3 Can't-Miss Games for Tulsa

Originally Published: Jul 29, 2010 5:31 PM CDT

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Bobby Lewis
Oklahoma Sports Mobile Journalist

TULSA, Oklahoma -- The final few weeks of the 2009 season were forgettable at best for the University of Tulsa. Todd Graham’s club started off golden, jumping out to a 4-1 start to the campaign, but then...

The train came off the tracks.

Tulsa lost a nationally televised mid-week nail-biter to Boise State 28-21, sparking a chain reaction that saw the Golden Hurricane plummet in the Conference USA standings. The free fall lasted six games until Tulsa finally finished with a bang in its finale, downing Memphis at home 33-30.

With last year’s struggles in the rear view mirror, Tulsa has a shot at rebounding this season. Here’s a preview of what we think will be some of the dates to look forward to in 2010:

BIGGEST NON-CONFERENCE GAME: Saturday, September 18 at Oklahoma State, time TBA

It’s not a conference game, so purists could argue that this game won’t mean a thing in the end, but long-time college football fans in this state know otherwise. The Golden Hurricane travels to Stillwater to take on a team that could be ripe for an “upset”.

Oklahoma State is without big play makers like Dez Bryant, Zac Robinson, Perrish Cox and Andre Sexton from a year ago, and has a boatload of youngsters all over the field.

Last season, Tulsa failed to take advantage of a huge opportunity to gain some much needed recruiting momentum in the Sooner State when Oklahoma blasted the Golden Hurricane 45-0 in Norman. The shutout stuck with some of the veteran players on the TU squad at the time and the ones that remain in blue and gold will certainly want to make up for that misstep.

A win over the Pokes on the road would push Tulsa near the middle of the totem pole in in-state recruiting. The Sooners are squarely on top of the heap with OSU and TU trailing just behind. Downing Mike Gundy’s boys in an early season battle could catch a couple of key prep star’s attention.

BIGGEST CONFERENCE GAME: Saturday, November 13th at Houston, 7 p.m.

There are a few choices here but in many Golden Hurricane players’ hearts, the clear choice is Houston. They owe Houston.

Last season, Tulsa was raging. Losers of three in a row by a combined 25 points, TU was set up for the perfect storm against the Cougars. Heisman-hopeful quarterback Case Keenum brought his team into H.A. Chapman Stadium with their chests puffed out, ranked 15th in the nation. Both teams punched each other in the mouth all game long, tying or exchanging the lead seven times. A Charles Clay 1-yard touchdown run in the closing minutes looked to give Tulsa the win. Tulsa was up eight points inside of three minutes to play but Houston scored, recovered an onside kick, and buried a dagger in the TU faithful’s hearts with a 51-yard game-winning field goal by Matt Hogan.

The Cougars and Golden Hurricane combined for 91 points and 1,229 yards of offense in the game, but the only number Tulsa will remember is 4 – as in the team’s fourth straight loss.

Look for Todd Graham’s boys to be ready to hand out a heavy dose of payback in Texas this November.

MOST EXCITING GAME: Saturday, October 30 at Notre Dame, 1:30 p.m.

This was a no-brainer: Notre Dame! It’s Rudy. It’s championships. It’s Touchdown Jesus. It’s the golden dome. It’s tradition.

Tulsa will get a chance to see that storied tradition up-close and personal when it travels to South Bend the day before Halloween. The question is – can the Golden Hurricane spook the Irish?

Conventional wisdom would say yes. Tulsa is 43-23 since 2005. Compare that to Notre Dame’s 35-27 mark. Only twice in that span have the Fighting Irish finished the season with a better record than the Golden Hurricane, including Tulsa’s dreadful 2009. But, the game is on the road.

Tulsa struggled away from Skelly Field a year ago, winning just 3 of its 6 games. If Tulsa doesn’t get blinded by the allure shining off of that famed golden dome, then the Golden Hurricane should be able to post a respectable number on the scoreboard.

Tulsa opens the regular season on the road against East Carolina on Sunday, September 5th. That game will be nationally televised on ESPN2.