NORMAN - On third-down plays Saturday against Oklahoma, the rebuilt University of Tulsa defense was rocked frequently and for huge yardage.
During OU's first seven possessions at Memorial Stadium, Blake Bell attempted eight third-down passes. He completed seven for 227 yards and two touchdowns.
The second TD was a 35-yard strike to Sterling Shepard on a third-and-10 play. The OU lead had been extended to 34-7, and by game's end the 14th-ranked Sooners savored a 51-20 triumph and a 3-0 start.
Against an extremely inexperienced Golden Hurricane defense, OU was 12-of-16 on third-down conversions.
"We couldn't get off the field," TU coach Bill Blankenship said. "I think Oklahoma exposed our youthfulness in the secondary. Blake Bell did a good job of getting the ball to the underneath receivers, and then he hit us over the top."
Now 1-2 for the second time in Blankenship's three seasons as the head man, Tulsa doesn't play again until Sept. 26, when Iowa State visits H.A. Chapman Stadium.
Against the Sooners, three senior Hurricane players performed at a high level:
- Linebacker Shawn Jackson had 15 tackles. With three of his stops having occurred behind the line of scrimmage, he became the Hurricane's career leader in tackles for losses with 41 1/2.
- Since Keyarris Garrett sustained a season-ending leg injury last week, Jordan James has ascended to the role of TU's No. 1 wide receiver. On Saturday, James finished with six catches for 100 yards - the second 100-yard performance of his career.
- Tailback Trey Watts, whose father, J.C. Watts, was a successful Sooner wishbone quarterback in 1976-80, broke free for a 77-yard punt return, had five receptions for 65 yards and ran the football 14 times for 60 yards. He scored on a 2-yard surge for Tulsa's first rushing TD of the season. After totaling 247 all-purpose yards against Colorado State last week, Watts had 231 against the Sooners.
"I've been thinking about this game ever since I stepped on (the TU) campus," Watts said. "I've wanted it for a long time, but we just couldn't get it done today."
Said Blankenship: "I think Trey Watts can play anywhere in the country. He's one of the finest competitors I've ever been around. I was proud that he had the kind of day he did."
Tulsa's Cody Green connected on six of his first eight pass attempts, but after the first quarter he was 11-of-25. The Hurricane ran for 95 yards (3.1 per attempt).
Shedding his one-dimensional, Belldozer run-game reputation, Bell surprised the Hurricane with a 27-of-37, 413-yard, four-touchdown passing performance. OU had 607 total yards to 321 for TU.
"We got exposed," Hurricane defensive coordinator Brent Guy said. "It was a very vivid exposure of weaknesses that we are going to correct. We lost our discipline in the environment, which can happen with young guys. We didn't tackle nearly as well as you have to against a team like this.
"Obviously, they threw the ball a little more than we expected. We did a decent job early against (OU's three-back package), and then they spread it out and starting dinking and dunking. They did a good job against our zone blitzes - throwing to the hot spot underneath. You miss a tackle at 5 yards, and it turns into 15."
When the 2012 season ended, Tulsa lost eight defensive seniors - two ends, two tackles, a middle linebacker, two cornerbacks and a strong safety - who had a total of 260 career starts. The collective experience of the players who started in those positions Saturday amounted to 22 starts.
"They don't give you extra points because you're playing young guys," Blankenship said. "You have to bring the guys you have and play.
"Call it crazy - we believe we can come in and compete, and we didn't at the level we thought we would. That's what I'm disappointed in."
Bill Haisten 918-581-8397
bill.haisten@tulsaworld.com
TU
Logan McCracken led the University of Tulsa men's team to a fifth-place finish Tuesday in the Columbia Regional Preview at The Club of Old Hawthorne in Columbia, Mo.
Mitchell Wilbekin, rated by Scout.com as a three-star national point guard prospect, confirmed on Monday night his commitment to the University of Tulsa basketball program.
