3* - Tulsa (-14)
Tulsa has been a moneymaking team, covering 15 of their last 18 games including five straight and I have thankfully been on the winning side of three of those this season. QB Paul Smith has been very effective at running this balanced offense and has passed for an average of 215 yards while the running game is averaging 168 yards per game against some pretty decent teams. The Golden Hurricane has lost only to BYU this season as the defense has also played very well in allowing just 16 points per game with only the Mormons and Middies topping two touchdowns.
After scoring a total of 66 points in their last two games, both on the road, Tulsa returns home to take on a Miner team that boasts a quarterback with a pedigree name but has been extremely inconsistent in throwing nearly as many interceptions as touchdowns. According to HC Mike Price, he will be pulling the redshirt off of freshmen QB James Thomas and giving him some playing time tonight. That sounds to me like desperation at its finest but Price may have run out of options as UTEP?s running game is almost nonexistent and it is doubtful that his porous defense has the playmakers to keep Tulsa below 40 points.
Tulsa has been a moneymaking team, covering 15 of their last 18 games including five straight and I have thankfully been on the winning side of three of those this season. QB Paul Smith has been very effective at running this balanced offense and has passed for an average of 215 yards while the running game is averaging 168 yards per game against some pretty decent teams. The Golden Hurricane has lost only to BYU this season as the defense has also played very well in allowing just 16 points per game with only the Mormons and Middies topping two touchdowns.
After scoring a total of 66 points in their last two games, both on the road, Tulsa returns home to take on a Miner team that boasts a quarterback with a pedigree name but has been extremely inconsistent in throwing nearly as many interceptions as touchdowns. According to HC Mike Price, he will be pulling the redshirt off of freshmen QB James Thomas and giving him some playing time tonight. That sounds to me like desperation at its finest but Price may have run out of options as UTEP?s running game is almost nonexistent and it is doubtful that his porous defense has the playmakers to keep Tulsa below 40 points.
