Three Keys for the Golden Hurricane in 2011

Tulsa finished 2010 with ten wins just one year after completing its worst season under Todd Graham. What's next for TU, and how do they stay hot?

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:07 pm

By: News On 6

Three Keys for the Golden Hurricane in 2011

Originally Published: Jan 2, 2011 10:17 PM CDT

Bobby Lewis
Oklahoma Sports Reporter

TULSA -- The Golden Hurricane just capped a pretty impressive turnaround. Two seasons ago, they won just five games and struggled at home. In 2010, they won ten games and finished the year with a perfect record at H.A. Chapman Stadium.

Here are three keys to continue the team's success in 2011:

Replacing the second winningest senior class in school history.
Tulsa got production from its young players this year, but they had a lot of veteran help. The Golden Hurricane seniors were key in the team’s about-face and subsequent jump to double digit wins.

Tanner Antle, Charles Davis and Odrick Ray carried the defense. Charles Clay and Trae Johnson carried the offense. Finding leadership will be key with those contributors gone.

Improvement by 2010 freshmen.
Guys like Shawn Jackson, Marco Nelson and Cody Wilson all had good seasons, but they still made plenty of freshman mistakes. Can they, and guys like Thomas Roberson and Dewitt Jennings, improve to the point where Tulsa will be a top contender in the conference for the next few years? Regression isn't an option after racking up all that playing time in year one.

NFL watch for Damaris Johnson.
Can he break more records? (Not that there are many more to break.) He set the NCAA record for career all-purpose yards against Hawaii in the bowl game, and should put that mark way out of reach in his senior season. He has 7,796 yards to his name. As his numbers continue to climb at eye-popping rates, watch for NFL interest to climb as well for the 5-foot-8 speedster.

Tulsa rebounded well in 2010. Can they make a run at a conference title in 2011?