Injuries have contributed to Golden Hurricane's defensive woes

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Tulsa coach Keith Burns thought enough of his defense at the start of the season that he moved a lineman over to shore up depth at tight end. <br><br>But injuries pushed five Golden

Friday, September 27th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Tulsa coach Keith Burns thought enough of his defense at the start of the season that he moved a lineman over to shore up depth at tight end.

But injuries pushed five Golden Hurricane defensive starters out of action, and Tulsa lost its first four games while giving up an average of 295 yards rushing.

``Not many teams can withstand that,'' Burns said. ``We can't. Our depth is either awfully young or guys that couldn't win the starting job.''

Tulsa will again be without three of its starting defensive lineman Saturday when the Kansas Jayhawks (1-3) and first-year coach Mark Mangino come to Skelly Stadium.

Defensive end Brandon Lohr is out for the season, replaced by twice-converted tight end Cory Hathaway. Josh Walker and Sammy Umobong are unlikely to return until Oct. 12 against Boise State, Burns said.

Also, starting defensive back Keithan McCorry will likely miss Saturday's game with an injured shoulder, Burns said.

``It's frustrating. You want to go into competition with your best guys, with your best cards,'' Burns said. ``We had that in our first ballgame and haven't had it since.''

Tulsa trailed then co-No. 1 Oklahoma just 3-0 at halftime in the season opener. That was before losing 21-19 to Arkansas State, 53-9 to Louisiana Tech and falling behind Baylor 30-6 at the half.

Despite all the yardage and all the criticism, Burns says the defense has shown some positives.

The Golden Hurricane have forced 13 turnovers, including an interception return for a touchdown against Baylor. They produced a safety against Arkansas State and tackled better against the Bears.