Graham Expects Better in 2010

The Golden Hurricane head coach thinks 2009 was just a fluke. He expects Tulsa to be in the thick of the Conference USA race again this season.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:53 am

By: News On 6

Originally Published: Aug 6, 2010 8:19 PM CDT

Bobby Lewis
Oklahoma Sports Mobile Journalist

TULSA, Oklahoma – One thing is plain to see after spending the afternoon with the Golden Hurricane players and coaches: They are serious about making it back to a bowl game.

Tulsa hosted its annual media day on Friday with a renewed focus. A season ago, Todd Graham’s team fell well short of its preseason goal of making a bowl game. TU started hot before losing six straight games. Tulsa finished the year 5-7, missing the postseason for just the second time since 2005.

“When you look towards this year, and this season, we’ve got a very, very experienced football team on the offensive side of the ball,” said Graham. “We’re going to be a youthful team on defense. I think we have two of the best linebackers in the country.”

Expectations are high in the locker room in Tulsa. Players and coaches both expect better than a third place finish in Conference USA’s West division.

“I think this is the closest football team that we’ve had in a while,” Graham said with some pep in his voice. “It’s by far the best football staff I’ve worked on.”

The Golden Hurricane will play a trying schedule in 2010. The team kicks off the season on the road against the two-time defending league champion East Carolina Pirates on Sunday, September 5th. That game will be shown on national television.

The non-conference slate is stout as well. Tulsa travels to Oklahoma State to battle the Cowboys on September 18th. The week before that they will host a Bowling Green team that lost to Idaho 43-42 in a shootout at the Humanitarian Bowl last season.

The game many fans have circled on the calendar is Tulsa’s late-October trip to Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have some of the most well known tradition in college football. The Golden Hurricane will see that first hand on the road.

Despite the tough tests, Graham likes the challenge of a difficult schedule.

“It brings great opportunity for our program and our guys are anxious to get back out on the field and get things back to competing for championships,” he said.