Blankenship Previews Showdown With Houston

University of Tulsa head football coach Bill Blankenship met with the media Monday at his weekly press conference to discuss the team's seven-game win streak and also previewed the C-USA West Championship showdown against No. 7 Houston.

Tulsa will take on Houston Friday Nov. 25 and kickoff is set for 11 a.m.

Below are some of the questions Blankenship addressed about Houston and the game which is senior night for TU.

"It's kind of like we talked about in the locker room with our players, we can actually talk about Houston now. We've been very fortunate to have a good stretch run. Our guys played well on the road in a tough environment. We have not had good success at UTEP like we talked about before. To go in, get a fast start and finish ... it wasn't perfect by any stretch. We had a lot of mistakes and a lot of things we needed to work on. But to leave there with a convincing victory was a big deal for us. We are very thankful.

On the Houston offense and if anyone has done anything to slow them down:
"No. They're pretty good. They've been very good. They certainly remind us of some of the best we've seen this year. I think you certainly put them in the same category offensively with Oklahoma State. They have the same kind of quarterback as Boise and Oklahoma. They have that personnel. Athletically, they are very good."

"Houston has come from behind more than once and were down at Louisiana Tech. They haven't been down but were held in check at SMU. They've always continued to bounce back and put up big numbers. It's wrong to think they are only a passing team. They've ran the football well. They have outstanding talent on both sides. What's good about where we've gotten to - and I'm not into comparison scores at all - but we haven't been as explosive offensively as Houston is perceived to be. They scored 49 points at UTEP and I felt we were pretty much in control with where we were at."

"They have tremendous speed offensively. They have players in several places, receivers and running backs that are capable of going the distance if they get in space and you don't tackle them. A lot of their touchdowns have been screen passes, little crossing routes, draw plays and all of the sudden a guy goes 60-70 yards and it was not a throw down the field. Case has dropped some bombs on people, but they are catching balls and getting yards after the catch. I think Case makes them so much more dangerous because he is so accurate. They have the speed to make it happen. He just doesn't miss many. He's really pretty good and gets the ball out quick and he hasn't been sacked often. His part of the equation is really important. The people around him, it goes back to what we said before, the mark of what he's done is make the guys around him much better."

"You have to have that balanced attack. What you have to do is you have to get pressure with your front people. We're going to bring blitzes and different looks. Everyone has done that. If we don't get pressure with the front people manned up in blocking, then he'll have plenty of time to throw if we're in coverage or not. You start with getting pressure and secondly you have to make him throw underneath and outside throws. You have to make him take harder throws and knock them down."

On what makes Case Keenum so special:
"He's a great competitor. He's much like our quarterback. He's a guy that battles. We're so fortunate to have GJ because that's what he is. When you have a guy that has skills, but is also a great competitor, it does a lot for your program and your offense. I think Case is a great operator of what they do. He just manages and gets the ball to the right people. If you look at the SMU game last week, he'll run when he has to and scramble. It's probably not what he wants to do the most, but he's willing to do what it takes to win big games."

On the Houston defense:
"They are very fast and physical. They are a defense that runs around very well. Sammy Brown was the national player of the year last week. He has a tremendous number of tackles for loss and sacks and has been a pressure guy. We have to be aware of them. Marcus McGraw is a guy we've played against for three years and is a good player. They are in an odd front, a three-man line with two outside linebackers similar to what SMU does. They create some problems for you. They mix and match who is blitzing. They play a lot of zone and do it well. It's going to be a good matchup. They are one of the best defenses in our league that we've seen."

On status of Stetson Burnett:
"Stetson Burnett, we've likely lost him for the season. He's going to have an MRI to confirm that today, but all indications are that we have lost Stetson to a knee injury."

On playing at home:
"Home field advantage is all about energy from the crowd. Our guys are going to create that and they are going to be a part of that. If our phone calls and people calling for tickets are any indication, I think you better hurry. I think we're going to have a great crowd."

"I don't think I'm too worried about them being too emotional. These guys have been very focused along the way. The long answer to a short question is I think our guys have shown to be a focused lot. I like the way they came to practice this morning. I'm OK with a little bit of emotion. We don't want to overdo it and I don't think we will."

"The seniors know what is at stake for them personally playing at home. They want to be back in Chapman. I would be surprised if, to a man, they didn't tell you that they fully expect to continue their career and play well here. It's a much bigger deal to them to what the team does than to them going out as seniors. It is a big deal to us coaches because when we start looking at it, you start getting a little emotional as the staff looks at the leadership and what these guys have accomplished and what they are going to do. That day will be special to us. We will take time pre-game to honor our seniors."