OSU, the Golden Hurricane has taken a lot of steps — and has made a lot of progress.

“I think we’re getting better,” TU coach Frank Haith said. “We’re taking baby steps.”

TU started 0-2 but came out of the OSU game 4-4. The Golden Hurricane was beaten badly

by Wichita State, but then topped New Orleans, Oregon State and Oral Roberts (finally).

A 10-point loss to Little Rock and a two-point win (after a 14-point rally) put Underwood and the Cowboys on alert.

“There’s a reason that’s an NCAA Tournament team, Tulsa,” Underwood said. “This team fights. They run good offense. Good home team. Good 8

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atmosphere.

“That basketball team’s gonna win a lot of games.”

“I think we’re still growing,” said junior guard Jaleel Wheeler, who leads TU in scoring and is second in rebounding after missing those first two games.

“That’s a good comment from that coach, but I think we’re still growing.

And we’re headed in the right direction.”

It’s been a deliberate process with an almost entirely new roster after eight seniors graduated last season. Those guys took TU to two NCAA Tournaments and an NIT. Fans still might have trouble recognizing all the new faces on this year’s team.

Start with Wheeler, the 6-foot-4 junior college transfer from New Jersey who

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averaged 13.8 points and 6.6 rebounds in TU’s first seven games, then scored 15 against Oklahoma State.

Then there’s Junior Etou, the 6-8 power forward who redshirted last year after transferring from Rutgers and has averaged 12.6 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds.

Then there’s Will Magnay, Tulsa’s magnificent 6-10 freshman from Australia who averaged 6.0 points and 4.7 rebounds and has emerged as the team’s low-post defensive anchor.

“Magnay, I love,” Underwood offered after Magnay had six points and four blocks. “That young man is going to be a tremendous basketball player. He won’t be a freshman in three or four weeks. He’s a double-double guy. He’s really good.”

Jaleel Wheeler

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THE University of Tulsa Then there’s Corey Henderson, a 6-4 junior college transfer from Dallas, who’s been a spark plug off the bench with 8.9 points per game.

And Geno Artison, a 6-9 sophomore forward who transferred from junior college and has made steady contributions.

Then there’s the rest of the freshmen: Martis Igbanu, a 6-8, 240-pound forward from Nigeria, Travis Atson, a 6-5 guard from Brooklyn, and Lawon Korita, a 6-5 guard from Little Rock. All have played.

“When you have a new team, the unknown is the unknown,” Haith said.

“You try to figure it out. You’re just trying to develop some habits. You’re trying to develop some consistency in how we prepare. So everything is new. As I think we’re taking steps, I do anticipate us having some (growing pains) with a young team. That’s part of it. … We don’t know how this team will respond, but we like what we’ve seen so far.”

And then, of course, there’s the three returning players.

TK Edogi, a 6-8, 225-pound forward from Phoenix, is still reining in his athletic ability and started the year averaging 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds.

Sterling Taplin, TU’s 6-1 point guard from New York, played in 29 games last year with four starts, and out of the gate this year he’s averaging 6.4 points and 2.9 assists. He scored 16 against OSU. “Sterling Taplin is such a key guy for us,” Haith said.

“When he’s on his game and he’s playing real well, I think we’re pretty good.”

Finally, Pat Birt, the 6-4 sharpshooter who averaged 12.0 points per game last season and led the Golden Hurricane in 3-point shooting at nearly 37 percent. Birt needs to expand his role this season, but he got off to a painfully slow start, shooting just 25 percent from beyond the arc.

“He obviously doesn’t have his rhythm yet,” Haith said. “But I do think people are guarding him different.”

Last season, Haith said, defenses were focused on keeping Shaq Harrison and James Woodard out of the lane, which left Birt open to shoot from distance. Fewer dribble penetration threats and more attention on Birt has reduced Birt’s open shot opportunities.

Frank Haith

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“I think people run at him now,” Haith said. “So he’s got to add a little bit more to his game. He’s got to know when he’s not taking contested jump shots and know that when people run at him, he’s got to be able to get in the paint and share that ball and not force things and be able to be patient. That’s part of it. … We just need Pat — and I think he will — to get himself going.”

Haith said a demanding December schedule — OSU, then Stephen F.

Corey Henderson

Austin to open the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, followed by San Diego State or Southern Miss, then the third game on Christmas Day, followed by the American Athletic Conference opener against UConn on New Year’s Eve — serves two purposes.

“That prepares us for conference play,” he said.

Secondly, five days in Hawaii is an ideal opportunity for a rebuilt roster to find itself.

“They get a lot of bonding time,” Haith said. “We’re still in that development stage. … The word trust is so important in building great chemistry, and that’s important to winning. You have these opportunities to establish that and to continue to improve that when you have the trip and the time away, when they have to lean on each other. So many of our kids, they’re on their phones so much, and they don’t talk to each other. That’s the new way. So we’ve got to force that issue as much as we can.

“That’s the only way you can develop the kind of bond and the kind of chemistry you need to be successful.

It is important, and I’m hoping we can continue to grow in that department and develop, because that’s so important to winning basketball games.”

2016 Golf SportWagen 4240 S. Memorial Drive | Tulsa, OK | 74145 918.712.8989 | donthorntonvw.com HURRICANE ELITE

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SPORTS MEDICINE RESOURCE

As

IMPORTANT as EQUIPMENT, or

By: Shawn Mayes, PT, DPT, Excel Therapy, Midtown Tulsa

The athletic season is in full swing. Whether it’s basketball, hockey, dance, cheer, band, or volleyball, the interests are wide and we ask our bodies to give more as we demand more.

We spend an extraordinary amount time finding the right coach, the right equipment, the right opportunities, the right food, the right fitness, and the right team. This culture has become an ever increasing portion of our life. These pursuits are a significant part of who we are and the activities bring us great joy and fulfillment.

The big question that must be addressed is what happens when we encounter an injury that potentially could limit our performance or involvement. As important as the equipment, team or training—is the role of a sports medicine resource.

Sports medicine is as important to the performer and athlete as is the baseball bat held in the hands of the clean up hitter. Orthopedic and sports physical therapy is the key ingredient that might be missing from your routine.

Having a relationship with a physical therapist that has knowledge of the process of injury, rehabilitation, and recovery is extremely important. When you encounter a challenge in your training or performance, a relationship with a PT could be your key to returning to activity as soon as possible.

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Oklahoma now has direct access for care so the initiation of care following injury could happen the same day of injury.

Delaying care is the greatest hurdle to a speedy recovery.

Be ready for upcoming competition.

Rehearse, practice, train, stretch, grow, build, conquer, and be sure to develop a relationship with a PT that can be a constant part of your health, fitness, and recovery. Excel Therapy has a tremendous staff of PT’s with knowledge and experience that will likely benefit you, as your reach and strive for greatness. Let us be a part of your team! And go out there and HAVE A GREAT SEASON!

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THE University of Tulsa Photos Provided by The University of Tulsa - TulsaHurricane.com

Dane Evans

Matt Linscott

Evan Plagg

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Justin Hobbs

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IMAGES FROM THE SEASON

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THE University of Tulsa

Jordan Mitchell

Jeremy Brady

Jesse Brubaker

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Jerry Uwaezuoke

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Keevan Lucas HURRICANE ELITE

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THE University of Tulsa

Hayden Carman

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Tulsa Defense

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• Access to the most in-depth Tulsa recruiting coverage available for football and basketball.

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Part of

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THE University of Tulsa

Redford Jones

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D’Angelo Brewer

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The University of Tulsa

SEVEN TULSA FOOTBALL PLAYERS NAMED TO THE AMERICAN ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM www.TulsaHurricane.com

The University of Tulsa has a total of seven players named to the first- and second-team American Athletic Conference squad as voted on by the league’s coaches. All seven of Tulsa’s selections came on the offensive side of the ball.

Tulsa’s first-team selections are running back James Flanders, receiver Keevan Lucas and offensive linemen Blake Belcher and Chandler Miller. Second-team performers are running back D’Angelo Brewer and linemen Evan Plagg and Tyler Bowling.

Flanders, a 5-foot-10 senior from Midwest City, Okla., leads the American Athletic Conference with 1,529 rushing yards for a 6.3 average per attempt and has scored 17 touchdowns. Flanders, who has seven games of 100-yardsplus rushing this year, became the school’s single-season rushing leader and also went over 2,000 career yards in the Cincinnati

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contest. Flanders now has 2,077 rushing yards and 18 TDs in his career.

Lucas, a 5-10 receiver from Abilene, Texas, has 1,108 yards, 12 TDs and a 15.0 average per catch on 74 receptions with five games over 100 yards receiving this season. He ranks third on the school’s career receiving chart with 3,178 yards on 233 receptions for a 13.6 average, and needs 165 yards to tie Howard Twilley (196365) for the school career record.

Senior Blake Belcher (Guthrie, Okla.), junior Evan Plagg (Guthrie, Okla.) and sophomores Chandler Miller (Bixby, Okla.) and Tyler Bowling (Yukon, Okla.) have anchored

an offensive front that has led TU to 41.4 points per game, a leagueleading 522.5 yards per game total offense, while rushing for 261.8 yards and gaining 260.8 yards through the air.

The Tulsa offense, behind the front line, has established a school record of eight 300-yard rushing games this season.

As the American Athletic Conference’s second-leading rusher, Brewer, a 5’9” junior from Tulsa’s Central High School, has gained 1,330 rushing yards for an average of 5.4 yards per attempt and seven TDs. His rushing total ranks fifth on the school’s single-season chart, while his 2,295 career yards is ninth in Tulsa history. Brewer has five 100-yard rushing games on the season, including a careerbest 252 yards on 46 carries at Fresno State.

AAC ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS

ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM Pos. Player School Cl. Ht. Wt. Hometown/Last School WR Zay Jones EC Sr. 6-1 197 Austin, Texas/Stephen F. Austin WR Courtland Sutton SMU So. 6-4 215 Brenham, Texas/Brenham WR Keevan Lucas Tulsa Sr. 5-10 195 Abilene, Texas/Abilene OT Kofi Amichia USF Sr. 6-4 297 Riverdale, Ga./McEachern OT Dion Dawkins Temple Sr. 6-5 320 Rahway, N.J./Rahway OG Adam West Navy Sr. 6-3 297 Spring, Texas/Klein OG Blake Belcher Tulsa Sr. 6-5 304 Guthrie, Okla./Guthrie C Chandler Miller Tulsa So. 6-3 290 Bixby, Okla./Bixby TE Daniel Montiel Mem Sr. 6-3 240 Arlington, Texas/Arlington QB Quinton Flowers USF Jr. 6-0 210 Miami, Fla./Miami Jackson RB Marlon Mack USF Jr. 6-0 195 Sarasota, Fla./Booker RB James Flanders Tulsa Sr. 5-10 203 Midwest City, Okla./Midwest City DL Ed Oliver * Hou Fr. 6-2 290 Houston, Texas/Westfield DL Justin Lawler SMU Jr. 6-4 262 Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro DL Haason Reddick * Temple Sr. 6-1 230 Camden, N.J./Haddon Heights DL Tanzel Smart Tulane Sr. 6-1 304 Baton Rouge, La./Scotlandville Magnet LB Shaquem Griffin UCF Jr. 6-1 213 St. Petersburg, Fla./Lakewood LB Eric Wilson Cincy Sr. 6-2 225 Redford, Mich./Northwestern LB Steven Taylor Hou Sr. 6-1 225 Cedar Hill, Texas/Cedar Hill LB Genard Avery Mem So. 6-2 230 Byhalia, Miss./Byhalia LB Nico Marley Tulane Sr. 5-10 208 Weston, Fla./Cypress Bay CB Howard Wilson Hou So. 6-1 185 DeSoto, Texas/DeSoto CB Horace Richardson SMU Sr. 6-0 201 Everman, Texas/Everman S Obi Melifonwu UConn Sr. 6-3 217 South Grafton, Mass./Grafton S Darrion Millines SMU Sr. 6-0 208 Boynton Beach, Fla./American Heritage K Jake Elliott Mem Sr. 5-10 165 Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township P Spencer Smith Mem So. 6-1 195 Newnan, Ga./East Coweta RS Tony Pollard Mem Fr 5-11 200 Memphis, Tenn./Melrose * unanimous selection

The University of Tulsa

Tulsa’s Philip Montgomery gets contract extension, staff raises

By John E. Hoover

Philip Montgomery took it upon himself Monday to unwrap an early Christmas gift for University of Tulsa football fans.

“The university has stepped up and, I don’t even know if I can talk about this yet or not, but I’ve got a new five-year deal here,” the TU head coach said during an otherwise routine bowl press conference. “So, I’ve just signed the extension here. We’re excited about that as a football staff and as a family and all of those things.”

Tulsa does not release details on salaries of Montgomery or his staff, but the coach’s objective, a source said, was salary increases for his staff that would allow him to retain his assistants. He also may received additional incentive bonuses that could take his annual compensation to a level much higher than the conference average.

Montgomery, 44, arrived after the Golden Hurricane went 3-9 and 2-10 in consecutive seasons. After leading TU to a 6-6 regular season mark and Independence Bowl appearance last year, Montgomery guided Tulsa to a 9-3 record and the Miami Beach Bowl this season.

They play Central Michigan on Monday at 1:30 p.m.

With the annual December coaching carousel apparently concluding another wild ride, I asked Montgomery about his willingness to stay at Tulsa. His son, Cannon, is a senior at Cascia Hall and recently announced he had been accepted to attend TU. His daughter Maci is a high school sophomore. His wife Ashli already is entrenched in the community, particularly with 26

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Tulsa’s Alzheimer’s charities.

Montgomery said he’s in no hurry to leave.

“I’m not looking for the next big paycheck or the next big job or this or that,” he said.

“I had opportunities this year, had phone calls, all that stuff. Derrick (Gragg, TU’s athletic director) and I, we’ve been through that carousel of things. My family’s really happy here. This town has been great to us. We’ve tried to give back to the community. We’re very connected to our players downstairs. I think a lot of that goes back to the way they work and the way that we’ve kind of bonded together.”

He said Gragg and new president

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Gerard Clancy have made his decision to stay a little easier by extending his contract through 2022.

“I’m excited about the opportunities Dr. Clancy is bringing onboard,” Montgomery said. “… It’s good to be able to sit down and visit with Dr. Gragg and Dr. Clancy, helping make those decisions with the Board of Trustees, to step up and make it even more difficult for us to leave here.”

Montgomery took a lot of questions Monday about the team’s rebirth, Miami Beach Bowl opponent Central Michigan and the allure of spending a week in South Florida in the middle of winter.

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2016 TULSA FOOTBALL GAME NOTES

Tulsa Athletic Media Relations • 800 S. Tucker Drive • Tulsa, OK 74104 Facebook: /TulsaHurricane and /TulsaFootball • Twitter:@TulsaHurricane and @TulsaFootball Instagram: TulsaHurricanePics • Website: www.TulsaHurricane.com 12-13-16

Game Information

GAME

#13

TULSA (9-3, 6-2 AAC) vs. CENTRAL MICHIGAN (6-6, 3-5 MAC)

Monday, December 19, 2016 • 2:31 pm (ET)

Marlins Park (34,000), Miami, Florida TV: ESPN • Radio: Big Country 99.5 FM THE STORYLINES . . .

• Tulsa is making its 21st Bowl Game appearance . . . Tulsa has a 9-11 record in bowl games.

• Tulsa became bowl eligible on Oct. 29th with its sixth win of the season, unlike a year ago when it went down to the final regular season road game at Tulane.

• Tulsa is looking for its 10th double-digit winning season . . . Tulsa teams have posted 10 wins seven times before (1916, 1920, 1942, 1982, 1991, 2007, 2010) and 11 wins twice (2008, 2011).

• Tulsa has the smallest FBS enrollment with 3,473 students, while Central Michigan has an enrollment of 26,968 students.

• With 73 more receiving yards for Josh Atkinson, Tulsa would become the first school in NCAA DI/FBS history with a 3,000-yard passing, two 1,000-yard rushers and two 1,000-yard receivers.

•

Date / Time: Monday, Dec. 19/2:31 pm (ET) Site: Miami, Florida Stadium: Marlins Park (34,000) TV: ESPN Talent: Allen Bestwick (pxp), Mike Bellotti (analyst), Kris Budden (sideline) Radio: Big Country 99.5 FM Talent: Bruce Howard (pxp), Rick Couri (analyst), Jeremie Poplin (sideline) Live Stats: TulsaHurricane.com Series: Series is tied 1-1 First Meeting: Oct. 18, 1986 (Tulsa won 42-6 @ Tulsa, Okla.)

Last Meeting: Oct. 17, 1987 (CMU won 41-18 @ Mt. Pleasant, Mich.)

TULSA 9-3, 6-2 The American Head Coach: Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State '95) 2nd year at Tulsa Career Record: 15-10 (2 years) TU Record: same CMU

THE SERIES . . .

• This is the third meeting between Tulsa and Central Michigan.

• The series is tied 1-1, as each team won the previous games on their home turf.

• Tulsa won the first game, 42-6, on Oct. 18, 1986 in Tulsa, while CMU won a year later on Oct. 17 by a score of 41-18 in Mount Pleasant.

Tulsa Coaching Staff

TULSA VS. THE MAC . . .

• The Hurricane has posted a 7-3 record against Mid-American Conference schools, including 2-0 in bowl games.

• In the post-season, Tulsa defeated Bowling Green (63-7) and #22 Ball State (45-13), both in back-to-back GMAC Bowls, on Jan. 6, 2007 and Jan. 6, 2008.

• Overall, Tulsa is 1-0 vs. Ball State, 3-1 vs. Bowling Greem, 1-1 vs, CMU, 1-0 vs.

Ohio and 1-1 vs. Toledo.

6-6, 3-5 Mid-American John Bonamego (Central Michigan '87) 2nd year at CMU Career Record: 13-12 (2 years) CMU Record: same Head Coach:

Philip Montgomery Bill Young (PB) Brian Norwood Jermial Ashley Mike Bloesch Aaron Fletcher Joseph Gillespie Justin Hill Calvin Lowry Beau Trahan (PB) Jordan Navjar (PB) Luke Olson (PB)

Head Coach Co-Defensive Coord./DL Co-Defensive Coord./Saf. Defensive Line Offensive Line Cornerbacks Linebackers Running Backs Receivers & Special Teams Quarterbacks Offensive Quality Control Defensive Quality Control

After an all-state career at Mustang (Okla.)

HS, Dennis Byrd played defensive tackle at Tulsa from 1985-88 after redshirting in 1984.

He completed his career with 321 tackles and 20 sacks. He was a 2nd round draft pick of the New York Jets in 1989. Dennis was killed in an auto accident on Saturday, Oct. 15. The Tulsa team is wearing a helmet sticker honoring the memory of Byrd.

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2016 SCHEDULE/RESULTS . . .

CENTRAL MICHIGAN CHIPPEWAS TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANE September 3 SAN JOSE STATE 10 @ #4 Ohio State 17 NC A&T 24 @ Fresno State

W L W

W/2OT 48-41

October 7 (Fri) SMU* W/OT 15 @ #12 Houston* L 22 TULANE* (Homecoming) W 29 @ Memphis* W November 5 EAST CAROLINA* 12 @ Navy* 19 @ UCF* 25 (Fri) CINCINNATI*

W L W

43-40

31-38 50-27 59-30 45-24 40-42 35-10

W/OT 40-37

*American Athletic Conference Games

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45-10 3-48 58-21

September 1 PRESBYTERIAN 10 @ Oklahoma State 17 UNLV 24 @ Virginia

October 1 WESTERN MICH* 8 BALL STATE* 15 @ NIU* 22 @ Toledo* 29 KENT STATE*

W W W L

49-3 30-27 44-21 35-49

L W

10-49 24-21 W/OT 34-28 L 17-31 L 24-27

November 4 @ Miami (Ohio)* L 15 OHIO* W 22 @ Eastern Michigan* L *Mid American Conference Games

17-37 27-20 21-26

2016 Tulsa Football Game Notes • page 2 PHILIP MONTGOMERY IN SECOND SEASON LEADING TULSA FOOTBALL PROGRAM . . .

• Philip Montgomery is in his second season leading the Tulsa football program.

• He became the 29th head coach in school history on Dec. 11, 2014.

• Montgomery has a 15-10 overall head coaching record with the Hurricane.

• Montgomery claimed his first career head coaching victory in the 2015 Tulsa season opener with a 47-44 overtime win over FAU. • In his first year, Montgomery led Tulsa to six wins and to the 2015 Camping World Independence Bowl.

• Montgomery is the fourth coach in school history to take his first two teams to a Bowl game.

• Montgomery is coaching in his 11th Bowl game in 14 years as a collegiate coach.

• He became the fifth Tulsa head coach to lead his first team to a bowl game.

• Before coming to Tulsa, he spent seven years at Baylor, where he spent the final three seasons as the offensive coordinator/QB coach.

• Under his guidance, Baylor led the nation in total offense and scoring offense in each of his final two seasons.

• QBs he tutored included 2011 Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III as well as Bryce Petty and Nick Florence at Baylor, Kevin Kolb and Case Keenum at Houston.

• Before moving to Baylor, he spent five years at Houston, also under Art Briles.

• Before moving to the college ranks, he spent one year as the offensive coordinator at Denton (Texas) HS, and before that spent six years at Stephenville HS, where he was a part of back-to-back Class 4A state championships in 1998 and 1999.

TULSA IN BOWL GAMES; FIRST SCHOOL TO PLAY IN FIVE STRAIGHT NEW YEAR'S DAY BOWLS . . .

• Tulsa is making its 21st bowl game appearance in school history.

• The Hurricane has a 9-11 record in bowl games, and has won four of its last six bowl contests.

• After a two-year hiatus from the bowl season, Tulsa returned in 2015 to play in the Camping World Independence Bowl, losing to Virginia Tech, 55-52.

• Tulsa is making its 10th bowl appearance in the last 14 seasons.

• Tulsa is the first school to appear in five straight New Year's Day Bowl Games – 1942 Sun Bowl (1-1-42), 1943 Sugar Bowl (1-1-43), 1944 Sugar Bowl (1-1-44), 1945 Orange Bowl (1-1-45) and the 1946 Oil Bowl (1-1-46).

• Tulsa's last bowl victory was in the 2012 AutoZone Liberty Bowl as the Hurricane claimed a 31-17 win over Iowa State of the Big 12 Conference.

• Tulsa has played in 6 bowl games multiple times –– Sugar Bowl (1944, '45), Bluebonnet Bowl (1964, '65), Independence Bowl (1976, '89, 2015), Liberty Bowl (2005, '12), Armed Forces Bowl (2006, '11) and the GMAC Bowl (2008, '09).

QUICK HITS . . .

• Tulsa has scored 40+ points in nine games this year, posting an 8-1 record.

• Tulsa running backs D'Angelo Brewer and James Flanders became the second tandem in school history to each rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.

• QB Dane Evans is now the school's career passing leader with 11,071 yards.

• A total of 19 freshmen saw action in at least one game, including 12 freshmen RS and seven true freshmen . . . two transfers also made playing debuts.

• Tulsa's offense has eight 300+ rushing games this year, breaking the previous record of six 100+ rushing games that was established three times before.

• In 25 games under Philip Montgomery, Tulsa has scored over 40 points 16 times and has posted a 13-3 record when doing so.

• Tulsa has had 34 scoring drives in regulation under two minutes this season, including 10 under one minute.

• Tulsa has gone over 500 yards of total offense in 15 games over the last two seasons under Montgomery, including six times gaining over 600 yards . . .

Tulsa had seven 500+ games last year, including three 600+ games . . . this year, Tulsa has eight 500+ games, including three over 600 yards.

• Tulsa has scored over 400 points this year for the ninth time in school history, and the 497 points this year is the fourth-most in school history.

2016 American Standings

Team EAST DIVISION Temple* South Florida UCF Cincinnati East Carolina UConn

American

ALL

7-1 7-1 4-4 1-7 1-7 1-7

10-3 10-2 6-6 4-8 3-9 3-9

WEST DIVISION Navy Tulsa Memphis Houston SMU Tulane

7-1 6-2 5-3 5-3 3-5 1-7

9-4 9-3 8-4 9-3 5-7 4-8

*Temple won AAC Championship game with 34-10 win over Navy.

The American Bowl Schedule

LAS VEGAS BOWL (Dec. 17) Houston vs. San Diego State, 2:30 pm (CT) AUTONATION CURE BOWL (Dec. 17) UCF vs. Arkansas State, 4:30 pm (CT) MIAMI BEACH BOWL (Dec. 19) Tulsa vs. Central Michigan, 1:30 pm (CT) BOCA RATON BOWL (Dec. 20) Memphis vs. Western Kentucky, 6 pm (CT) LOCKHEED MARTIN ARMED FORCES BOWL (Dec. 23) Navy vs. Louisiana Tech, 3:30 pm (CT) MILITARY BOWL (Dec. 27) Temple vs. Wake Forest, 1:30 pm (CT) BIRMINGHAM BOWL (Dec. 29) USF vs. South Carolina, 1 pm (CT)

2016 ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS . . .

FIRST-TEAM Blake Belcher, OG James Flanders, RB Keevan Lucas, WR Chandler Miller, C

SECOND TEAM Tyler Bowling, OG D'Angelo Brewer, RB Evan Plagg, IG

Tulsa Media Relations

DON TOMKALSKI Sr. Associate AD/Communications • FB Contact o 918.631.3200 • c 918.640.0683 donald-tomkalski@utulsa.edu

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2016 Tulsa Football Game Notes • page 3 EIGHTEEN SENIORS PLAY IN FINAL GAME . . .

• Eighteen Tulsa seniors will be playing in their final game in the Bowl.

• There are six seniors on the offensive side of the ball –– WR Josh Atkinson, QB Dane Evans, RB James Flanders, WR Keevan Lucas, OG Alex Pagonis and RB Raymond Taylor.

• Tulsa has 10 defensive seniors on the roster –– DB Will Barrow, DB Jeremy Brady, DT Hayden Carman, DB Johnell Celistan, LB Matt Hickman, LB Matt Linscott, LB Trent Martin, LB Conner Sherwood, LB Micheal Thomas and DE Jerry Uwaezuoke.

• Two seniors are on special teams including P Dalton Parks and DS TY Lott.

• Nine of those seniors earned their bachelor's degrees at Tulsa prior to this season – Atkinson, Brady, Carman, Evans, Hickman, Linscott, Martin, Sherwood and Uwaezuoke – and one graduate transfer (Raymond Taylor).

1,000 YARD DUO AMONG SCHOOL'S TOP 10 . . .

• The Tulsa running duo of D'Angelo Brewer and James Flanders became just the 72nd pair of running backs in D1 (FBS) history to reach 1,000 rushing yards in the same season.

• Flanders reached 1,000 yards against East Carolina, while Brewer eclipsed the mark at Navy . . . Flanders now has a school single-season best 1,529 yards and Brewer has 1,330 yards to rank 5th on the school's single-season rushing chart.

• It's the second time in school history that a Tulsa running duo has surpassed 1,000 yards in the same season.

• The tandem has combined for 12 100+ rushing games this year, including Flanders with seven and Brewer with five.

• Tulsa's Palomino Express – Micheal Gunter and Ken Lacy – rushed for 1,464 and 1,097 yards, respectively, in 1982 equaling that year SMU's Pony Express of Eric Dickerson and Craig James, who did the same.

EVANS IS ALL-TIME PASSING LEADER . . .

• Senior quarterback Dane Evans is the school's career leader for career passing yards with 11,376 yards in 45 career games.

• He became the all-time leader when he threw for a season-high 369 yards at Navy, surpassing Paul Smith's (2003-07) total of 10,936 yards.

• He is also in second place on the school's career total offense list with 11,426 yards, surpassing G.J. Kinne (2009-11) . . . he is 176 yards shy of tying Paul Smith (2003-07) for the school record.

• With 79 career passing touchdowns, Evans is in third place on the school's all-time list, two shy of tying G.J. Kinne (2009-11) for fifth place (81) and four short of tying Paul Smith (2003-07) for first place (83) • Evans tied Paul Smith's (2003-07) record of 15 300+ passing games when Evans had his 15th career 300+ passing game against Cincinnati with 305 yards.

• Evans already holds the school records for completions (876), attempts (1,529) and shares the lead with 400-yard passing games (4).

FLANDERS SETS SINGLE-SEASON RECORD . . .

• Senior running back James Flanders established the school record for rushing yards in a single season in the Cincinnati game.

• Flanders rushed for 197 yards on 33 carries in the Cincinnati contest.

• He completed the regular season with 1,529 yards on 241 carries for a 6.3 average per rush and 127.4 yards per game.

• He broke the previous record of 1,523 yards held by Tarrion Adams (2008) on a 4th quarter carry of 8 yards on Tulsa's game-tying drive to force overtime.

• Flanders' 17 rushing TDs this year is also ranked third on the single-season chart.

TULSA SETS MARK FOR 300-YARD RUSHING GAMES . . .

• Tulsa has rushed for 300+ yards in eight games this season to establish a new school record.

• The eight 300+ rushing games surpasses the mark of six that was set in 1950, 1952 and 2008.

• Tulsa has rushed for 305 yards vs. San Jose State, 336 at Fresno State, 315 vs.

SMU, 330 vs. Tulane, 362 at Memphis, 342 vs. East Carolina, 348 at UCF and 306 yards against Cincinnati.

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Tulsa's Bowl Game Appearances (9-11) . . .

Sun Bowl (Jan. 1, 1942) Tulsa 6, Texas Tech 0 Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1, 1943) Tennessee 14, Tulsa 7 Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1, 1944) Georgia Tech 20, Tulsa 18 Orange Bowl (Jan. 1, 1945) Tulsa 26, Georgia Tech 12 Oil Bowl (Jan. 1, 1946) Georgia 20, Tulsa 6 Gator Bowl (Jan. 1, 1953) Florida 14, Tulsa 13 Bluebonnet Bowl (Dec. 19, 1964) Tulsa 14, Mississippi 7 Bluebonnet Bowl (Dec. 18, 1965) Tennessee 27, Tulsa 6 Independence Bowl (Dec. 13, 1976) McNeese State 20, Tulsa 16 Independence Bowl (Dec. 16, 1989) Oregon 27, Tulsa 24 Freedom Bowl (Dec. 30, 1991) Tulsa 28, San Diego State 17 Humanitarian Bowl (Jan. 3, 2004) Georgia Tech 52, Tulsa 10 Liberty Bowl (Dec. 31, 2005) Tulsa 31, Fresno State 24 Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 23, 2006) Utah 25, Tulsa 13 GMAC Bowl (Jan. 6, 2008) Tulsa 63, Bowling Green 7 GMAC Bowl (Jan. 6, 2009) Tulsa 45, Ball State 13 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl (Dec. 24, 2010) Tulsa 62, Hawai'i 35 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 30, 2011) BYU 24, Tulsa 21 AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Dec. 31, 2012) Tulsa 31, Iowa State 17 Camping World Independence (Dec. 26, 2015) Virginia Tech 55, Tulsa 52

2016 Tulsa Football Game Notes • page 4 RELEASE INFORMATION √ Releases are emailed to the media and also available via the official athletic website at www.tulsahurricane.com.

INTERVIEW REQUESTS √ All interview requests for studentathletes, coaches or administrators should be made with the athletic media relations office. Contact Don Tomkalski, director and football contact, at 918-631-3200.

INJURY INFORMATION √ Injury information will not be released.

BROADCASTS ON THE WEB √ Listen to The University of Tulsa football games on the worldwide web at www.tulsahurricane.com.

HURRICANE ON RADIO √ The flagship station for Tulsa football is Big Country 99.5 FM KXBL Radio. Bruce Howard (play-by-play), Rick Couri (color analyst) and Jeremie Poplin (sideline commentary) call the action. Network affiliates are: KXBL Big Country 99.5 FM (flagship,Tulsa) KRIG 104.9 FM (Bartlesville) KWON 1400 AM (Bartlesville) Radio Show only KCRC 1390 (Enid) KOKL 1240 AM (Okmulgee) KTMC 1400 AM (McAlester)

COMEBACK WINS . . .

• Since Philip Montgomery took over as head coach last season, Tulsa has had 7 of 25 games in which the Hurricane has trailed and came back to win . . . in the 2015 season, 11 points against SMU was the biggest deficit that Tulsa came back to win . . . Tulsa also trailed by 10 points vs. FAU in the season opener, and twice against Tulane to come back to win . . . this year, Tulsa had its biggest come-from-behind win in school history and second-biggest in NCAA Division I history, trailing 31-0 at Fresno State in the second quarter and winning 48-41 in overtime.

2015

Largest Deficit

FNL

FAU

21-31 (11:14, 3rd)

W 47-44/OT

@UNM

10-14 (2:42, 1st)

W 40-21

@SMU

3-14 (1:27, 1st)

W 40-31

@TLN

14-24 (3:00, 3rd) 24-34 (7:40, 4th)

W 45-34

2016

Largest Deficit

FNL

@FS

0-31 (10:16, 2nd)

W 48-41/OT

SMU CINCI

3-14 (3:20, 1st) 7-24 (9:56, 2nd)

W 43-40/OT W 40-37/OT

ALL OFFENSE ON CONFERENCE TEAMS . . .

• Tulsa had seven American Athletic Conference all-league selections as voted on by the conference coaches.

• All seven, four first-team and three second-team seelctions were all on the offensive side of the ball.

• For being among the conference and nation's top-15 for scoring, rushing and total offense, Tulsa was rewarded for its offensive production.

• Two running backs, one receiver and four offensive linemen earned allconference accolades.

• First-team selections included WR Keevan Lucas, RB James Flanders, OG Blake Belcher and C Chandler Miller . . . second team merits went to OG Tyler Bowling, OT Evan Plagg and RB D'Angelo Brewer.

40 AND MORE . . .

• Tulsa has scored 40+ points in nine games this year, and has posted an 8-1 record in those games • Tulsa averages 47.0 points in its nine victories this season.

• In the 3 games before losing to Navy – Tulane, Memphis and East Carolina – Tulsa scored 154 points for an average of 51.3 points per game.

• When Tulsa scored a 59-30 win over Memphis, it was the first time Tulsa scored 50+ points in a road game since the 2011 season when the Hurricane claimed a 57-28 win at UTEP. • The Hurricane has three 50+ scoring games on the year, the most since four 50+ scoring games in the 2010 season . . . Tulsa has four 50+ scoring games in the last 13 games, dating back to the 2015 Camping World Independence Bowl when Tulsa scored 52 points.

ONE-TWO IN THE AMERICAN . . .

• Tulsa's dynamic 2-player punch at the running back position with senior James Flanders and junior D'Angelo Brewer and is ranked one-two in the American Athletic Conference.

• Flanders averages 127.4 yards per game, while Brewer has an average of 120.9 yards.

• Flanders has rushed for a new single-season school record of 1,529 yards, 6.3 yards per game and 17 TDs in 12 games, while Brewer has 1,330 rushing yards, seven TDs and a 5.4 average per rush in 11 contests.

• The next two on The American's rushing chart are both quarterbacks – USF's Quinton Flowers (118.8 ypg) and Navy's Will Worth (107.4 ypg).

• The next closet running back in The American for rushing yards is USF's Marlon Mack with a 103.4-yard rushing average per game.

RUSHING DUO ALSO GOES OVER 2,000 CAREER YARDS . . .

• The duo of D'Angelo Brewer and James Flanders has totaled 91.0 percent of Tulsa's rushing total this year with a combined 2,563 yards.

• Both players have surpassed the 2,000-yard career rushing plateau . . . Brewer has 2,295 yards to rank 9th on the school's career rushing list, while Flanders has totaled 2,077 yards to rank 14th on the career chart.

• It is just the third time in school history that a pair of backs each were over 2,000 career yards in the same season –– 1982 Micheal Gunter and Ken Lacy and 2013 with Trey Watts and Ja'Terian Douglas.

• The pair also has 24 of Tulsa's 32 rushing TDs this year, while Flanders leads with 17.

• They have combined for 28 runs over 20 yards and has had eight TD runs of 20 yards or more . . . Flanders has 16 carries of 20+ gains, including six for TDs and five covering over 50 yards . . . Brewer has 12 20+ gains and two having gone for touchdowns.

• Flanders has seven 100+ rushing games this season and Brewer has five.

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2016 Tulsa Football Game Notes • page 5 WHAT A SECOND-HALF OF THE SEASON . . .

• James Flanders has had an outstanding second half of his senior season, rushing for over 1,000 yards in the last six games alone.

• In Tulsa's first six contests, Flanders gained 460 rushing yards and 5 TDs. • In the last six games, Flanders has rushed for 1,069 yards, a 178.2 average per game, and 12 touchdowns.

• Included in his last six games was a career-best 249 yards and a school record 5 TDs against Memphis in his first starting assignment of the year as fellow running back D'Angelo Brewer missed the game with an injury.

• It was the 22nd time in school history that a runner gained 200+ rushing yards, and with 249 yards it was the sixth-best rushing performance in school history.

• Flanders' five rushing touchdowns broke the previous school record of four rushing TDs set by Ron Jackson in the 1991 Freedom Bowl.

• Flanders was named the AAC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.

TULSA GOES OVER 500 EIGHT TIMES . . .

• Tulsa's offense has gained over 500 yards in eight games this year –– San Jose State (512), Fresno State (617), SMU (562), Tulane (566), Memphis (596), East Carolina (616), Navy (576) and Cincinnati (611) –– and 15 times over the last two years.

• Tulsa has reached the 600-yard plateau in three games this year – 617 yards vs.

Fresno State, 616 vs. East Carolina and 611 against Cincinnati.

• Tulsa has now hit the 600-yard mark in six games over the last two years under Philip Montgomery . . . the other 600+ games came last year in the first three games of the season –– 618 vs. FAU, 600 at New Mexico and 603 at Oklahoma.

MORE ON DANE EVANS' CAREER • Dane Evans is the only quarterback in school history to throw for over 3,000 yards in three separate seasons . . . he has 3,044 yards this year • G.J. Kinne (2010, 2011) is the only other quarterback in school history to have at least two 3,000-yard seasons.

• Only 5 Tulsa QBs have ever thrown for more than 3,000 yards, while it has happened 7 times • Evans threw for the season-most in school history last year, becoming only the third QB to throw for over 4,000 yards in a single season with 4,332 yards – Paul Smith is the leader at 5,065 yards in 2007 and David Johnson threw for 4,059 yards in 2008.

• Evans has four 400+ passing games in his career, tying Billy Guy Anderson (1965) for the most in school history.

• Evans' first 400+ game came in the 2014 season opener with 438 yards against Tulane . . . he had three 400+ passing games in 2015, coming against FAU (424), #16 Oklahoma (427) and #17 Memphis (421).

• Billy Guy Anderson quarterbacked Tulsa in 1965 and had 400+ passing games of 502, 477, 477 and 451 yards in just that one season.

• Evans is also tied for the most career 300+ passing games with 15, including nine in 2015 and three this season . . . he is tied with Paul Smith (2003-07) for the most 300-yard passing games in school history.

EVANS ON TULSA CAREER LISTS . . .

List Passing Yards Total Offense Yards Completions Attempts TD Passes 400+ Passing Games 300+ Passing Games

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Rank 1st 2nd 1st 1st 3rd T1st T1st

|

Total 11,376 11,426 876 1,529 79 4 15

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Previous All-Time Leader Paul Smith (2003-07), 10,936 Paul Smith (2003-07), 11,602 Paul Smith (2003-07), 808 T.J. Rubley (1987-91), 1,336 Paul Smith (2003-07), 83 Billy Guy Anderson (1965), 4 Paul Smith (2003-07), 15

Needs n/a 176 n/a n/a 4 n/a n/a

DI Head Coaches as Offensive Coordinators • • • • • • •

David Beaty (Kansas) Paul Johnson (Georgia Tech) Mike Leach (Washington State) Doug Martin (NM State) Philip Montgomery (Tulsa) Mark Whipple (UMass) Jeff Brohm (WKU), has OCs, but calls plays

2016 Watch Lists

Josh Atkinson • Biletnikoff Award • Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Dane Evans • Davey O'Brien Award • Manning Award • College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) Performer of the Year • Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award • Wuerffel Trophy • Senior CLASS Award Keevan Lucas • Biletnikoff Award • Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Chandler Miller • Rimington Award Dalton Parks • Ray Guy Award Kolton Shindelar • SB Nation Piesman Award

TULSA IS SMALLEST FBS SCHOOL . . .

Rk School 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Undergrad Enrollment Tulsa 3,473 Rice 3,926 Air Force 3,952 Navy 4,400 Army 4,414 Wake Forest 4,867

Back-to-Back NCAA National Leaders in Total Offense . . .

School –– Consecutive Years Tulsa ––1951, 1952 Oklahoma –– 1955, 1956 Tulsa –– 1964, 1965 Houston –– 1966, 1967, 1968 Arizona State –– 1972, 1973 BYU –– 1979, 1980 BYU ––1983, 1984, 1985 Houston –– 1989, 1990 Nevada –– 1995, 1996 Tulsa –– 2007, 2008 Baylor –– 2013, 2014, 2015

2016 Tulsa Football Game Notes • page 6 LUCAS 165 YARDS SHY OF TYING RECEIVING MARK . . .

• Senior receiver Keevan Lucas is now ranked 3rd on the school's all-time receiving chart.

• Lucas now has career numbers of 233 receptions for 3,178 yards and 29 TDs. • He has accomplished this number despite missing 9 games in the 2015 season after suffering a season-ending injury in the fourth game . . . he has played in 40 career games.

• Lucas trails Dan Bitson (1987-89, '91) by 122 yards for second place (3,300) and Howard Twilley (1963-65) by 165 yards for the career record (3,343).

• He has gone over 100 receiving yards in five games this year . . . in fact, he surpassed 100 yards in the first half of three of those contests.

• Lucas began the year with 112 yards on 6 catches vs. San Jose State . . . he had 4 receptions for 119 yards and 3 TDs vs. NC A&T . . . in both of those games, all of his receptions and yardage came in the first half.

• Lucas now has 11 career 100-yard receiving games.

• This year Lucas has 1,108 receiving yards to rank in 14th place on the school's single-season receiving chart . . . he also has totaled 12 touchdowns, a 15.0-yard average per catch and 92.3 yards per game on 74 receptions.

LUCAS ON THE TULSA CAREER LISTS . . .

List Receiving Yards Receiving TDs

Rank 3rd T3rd

Total 3,178 29

Receptions 100-Yd Receiving Games

2nd 5th

233 11

All-Time Leader Howard Twilley (1963-65), 3,343 Steve Largent (1973-75), 32 Howard Twilley (1963-65), 32 Howard Twilley (1963-65), 261 Dan Bitson (1987-89, '91), 17

Needs 165 3 28 6

FLIRTING WITH AN NCAA FIRST . . .

• Tulsa already has two 1,000-yard rushers on the year (James Flanders and D'Angelo Brewer), a 3,000-yard passer (Dane Evans) and one 1,000-yard receiver (Keevan Lucas).

• The Hurricane is flirting with the possibility of becoming the first team in NCAA history with a 3,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard rushers and two 2,000-yard receivers . . . Josh Atkinson is 73 yards shy of becoming Tulsa's second 1,000-yard receiver.

• Only three previous times in NCAA DI/FBS football has there been a team with one 3,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard rushers and one 1,000-yard receiver.

• There is no NCAA DI/FBS team that has had two 1,000-yard receivers to go along with two 1,000-yard rushers and one 3,000-yard passer in a season.

• Here's a look: ONLY TEAMS WITH . . .

One 3,000-Yard Passer, Two 1,000-Yard Rushers, One 1,000-yard Receiver: Year School Passer 2005 Southern Cal Matt Leinart (3,815)

Rushers Reggie Bush (1,740) LenDale White (1,302) 2008 Oklahoma Sam Bradford (4,720) Chris Brown (1,220) DeMarco Murray (1,002) 2015 Southern Miss Nick Mullens (4,476) Ito Smith (1,128) Jalen Richard (1,098) 2015 Indiana Nate Sudfeld (3,573) Jordan Howard (1,213) Devine Redding (1,012)

THE POSSIBILITY . . .

2016 Tulsa

• •

Dane Evans (3,044)

Receiver Dwayne Jarrett (1,274) Juaquin Iglesias (1,150)

Michael Thomas (1,391) Simmie Cobbs (1,035)

James Flanders (1,529) Keevan Lucas (1,108) D’Angelo Brewer (1,330) Josh Atkinson (927)

Dane Evans and Keevan Lucas surpassed the 3,000 passing and 1,000 receiving plateaus, respectively, in the Cincinnati game . . . Evans needed 261 yards and Lucas needed 12 receiving yards entering that game.

Josh Atkinson entered the Cincinnati game needing 169 yards for his second straight 1,000-yard receiving season, and now is 73 yards short.

The School . . . ∆ Tulsa has an 11:1 studentfaculty ratio ∆ The average class size is 23 ∆ Tulsa is ranked 88th in U.S. News and World Report in its' Best Colleges 2015 ∆ 1 in 10 is the ratio of National Merit Scholars in the undergraduate student body, and is also the ratio of student-athletes among the student population ∆ 29 is the average ACT score of incoming freshmen ∆ 1,019,940 is the amount of square feet added to the campus in the last decade ∆ Tulsa has 271 Presdential Scholars ∆ 75 percent of Tulsa students graduated in the top-10 percent of their high school class (based on 2015 freshman class) The Program . . . ∆ Tulsa was the first school to appear in five straight New Years Day bowl games ∆ Tulsa has made 20 bowl game appearances ∆ TU has won 36 conference championships ∆ Tulsa has had 39 playes earn 1st, 2nd or 3rd-team All-America honors ∆ The Golden Hurricane has produced three NFL Hall of Famers, the most among Oklahoma schools (Jim Finks, Bob St. Clair, Steve Largent) ∆ TU has the most former football players (4) to serve as head coaches in the NFL among Oklahoma colleges ∆ Tulsa has two Heisman Trophy runners-up – Jerry Rhome (1964) and Howard Twilley (1965) ∆ Tulsa won a school record 11 games in 2008 and 2012 ∆ Paul Smith won the 2007 Wuerffel Trophy, while Wilson Holloway won the FedEx Orange BowlFWAA Courage Award in 2008

The TULSA Key: We are . . . The University of Tulsa, not Tulsa University We are . . . TU, not UT We are . . . the Golden Hurricane, not Hurricanes (No "s")

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2016 Tulsa Football Game Notes • page 7 DANE EVANS NAMED TO ALLSTATE AFCA GOOD WORKS TEAM® . . .

• Senior QB Dane Evans was named one of 24 players to the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, one of the most coveted off-the-field honors in college football.

• The Good Works Team® award is celebrating 25 years of recognizing college football players who dedicate their time to bettering their communities.

• Evans has volunteered for Feed My Starving Children, tornado Team Relief, Youth Day Camps, FCA events, St. Francis Children’s Hospital visits and elementary school reading and activities.

• He was also one of 30 candidates to the FBS Football Senior CLASS Award, an award given to one student-athlete exemplifying notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

• The 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® will be honored at this years Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, La. DEFENSE COMES UP BIG . . .

• Tulsa's defense came up big recently against some of the American Athletic Conference's top offenses –– Memphis, East Carolina and Navy.

• The Tulsa defense forced Navy to punt for the first time in their last 13 possessions.

• Against Memphis, Tulsa forced four turnovers, and three of those takeaways amounted to 21 points for the Hurricane.

• Tulsa's defense had eight TFLs, three QB sacks, six pass breakups, five QB hurries, while adding four takeaways –– two fumble recoveries and two INTs vs.

Memphis.

• A week later against East Carolina, Tulsa did not force any turnovers, but the Hurricane had a season-best seven sacks en route to a total of nine TFLs, and also added five pass break-ups . . . the sack total was the most since garnering seven sacks vs. UTEP in 2013.

• In the last five games, Tulsa has totaled 37 TFLs,14 QB sacks, 20 pass breakups and 15 QB hurries.

THE EVANS-LUCAS CONNECTS FOR 28 TDs . . .

• The passing combination of senior quarterback Dane Evans to senior receiver Keevan Lucas has connected 28 times for a touchdown in their careers.

• All but one of Lucas' 29 career touchdown receptions have come from Evans . . .

Lucas' first career TD, 24 yards, as a true freshman in 2013 came from Cody Green.

• In the last three seasons, Lucas has 20 receptions from Evans of 40+ yards, and 13 of those have gone for TDs. • Ten of Lucas' receptions this year from Evans have gone for 40+ yards and six have gone for touchdowns.

• In the third game this season against North Carolina A&T, Evans and Lucas hooked up for a touchdown for the first time in nearly a year.

• Evans threw three TDs to Lucas in that NC A&T on Sept. 17, 2016, while the last time the two hooked up on a TD was Sept. 19, 2015 at Oklahoma (Lucas missed the final nine games in 2015 with an injury).

ATKINSON MOVES INTO TOP-10 FOR RECEIVING . . .

• Not only Keevan Lucas is moving up the school's receiving chart, but fellow senior Josh Atkinson is doing the same.

• He now has 2,523 career receiving yards to rank ninth on the school's all-time list . . . he also has 13 career touchdowns.

• Atkinson went over 2,000 career receiving yards in the Tulane game.

• It is now only the second time in school history that the Tulsa roster has had two 2,000-yard receivers on the field at the same time – Atkinson and Lucas.

• In 2010, Charles Clay, Trae Johnson and Damaris Johnson were all over 2,000 career receiving yards.

• Atkinson has five 100-yard receiving games this year and 11 for his career.

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CAREER PASSING LEADERS No. 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Player (Years) DANE EVANS (2013-present) Paul Smith (2003-07) G.J. Kinne (2009-11) T.J. Rubley (1987-91) John Fitzgerald (1994-98) Gus Frerotte (1990-93) Josh Blankenship (1999-01) James Kilian (2001-04) Jerry Rhome (1963-64) David Johnson (2005-08)

CAREER PASSING TD LEADERS No. 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

T9.

T9.

Player (Years) Paul Smith (2003-07) G.J. Kinne (2009-11) DANE EVANS (2013-present) T.J. Rubley (1987-91) David Johnson (2005-08) Jerry Rhome (1963-64) James Kilian (2001-04) Jeb Blount (1972-75) Gus Frerotte (1990-93) Ronnie Morris (1950-52)

CAREER TOTAL OFFENSE LEADERS No. 1.

2.

3.

4.

5..

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

Player (Years) Paul Smith (2003-07) DANE EVANS (2013-present) G.J. Kinne (2009-11) T.J. Rubley (1987-91) John Fitzgerald (1994-98) James Kilian (2001-04) Gus Frerotte (1990-93) Steve Gage (1983-86) Josh Blankenship (1999-01) Jerry Rhome (1963-64) David Johnson (2005-08)

CAREER RUSHING LEADERS No. 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

Player (Years) Tarrion Adams (2005-08) Micheal Gunter (1980-83) Trey Watts (2010-13) Eric Richardson (2000-03) Howard Waugh (1950-52) Solomon White (1993-96) Ja'Terian Douglas (2010-13) Uril Parrish (2002-05) D'ANGELO BREWER (2014-present) Ken Lacy (1979-82) Gordon Brown (1984-85) Brett Adams (1987-90) Steve Gage (1983-86) JAMES FLANDERS (2013-present)

CAREER SCORING LEADERS No. 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

Player (Years) Kevin Fitzpatrick (2008-11) Jarod Tracy (2004-08) Jason Staurovsky (1981, '83-85) Brad DeVault (2002-05) Stu Crum (1978-82) Alex Singleton (2009-12) Howard Twilley (1963-65) David Fuess (1986-89) James Anderson (1993-97) Tarrion Adams (2005-08) Charles Clay (2007-10)

CAREER RECEIVING LEADERS No. 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

Player (Pos, Years) Howard Twilley, WR (1963-65) Dan Bitson, WR (1987-89, '91) KEEVAN LUCAS (2013-present) Keyarris Garrett (2011-15) Damon Savage, WR (1996-99) Damaris Johnson, WR (2008-10) Wes Caswell, WR (1993-98) Charles Clay, H-B (2007-10) JOSH ATKINSON, WR (2013-pres.)

Donald Shoals, WR (1999-01) Garrett Mills, TE (2002-05) Steve Largent, WR (1973-75) Trae Johnson, WR (2007-10) Chris Penn, WR (1991, '93) Brennan Marion, WR (2007-08)

Yds 11,376 10,936 9,472 9,324 5,822 5,480 5,273 4,865 4,779 4,531 TDs 83 81 79 73 48 42 36 35 32 32 Yds 11,602 11,426 10,831 9,080 6,258 5,948 5,563 5,450 5,267 5,104 4,763 Yards 3,651 3,536 3,515 2,645 2,597 2,553 2,528 2,465 2,295 2,272 2,196 2,121 2,096 2,077 Pts 299 286 281 280 266 264 259 250 248 234 230 Yds 3,343 3,300 3,178 3,072 2,952 2,746 2,562 2,544 2,523 2,441 2,389 2,385 2,372 2,370 2,356

2016 Tulsa Football Game Notes • page 8 MORE PLAYER MILESTONES . . .

• Senior linebacker Trent Martin went over the 300-tackle mark for his career at Navy . . . his 328 tackles now ranks 13th on the school's all-time tackles chart.

• Senior punter Dalton Parks holds the school records for punts (264) and punt yardage (10,862) . . . he set the punt record vs. SMU and the yardage mark at Houston a week later.

• Sophomore receiver Justin Hobbs went over the 1,000-yard career receiving mark in the East Carolina Game . . . he now has 1,208 career yards.

• Junior placekicker Redford Jones has 226 career points, making him eight points shy of the school's top-10 list.

• Senior linebacker Matt Linscott reached the 200 career tackle mark with six stops at UCF, and now has 204 career stops.

• Junior linebacker Craig Suits had nine stops against Cincinnati to give him an even 200 career tackles.

• Junior KO returner Bishop Louie reached the 1,000-yard career mark for kickoff return yards against Cincinnati, and now has 1,009 yards on 49 career returns.

BREWER RUSHES FOR 1,000 AND 2,000 YARDS . . .

• Junior running back D'Angelo Brewer went over both the 1,000 single-season rushing mark and the 2,000 career rushing mark in the Navy contest.

• Brewer has now rushed for 1,330 yards and a 120.9 average per game this year, despite missing three quarters at Houston and the second half against Tulane, and did not play at Memphis due to injury.

• Brewer now has 2,295 career yards on 448 carries for a 5.1 average per carry.

• Brewer exploded for a career-best 252 rushing yards against Fresno State as he tied a school record with 46 rushing attempts on Sept. 24.

• Brewer's 252 yards is the fourth-most in school history and it marked the 21st time that a Tulsa player has gained 200+ rushing yards . . . his 46 attempts tied the school record set by Ron Jackson in the 1991 Freedom Bowl when he gained 211 yards against San Diego State.

• Brewer now has eight 100+ rushing games in his career –– 2015 –– New Mexico (133), SMU (119) and Virginia Tech (105); 2016 –– San Jose State (164), Fresno State (252), SMU (182), East Carolina (180) and UCF (167).

BRUBAKER COMING UP BIG . . .

• Junior Jesse Brubaker spent his first three years, including a red-shirt season, at the defensive tackle position . . . in the spring, Brubaker moved from tackle to defensive end, and has enjoyed a productive season.

• This season, he has totaled 54 tackles, a team-high 12.5 TFLs for -53 yards, and shares the team-lead with 4.5 sacks for -42 yards.

• Brubaker has also turned in one interception for a 24-yard TD, one pass breakup, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

• In the last five games, Brubaker has totaled 25 tackles, 5.5 TFLs for -38 yards, including 3 sacks for -34 yards.

CAREER TOUCHDOWN LEADERS

No. 1.

2.

3.

T4.

T4.

T4.

T4.

T8.

T8.

T8.

Player (Years) Alex Singleton (2009-12) Tarrion Adams (2005-08) Charles Clay (2007-10) Steve Largent (1973-75) Howard Twilley (1963-65) Micheal Gunter (1980-83) Steve Gage (1983-86) Keevan Lucas (2013-present) Damaris Johnson (2008-10) Dan Bitson (1987-89, '91)

CAREER TD RECEPTION LEADERS No. T1.

T1.

T3.

T3.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Player (Years) Steve Largent (1973-75) Howard Twilley (1963-65) KEEVAN LUCAS (2013-present) Dan Bitson (1987-89, '91) Charles Clay (2007-10) Trae Johnson (2007-10) Garrett Mills (2002-05) Keyarris Garrett (2011-present)

CAREER TD RUSHING LEADERS No. 1.

T2.

T2.

Player (Years) Alex Singleton (2009-12) Tarrion Adams (2005-08) Micheal Gunter (1980-83)

CAREER TACKLE LEADERS No. 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

T11.

T11.

12.

14.

15.

16.

17.

Player (Years) Nelson Coleman (2003-07) Michael Mudoh (2012-15) Shawn Jackson (2010-13) Michael White (1987, '89-91) Robert Tennon (1976, '78-80) Lovie Smith (1976-79) Curnelius Arnick (2008-11) Chris Chamberlain (2004-07) Don Blackmon (1976, '78-80) Ashon Farley (1997-00) TRENT MARTIN (2012-present) Muadianvita Kazadi (1993-96) Nick Bunting (2003-06) Dennis Byrd (1985-88) Dexter McCoil (2009-12) Levi Gillen (1994-97) DeAundre Brown (2008-12)

CAREER INTERCEPTION LEADERS No. 1.

T2.

T2.

Player (Years) Dexter McCoil (2009-12) Jeff Jordan (1962-64) Nate Harris (1980-84)

TDs 44 39 38 32 32 32 32 29 29 29 TDs 32 32 29 29 28 27 23 21 TDs 43 32 32 Tackles 413 406 401 389 388 367 356 352 336 331 328 328 327 321 316 311 308 INT 18 13 13

MARTIN LEADING TULSA DEFENSE . . .

• Senior Trent Martin has a team-high 94 tackles, while adding 6.5 TFLs for -15 yards, five pass breakups and two interceptions.

• He was Tulsa's leading tackler in the opener vs. San Jose State with 11 tackles, while adding 1.5 TFLs for -6 yards and one pass break-up that led to a pick-off for a TD, thus earning The American Defensive Player of the Week award.

• Until last year, linebacker Trent Martin had not played an entire season due to injuries plaguing his career.

• Martin played in all 13 games in 2015 . . . the most he had played before that was nine in both 2012 and 2014 . . . he received a medical hardship in 2013, playing in only four games.

• Martin now has 328 career tackles to lead any current Hurricane defender, and is ranked 13th on the school's all-time tackles list.

• Martin has 11 career double-figure tackle games, including five this year . . . he had a season-high 13 tackles at Houston.

• This year, Martin also had double-digit tackles against East Carolina, Navy and Cincinnati, collecting 10 stops in each game.

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2016 Tulsa Football Game Notes • page 9 LINSCOTT GETS NEW LEASE ON FOOTBALL AT THE LINEBACKER POSITION . . .

• Matt Linscott came to Tulsa in 2012 as a walk-on from nearby prep powerhouse Jenks High School.

• In 2013, he played in 11 games on special teams and in 2014 was a back-up safety and special teams performer.

• Linscott was put on scholarship prior to the 2014 season . . . during that year, he had 13 tackles, forced one fumble and had one fumble recovery in 12 games.

• With the arrival of the new coaching staff in the spring of 2015, Linscott was switched from safety to linebacker.

• Linscott has held the starting position since the start of the 2015 campaign.

• He totaled 107 tackles to rank second on the team in 2015, and led Tulsa with 16 TFLs and five QB sacks.

• With his 16 TFLs, Linscott was six shy from tying the single-season school record of 22 TFLs, set by Alain Karatepeyan (2007).

• He now has 7 career double-digit tackle games, including 5 last year with 10 vs.

FAU, 11 vs. New Mexico, 13 at Oklahoma, 12 at Cincinnati and 11 vs. Virginia Tech . . . he has two this year with 12 vs. SMU and 10 at Houston.

• Linscott now has 204 career tackles.

• Linscott has totaled 74 tackles with 11 TFLs for -58 yards, three PBUs, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery this year.

• He had a career-high 4 TFLs for -13 yards against UCF this season. #MCKINLEYWHITFIELDDOINGMCKINLEYWHITFIELD . . .

• Sophomore safety McKinley Whitfield has made some big defensive plays for the Hurricane this year.

• In the opener against San Jose State, Whitfield recovered a fumble on an attempted punt return in the end zone for a touchdown putting Tulsa ahead 38-7 in the second quarter.

• Against NC A&T, Whitfield blocked two punts . . . the first gave Tulsa the ball at the NC A&T one-yard line, the second put Tulsa at the NC A&T 27-yard line • In between those blocks, Whitfield also had an interception that put Tulsa on their own 49-yard line against NC A&T. • His blocked punts and interception led to 21 Tulsa points against NC A&T. • Against Tulane, Whitfield intercepted a two-point conversion attempt in the end zone and returned it 100+ yards for two points and a 40-20 Tulsa lead.

GRADUATES ON THE TULSA ROSTER . . .

• Tulsa has 12 student-athletes on its roster that entered the season having already graduated with their bachelor’s degrees from The University of Tulsa.

• The offensive players already with their bachelor's degree includes: Josh Atkinson (WR), Blake Belcher (OL), Dane Evans (QB), Rod Riederer (TE).

• Defensive players who have their degrees are: Jeremy Brady (DB), Hayden Carman (DT), Matt Hickman (LB), Matt Linscott (LB), Trent Martin (LB), Conner Sherwood (LB), Craig Suits (LB) and Jerry Uwaezuoke (DT).

• In addition, graduate transfer running back Raymond Taylor, earned his bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State before transferring this season to Tulsa.

COMING UP SHORT AT NAVY . . .

• It was the battle of first-place in the American Athletic Conference West Division as Tulsa visited Navy on Nov. 12 . . . both teams entered with 4-1 league marks.

• It was a high-scoring affair that saw 82 points scored and a combined 1,077 yards between the two teams.

• Navy had a 37:25 to 22:35 advantage in time of possession.

• Tulsa had 576 total yards, including 369 through the air and 207 on the ground.

• The two teams combined to be 7-of-7 in the red zone, including Tulsa at 3-of-3 and Navy 4-of-4.

• Tulsa was 3-of-3 on 4th down conversions, with the three conversions covering 2, 17 and 44 yards.

• The game came down to the last two minutes, as it appeared that a Tulsa defensive stop, ball strip and recovery on 4th down would give the Hurricane the ball near midfield, but the play was ruled a Navy first down.

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SINGLE-SEASON RECEIVING LEADERS No. 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

Player (Pos, Year) Howard Twilley, WR (1965) Chris Penn, WR (1993) Keyarris Garrett, WR (2015) Dan Bitson, WR (1989) KEEVAN LUCAS, WR (2014) Brennan Marion (2007) Garrett Mills, TE (2005) Donald Shoals, WR (2000) Howard Twilley, WR (1964) Rick Eber, WR (1967) Dan Bitson, WR (1988) Damaris Johnson, WR (2009) Brennan Marion, WR (2008) KEEVAN LUCAS, WR (2016) Trae Johnson, WR (2007) Damon Savage, WR (1997) Charles Clay, HB (2007)

Yds 1,779 1,578 1,451 1,425 1,249 1,244 1,235 1,195 1,178 1,168 1,138 1,131 1,112 1,108 1,088 1,084 1,024

SINGLE-SEASON PASSING LEADERS No. 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

Player (Year) Paul Smith (2007) DANE EVANS (2015) David Johnson (2008) G.J. Kinne (2010) Billy Guy Anderson (1965) DANE EVANS (2014) G.J. Kinne (2011) DANE EVANS (2016) Gus Frerotte (1993) Jerry Rhome (1964) Paul Smith (2005) G.J. Kinne (2009) Paul Smith (2006) Josh Blankenship (2000)

Yds 5,065 4,332 4,059 3,650 3,464 3,102 3,090 3,044 2,871 2,870 2,847 2,732 2,727 2,507

SINGLE-SEASON RUSHING LEADERS No. 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

Player (Year) JAMES FLANDERS (2016) Tarrion Adams (2008) Micheal Gunter (1982) Howard Waugh (1952) D'ANGELO BREWER (2016) Trey Watts (2013) Chris Hughley (1991) Tarrion Adams (2007) Gordon Brown (1985) Micheal Gunter (1983) Howard Waugh (1951) Trey Watts (2013) Ken Lacy (1982) Brett Adams (1989)

Yds 1,529 1,523 1,464 1,372 1,330 1,329 1,326 1,225 1,201 1,198 1,118 1,108 1,097 1,071

SINGLE-SEASON TD RUSH LEADERS No. 1.

2.

T3.

T3.

T5.

T5.

T5.

T8.

T8.

Player (Year) Alex Singleton (2012) Zack Langer (2015) JAMES FLANDERS (2016) Steve Gage (1985) Tarrion Adams (2008) Courtney Tennial (2006) Micheal Gunter (1983) Eric Richardson (2003) Ken Lacy (1982)

TDs 25 18 17 17 14 14 14 12 12

YOUNGEST ASSISTANT COACHES . . .

Rk Name Age 1. Sean Duggan, Hawaii, LB 22 2. Patrick Toney, UTSA, S 26 Brett Ekkens, Akron, OL 26 4. Derrius Bell, UTEP, CB 27 Chris Marve, Vanderbilt, LB 27 Bryan Ellis, WKU, WR 27 Ryan Pugh, UTSA, OL 27 Kodi Burns, Auburn, WR 27 9. Bart Miller, Minnesota, OL 30 Mike Bloesch, Tulsa, OL 30

2016 Tulsa Football Game Notes • page 10 TULSA PUTS UP NUMBERS AGAINST TULANE . . .

• Tulane came into its game with Tulsa on Oct. 22 holding the opposition to 22.0 points, 141.8 rushing yards and 324.0 total yards.

• Tulsa came on top against Tulane 50-27, while gaining 330 yards rushing and 566 total yards . . . Tulsa scored 28 more points, rushed for 188.2 more yards and gained 242 more total yards against the Green Wave.

• Before the Tulsa game, the most rushing yards Tulane had previously allowed was 287 by Navy, total offensive yards was 399 by Memphis and points was 39

by Louisiana-Lafayette.

FIRST HALF DEFENSE . . .

• The Tulsa defense has held four opposing offenses to single digit points in the first half – San Jose State (7), Ohio State (6), North Carolina A&T (0) and Tulane (7) – in the first half.

• Against Ohio State 14 of the Buckeyes' 20 points came off of interception returns.

• Tulsa's defense forced the opponent in those four games to 20 three-and-outs –– San Jose State (4), Ohio State (3), NC A&T (7) and Tulane (6).

• Tulsa held these opponents each to under 200 first-half yards –– San Jose State (166) with a 38-7 lead, Ohio State (158), NC A&T (123) with a 48-0 lead, and Tulane (113) with a 31-7 lead.

DOUBLE DUOS . . .

• This year Tulsa has had two 100-yard rushers and two 100-yard receivers in not only one game but two consecutive contests.

• Against Fresno State, D'Angelo Brewer rushed for 252 yards and James Flanders had 101 rushing yards, while Keevan Lucas had 111 and Josh Atkinson had 107 yards receiving.

• A game later against SMU, Brewer had 182 yards and Flanders 132 yards rushing, as Atkinson had 115 and Lucas totaled 113 receiving yards.

• The last time Tulsa had back-to-back games with 100+ rushers was in 1985 when Steve Gage and Gordon Brown had 131 and 141 yards, respectively, vs.

West Texas State and a week later had 214 and 206 yards vs. Wichita State.

FIRST TIME . . .

• Against Houston, there were a few firsts for Tulsa players.

• Senior guard Alex Pagonis made his first career start in his 19th career game, starting at right guard in place of Blake Belcher.

• Junior Zach Uhles started his second career game, but it was his first at tackle, starting in place of Willie Wright . . . his other start came at center in 2014.

• Red-shirt freshman Reggie Robinson received his first start vs. Houston at cornerback, and totaled 4 stops and one fumble recovery.

• True freshman receiver Keenen Johnson saw his first career playing time and had 8 catches for 94 yards at Houston.

• True freshman running back Corey Taylor II made his first collegiate appearance in the second quarter at Houston, and on his first career play ran for a 2-yard TD. MORE FIRSTS . . .

• A week later against Tulane, true freshman linebacker Cooper Edmiston and sophomore safety McKinley Whitfield received their first career starts.

• The duo was also one-two in tackles for the Hurricane . . . Edmiston had a team-high nine stops and Whitfield was next with eight tackles.

• Edmiston had played in six games before his first career start and Whitfield had played in 19 games before making his first career start.

• True freshman Keenen Johnson received his first career start at Memphis in just his third career game . . . he did not play in the first five games this season.

• Junior Kolton Shindelar received his first career start at Navy.

• Sophomore defensive tackle Myles Mouton started his first career game vs. UCF.

WHY GOLDEN HURRICANE?

Enter the name Howard Acher as the Tulsa head coach in 1922. When he took over the position, Acher saw great potential in his team and wanted to publicize it by creating a new identity with a new nickname. Sports writers and others had called the school by any number of names from the Presbyterians to the Orange and Black, to the Kendallites.

After an opening day win against a strong Texas Christian University team in 1922, Acher put his mind to work. The press had claimed that the Kendall football team blew through its opponents like a tornado. So, it figured that Tornadoes, would be the nickname with “golden” added to identify the color of the uniforms. However, it was later found that Georgia Tech had claimed that name, so from tornado it was evolved meteorologically to a hurricane.

Thus the squad voted, and the name “Golden Hurricane” became the new team moniker with the gold added because of the jersey color.

TU lived up to its nickname as the Golden Hurricane blew through the Texas A&M defense in the next game with pass after pass from quarterback Rex Thomas. TU won its first game as the Golden Hurricane by a score of 13-10.

TULSA IN OVERTIME (9-5) . . .

Year 2004 2004 2005 2006 2006 2009 2012 2013 2014 2014 2015 2016 2016 2016

Opponent @ Nevada @ SMU MEMPHIS @ Navy RICE MEMPHIS UCF* RICE TULANE TEXAS STATE FAU @ Fresno State SMU CINCINNATI

W/L L L W W L W W L W L W W W W

Score 48-54 35-41 37-31 24-23 38-41 33-30 33-27 27-30 38-31 34-37 47-44 48-41 43-40 40-37

OTs 3 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 3 1 2 1 1

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE Johnell Celistan –– John-L SELL-ih-stan Keanu Hill –– Key - ah - new Keevan Lucas –– KEE - ven Alex Pagonis –– Pon - GO - nis Rob Riederer –– Reader Zac Uhles – Yules (rhymes with rules) Jerry Uwaezuoke –– You – wez - okay Brodrick Umblance –– Um – blance

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2016 Tulsa Football Game Notes • page 11 SPECIAL TEAMS HAVE SPECIAL MOMENTS . . .

• The Tulsa special teams have been opportunistic this year.

• McKinley Whitfield has blocked two punts, both against NC A&T, that led to the offense scoring touchdowns (12 points) on both occasions.

• Whitfield scored six points on a fumble recovery in the end zone on a punt vs. San Jose.

• Against Tulane, a muffed punt was recovered by Sam Gottsch at the Tulsa six-yard line . . . Tulsa went on to score a TD off the turnover.

• Also against Tulane, Reggie Robinson blocked a field goal attempt right before the end of the first half.

• Senior defensive tackle Jerry Uwaezuoke had a blocked PAT at UCF. OH SO CLOSE AGAINST #12 HOUSTON . . .

• Coming off of back-to-back comeback victories against Fresno State and SMU, Tulsa almost had a third at #12 Houston.

• Tulsa trailed by 14 twice against Houston, 17-3 and 31-17, and both times came back to tie the game . . . there was only 2:42 taken off the clock between scores to tie the game at 17-17 and only 3:32 off the clock in scoring 14 points to knot the game at 31-31.

• Trailing 38-31, Tulsa took possession with 1:21 remaining, and traveled to the one-yard line, but failed to reach the end zone on 2nd-and-goal from the two.

TULSA GOES TO OT IN BACK-TO-BACK GAMES, AND ANOTHER . . .

• Tulsa went to overtime in back-to-back games this year at Fresno State and a game later, after an open week, against SMU. • Tulsa also went to overtime against Cincinnati in the regular season finale.

• Tulsa won all three games, improving its career overtime record to 9-5.

• Tulsa won the coin toss in all three games and elected to play defense first.

• In the first two games, it was quarterback Dane Evans that scored the game-winning touchdowns, rushing 18 yards at Fresno State in the second overtime and 14 yards against SMU in the first overtime period.

• The TD runs by Evans in overtime were his first two touchdown runs of the season.

• Against Cincinnati, James Flanders ran the final four yards for the Tulsa victory.

BIGGEST COMEBACK WIN IN SCHOOL HISTORY . . .

• In Tulsa's fourth game, the Hurricane trailed Fresno State 31-0 with 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter and came back for the school's largest comeback victory in school history for a 48-41 win in double overtime.

• Tulsa made the score 31-21 at halftime, and took its first lead at 35-34 with 13:38 remaining in the fourth quarter.

• Fresno State recaptured the lead 41-38 at the 5:02 mark, while Redford Jones' 28-yard field goal at the 1:09 mark tied the score at 41-41.

• In overtime, Tulsa's defense had a takeaway on FS' first possession, but Tulsa missed a field goal . . . on the second possession Dane Evans ran in from 18 yards to give Tulsa a 48-41 lead after the PAT. • Tulsa's defense held Fresno State on four downs to grab the road win.

• In Tulsa football history, the previous biggest comeback win was a 20-point comeback in the final seven minutes vs. Oklahoma State on Sept. 9, 1995 as Tulsa trailed 23-3.

• Tulsa also had a 20-point comeback victory over #7-ranked Arkansas on Sept. 25, 1971, when Tulsa trailed 20-0 and came back for a 21-20 win in Fayetteville, Ark. WHERE DOES IT RANK NATIONALLY . . .

• Tulsa's 31-point comeback against Fresno State ties for the second biggest come-from-behind victory in Division I football history.

Deficit 35 31 31 31 31 38

Teams/Situation Michigan State def. Northwestern 41-38 in 2006 (trailed 38-3, 9:54, 3rd Qtr) Tulsa def. Fresno State 48-41 (2OT) (trailed 31-0, 10:16, 2nd Qtr) TCU def. Oregon 47-41 (3OT) in 2016 Alamo Bowl (trailed 31-0 at halftime) Texas Tech def. Minnesota 44-41 (OT) in 2006 Insight Bowl (trailed 38-7, 7:47, 3rd Qtr) Maryland def. Miami 42-40 in 1984 (trailed 31-0 at halftime)

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By The Numbers . . .

5 James Flanders' 5 rushing TDs vs. Memphis is a school record, ties Keenan Reynolds (2015, Navy) for an American Athletic Conference record and is tied for the secondmost this year in the NCAA behind Arizona State's Kalen Ballage's 7 vs.

Texas Tech.

10 Keevan Luas has 10 catches for 40+ yards this season, to rank 5th in the NCAA for the most receptions of 40 yards or more.

10 Tulsa has 10 offensive scoring drives under one minute this year . . . the Hurricane has a total of 34 drives under 2 minutes.

15 Under Philip Montgomery, Tulsa has gone over 500 yards of total offense in 15 of 25 games the last two seasons, while 6 of those games Tulsa has gained over 600 yards.

29 Keevan Lucas now has 29 career TD receptions, which ranks in 3rd place on the school's career TD receptions list . . . Howard Twilley (1963-65) and Steve Largent (197375) share the record with 32.

33 In the last two seasons, Dane Evans has thrown 33 passes for over 40+ yards . . . only Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes has more (38).

84 12 takeaways by Tulsa's defense has led to 84 points, including 21 against San Jose State (2 fumbles/1 INT), 14 points vs. NC A&T (2 INTs), 7 points at Houston (1 fumble), 7 points vs. Tulane (1 fumble), 21 points vs. Memphis (2 fumbles/1INT) and 14 points at UCF (2 fumbles).

129 Dane Evans has thrown 129 passes that has covered 20+ yards in his career and 43 of those have gone for TDs. 117 This is the 117th season of Tulsa football. The first year Tulsa began playing football was 1895.

There were five years between 1903 and 1911 that Tulsa did not field a football team.

617 The number of wins the Tulsa football program has won since beginning to play the sport in 1895.

Tulsa now has a 617-484-27 record in school history.

2016 Tulsa Football Game Notes • page 12 DEFENSIVE TAKEAWAYS . . .

• Tulsa has forced the opponents into 18 turnovers (11 fumbles/7 INTS) • Tulsa has scored 84 points off of turnovers, including 21 against San Jose State (2 fumbles/1 INT), 14 points vs. NC A&T (2 INTs) and 7 points at Houston (1 fumble), 7 points vs. Tulane (1 fumble), 21 points at Memphis (2 fumbles/1 INT) and 14 points at UCF (2 fumbles) off of takeaways.

• Among Tulsa's seven interceptions two have been returned for TDs. • In the last 17 games, dating back to last year's SMU game on Oct. 31, 2015, Tulsa defenders have had six interception returns for touchdowns –– one at SMU, one vs. UCF, two at Tulane and two this year, including one each against San Jose State and North Carolina A&T.

TULSA CAREER STARTS . . .

FORMER WALK-ONS ARE STARTERS . . .

• There are five former walk-on athletes who are in starting positions for the Golden Hurricane –– OT Evan Plagg, DT Hayden Carman, LB Matt Linscott, placekicker Redford Jones and punter Dalton Parks.

• Plagg was put on scholarship during the 2015 preseason camp and has started all 22 games at left tackle since.

• Carman was put on scholarship during preseason camp in 2014 . . . he has played in 46 career games and has started all 12 games this year.

• Linscott was also put on scholarship prior to the 2014 season . . . he now has 197 tackles since being put on scholarship and led Tulsa in TFLs and QB sacks as a starter in 2015.

• Jones handles the placements and kickoffs for Tulsa this season . . . he was put on scholarship during preseason camp this year . . . he is 19-of-24 for field goals and 60-of-60 for PATs this year, while averaging 61.1 yards on 90 kickoffs.

• Dalton Parks holds the school records for number of punts and punting yards, and averages 41.8 yards this season on 64 punts.

TULSA JUMPS ON NORTH CAROLINA A&T EARLY . . .

• Tulsa had a 10-0 lead in the first six minutes of the game against the FCS' 19thranked North Carolina A&T Aggies.

• After the first quarter Tulsa was ahead 24-0, and within the first 20 minutes of the game led 31-0, and at halftime held a 48-0 lead.

• 28 of Tulsa's first 31 points came off of either an interception or blocked punt . . .

Tulsa intercepted two passes and two blocked punts that led to touchdowns . . . one of the INTs was returned 65 yards for a score.

• Tulsa built its lead to 58-0 with 2:46 left in the third quarter.

BELCHER & LUCAS RETURN . . .

• The season opener saw the return of two Tulsa players who missed most of the 2015 season due to injuries after starting the year before.

• Offensive guard Blake Belcher suffered an ACL injury early in the 2015 season opener against FAU, and missed the remainder of the 2015 campaign.

• In the fourth game against Houston, receiver Keevan Lucas suffered a torn patella tendon which ended his season.

• Lucas was back in the starting lineup in the season opener and caught six passes for 112 yards against San Jose State.

• Belcher, who was the starting right tackle in 2014 and in the 2015 season opener, moved to right guard this season.

• This year, Belcher missed the Houston, Tulane, UCF and Cincinnati games with an injury after starting the first five contests.

TOUGH ONE AT #4 OHIO STATE . . .

• Six turnovers (two fumbles and four interceptions) minimized any chance Tulsa had to come out with a win at No. 4-ranked Ohio State.

• The Hurricane went late into the second quarter trailing only 6-3, but in the final 3:02 Ohio State defenders intercepted two Tulsa passes and took them back for touchdowns to take a 20-3 lead into halftime.

• In the first half, Tulsa's defense held Ohio State to 158 total yards.

• Tulsa out-gained OSU in the first period, 103 to 40, but the Buckeyes out-gained Tulsa in the second quarter 118 to 21.

Player, Pos Trent Martin, LB Dane Evans, QB Jesse Brubaker, DE Craig Suits, LB Keevan Lucas, WR Josh Atkinson, WR Kerwin Thomas, DB Chandler Miller, C Evan Plagg, OT Jerry Uwaezouke, DT Matt Linscott, LB Willie Wright, OT Jeremy Smith, DE Blake Belcher, OG Jeremy Brady, DB Will Barrow, DB D'Angelo Brewer, RB Jordan Mitchell, DB Justin Hobbs, WR Hayden Carman, DT Tyler Bowling, OG James Flanders, RB Chris Minter, TE Keanu Hill, DB Reggie Robinson, DB Keenen Johnson, WR Frankie Davis, DE Zac Uhles, OL Alex Pagonis, OG Nigel Carter, WR Johnell Celistan, DB Bishop Louie, WR McKinley Whitfield, DB Myles Mouton Kolton Shindelar, DT Cooper Edmiston, LB Ramadi Warren, RB

Starts 42 42 34 34 33 32 27 25 24 24 24 22 21 21 20 17 17 15 14 12 12 9 8 8 6 5 4 4 4 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1

Gm 46 45 37 35 40 46 35 25 34 48 48 23 33 30 38 42 34 35 25 46 25 41 23 8 12 7 36 30 25 35 44 35 25 24 30 12 9

TEXAS FLAVOR ON TULSA COACHING STAFF . . .

• Tulsa Head Coach Philip Montgomery is from Eastland, Texas, but he is not the only Tulsa coach with ties to the state of Texas.

• Seven of Tulsa’s nine full-time assistant coaches were born in the state of Texas, as only Brian Norwood was born outside the state of Texas . . . although Bill Young calls Oklahoma City his hometown, he was born in Hereford, Texas.

• Other Texas hometowns of Tulsa coaches are Houston, Bay City, Fort Worth, Austin, Stephenville, Denton and Fort Hood.

TULSA AT CHAPMAN STADIUM . . .

Tulsa has a 330-154-14 record at Skelly Field @ H.A. Chapman Stadium since the stadium was built in 1930 . . . Tulsa is 42-20 since 2007 when the name changed from Skelly Stadium to H.A. Chapman Stadium.

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2016 Tulsa Football Game Notes • page 13 • •

Seventeen of Ohio State's 20 first-half points came off of turnovers.

In the second half, Ohio State started its final two touchdown drives in Tulsa territory at the Tulsa 28 and 46-yard lines.

For the game, Tulsa's defense held Ohio State to 417 total yards, 359 yards less than what OSU gained the week before in a 77-10 win over Bowling Green.

•

RUN GAME GUIDES OFFENSE IN SEASON OPENER . . .

• Tulsa's offense totaled 512 yards against San Jose State making it the eighth time in the 14 games under Montgomery to surpass 500 yards.

• Tulsa's 38 first-half points was the most since the Hurricane scored 42 first-half points against Nicholls State on Sept. 15, 2012.

• D'Angelo Brewer rushed for career-highs of 164 yards and three touchdowns.

• Tulsa scored 40 points or more for the 8th time in the Montgomery era.

• For the second consecutive season, Tulsa scored 45 or more points in the season opener . . . last year, Tulsa scored 47 points against FAU. • Tulsa's 305 rushing yards was the most for a Hurricane team since the 2012 AutoZone Liberty Bowl when Tulsa rushed for 317 yards against Iowa State.

DEFENSE TURNS IN SOLID START TO THE SEASON . . .

• The 10 points allowed by the Tulsa defense in the season opener vs. San Jose State is the fewest allowed since a 41-7 road win over Houston on Nov. 10, 2012.

• San Jose State's 53 yards rushing was the fewest for a Tulsa opponent since holding UTEP to 31 rushing yards on Oct. 11, 2012.

• For the fifth time in its' last seven games, Tulsa had an interception for a TD when Jesse Brubaker took a pick-off 24 yards for a touchdown against San Jose State.

• Tulsa held San Jose State to 287 total yards, whereas last year, only two opponents gained under 400 yards in 13 games.

LOOK WHAT HE'S DONE IN SEASON OPENERS . . .

• Keevan Lucas had his third straight season opener of over 100 yards receiving.

• He had all of his six receptions for 112 yards in the first half against San Jose State.

• In the first half of the last three season openers, Lucas totaled 14 catches for 359 yards and four TDs . . . he had four receptions for 142 yards and 2 TDs in 2014, and four catches for 105 yards and 2 TDs in 2015.

• Overall, Lucas combined to catch 29 passes for 538 yards, five TDs and an 18.6yard average per catch in the last three season openers.

TULSA PLAYERS NAMED TO WATCH LISTS . . .

• Tulsa had six student-athletes named to five different watch lists this season.

• Senior QB Dane Evans was named to the Davey O’Brien Award and the Manning Award Watch Lists, honors that go to the nation’s top quarterback . . . he was also named to the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List, which recognizes exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.

• Evans was also one of three Tulsa players named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List – the others were WRs Josh Atkinson and Keevan Lucas – the award is presented to the nation's best offensive player who was either born in Texas, went to high school in Texas, or attends college in Texas . . . all three played high school football in Texas, while Atkinson and Lucas were also born in Texas . . . although most of his life was spent in Texas, Evans was born in Oklahoma.

• Atkinson was also named to the preseason Biletnikoff Watch List, an award that honors the nation’s top receiver.

• Lucas was added to the Biletnikoff Watch List after the fourth week of the season, marking the third straight season that he has been on the watch list.

• Sophomore Chandler Miller was named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List, an honor given to the nation’s top center.

• Senior punter Dalton Parks was named to the Ray Guy Watch Preseason List for the second straight year.

• Junior defensive tackle Kolton Shindelar was named to SBNation's Piesman Award Watch List, which honors the best play in which a lineman throws, catches or runs with the ball . . . he was named to the preseason list for his 89-yard interception return for a TD last year in the regular season finale against Tulane.

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• • • • •

TU IN THE NFL

Charles Clay (TE), Buffalo Bills Keyarris Garrett (WR), Carolina Panthers (practice squad) Dexter McCoil (LB), San Diego Chargers Tyrunn Walker (DL), Detroit Lions *************************** Bob Babich, Assistant Coach Jacksonville Jaguars Lou Spanos, Assistant Coach, Tennessee Titans

TU IN THE CFL

Bryan Burnham (WR), BC Lions Tyler Holmes (OL), Toronto Argonauts Moton Hopkins (DL), Ottawa Redblacks G.J. Kinne (QB), Saskatchewan Roughriders Jeff Perrett (OL), Montreal Alouettes

SINCE 2003 . . .

• The first three years of 2000’s were lean for the Tulsa football, posting just a 7-28 combined record in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

• Since 2003, Tulsa has a 103-76 (.575) overall record. 19 of those losses came in the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

• From 2003-2012, Tulsa had a 84-47 record for a .641 win percentage • In 2012, Tulsa made its eighth Bowl game appearance within 10 seasons and had a 5-3 Bowl record during that 10-year stretch.

• Tulsa won two outright C-USA Championships (2005, 2012), four C-USA West Division titles (2005, 2007, 2008, 2012) and shared one West crown (2010).

COACH YOUNG COMES FULL CIRCLE . . .

• Tulsa Co-Defensive Coordinator Bill Young has come full-circle . . . Young is in his second year back at Tulsa after making eight collegiate stops and one professional stint in between his first time at Tulsa . . . Young was an assistant coach under John Cooper at Tulsa from 1980-84 . . . Young served as DL coach from 1980-82 and added the defensive coordinator title for the 1983-84 seasons.

IN THE RED ZONE . . .

TU Times Penetrated 60 Total Scores 54 TDs Scored 36 FGs Made-Att 18-19 Scoring % 90.0% Touchdown % 60.0%

OPP 47 39 28 11-13 83.0% 59.5%

2016 Tulsa Football Game Notes • page 14 DOUBLE-DIGIT TACKLERS . . .

• Tulsa has a total of nine defensive players who have had at least one career game with double-digit tackles.

• Linebacker Trent Martin has 11 double-digit tackle games in his career, including three this year.

• Fellow linebacker Matt Linscott has seven career double-figure tackle games, including five in 2015 and two this year.

• Cornerback Kerwin Thomas had an 11-tackle game against Cincinnati last year for his first double-digit game, and has two this year . . . safety Jeremy Brady had his lone double-digit tackle game with 12 also against Cincinnati.

• Linebacker Craig Suits did not have a double-digit tackle game in 2015, but had two in 2014 with 10 tackles each against FAU and Houston, and a 10-tackle game this year at Fresno State.

• Defensive end Jeremy Smith had a 10-tackle game against Navy last season.

• Cornerback WIll Barrow's one career double-digit tackle game came against East Carolina in the 2013 season as a true freshman.

• Safety Jordan Mitchell had his first double-digit tackle game this year with 10 at #12 Houston and added 12 stops at UCF. • Senior tackle Jerry Uwaezuoke had his first double-digit tackle game against Navy in the 2016 season.

OFFENSE FACED TOP 2015 PASSING DEFENSES IN FIRST TWO GAMES . . .

• Tulsa's passing game averaged just 167.0 yards and one touchdown combined in the first two games of the season, but that came against two of the top-16 defenses for fewest passing yards allowed last year.

• San Jose State gave up an average of 157.8 yards and Ohio State 184.5 yards passing a year ago.

• In the first two games, Tulsa passed for 207 yards vs. SJSU and 127 yards vs. #4 Ohio State.

A LOOK BACK TO 2015 . . .

• Tulsa finished the 2015 season with an overall 6-7 record and 3-5 league mark.

• Tulsa began the season with wins over FAU at home and a road win at New Mexico for the first 2-0 record to start a season since 2009.

• Four of Tulsa's six regular season losses came against teams ranked among the nation's top 25 –– Oklahoma, Houston, Memphis and Navy –– OU was ranked #16 when Tulsa faced the Sooners, Houston was unranked, Memphis was #17 and Navy was #16.

• Tulsa became bowl eligible on the final week of the regular season with a 45-34 road win over Tulane, coming back from a 34-24 deficit with less than eight minutes remaining in the game.

• The victory put Tulsa in the school's 20th bowl game.

• Tulsa battled Virginia Tech of the ACC in the Camping World Independence Bowl down to the wire, falling 55-52.

• The combined record of those opponents that defeated Tulsa was 63-28 (.692).

THE AMERICAN'S SECOND-BEST OFFENSE RETURNED SIX STARTERS . . .

• In 2015, Tulsa averaged 507.4 yards of total offense to rank second in the American Athletic Conference and second in passing offense with 333.2 yards per game.

• Tulsa ranked behind Cincinnati's 559.9 yards per game of total offense.

• Six starters and 22 lettermen returned from that offense, including 4,000-yard passer Dane Evans, 1,000-yard receiver Josh Atkinson and running back D’Angelo Brewer, who gained 837 yards and six TDs on the ground.

• Two players, who started in 2014, returned to the offense after having missed most of 2015, including receiver Keevan Lucas and lineman Blake Belcher.

• Lucas was off to a great start to the 2015 season with 409 yards, five TDs and a 102.2 average in four games before suffering a knee injury against Houston.

• Belcher suffered an ACL injury in the first game of the season.

Tulsa In 2016 NCAA Stats . . .

√ Below are Tulsa's top-50 rankings in the 2016 NCAA statistics (thru Dec. 10) . . .

2016 NCAA TEAM LEADERS . . .

Total Offense………………………………. 6th Scoring Offense…………………………… 11th Rushing Offense………………………….. 8th Passing Offense…………………………... 40th Passing Yds Per Completion……………..41st Pass Efficiency Offense…………………...42nd First Downs Offense……………………… 3rd Red Zone Offense………………………… 21st Fewest TFLs Allowed………………………29th Fumble Recoveries………………………...19th Defensive TDs……………………………...17th Blocked Kicks……………………………… 10th Blocked Punts……………………………....8th Punt Returns………………………………..45th 3rd Down Conversions…………………….32nd 4th Down Conversions………………….....10th 3rd Down Conversions Defense............... 42nd Pass Efficiency Defense…………………..31st Team Sacks………………………………...39th TFLs…………………………………………44th 2016 NCAA INDIVIDUAL LEADERS . . .

Rushing Yards………… James Flanders, 9th D'Angelo Brewer,18th Rushing Yds PG……… D'Angelo Brewer, 10th James Flanders, 13th Rushing Yards PC……. James Flanders, 23rd Rushing TDs………….. James Flanders, 7th Receiving TDs………… Keevan Lucas, 12th Receiving Yards……… Keevan Lucas, 24th Josh Atkinson, 42nd Receiving Yds PG........ Keevan Lucas, 23rd Josh Atkinson, 45th Receptions PG……….. Keevan Lucas, 22nd Josh Atkinson, 44th Passing TDs.....………. Dane Evans, 15th Passing Yds…………… Dane Evans, 28th Passing Yds PG……… Dane Evans, 35th Passing Yds Per Com...Dane Evans, 35th Completions PG……… Dane Evans, 39th Pass Efficiency……….. Dane Evans, 45th Yards per Attempt…….. Dane Evansm, 44th All-Purpose Yards......... James Flanders, 33rd Pts Responsible For...... Dane Evans, 25th Scoring………………… Redford Jones, 11th James Flanders, 38th Total Points……………. Redford Jones, 14th James Flanders, 38th Total TDs………………. James Flanders, 15th FG Percentage……….. Redford Jones, 40th FG Per Game…………. Redford Jones, 13th Punt Returns………….. Keidrien Wadley, 15th Blocked Kicks…………. McKinley Whitfield, 4th Punting…………………. Dalton Parks, 50th Fumble Recoveries....... Petera Wilson, 27th

WHAT??? TWO TULSA DEFENSIVE LINEMEN SCORING TDs . . .

• Two Tulsa defensive linemen –– Jesse Brubaker and Kolton Shindelar –– have each scored TDs this year on INT returns . . . Brubaker took back an INT for a 24-yard TD against San Jose State in the opener . . . Shindelar, who began his collegiate career at tight end, had his second career INT return for a touchdown when he took an interception against North Carolina A&T 65 yards for a touchdown . . . his first INT return came in 2015 in the regular season finale against Tulane with Tulsa fighting for its sixth win and bowl eligibility . . . Shindelar intercepted a Tulane pass and went 89 yards for a touchdown to put Tulsa ahead 45-34 with 1:12 remaining in the game.

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Tulsa Football BOWL RECORDS TULSA BOWL TEAM HIGHS First Downs: 34 vs. Bowling Green, 2008 GMAC Rushing Attempts: 64 vs. Ball State (439 yards), 2009 GMAC Rushing Yards: 439 vs. Ball State (64 attempts), 2009 GMAC Pass Attempts: 47 vs. Tennessee (completed 23), 1965 Bluebonnet; 47 vs. Bowling Green (completed 29), 2008 GMAC Bowl Pass Completions: 29 vs. Bowling Green (attempted 47), 2008 GMAC Completion Percentage: .667 vs. Fresno State (18 of 27), 2005 Liberty Passing Yards: 374 vs. Virginia Tech (27 of 44), 2015 Independence Passes Had Intercepted: 4 vs. Tennessee, 1965 Bluebonnet Touchdown Passes: 6 vs. Bowling Green, 2008 GMAC Total Offensive Plays: 90 vs. Ball State, 2009 GMAC Total Offensive Yards: 632 vs. Ball State (90 attempts), 2009 GMAC Fumbles Lost: 6 vs. Georgia Tech, 2003 Humanitarian Total Turnovers: 7 vs. Tennessee (4 interceptions, 3 fumbles), 1965 Bluebonnet Interceptions: 5 vs. Hawai’i, 2010 Sheraton Hawai’i OPPONENT BOWL TEAM HIGHS First Downs: 30 by Virginia Tech, 2015 Independence Rushing Attempts: 70 by Georgia Tech (372 yards), 1944 Sugar Rushing Yards: 372 by Georgia Tech (70 attempts), 1944 Sugar Pass Attempts: 56 by Hawai’i (completed 30), 2010 Sheraton Hawai’i Pass Completions: 30 by Hawai’i (attempted 56), 2010 Sheraton Hawai’i Completion Percentage: .676 by Utah (23 of 34), 2006 Armed Forces Passing Yards: 550 by Hawai’i (30 of 56), 2010 Sheraton Hawai’i Passes Had Intercepted: 5 by Hawai’i, 2010 Sheraton Hawai’i Touchdown Passes: 3 by Hawai’i, 2010 Sheraton Hawai’i; BYU, 2011 Armed Forces Total Offensive Plays: 83 by Hawai’i, 2010 Sheraton Hawai’i Total Offensive Yards: 598 by Virginia Tech (81 attempts), 2015 Independence Fumbles Lost: 4 by Florida, 1953 Gator Total Turnovers: 6 by Hawai’i (5 interceptions, 1 fumble), 2010 Sheraton Hawai’i Interceptions: 4 by Tennessee, 1965 Bluebonnet

TULSA BOWL GAME APPEARANCES (9-11) . . .

Sun Bowl (Jan. 1, 1942) Tulsa 6, Texas Tech 0 Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1, 1943) Tennessee 14, Tulsa 7 Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1, 1944) Georgia Tech 20, Tulsa 18 Orange Bowl (Jan. 1, 1945) Tulsa 26, Georgia Tech 12 Oil Bowl (Jan. 1, 1946) Georgia 20, Tulsa 6 Gator Bowl (Jan. 1, 1953) Florida 14, Tulsa 13 Bluebonnet Bowl (Dec. 19, 1964) Tulsa 14, Mississippi 7 Bluebonnet Bowl (Dec. 18, 1965) Tennessee 27, Tulsa 6 Independence Bowl (Dec. 13, 1976) McNeese State 20, Tulsa 16 Independence Bowl (Dec. 16, 1989) Oregon 27, Tulsa 24 Freedom Bowl (Dec. 30, 1991) Tulsa 28, San Diego State 17 Humanitarian Bowl (Jan. 3, 2004) Georgia Tech 52, Tulsa 10 Liberty Bowl (Dec. 31, 2005) Tulsa 31, Fresno State 24 Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 23, 2006) Utah 25, Tulsa 13 GMAC Bowl (Jan. 6, 2008) Tulsa 63, Bowling Green 7 GMAC Bowl (Jan. 6, 2009) Tulsa 45, Ball State 13 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl (Dec. 24, 2010) Tulsa 62, Hawai'i 35 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 30, 2011) BYU 24, Tulsa 21 AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Dec. 31, 2012) Tulsa 31, Iowa State 17 Camping World Independence (Dec. 26, 2015) Virginia Tech 55, Tulsa 52

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Tulsa Football BOWL RECORDS TULSA INDIVIDUAL TOP-5 BOWL RUSHING Rk Name Yds (att.)

1. Ron Jackson 211 (46) 2. Tarrion Adams 207 (19) 3. Trey Watts 156 (25) 4. Tarrion Adams 113 (11) T5. Tarrion Adams 112 (17) T5. D’Angelo Brewer 112 (14) RECEIVING Rk Name 1. Josh Atkinson 2. Keyarris Garrett 3. Damaris Johnson 4. Ashlan Davis 5. Bryan Burnham PASSING Rk Name 1. Dane Evans 2. G.J. Kinne 3. Paul Smith 4. Paul Smith 5. G.J. Kinne

Yds (rec.)

139 (11) 137 (8) 135 (6) 128 (8) 113 (4) Com-Att 27-44 17-31 27-45 18-27 17-31

Int 0 0 0 0 0

PERFORMANCES TD 4 3 0 1 1 2

Opponent San Diego State Ball State Iowa State Fresno State Bowling Green Virginia Tech

Bowl 1991 Freedom Bowl 2008 GMAC Bowl 2012 AutoZone Liberty Bowl 2005 AutoZone Liberty Bowl 2007 GMAC Bowl 2015 Independence Bowl

TD 1 1 1 1 1

Opponent Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Ball State Fresno State BYU

Bowl 2015 Independence Bowl 2015 Independence Bowl 2008 GMAC Bowl 2005 AutoZone Liberty Bowl 2011 Armed Forces Bowl

Pct .613 .548 .600 .666 .548

Yds 374 343 312 234 214

TD 3 3 1 1 3

Opponent Virginia Tech Hawaii Bowling Green Fresno State BYU

Bowl 2015 Independence Bowl 2010 Hawaii Bowl 2007 GMAC Bowl 2005 Liberty Bowl 2011 Armed Forces Bowl

TOUCHDOWNS Rk Name 1. Ron Jackson T2. Tarrion Adams T2. Alex Singleton T3. Brett Adams T3. D’Angelo Brewer T3. Trae Johnson T3. Alex Singleton T3. Paul Smith

TDs (Rush/Rec) 4 (4 rush/ 0 rec) 3 (3 rush/ 0 rec) 3 (3 rush/ 0 rec) 2 (2 rush/ 0 rec) 2 (2 rush/ 0 rec) 2 (0 rush/ 2 rec) 2 (2 rush/ 0 rec) 2 (2 rush/ 0 rec)

Opponent San Diego State Ball State Iowa State Oregon Virginia Tech Bowling Green Hawaii Utah

Bowl 1991 Freedom Bowl 2008 GMAC Bowl 2012 Liberty Bowl 1989 Independence Bowl 2015 Independence Bowl 2007 GMAC Bowl 2010 Hawaii Bowl 2011 Armed Forces Bowl

TDs RESPONSIBLE FOR Rk Name 1. Paul Smith T2. Ron Jackson T2. Dane Evans T3. Tarrion Adams T3. David Johnson T3. G.J. Kinne T3. G.J. Kinne T3. Alex Singleton

TDs (Pass/Rush) 6 (5 pass/ 1 rush) 4 (0 pass/ 4 rush) 4 (3 pass/ 1 rush) 3 (0 pass/ 3 rush) 3 (3 pass/ 0 rush) 3 (3 pass/ 0 rush) 3 (3 pass/ 0 rush) 3 (0 pass/ 3 rush)

Opponent Bowling Green San Diego State Virginia Tech Ball State Ball State BYU Hawaii Iowa State

Bowl 2007 GMAC Bowl 1991 Freedom Bowl 2015 Independence Bowl 2008 GMAC Bowl 2008 GMAC Bowl 20011 Armed Forces Bowl 2010 Hawaii Bowl 2012 Liberty Bowl

TOTAL TACKLES Rk Name T1. Chris Chamberlain T1. Curnelius Arnick T2. Nelson Coleman T2. Alain Karatepeyan T2. Michael Ledet

Total (Solo/Ast) 17 (12 solo/5 ast) 17 (9 solo/8 ast) 14 (5 solo/9 ast) 14 (9 solo/5 ast) 14 (7 solo/7 ast)

Opponent Bowling Green BYU Fresno State Bowling Green Georgia Tech

Bowl 2007 GMAC Bowl 2011 Armed Forces Bowl 2005 Liberty Bowl 2007 GMAC Bowl 2004 Humanitarian Bowl

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Tulsa Football BOWL RECORDS OPPONENT INDIVIDUAL TOP-5 BOWL PERFORMANCES RUSHING Rk Name Team Yds (att.)

TD Bowl 1. P.J. Daniels Georgia Tech 307 (31) 4 2004 Humanitarian Bowl 2. Eddie Prokop Georgia Tech 199 (29) 0 1944 Sugar Bowl 3. Marshall Faulk San Diego State 157 (30) 1 1991 Freedom Bowl 4. Wendell Mathis Fresno State 117 (31) 1 2005 Liberty Bowl 5. John Hall Florida 94 (17) 0 1953 Gator Bowl RECEIVING Rk Name 1. Isaiah Ford 2. Greg Salas 3. Cody Hoffman 4. Joe Reit 5. Ernst Brun

Team Virginia Tech Hawaii BYU Oregon Iowa State

Yds (rec.)

227 (12) 214 (13) 122 (8) 121 (6) 102 (4)

PASSING Rk Name 1. Bryant Moniz 2. Michael Brewer 3. Bill Musgrave 4. Riley Nelson 5. Brett Ratliff

Team Hawaii Virginia Tech Oregon BYU Utah

Com-Att 24-47 23-37 22-39 17-40 23-34

TOUCHDOWNS Rk Name 1. P.J. Daniels 2. Cody Hoffman T3. Jermaine Hatch T3. Travon McMillian T3. Greg Salas

Team Georgia Tech BYU Georgia Tech Virginia Tech Hawaii

TDs (Rush/Rec) 4 (4 rush/ 0 rec) 3 (0 rush/ 3 rec) 2 (2 rush/ 0 rec) 2 (2 rush/ 0 rec) 2 (0 rush/ 2 rec)

Bowl 2004 Humanitarian Bowl 2011 Armed Forces Bowl 2004 Humanitarian Bowl 2015 Independence Bowl 2010 Hawaii Bowl

TDs RESPONSIBLE FOR Rk Name 1. P.J. Daniels T2. Bryant Muniz T2. Bill Musgrave T2. Riley Nelson T2. Dewey Warren

Team Georgia Tech Hawaii Oregon BYU Tennessee

TDs (Pass/Rush) 4 (0 pass/ 4 rush) 3 (3 pass/ 0 rush) 3 (2 pass/ 1 rush) 3 (3 pass/ 0 rush) 3 (1 pass/ 2 rush)

Bowl 2004 Humanitarian Bowl 2010 Hawaii Bowl 1989 Independence Bowl 2011 Armed Forces Bowl 1965 Bluebonnet Bowl

TOTAL TACKLES Rk Name 1. Bob Howell 2. Alex Knipp T3. Damon Pieri T3. Emanuel Sanchez T4. Andy Coviello T4. Erique Dozier

Team McNeese State Ball State San Diego State Fresno State San Diego State Bowling Green

Total (Solo/Ast) 16 (5 solo/11 ast) 13 (9 solo/ 4 ast) 12 (11 solo/ 1 ast) 12 (5 solo/ 7 ast) 11 (9 solo/ 2 ast) 11 (7 solo/ 4 ast)

Bowl 1976 Independence Bowl 2008 GMAC Bowl 1991 Freedom Bowl 2005 Liberty Bowl 1991 Freedom Bowl 2007 GMAC Bowl

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TD 1 2 3 1 1 Int 4 1 2 2 1

Pct .510 .621 .564 .425 .676

Bowl 2015 Independence Bowl 2010 Hawaii Bowl 2011 Armed Forces Bowl 1989 Independence Bowl 2012 Liberty Bowl Yds 411 344 320 250 240

TD 3 1 2 3 1

Bowl 2010 Hawaii Bowl 2015 Independence Bowl 1989 Independence Bowl 2011 Armed Forces Bowl 2006 Armed Forces Bowl

THE University of Tulsa

TU ROWING PREVIEW The Tulsa rowing team will kick off the 2017 season at the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational on March 11- 12 in Tennessee, before returning home to host Kansas State in the first of three regattas hosted at the J. Bird Sr. Shell Nest in Catoosa, Okla., on March 18. The Golden Hurricane will also host Creighton on April 8 and Oklahoma in the Stone Cup on April 29.

The annual Lawless Cup will feature Tulsa, SMU, Alabama and Central Oklahoma in Dallas this season, while TU will also compete in the FIRA Championships (March 31-April 1) in Sarasota, Fla., and the Knecht Cup (April 8-9) in West Windsor, N.J. The American Athletic Conference Championship will be hosted in Sarasota, Fla., on May 13.

The Golden Hurricane is coming off a strong fall season, turning in 10 first-place marks in just three

regattas, including five top marks at the Head of the Oklahoma, four at the Tulsa Fall Invitational and one at the Jayhawk Jamboree.

Last season, TU finished second in the American Athletic Conference

Championship for the secondstraight season. The 2nd Varsity 4+ earned a gold medal, while the Varsity 4+ and Varsity 8+ both captured silver medals.

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THE University of Tulsa

TU WOMEN’S SOCCER YOUNG TU TEAM MANAGES TOUGH SCHEDULE, ROSTER TURNOVER Just one year after one of the best seasons in program history, the Tulsa women’s soccer team in 2016 faced a rugged schedule with a rebuilt roster.

The result was coach Kyle Cussen’s first losing season since 2010.

But Cussen, now preparing for his 10th season at TU, saw plenty of growth and reason for optimism this season.

“We’ve always sort of struggled in the scoring department,” he said, “and I think we scored the most goals we’ve scored in the last nine years this year.”

TU finished 8-10-1 overall and 4-5 in American Athletic Conference play. Last year’s team had the best start in school history (8-0), set the school record for consecutive shutouts (six in a row; nine total) and achieved the program’s first

Anna Williams

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appearance in the polls (No. 19 by Top Drawer Soccer).

But that team graduated nine seniors. That meant in 2016, seven freshmen played significant minutes.

After facing three ranked opponents in its first four non-conference Rachel Thun games, TU stood second in the AAC standings in midOctober. But after well as American Athletic Conferthe loss of three senior starters ence co-Midfielder of the year and to injury, the Golden Hurricane picked up her third first-team Alldroppped four of its last five to fin- AAC honor. ish out of the six-team postseason Junior Tana Dake had two goals tournament field. and seven assists and was named “A bit disappointing,” Cussen said. second-team All-AAC, while fresh“Of course we had high expectaman Anna Williams had four goals tions for this year and this team, and two assists and was named to and thought we The American All-Rookie team. were gonna do a The 2016 team graduates six little bit more, but seniors who played a major role was really, rein the continued resurgence of TU ally proud of the soccer: Lana Bermel, Darienne effort, especially Chapman, Sierra Krenik, Claire the last game, that Maris, Annie Sohmer and Olivia we showed, and it Viergutz. is encouraging for “We do have a great core coming our future.” back,” Cussen said.

Junior midfielder Rachel Thun led TU with 12 goals and nine assists (33 points) and was named third-team AllNortheast Region by the NSCAA as

TU MEN’S SOCCER The Tulsa men’s soccer team claimed its third consecutive American Athletic Conference Championship, advanced to the NCAA Championship for the third straight season and earned at least wins for the 24th time in school history.

“It was a good year and the guys achieved quite a bit,” head coach Tom McIntosh said. “It was real special to win the American Athletic Conference Championship, which is not easy to do and to do it for the third time in three years is tremendous. It never gets old because every team is different, and for a lot of guys this was their first American Athletic Conference title.”

The Golden Hurricane captured The American title with a 1-1 tie with USF and a 4-2 penalty kick shootout at Corbett Stadium on the USF campus in Tampa, Fla. TU advanced to the title game with a 2-0 win over UConn in the semifinals.

All three of Tulsa’s American Athletic Conference Championships have come by shootout, tying USF (0-0) in 2014, UConn (1-1) in 2015 and now USF (1-1) in 2016.

TU went unbeaten in the last eight games of the season leading up to the NCAA Championship first-round game against No. 23-ranked Creighton, a game the Hurricane went on to lose 3-0.

The 2016 season marked the eighth time in the last 10 years and 11th overall appearance by Tulsa in the NCAAs for a 9-10-2 NCAA Tournament mark.

The Golden Hurricane had a 10-5-5 overall record this season and concluded American play with a 4-2-1 mark.

Quinton Duncan

Tulsa tallied 32 goals on the season from 13 different players, including a team-best eight goals by freshman Matthew Puig. Senior Ray Saari added five scores, while sophomore Jacob Gooden had four goals.

TU also had 27 assists from 12 players, including four each from junior Rollie Rocha, senior Quinton Duncan and Saari.

Senior Jake McGuire concluded his career with a school-record 17 clean sheets for the most in school history (dating back to 1996). He also ranks first in minutes played with just over 6,360 and in games played with 67, and is second with 245 saves, trailing Brent Salter (1999-2002) who has the most with 261.

McGuire, Puig, Saari and Zack Stavrou were all named to the American Athletic Conference second team, while Alejandro Chavez and Puig picked up All-Rookie Team accolades.

Juan Sanchez was named as the American Athletic Conference Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the Tournament, while McGuire was tabbed as the Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the Tournament. Duncan, Rocha, Saari, McGuire and Sanchez were all tabbed to the all-tournament team.

Saari and McGuire were named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA) NCAA Division I Men’s All-East Region Team. Saari picked up first-team honors, while McGuire was tabbed to the third team.

“The guys played better and better down the stretch, going unbeaten in the last eight games leading into the NCAA Championship,” McIntosh said. “We do lose three guys who have been four-year starters in Quinton Duncan, Jake McGuire and Ray Saari, but we feel good about the quality of players coming back.

We are ready to start the process over again for next season.”

Jake McGuire

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THE University of Tulsa

TU SOFTBALL PREVIEW TULSA SOFTBALL CARRIES ON TRADITION IN 25TH YEAR The Tulsa softball team will embark on its 25th season in 2017, carrying a history that includes 10 conference championships and eight NCAA Tournament appearances. Head coach John Bargfeldt, now in his 12th season at TU, is responsible for leading the Golden Hurricane to each of those conference titles and postseason appearances.

Since 2006, Tulsa has compiled a record of 423208-1, and won five regular season conference championships and five conference tournament championships. Of the 722 program wins, 59 percent have come in the last 11 seasons. The program began humbly, but the last decade has seen a rich tradition grow at the corner of 6th Street and Delaware Avenue.

From the construction of the Hardesty Sports Complex (the first on-campus home of Tulsa softball) to the addition of the clubhouse beyond right field, which was renamed the facility the Collins Family Softball Complex, to present day, Tulsa softball has grown into a prominent program in its conference and a competitive program nationally.

In 2016, the Golden Hurricane added to the tradition when it won the American Athletic Conference Championship and played in the NCAA Tournament. The tournament title, won on its home field, was Tulsa softball’s first championship as a member of The American.

This season the Hurricane returns five starters and two pitchers, and welcomed six newcomers to the program seeking to carry on the tradition and strong recent history.

“We feel like we have a team that is similar in years past, that can go out and compete for the conference championship,” Bargfeldt said.

“We’re excited about the possibilities. We have athletes. We have some players that are committed and passionate about the game, and we expect them to get better.”

Returning starters include senior third baseman Maggie Withee and outfielder Maddie Withee, junior shortstop Shelby Estocado, and sophomore second baseman Morgan Neal and outfielder Julia Hollingsworth, along with junior pitchers Emily Watson and Lexi Blevins. Maddie and Maggie Withee, Estocado and Hollingsworth all earned first-team American Athletic Conference honors last season, while Hollingsworth and Neal garnered All-Freshman Team accolades.

Maddie Withee, who led The American with 45 RBI, and hit .329 with 15 extra base hits, is a two-time first-team all-conference selection.

Maggie Withee, a three-year starter at third base, led the Hurricane with a .378 batting average and scored 45 runs. Estocado compiled a team-high 11 home runs and 47 runs scored, and totaled eight doubles, 41 RBI and a .329 average. Hollingsworth led TU with 12 doubles, and hit .343 with 30 RBI and 29 runs in her first collegiate season. Neal hit .300 in her first year, totaling 28 runs, 22 RBI and nine extra base hits.

In the circle, Watson went 12-9 with a 2.28 ERA and a team-high 173 strikeouts. She allowed just 40 earned runs in 123.0 innings, and tossed five shutouts. She tied a school record with 17 strikeouts in a seveninning defeat of UTSA in February. Blevins posted a 1.91 ERA in 25.2 innings, 23.1 of which came in April and May. In that late-season stretch, she struck out 18 batters, and allowed just 22 hits and six runs.

Maddie Withee

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Emily Watson

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Newcomers include junior college transfer infielder Shannon Hughes, from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, and sophomore infielder Haley Meinen, from Arkansas. The freshman class is made up of outfielders Kelsey Eropkin

and Mikayla Whitten, pitcher Madison Higley and catcher Sarah Kosmata.

“We have a lot of new players this year,” Bargfeldt said. “When you depend on a lot of players that are new to your system, there are going to have to be two or three of them that step up and fill some roles. Then you need that continual improvement from existing players to fill into those roles (that were vacated). By the end of the fall, we saw a team that continued to get better and more comfortable with the system, had to think less, and was able to show their talent a lot more.”

While the 2017 edition of the Golden Hurricane will need to continue to grow as hitters, the coaching staff is excited about the pitching and defense – cornerstones of championship teams.

“I feel like the team has a chance to be really special defensively. We can be really athletic out on the field at all of our positions,” Bargfeldt said. “Our pitching really has shown some signs of getting a lot of swing and miss, and at times being very dominant, with a mixture of four pitchers that throw four different styles. We feel like we have a team that can compete for a conference championship, but I think that’s going to depend on how much growth we continue to make as hitters.”

The Hurricane begins the season Feb. 10-12 in a tournament at Arizona, and is scheduled to open at home March 10-12 with a tournament at the Collins Family Softball Complex.

TU will face conference opponents Memphis, Houston and UCF at home, and USF, UConn and East Carolina on the road, while the conference tournament will be hosted by East Carolina in Greenville, North Carolina.

THE University of Tulsa

TU VOLLEYBALL

Brooke Berryhill

The University of Tulsa volleyball team finished its 2016 campaign at 19-13 overall and 8-12 in American Athletic Conference play, placing seventh in the conference.

The Golden Hurricane started off the season 11-1, winning their first two matches at home (capped off by a fiveset win over Alabama) before dropping their first contest on the final day of the Hurricane Classic.

Tulsa rattled off nine consecutive victories heading into conference play that included three straight non-conference tournament titles.

TU started off its non-conference tournament-winning streak with a title at the Creeds and Crests Classic in San Marcos, Texas, racking up 102 digs in a four-set win over Stephen F. Austin.

Tulsa took the title at the A-State Invitational the following weekend, dropping just one set in three matches,

Erica Bohannon

Ashley Hooper

before returning home to go unbeaten at the Tulsa Volleyball Invitational, which began with a four-set win over crosstown rival Oral Roberts.

After dropping seven straight to end the first half of conference play, TU put together another winning streak, five consecutive wins that included a road triumph over then first-place Cincinnati in four sets, before rounding out the conference slate with one win in its final five matches.

Seniors Erica Bohannon and Brooke Berryhill earned first-team and second-team all-conference nods, respectively, after wrapping up their illustrious careers at TU.

In 2016, Bohannon moved into second all-time at Tulsa in career kills (1,741) and attempts (4,863) while Berryhill became the second player in program history to eclipse 2,000 digs, finishing with the second-most career digs

(2,374) while putting together the fourth-most digs in a season by a TU player on her way to leading the conference in the category. Both players ended the season ranked in the top-five among NCAA active career leaders in their respective categories as Bohannon was fifth in kills and attempts and Berryhill ended up second among active leaders in digs.

Sophomore Rachel Moore etched her name in the Tulsa record books as well as she tallied the fifth-most block assists in a season (103) and the most by any player since 2009.

The Hurricane defense finished as one of the nation’s best, ranking second nationally in team digs with 2,293 and third in the country in digs per set with 18.34, leading the conference in both categories. The 2,293 digs marked the third most by a team in program history.

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HURRICANE RECRUITING

The following prospects have recently reported strong interest from Tulsa football coaches, so keep an eye on these names in the future as the Hurricane continues its success on the recruiting trail.

By Chris Harmon

CLASS OF 2017 • Marqez Bimage, LB, Brenham (TX) • Tre’von Bradley, ATH/CB, Cleburne (TX) • Christian Bricker, DE, Piedmont (OK) • Kaieem Caesar, DL, Cache (OK) • BJ Chambers, WR, Cypress (TX) Cy-Fair • Ty Clary, OL, Fayetteville (AR) • Trevor Denbow, LB, Corsicana (TX) • Isaiah Epps, WR, Jenks (OK) • Keiondre Hall, DE, Columbia (MO) Battle • Adam Higuera, OL/LS, Gilbert (AZ) Perry • Cole Maxwell, DE, Allen (TX) • Jason Moore, OL, Frisco (TX) • Tyler Nelson, CB, San Bernardino (CA) Valley College • David Porter, DE, Little Rock (AR) Robinson • TJ Simien, DE, Austin (TX) Lake Travis • Grant Stuard, LB, Conroe (TX) Oak Ridge • Malik Welch, CB, Torrance (CA) • Milton Williams, DE, Crowley (TX)

Kaieem Caesar

CLASS OF 2018 • Jace Ruder, QB, Norton (KS)

The 6-foot-3, 205 pound athlete runs the offense for the Norton Bluejays but also plays safety on defense. As a junior this season, he completed 96 of 189 passes for 1,598 yards and 14 touchdowns to help Norton to the playoffs. He also rushed for 746 yards and 16 touchdowns on just 114 rushing attempts, averaging 6.5 yards per carry.

Defensively, Ruder tallied 30 tackles, three pass deflections and two interceptions. The 3-star dual-threat quarterback already holds offers from Tulsa, Kansas State, Bowling Green, Ohio and Toledo. The Hurricane was the first to offer a scholarship back in June.

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Christian Bricker

2017 VERBAL COMMITS

By Chris Harmon Hurricane Elite gives TU fans a quick look at the current list of high school athletes who have given their verbal commitment to the Golden Hurricane.

DANTE BIVENS, Spring (TX) Klein Collins 6-3, 310 pounds Offensive Lineman Committed on June 12, 2016 Senior Season: Bivens and his offensive line paved the way for over 4,000 rushing yards and 88 total touchdowns this season for Klein Collins. The Tigers finished the season at 13-2 overall after making to the state semifinals.

SETH BOOMER, Collinsville (OK) 6-3, 185 pounds Quarterback Committed on May 24, 2016 Senior Season: Boomer completed 14-of-26 passes for 120 yards against a tough MacArthur defense in his final high school game. He finished the season with 2,085 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. Collinsville ended up 9-3 overall and 6-1 in district play.

SHAMARI BROOKS, Tulsa (OK) Union 5-9, 185 pounds Running Back Committed on May 1, 2016 Senior Season: Brooks ran for 228 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries in the rematch with Norman North in the state title game. In 13 games, Brooks had 297 carries for 2,028 yards and 30 TDs. He also caught six passes for 120 yards and a score.

He averaged 156 yards rushing per game and 6.8 yards per carry. Union finished at 11-2 with a state championship.

CHASE BROWN, Kerrville (TX) Tivy 6-2, 220 pounds Linebacker Committed on June 2, 2015 Senior Season: In his final high school game, Brown had 17 tackles, four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and a QB hurry. In 11 games as a senior, Brown racked up 132 tackles (12 per game), 12 tackles for loss, six pass deflections, four QB hurries, four forced fumbles, one sack and one interception. Tivy had a rough start, losing its first five games, but finished strong and ended with a 4-7 record.

ZAVEN COLLINS, Hominy (OK) 6-4, 220 pounds Linebacker Committed on August 14, 2016 Senior Season: Collins had a historic career at Hominy and cemented it further by leading the Bucks to an undefeated season (14-0) and a state championship as a senior. He played both ways for Hominy as a quarterback, linebacker and safety, helping his team outscore opponents by an average score of 50-6. As a senior, Collins rushed for 1,445 yards and 25 touchdowns and averaged over 10 yards per carry. He also threw for 1,501 yards and 24 touchdowns with only four interceptions. In his

three seasons at Hominy, Collins rushed for 4,372 yards, passed for 3,604 yards and accounted for 108 touchdowns.

AKAYLEB EVANS, McKinney (TX) 6-2, 180 pounds Cornerback Committed on July 21, 2016 Senior Season: After missing the first two games of the season, Evans averaged six tackles per game in the final eight games of his senior season. McKinney finished at 4-6. Evans totaled 48 tackles, five pass deflections and one fumble recovery.

GARRETT FLANARY, Tulsa (OK) Lincoln Christian 6-2, 273 pounds Defensive Lineman Committed on June 3, 2016 Senior Season: The Bulldogs finished the season at 10-3 after losing to Plainview in the quarterfinals.

Through 13 games, Flanary posted 80 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 16 QB hurries, seven sacks and three forced fumbles. He also contributed on offense with five catches for 100 yards and one touchdown.

ALLIE GREEN, Austin (TX) LBJ 6-3, 185 pounds Safety Committed on November 8, 2016 Senior Season: In 11 games, Green collected nine interceptions from his safety position. Austin LBJ finished at 9-2 after losing 21-10 at Alamo Heights in the first round of the playoffs.

DAIQUAIN JACKSON, Mesquite (TX) Poteet 5-11, 190 pounds Safety Committed on July 31, 2016 Senior Season: While Tulsa recruited Jackson as a safety, he starred on offense for Poteet as a senior, leading them to the state semifinals. In 15 games, he tallied 1,253 yards and 18 scores on 192 carries. He also caught 11 passes for 202 yards and two TDs. Defensively, Jackson recorded 7 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble.

MALIK JACKSON, Taylor (TX) 6-2, 205 pounds Wide Receiver Committed on June 26, 2016 Senior Season: In 12 games, Jackson caught 43 passes for 960 yards and 12 scores. He averaged an impressive 22.3 yards per reception. Taylor lost in overtime in the second round of the playoffs and finished with an 8-4 record.

MARCUS MAYS, Tulsa (OK) Edison 6-2, 175 pounds Safety Committed on December 6, 2016 Senior Season: Although Edison struggled this season with a 1-9 overall record and 1-6 in district play, Mays was a bright spot for the Eagles, earning a Class 5A-3 All-District selection and being named the district’s Co-Outstanding Safety.

COY MCMILLON, Abilene (TX) 6-4, 260 pounds Offensive Tackle Committed on July 16, 2016 Senior Season: McMillon was recruited to Tulsa as an offensive lineman, but he played on both sides of the ball for Abilene. In 13 games, McMillon had 70 tackles, 15 QB hurries, 10 tackles for loss and three sacks. On offense, he totaled four receptions for 42 yards and three touchdowns. Abilene finished with an 11-2 record.

JOSH MOORE, Prattville (AL) 5-10, 165 pounds Athlete / Wide Receiver Committed on August 23, 2016 Senior Season: Moore began the season at wide receiver but had to fill in at quarterback for the Lions after the starter went down to a season-ending injury. Prattville finished the season at 2-7.

RYAN PATRICK, Tulsa (OK) Bishop Kelley 6-3, 220 pounds Defensive End Committed on August 15, 2016 Senior Season: Despite missing several games due to a shoulder injury, Patrick still managed to put up 35 tackles and seven sacks during the regular season. Bishop Kelley finished the season at 9-3 overall and 6-1 in district play. The Comets lost in the second round of the playoffs.

ABRAM SMITH, Abilene (TX) 6-1, 205 pounds Running Back Committed on May 9, 2016 Senior Season: Battling an ankle injury, Smith rushed for 156 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries in his final high school game and broke Abilene’s career rushing record, finishing with 5,019 yards in four seasons. The Eagles finished 11-2 on the season. Smith had 236 carries for 1,929 yards and 34 touchdowns, averaging 148.4 yards per contest and 8.2 yards per carry. He also caught eight passes for 79 yards and a score this season.

KEYLON STOKES, Manvel (TX) 6-0, 180 pounds Wide Receiver Committed on August 1, 2016 Senior Season: Stokes caught nine passes for 150 yards and a touchdown in his final high school game. He also carried the ball twice for six yards.

For the season, Stokes had 80 receptions for 1,263 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 15.8 yards per catch. Stokes also totaled 28 carries for 261 yards rushing and three TDs, an average of 9.3 yards per carry. Manvel finished the season with a 13-1 record.

Verbal commitments are non-binding. High school football recruits may sign national letters of intent in February. Mid-term transfers may sign in December.

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BASKETBALL SIGNEES - DAQUAN JEFFRIES

By Chris Harmon DaQuan Jeffries, a 6-foot-5 wing from Western Texas College, signed with the University of Tulsa in November, and he’s already very familiar with the city of Tulsa.

The Edmond, Okla., native played in 29 games for TU’s crosstown rival Oral Roberts as a true freshman last season before transferring in May.

“I’ve had interest in (Tulsa) since my senior year of high school,” Jeffries explained. “They are in a great conference and the competition is great also.”

The Golden Hurricane coaching staff played a big role in Jeffries’ choice.

“I think Tulsa has a great coaching staff,” he said. “Every single one of them has experience at the college level, and I really think they can help their players achieve their goal academically and basketball-wise.”

Jeffries said Tulsa assistant coach Shea Seals was his main recruiter for the Golden Hurricane.

“I think we’re building a good relationship,” Jeffries said of Seals. “He gives great advice while recruiting, and I think that’s another reason why I chose Tulsa.”

Another draw for Jeffries was the chance to play college basketball in a top conference.

“Yes, absolutely,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to play for a school in the SEC or the AAC, and I’m glad I finally get the opportunity.”

Jeffries started six games for ORU last season and averaged 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per contest. In a Feb. 25 game at Omaha, he posted a season-high 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting.

In terms of playing time, Jeffries was ORU’s sixth man. He finished sixth on the team in scoring, fourth in rebounding, tied for third in blocks, third in steals and sixth in assists.

“My biggest strength on the court is defense,” Jeffries added.

Jeffries already has played one game at the Reynolds Center, scoring five points on 2-of-4 shooting and grabbing three rebounds and a steal in 18 minutes for Oral Roberts as the Golden Eagles squeaked out a 70-68 win at TU last season.

Jeffries played high school ball at Edmond Santa Fe for coach Lenny Hatchett, who referred to Jeffries as “very humble and the most athletic player I’ve ever coached.”

Jeffries averaged 16 points and eight rebounds per game as a senior, helping Santa Fe to a state runner-up finish. He earned All-State honors and was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Central Oklahoma Athletic Conference. He also won a pair of dunk contests following his senior season including the 50th Annual Faith 7 Bowl All-Star Game and the Big All-City Dunk Contest.

At Tulsa, Jeffries will rejoin former high school teammate Curran Scott, who will sit out at TU this season after transferring from Charlotte.

DaQuan Jeffries “I’ve known Curran since my sophomore year of high school, when we started playing AAU together,” said Jeffries. “He’s helped with this decision also.”

Before he had played one game for Western Texas College, Jeffries had plenty of recruiting interest aside from Tulsa.

“Texas Tech, Texas State, Texas-Arlington, North Dakota State and Southern Utah were all recruiting me,” he explained.

Jeffries has led Western Texas College in scoring and has helped the Westerners to a 9-3 start, averaging a team-leading 15.8 points per game on 65.6 percent shooting from the field. He has connected on 77.4 percent of his free throws and leads the team with 7.1 rebounds per game.

BASKETBALL SIGNEES - ELIJAH JOINER

By Chris Harmon

Elijah Joiner, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard who signed with Tulsa in November, is a Chicago native who plans to make an immediate impact on the TU squad with toughness.

Joiner committed to the Golden Hurricane in October after taking an official visit to the Tulsa campus. The Chicago Curie standout chose Tulsa over offers from Missouri, Iowa State, Texas A&M, DePaul, Bradley, Ball State, Illinois State, Illinois-Chicago, UAB, Saint Louis and several others.

“It felt like home, and it was a great situation,” Joiner said. “I think Tulsa is a great school academically and a great basketball school. The coaches are very informative and easy to talk to.”

During his visit, Joiner got a good look at the 54

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Tulsa basketball facilities.

“I loved them – they were very nice,” he added.

Before his visit to campus, the 3-star prospect said he was looking for a strong relationship with the head coach and a family atmosphere, and TU apparently hit a home run.

“Also, a program where I can make an impact right away and somewhere I can win,” Joiner added.

After Rivals.com national analyst Eric Bossi watched Joiner in April, he said, “A nice scorer from Chicago is 6-foot-3 combo guard Elijah Joiner. A strong and tough three-star, Joiner is more comfortable as a scorer where he hits jumpers and uses his body to finish through contact. However, he is capable of

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Elijah Joiner running a team and could be flying a little under the radar.”

Bossi watched Joiner once again in September.

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