Utah Offense vs. Tulsa Defense
Utah's ground game was inconsistent at best earlier in the season and there's a reason. Though QB Brett Ratliff has good athletic ability for his size, he is a better passer than he is a runner, so options and quarterback keepers weren't as effective. Utah is nothing if not creative, and it did a good job of adjusting the offense to mask Ratliff's weakness as a runner by lining DB Eric Weddle up at quarterback in certain situations. Weddle is quick, reads his blocks fairly well and is strong enough to pick up yards after contact. As a result, Tulsa's linebackers will have to hesitate to see whether Weddle holds onto the ball or hands it off and plays with great discipline when the Utes run the option when he is in the game. In other words, Weddle lining up at quarterback should force the Golden Hurricanes to react rather than attack, and that should give Utah a considerable advantage. The reason is the strength of Tulsa's run defense is clearly the ability of its four linebackers to get to the football. MLB Nelson Coleman is a tackling machine and WLB Nick Bunting is relentless in pursuit. However, the linebackers can take too long to shed blocks, and forcing them to pause should make it easier for blockers to get into position. It's also worth noting that Weddle has completed two of the four passes he's thrown this year -- including one that went for a touchdown -- so Utah can put the ball in the air when he comes into the game. That said, RB Darryl Poston should be able to help keep the Utes out of a lot of situations with pass-heavy tendencies, even when Weddle isn't in the game. Poston's longest run this year has gone for just 18 yards, but he has good vision and runs hard between the tackles. He should regularly pick up 3-to-4 yards per carry against a Hurricane defense that has given up more than 4 yards per carry this year.
Tulsa vs. Utah
vs.
When: Dec. 23, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Where: Fort Worth, Texas
Only five Division I-A teams surrender fewer passing yards per game than Tulsa, but there's reason to believe Utah will have success moving the ball through the air. First, this statistic is obviously skewed because teams have had success running the ball, so they don't need air it out that much. In fact, only 23 Division I-A teams defend fewer passing attempts per game. Second, Utah has done a great job of keeping Ratliff upright and the front five should be able to neutralize a relatively weak Hurricane pass rush. In addition, Utah's spread scheme is designed to create favorable mismatches for Ratliff, and it should continue to do so in this game. While corners Nick Graham and Roy Roberts rarely get caught out of position, Tulsa doesn't have great depth behind them. It should have a hard time matching up with a deep receiving corps that includes Derrek Richards, Brent Casteel, Marquis Wilson and Brian Hernandez. As a result, Ratliff shouldn't have to hold onto the ball for long periods of time. Third, the Hurricanes have intercepted just seven passes this year, so Ratliff should feel confident throwing downfield.
Tulsa Offense vs. Utah Defense
QB Paul Smith is clearly the leader of the offense, but he is at his best when the run sets up the passing game. With that in mind, running backs Courtney Tennial, Brandon Diles and Tarrion Adams should get plenty of work. Tennial is a power back who rarely goes down with the first hit, Diles reads his blocks well and Adams has the speed to do damage when he gets a seam. All three benefit from playing behind a mobile and experienced offensive line that does a good job of getting into position. However, establishing the run against Utah this year has been easier said than done. Tackles Kelly Talavou and Paul Soliai possess excellent size, and they should be able to clog up the middle working against a smaller Tulsa interior offensive line. MLB Joe Jiannoni shouldn't have to fight though a lot of blocks when the Hurricanes run inside, and he has the burst to make plays in the backfield. Tulsa should have a difficult time getting sealing the edge and getting outside as well. SLB Malakai Mokofisi is big enough to hold his ground at the point of attack and RLB J.J. Williams is quick enough to beat blockers to the point of attack.
The Utes have masked their lack of a consistent pass rush with big plays, and one of the reasons they have been so successful at coming up with interceptions is Weddle's versatility. Weddle can line up at corner or safety, and he can cover the slot receiver or the outside receiver. It's easy to see why offenses can have a difficult time keeping track of him and throw in his area, despite the fact he has intercepted six passes. However, Smith is an experienced field general who should stay poised, locate Weddle and find the open man when he gets enough time. Keeping that in mind, it's important that Utah force Smith to get rid of the ball quickly. That's no easy task because the Hurricanes' pass protection has been nothing short of excellent and they should be able to keep the Utes' front four out of the backfield. In addition, WRs Idris Moss, Ryan Bugg and Donnie Johnson run decent short- to intermediate-routes and one of them should be able to get open quickly on most snaps. That means Utah may blitz more than usual.
Special Teams
Louie Sakoda handles the place kicking and punting duties for Utah. As a place kicker, he rarely misses field goal attempts inside 40 yards, and he has enough range to occasionally connect from longer distances. His holder is none other than DB Eric Weddle, and Tulsa must be prepared for fake field-goal attempts as a result. Sakoda may be an even better punter than he is a place kicker, as he has gotten excellent distance on his punts and has placed half of his 56 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Ben Vroman kicks off and for good reason. He has excellent leg strength and 27 of his 65 kickoffs have resulted in touchbacks. Explosive and elusive KOR Brice McCain should have a hard time generating a big return against a Hurricane kickoff cover unit that has been one of the best in the nation. Though PR Marquis Wilson has been steady and flashes some big-play ability, Tulsa has done a good job of covering punts as well. It's worth mentioning that Weddle could get some opportunities to return punts, but he hasn't been as effective as Wilson.
Tulsa PK Jarod Tracy has missed just one of his 12 field goal attempts thus far, and he connected on a career-long 50-yard field goal attempt in the regular-season finale. He should take advantage of any opportunities he gets to put points on the board. Though Tracy can and has kicked off, he has split those duties with P Paul Jurado, who has gotten better distance. Jurado also shares the punting duties with Chris Kindred. Kindred has placed eight of his 21 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard-line and Jurado has flashed excellent range, but Kindred has had two of his punts blocked and Jurado has been inconsistent. Return man Idris Moss reaches his top speed quickly and can make defenders miss, so he is capable of breaking long returns. However, both return units have been average at best. It's unlikely that changes in this game because the Utes have the best punt cover unit in the nation and they have done a fairly good job of covering kickoffs as well.
Matchups
? Tulsa QB Paul Smith vs. Utah DB Eric Weddle
? Utah LOT Tavo Tupula vs. Tulsa DE Robert Lafu
? Utah QB Eric Weddle vs. Tulsa MLB Nelson Coleman
Scouts' Edge
On paper, Tulsa has great leadership at quarterback, an abundance of talent in the backfield and a strong pass defense, but it won't be enough to get the win. Utah's front seven will slow the Golden Hurricane backs and force QB Paul Smith to move the offense with his arm. Though Smith will play well enough to keep Tulsa within striking distance, the Utes' will get to him enough to force him into making some poor decisions. Offensively, Utah's versatile ground game will keep the Hurricanes off balance and be productive enough to take pressure off QB Brett Ratliff. Ratliff should continue to spread the ball around and ultimately expose an overrated Golden Hurricane pass defense. It's also important to note that although the Utes ended their regular season with a heartbreaking loss to BYU, they won three of their last four games. Tulsa, on the other hand, got blown out by the Cougars earlier in the year and dropped three of their last four games.
Prediction: Utes 28, Golden Hurricane 21
Utah's ground game was inconsistent at best earlier in the season and there's a reason. Though QB Brett Ratliff has good athletic ability for his size, he is a better passer than he is a runner, so options and quarterback keepers weren't as effective. Utah is nothing if not creative, and it did a good job of adjusting the offense to mask Ratliff's weakness as a runner by lining DB Eric Weddle up at quarterback in certain situations. Weddle is quick, reads his blocks fairly well and is strong enough to pick up yards after contact. As a result, Tulsa's linebackers will have to hesitate to see whether Weddle holds onto the ball or hands it off and plays with great discipline when the Utes run the option when he is in the game. In other words, Weddle lining up at quarterback should force the Golden Hurricanes to react rather than attack, and that should give Utah a considerable advantage. The reason is the strength of Tulsa's run defense is clearly the ability of its four linebackers to get to the football. MLB Nelson Coleman is a tackling machine and WLB Nick Bunting is relentless in pursuit. However, the linebackers can take too long to shed blocks, and forcing them to pause should make it easier for blockers to get into position. It's also worth noting that Weddle has completed two of the four passes he's thrown this year -- including one that went for a touchdown -- so Utah can put the ball in the air when he comes into the game. That said, RB Darryl Poston should be able to help keep the Utes out of a lot of situations with pass-heavy tendencies, even when Weddle isn't in the game. Poston's longest run this year has gone for just 18 yards, but he has good vision and runs hard between the tackles. He should regularly pick up 3-to-4 yards per carry against a Hurricane defense that has given up more than 4 yards per carry this year.
Tulsa vs. Utah
vs.
When: Dec. 23, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Where: Fort Worth, Texas
Only five Division I-A teams surrender fewer passing yards per game than Tulsa, but there's reason to believe Utah will have success moving the ball through the air. First, this statistic is obviously skewed because teams have had success running the ball, so they don't need air it out that much. In fact, only 23 Division I-A teams defend fewer passing attempts per game. Second, Utah has done a great job of keeping Ratliff upright and the front five should be able to neutralize a relatively weak Hurricane pass rush. In addition, Utah's spread scheme is designed to create favorable mismatches for Ratliff, and it should continue to do so in this game. While corners Nick Graham and Roy Roberts rarely get caught out of position, Tulsa doesn't have great depth behind them. It should have a hard time matching up with a deep receiving corps that includes Derrek Richards, Brent Casteel, Marquis Wilson and Brian Hernandez. As a result, Ratliff shouldn't have to hold onto the ball for long periods of time. Third, the Hurricanes have intercepted just seven passes this year, so Ratliff should feel confident throwing downfield.
Tulsa Offense vs. Utah Defense
QB Paul Smith is clearly the leader of the offense, but he is at his best when the run sets up the passing game. With that in mind, running backs Courtney Tennial, Brandon Diles and Tarrion Adams should get plenty of work. Tennial is a power back who rarely goes down with the first hit, Diles reads his blocks well and Adams has the speed to do damage when he gets a seam. All three benefit from playing behind a mobile and experienced offensive line that does a good job of getting into position. However, establishing the run against Utah this year has been easier said than done. Tackles Kelly Talavou and Paul Soliai possess excellent size, and they should be able to clog up the middle working against a smaller Tulsa interior offensive line. MLB Joe Jiannoni shouldn't have to fight though a lot of blocks when the Hurricanes run inside, and he has the burst to make plays in the backfield. Tulsa should have a difficult time getting sealing the edge and getting outside as well. SLB Malakai Mokofisi is big enough to hold his ground at the point of attack and RLB J.J. Williams is quick enough to beat blockers to the point of attack.
The Utes have masked their lack of a consistent pass rush with big plays, and one of the reasons they have been so successful at coming up with interceptions is Weddle's versatility. Weddle can line up at corner or safety, and he can cover the slot receiver or the outside receiver. It's easy to see why offenses can have a difficult time keeping track of him and throw in his area, despite the fact he has intercepted six passes. However, Smith is an experienced field general who should stay poised, locate Weddle and find the open man when he gets enough time. Keeping that in mind, it's important that Utah force Smith to get rid of the ball quickly. That's no easy task because the Hurricanes' pass protection has been nothing short of excellent and they should be able to keep the Utes' front four out of the backfield. In addition, WRs Idris Moss, Ryan Bugg and Donnie Johnson run decent short- to intermediate-routes and one of them should be able to get open quickly on most snaps. That means Utah may blitz more than usual.
Special Teams
Louie Sakoda handles the place kicking and punting duties for Utah. As a place kicker, he rarely misses field goal attempts inside 40 yards, and he has enough range to occasionally connect from longer distances. His holder is none other than DB Eric Weddle, and Tulsa must be prepared for fake field-goal attempts as a result. Sakoda may be an even better punter than he is a place kicker, as he has gotten excellent distance on his punts and has placed half of his 56 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Ben Vroman kicks off and for good reason. He has excellent leg strength and 27 of his 65 kickoffs have resulted in touchbacks. Explosive and elusive KOR Brice McCain should have a hard time generating a big return against a Hurricane kickoff cover unit that has been one of the best in the nation. Though PR Marquis Wilson has been steady and flashes some big-play ability, Tulsa has done a good job of covering punts as well. It's worth mentioning that Weddle could get some opportunities to return punts, but he hasn't been as effective as Wilson.
Tulsa PK Jarod Tracy has missed just one of his 12 field goal attempts thus far, and he connected on a career-long 50-yard field goal attempt in the regular-season finale. He should take advantage of any opportunities he gets to put points on the board. Though Tracy can and has kicked off, he has split those duties with P Paul Jurado, who has gotten better distance. Jurado also shares the punting duties with Chris Kindred. Kindred has placed eight of his 21 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard-line and Jurado has flashed excellent range, but Kindred has had two of his punts blocked and Jurado has been inconsistent. Return man Idris Moss reaches his top speed quickly and can make defenders miss, so he is capable of breaking long returns. However, both return units have been average at best. It's unlikely that changes in this game because the Utes have the best punt cover unit in the nation and they have done a fairly good job of covering kickoffs as well.
Matchups
? Tulsa QB Paul Smith vs. Utah DB Eric Weddle
? Utah LOT Tavo Tupula vs. Tulsa DE Robert Lafu
? Utah QB Eric Weddle vs. Tulsa MLB Nelson Coleman
Scouts' Edge
On paper, Tulsa has great leadership at quarterback, an abundance of talent in the backfield and a strong pass defense, but it won't be enough to get the win. Utah's front seven will slow the Golden Hurricane backs and force QB Paul Smith to move the offense with his arm. Though Smith will play well enough to keep Tulsa within striking distance, the Utes' will get to him enough to force him into making some poor decisions. Offensively, Utah's versatile ground game will keep the Hurricanes off balance and be productive enough to take pressure off QB Brett Ratliff. Ratliff should continue to spread the ball around and ultimately expose an overrated Golden Hurricane pass defense. It's also important to note that although the Utes ended their regular season with a heartbreaking loss to BYU, they won three of their last four games. Tulsa, on the other hand, got blown out by the Cougars earlier in the year and dropped three of their last four games.
Prediction: Utes 28, Golden Hurricane 21
