TU Football: Improved Evans Leads Tulsa Into OU Showdown

One of the most notable takeaways from Tulsa's 38-31 season-opening win against Tulane was the play of sophomore quarterback Dane Evans.

Evans dipped his feet into the water a bit last season but with mixed results. He split time relieving and starting in place of a disappointing Cody Green, but for the most part, he looked and played like a freshman.

Completing just 84 of 195 passes for 895 yards, Evans struggled to consistently find his receivers. He threw for just four touchdowns and ten interceptions.

So naturally, all eyes were on Evans in TU's opener. Fans were eager to see whether he made the expected freshman-to-sophomore leap or if his 2013 struggles were more of a permanent thing.

Evans left little doubt.

His 438 yards on 31 of 53 passing helped lead Tulsa back from a 14-0 hole to a dramatic double-overtime win. And his four touchdown passes matched last season's grand total. Evans made one clutch throw after another in the second half as TU refused to quit.

“It doesn't help when you start down 14-0,” Evans explained. “It just shows the amazing character of this team. That is not something that just happens. That is something that we work on all summer.”

That summer work is what coach Bill Blankenship identified as the key to Evans' improvement.

“No one outworked him from January on, no one on our team, and we've great work ethic on this team. So I'm not putting anybody down. I'm just telling you nobody outworked him,” Blankenship said. “

“Nobody took last year any harder than he did. You don't want to focus on last year. What you want to do is make it right. If that wasn't us last year, then we've got to show you. We can't blame anybody. I think Dane Evans started in January or as soon as the season was over, and he said, I'm better than that. But I've got to work, and I'm telling you, I think he'll continue.”

One of Evans' highlight plays was a deep bomb to breakout star Keevan Lucas just before halftime. The 84-yard hookup brought TU within a touchdown at the break and brought the Chapman Stadium crown back into the game.

“It was kind of a risky throw by me,” Evans explained. “(Tulsa QB Coach) Josh Blankenship tells us to never have hero throws. That was definitely a hero throw. I got away with it, and I told him that over the phone. He said that if I can get it, he'll take it.”

But hero throws like that can also get a guy in trouble. Despite Evans' strong performance, he did also throw two picks and had another two that Tulane flat-out dropped. And if the Golden Hurricane wants to hang around against OU on Saturday, Evans has to protect the ball.

Which puts him in a bit of a pickle. Let's be honest, unless Evans takes a few chances that pay off, Tulsa won't have any shot to beat the Sooners. You won't take down a top-five team playing conservatively, and as former New York Jets coach Herm Edwards so eloquently explained, “You PLAY…to WIN…the GAME.” TU isn't taking that field on Saturday in an attempt to only lose by 20.

But on the other hand, a few forced passes could lead to a lot of OU points – and in a hurry. The best bet is for Evans and the Golden Hurricane to go out and play their game, regardless of results.

“If we focus on Oklahoma, we fall into the same trap that most teams do when they play Oklahoma,” Blankenship said. “We've got to worry about Tulsa.”

Expect to see Evans do a lot of what he did last week. Make the safe throws, but take some shots, as well. Saturday is another chance for the Hurricane to focus on itself and work on things that will help them throughout the season.

Blankenship won't be abandoning the game plan in an attempt to take down the mighty Sooners, but he won't be afraid to go down swinging, either.