The Tulsa Golden Hurricane storm into Boone Pickens Stadium for an opening week showdown against the (11) Oklahoma State Cowboys. The game is scheduled to be played on Thursday, August 31st at 7:30 p.m. EST. The clash between the two universities can be viewed on FOX Sports 1. As of this article, the Cowboys are a -17 point favorite and the game’s total is 74.
The Golden Hurricane are reloading the potent offense that gashed opponents wide open in 2016. As a result, Tulsa finished 10-3 with the country’s 4th ranked offense. The coup de gras was the 55-10 dismantling of Central Michigan in their bowl game.
Now, almost all of the stars that racked up 42.5 points a game (7th) has departed. The Golden Hurricane are hoping their proven system offense can generate enough fire power to hang with the Cowboys.
The whisperings in Stillwater are that of a dream season where Oklahoma State finally beats Oklahoma and wins the Big-12 title. Heck, some are even saying a playoff berth and a potential run at a national title. We shall see.
The Cowboys are loaded on offense and have a defense that should be good enough to keep them ahead on the scoreboard. Obviously, the pieces are in place for the Oklahoma State to have their best season in since 2012.
Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
The Golden Hurricane made FBS history last year. They were the first school to ever have a 3,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard receivers, and two 1,000-yard rushers. Of the five skill-position players that contributed to the record, only one is back in 2017.
Tulsa’s All-Time leading passer Dane Evans is gone. He’s taking snaps for the Philadelphia Eagles. As of now, it appears that red shirt freshman Luke Skipper and Chad President are still vying for the spot. Both are more mobile than Evans but lack his arm strength. Whoever gets the nod, they will be throwing to a group of unproven receivers.
Gone are leading pass catchers Josh Atkinson and Keevan Lucas. That leaves Justin Hobbs as the only wideout with any playing experience. Last year, Hobbs caught 50 balls for 685 yards and four touchdowns. Tulsa is hoping that Keenen Johnson, who caught 30 passes as a freshman last season, will develop into an every down player.
Running back D’Angelo Brewer returns to lead a unit that will be the Golden Hurricanes’ strength in 2017. In 2016, Brewer rushed for over 1,400 yards and seven scores. He will be lining up behind an offensive line that returns four starters. They dominated the trenches last year, leading Tulsa to a school-record eight games with at least 300 rushing yards.
Tulsa improved in almost every defensive category last season. Unfortunately, many key pieces to that squad have also graduated. Senior defensive ends Jesse Brubaker and Jeremy Smith will be the cornerstone of a young defense. Brubaker led Tulsa with 13.5 tackles for a loss and two interceptions for touchdowns.
(11) Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State returns seven starters on offense. None more important than starting quarterback Mason Rudolph. Rudolph passed on the NFL draft and returns as the school’s second active leader in career passing yards per game (300.5). Last year, he threw the football for well over 4,000 yards with an outstanding 28 touchdowns to only four picks.
To add to his numbers, Mason Rudolph has weapons by the dozen.They are led by game-breaking receiver James Washington. Washington averaged 19.4 yards per catch in 2016. He also brought in 71 balls for over 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns, On the other side, Jalen McCleskey will provide plenty of balance. Although he is not as explosive, he did catch 73 passes for 812 yards and seven more scores.
Running back Justice Hill heads into his sophomore season after rushing for 1,142 yards. That stat topped all Division I freshmen and earned him the Big-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors. Hill also recorded six touchdowns. With him returns three starters on the Cowboy’s offensive line.
The Oklahoma State defensive line should be a strength. There is plenty of quality starts at the ends. Including, all-conference candidates Jarrell Owens and Jordan Brailford. The back half should be set as well. Savvy linebacker Chad Whitener enters his third season as a starter. Also, safety Tre Flowers is a play-maker whose accumulated 200 tackles and 17 pass breakups in his tenure with the Cowboys.
Prediction
Insiders are predicting a good ole’ fashioned shoot-out for both team’s opening day game in Stillwater. I’m not convinced that this is going to be a two-sided affair. Tulsa will have the ability to run the ball effectively but there are a lot of new faces that need to contribute immediately for the Golden Hurricanes to keep up with the Cowboys.
I have no doubt that Mason Rudolph and James Washington will make plenty of plays down the field. I also think that Justice Hill is good enough to keep the Tulsa defense guessing. That’s why the pick to take here is the Cowboys by -17.
The 74 points is a lot, and also requires both offenses to score in all four quarters to make that happen. Oklahoma State’s defense is good enough to keep the new faces in Tulsa from running wild. Stay away from the total, as the Cowboys eventually wear down the Golden Hurricane by game’s end. Cowboys 44-23 over Tulsa.
Trends
The Golden Hurricane are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
The Golden Hurricane are 14-3 ATS in their last 17 road games.
The Over is 4-1 in Golden Hurricane last 5 road games.
The Over is 8-3 in Golden Hurricane last 11 games overall.
The Cowboys are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
The Cowboys are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games on field-turf.
The Under is 4-1 in Cowboys last 5 games in August.
The Over is 64-31-2 in Cowboys last 97 home games.
The Home team is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 meetings.
The getmoresports.com NCAA College Football Throwdown Podcast will be returning to the air on August 24th. We will be highlighting the first five games on August 26th of the 2017 NCAA College Football season. That will be the first of three installments leading into the first week of the season. We also we will be covering our expectations for the Heisman Trophy front runners as well as predictions for conference winners and team totals.
Our second NCAA College Football Throwdown is penciled in for August 29th. In that installment, we will be discussing all the games that will be played on August 31st and the 1st of September.
Our third segment will officially be airing on August 31st. In this edition of the NCAA College Football Throwdown, we will be covering all the relevant games for Sept 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.
