A snapshot of Tulsa, which will visit Oklahoma at 11 a.m. Saturday in a nonconference contest ...
TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANE
Record: 1-1
Last week: Defeated visiting Colorado State 30-27, capturing the win when Carl Salazar connected on a 34-yard field goal with no time remaining.
Coach: Bill Blankenship (third season, 20-9)
Player to watch: Trey Watts. The son of former OU quarterback J.C. Watts, Trey Watts has been a playmaker since arriving on campus. Watts had 152 rushing yards, including a 45-yard dash with 19 seconds left against Colorado State to set up the game-winning kick.
Series: Oklahoma leads 17-7-1. Tulsa’s last victory was a 1996 triumph in Norman (31-24), highlighted by Wes Caswell’s 99-yard reception.
*****
Impressive program: Tulsa has developed into one of college football’s top programs from a non-BCS qualifying conference despite being the smallest FBS school in the nation.
The Golden Hurricane finished in the final AP Top 25 in 2010 and the final USA Today Coaches Poll last season.
Tulsa has won at least 10 games in four of the past six football seasons. Oklahoma (five times) is the only Big 12 school to do that since 2007. Texas (three times) and Oklahoma State (twice) haven’t matched Tulsa.
*****
More ties to OU: J.C. Watts spoke about Saturday's Tulsa-OU game during a stop in town this summer. He said there was no doubt who he would cheer for this week, saying "You follow your bloodlines," with a smile.
Watts has attended a number of Trey Watts' games over the past four seasons.
Tulsa and Oklahoma have had family links to each other in the past three meetings.
Former Tulsa linebacker Mike Bryan — the son of former OU All-American Rick Bryan — played in the 2009 contest.
In 2011, Tulsa punter Cole Way made his debut with the Golden Hurricane. Watching his first game across the field was older brother Tress Way, a four-year starting punter for the Sooners.
This year, Tulsa sophomore defensive lineman Derrick Alexander will compete against younger brother Dominique Alexander, an OU freshman linebacker.
No matter the outcome, Derrick Alexander is proud of his younger brother.
“I want him to do well and be successful in all that he does,” Derrick Alexander said on Sunday. “That’s my brother. But I still want us to win the game. I hope he does well but we still win.”
*****
Remembering 2005: The last time Oklahoma had a quarterback competition was 2005, when Paul Thompson and Rhett Bomar swapped starting roles in between week one and week two.
Bomar’s first start came against Tulsa in 2005. The redshirt freshman struggled. He was just 5-of-13 passing for 42 yards and two interceptions in a 31-15 victory. The 42 yards was the lowest passing total since the 1997 season and Bomar didn’t attempt a pass in the second half.
Bomar didn’t need to.
Adrian Peterson carried the ball on 19 of OU’s 28 second-half plays, including a signature run that secured the victory.
Peterson finished with 220 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-1 with three minutes left.
*****
TULSA BY THE NUMBERS
3: Shutout losses in last six contests against Oklahoma.
27: Freshman or sophomores on the 44-man two-deep.
38.3: Average margin of defeat in last six games against Oklahoma.
56: Victories in the past six years, more than Nebraska, Stanford, South Carolina and Texas Tech.
99: Yards of Wes Caswell’s touchdown reception in 1996 victory over Oklahoma
Follow OU Sports Writers Guerin Emig and Eric Bailey on Twitter.
PUT ON YOUR GAME FACE: Visit the Tulsa World's OU Sports Extra for complete coverage of the Sooners.
