By BILL HAISTEN Sports Writer on Oct 22, 2012, at 7:06 AM Updated on 10/22 at 3:01 PM
TU SPORTS
Thanks to TU media-relations director Don Tomkalski for providing a comprehensive report from the university's Golden Cane ...
In advance of the 2012 football opener at Ames, the University of Tulsa was a 1½-point favorite over Iowa State.
The ...
No University of Tulsa players were selected during the three-day, seven-round NFL draft, but three Golden Hurricane seniors ...
Even after having watched Keyarris Garrett practice nearly every day in August, and even after having watched him play seven previous games, I didn’t realize the University of Tulsa sophomore wide receiver was this good until the second quarter of last week’s 28-24 Golden Hurricane victory over Rice.
On most of his big plays, Garrett benefited from being 6-foot-4 with a long wingspan. He would outreach smaller cornerbacks and steal the football. But at the midway mark of the second period of the Rice game, Garrett shifted into a higher speed gear and made the most sensational catch of the season for TU.
On first down from the Tulsa 34, quarterback Kalen Henderson released a deep pass. Garrett and a Rice cornerback raced down the east sideline at H.A. Chapman Stadium. From my vantage point in the press box, the ball seemed significantly overthrown. At the ball’s highest point, I didn’t believe Garrett had any shot at a reception. He intensified his effort, going from fast to faster. He dived, got his hands on the football, bobbled it, collected it and secured it before crashing to the turf with a 46-yard gain. It was an NFL-caliber reception.
Ja’Terian Douglas’ 75-yard run later in the game qualifies as TU’s Most Important Play of the Year thus far, but from a degree-of-difficulty standpoint, Garrett’s 46-yard catch was no less remarkable.
If there were a draft involving all of the major-college wide receivers in the state of Oklahoma, Garrett might be the No. 1 pick. OU’s 6-foot-1 Kenny Stills has 38 catches. OSU’s 5-10 Josh Stewart has 42. Because the Golden Hurricane passing game lacks efficiency – it has fallen to 49 percent for the season – the 205-pound Garrett doesn’t get as many opportunities, but he does have five TDs on a team-high total of 28 receptions and averages nearly 16 yards per catch.
Before the Rice game, Garrett’s most impressive play occurred at Marshall on Oct. 6. With QB Cody Green having sustained a first-half shoulder injury, Tulsa became extremely run-game reliant during the second half. But with Marshall leading 38-37 in the fourth period, and with the Hurricane in a third-and-5 dilemma from its own 39-yard line, Green found Garrett with a strike in the middle of the field. Garrett then displayed stunning speed, blazing past a Thundering Herd safety and downfield for a 47-yard gain. The Green-to-Garrett connection led to a Jordan James touchdown, and Tulsa escaped with a 45-38 triumph.
As a 175-pound freshman last season, Garrett appeared in seven games and totaled only two catches. He had an excellent spring, but senior Bryan Burnham was expected to be Tulsa’s go-to receiver this season. When Burnham sustained a serious knee injury in the opener at Iowa State, Garrett was promoted to the status of primary receiver. He now is among the more prominent reasons why Tulsa has a seven-game win streak and a 5-0 record in Conference USA.
If Garrett improved this much from one season to the next, what can he be in 2013? Ultimately, he may be destined to become TU’s next NFL wide receiver.
-- Bill Haisten
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