3 Hurricane Takeaways: Tulsa Looks Adrift Without Good Quarterback Play

It was a bad day at the office for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in Week 8 as the Rice Owls came to town and dominated.

Rice Quarterback JT Daniels passed for two touchdowns and ran for another while completing 24-of-37 for 342 yards. Tulsa's offense never quite got out of the gate and the defense could not keep up with the Owls on the ground or through the air.

It was the largest margin of victory in a conference game for Rice since 2013 and the third time TU has lost by 30 or more this season.

The Golden Hurricane dropped below 3-4 and 1-2 in the conference. Some tough tests are still ahead for Tulsa with road games against SMU (5-2) and #22 Tulane (6-1) on the schedule.

First Takeaway: QB Confusion

We're now seven games into the season, and the situation at quarterback is still in question. Braylon Braxton started in week eight but threw an interception on his first pass of the game. The next drive ended with a turnover on downs and the next with a sack/fumble.

Cardell Williams then replaced Braxton at QB but he too fumbled on his first drive after a sack by Josh Pearcy.

Braxton finished 4/8 passing with 37 yards but found more success on the ground rushing for 89 yards on 12 attempts. Williams did manage to find something resembling success through the air completing seven passes on 14 attempts for 101 yards and the Hurricane's only touchdown.

Injuries and inconsistencies have plagued the Golden Hurricane all season at the quarterback position and while both Williams and Cardell have had great moments, neither looked comfortable against Rice.

Second Takeaway: Defense Couldn't Keep Up

Throughout 2023 the TU defense has managed to hold its own. Despite blowouts against Washington and Oklahoma the defense has helped keep the Golden Hurricane in games long enough for he offense to find their rhythm or at least give them a shot down the stretch.

Last Thursday however, the Rice Owls were just too fast and too resourceful. Rice went three-and-out on the opening drive but scored just four plays later after a Braxton pick led to a 54-yard touchdown run by Dean Conners.

The defense did what they could by forcing three more punts and a turnover on downs but unfortunately, the first half ended 21-10. The Owls scored on three of their four second-half possessions to run the score up to 42-10. Each of those scoring drives covered more than 75 yards with the last two being 13 plays and 91 yards and 14 plays and 96 yards.

Rice finished with 512 yards of total offense, 342 passing, and another 170 on the ground.

Tulsa safety Kendarin Ray looked great on Thursday with a career-high 15 tackles.

The defense is going to need more help from the offense in the next few weeks. SMU hosts Tulsa next week and the Mustangs are averaging 35.6 points per game and 47 at home.

Third Takeaway: On The Bowl Bubble

A bowl game is not impossible for the Golden Hurricane this year if everything falls into place.

Big games against SMU and Tulane who are currently No. 2 and No. 1 in the American respectively remain on the schedule. Those games will be a challenge on the road and will require some great play from both sides of the ball. But, TU also has games against three teams who are in the bottom half of the conference standings.

They will play Charlotte at home in two weeks, the 49ers are sitting at 2-5 this season and have lost four of their last five as of Week 8.

In Week 11, North Texas comes to HA Chapman Stadium. The Mean Green is about even with Tulsa in terms of success this season but is averaging about 100 more yards a game than the Golden Hurricane. This game could go a long way for either team.

Finally, Tulsa closed the season in Greenview, against Eastern Carolina. The Pirates have really struggled in 2023 sitting at 1-6 and 0-3 in American Conference play.

Tulsa has not played in a bowl game since 2021 when they defeated Old Dominion 30-17 in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.