(Some old) Football news

With the football bye week – and since there was no follow-up blog post – here’s a look at some of the stories from Saturday through this morning.

• Open date allows Bears time to heal
  

  With the bye this week, players will be able to rest up and heal their injuries, Conque said. UCA will practice today and Thursday before taking Friday and Saturday off.
  . . .
  “We’ve made some growth,” Conque said. “I think Nathan Dick has really emerged. He’s taken the lessons from the spring and summer and has really transferred the performances to the field. I think our offensive line played better against Tulsa.“Defensively, I think we’re playing aggressive, playing to the football, playing hard. … We’re a work in progress. When you look at the youth of our team, some of these guys have three or four games under their belt.

  “We have to keep our best players on the field. They’re also lacking the physical maturity. A lot of our injuries are ankle injuries, being able to stay on our feet. Those are the kind of things that come with being in the weight room. The whole key is to have our best players on the field.”

• McCollum’s Column: Sometimes a fine line exists between spectator and player
  

  What’s interesting is six of the injuries to UCA players were the result of teammates running into each other.

• UCA loses players, game
• Bears run into a buzzsaw at Tulsa
• Tulsa defense bounces back in 41-14 victory
• Golden Hurricane coasts past Central Arkansas

Scouting: Tulsa

Tulsa

Record: 1-2 (0-1)
2009 Record: 5-7 (3-5)
Mascot: Golden Hurricane
Conference: Conference USA (C-USA)
Head Coach: Todd Graham, 4th season, 27-16
Located: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Enrollment: 4,165

Last Year: After back-to-back double-digit win seasons for Graham’s teams, they struggled to their first losing season since 2004. The offense was very inconsistent. And after starting 4-1, the team lost six straight before finishing the season with an overtime win over Memphis.

Last Week: Tulsa has been looking forward to this Saturday so that they can move on from last week’s 65-28 beating they took from Oklahoma State. The TU defense gave up 722 yards, 574 of that passing. Tulsa’s pass defense gave up six touchdown passes to the starter and then two more from the backup. Even while all that was happening though, the offense had a pretty balanced 428 yards.

Players to Watch

• GJ Kinne (QB, #4, 6-2/215) – The junior took over for David Johnson (who was there the last time the Bears traveled to Tulsa) last year. He threw for over 2700 yds and was their leading rusher by a lot. He was credited with 50 more rush attempts than the closest guy. This year he’s averaging a much better 324 ypg and his rushing attempts put him third on the time right now. Either way, he’s their guy and can sling it around pretty good.
• Trey Watts (RB, #22, 5-11/199) – The redshirt freshman has taken the starting job this season, but is only averaging 3.1 ypc so far.
• Alex Singleton (RR, #8, 6-1/245) – A huge running back, Singleton is a sophomore who only played in one game in 2009.
• Trae Johnson (WR, #1, 5-11/195) – Trae Johnson isn’t listed as a starter, but he’s their second leading receiver in receptions (14) and yards (163).
• Charles Clay (HB, #9, 6-3/235) – According to the comments of some TU fans, the senior from Little Rock Central seems to have fallen into the background a bit, but he’s a very big, very talented player who can line up in different positions, run and catch the ball.
• Damaris Johnson (WR, #3, 5-8/170) – Save the best for last? Damaris might be little, but he’s a big-play threat. Somehow, opponents this year have done an excellent job of limiting his big plays on offense. He gets the ball on handoffs, passes and is their punt and kick return guy. He’s their leading receiver, and keeping him in check will go a long way towards a win.
• Marco Nelson (S, #20, 6-0/192) – The true freshman is already making plays. He leads the team with two interceptions and returned one for a td. He’s also their second leading tackler.
• Shawn Jackson (MLB, #55, 6-0/230) – Jackson has been the TU player most often making plays behind the line of scrimmage. He’s another freshman on that defense seeing his first action after gray-shirting last season.
• Curnelius Arnick (SLB, #32, 6-1/230) – Arnick leads the team in tackles with 29. He’s been all over the field in the first three games.

Required Reading

• See the blog post below this one.

Other Notes

• Most probably are aware of this, but former Bear receiver Mike Norvell is the passing game coordinator and recruiting director at Tulsa. After last season, Graham brought in Chad Morris to be the offensive coordinator and play caller.
• There are five players from Arkansas high schools on TU’s roster.
• TU’s passing offense is 7th in the country in ypg. Their total offense ranks 5th.
• The defense has been the problem this year. After OSU’s 65-point outing, the defense is averaging 45.3 points against. That is good enough for 117th in the country. There are only 120 teams.
• The run defense has been good. It’s specifically the pass defense that’s been abused by opposing offenses. Bowling Green’s 262 yards is the lowest the TU defense has allowed this season.