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Getting Skilly At Skelly
Published: 11/13/2007 11:06 AM
Last Modified: 11/13/2007 11:06 AM

When coaches say they don't read newspapers, I don't believe them because, usually, some flunky likes to gain favor with the coach by pointing out something in the paper and saying "look what they wrote about you."
Flunkies are shameless leaches. But that's not what this blog is about.
This blog is about the fact that TU football coach Todd Graham reads the paper, or at least gives it a good scanning. How do we know? He likes to playfully kid those who pick against his team in our weekly college predictions. On Saturday, Graham had fun ribbing guys who picked the Golden Hurricane to lose to Houston. TU won, barely, by 49 points.
A confession: I picked Tulsa to lose. But I don't pick any of the games in our picks contest every week. The numbers do that for me.
In order to take imperfect things like brain, heart and gut feelings out of the picks equation, I get the defensive and offensive averages for teams in the picks contest, crunch the numbers and whatever the formula spits out is what I pick, even if my head says "that doesn't make any sense."
And, big bonus, if someone wants to give me heck for picking against their team, I can come back with "I didn't pick against your team. The numbers did."
That said, I would have picked Houston to beat Tulsa even without number-crunching. Two reasons: Tulsa had never beaten Houston since joining C-USA. And, my opinion, Houston was thought to have the best skill position players in the league. Earlier this season, the Cougars became the first team in NCAA history to have a 300-yard receiver (William Avery) and 200-yard rusher (Anthony Alridge) in the same game.
Here's where I was wrong. Tulsa has the best skill position players in the league and that was proven Saturday.
Paul Smith is the top passer in school history. Tarrion Adams is a warrior. Brennan Marion averages a city block per catch. Jamad Williams has turned the running game into the Ja-Mod Squad. Trae Johnson is the most productive freshman receiver this side of Michael Crabtree. Offensive lineman Walter Boyd told me that co-offensive coordinator Herb Hand has a "man-crush" on Charles Clay, a freshman who looks major league.
Tulsa used its skill position army and a best defensive performance of the season to put itself in the driver's seat for the C-USA title game. I was wrong and the numbers were wrong.











Reader Comments 5 Total
Ben Kapp (5 years ago)
Good article, good analysis. Nice to have you back. I missed new items in your blog.
Bill (5 years ago)
I think it's about time someone gave you heck, and I'm just the one to do it!

Heck!!!

I think the history of TU's performance against Houston had to be considered. Nobody would have predicted a blowout like the 45-7 shellacking TU handed the Cougars.

Under the leadership of Todd Graham and his four coordinators, Tulsa is finally verging on living up to their potential.

To think that TU is accomplishing what they are in light of the fact they are the smallest football-playing D-I university is rather astounding, in my opinion.

Now, if they can continue their improvement, they could have the best season in TU history.

P.S. Here's another one for you, Jimmie ... Heck!!
Bill (5 years ago)
Oooops!

I meant to type 56-7, but my fingers apparently slipped!!

I guess I owe myself a big Heck!! for that one!

Heck!!!
Jimmie Tramel (5 years ago)
Bill: In regard to heck, my favorite one is Don Heck, who was a Marvel artist back in the 1960s -- drew a few Avengers comics back in the day.
Tim Bourret (5 years ago)
I know Herb Hand. He probably doesn't have a "man-crush" on anyone, but he's a great judge of talent. Probably want to back off the homophobic stereotyping.
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Tulsa World sports writer Jimmie Tramel is a former class president at Locust Grove High School. He graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern State University with a journalism degree and, while attending college, was sports editor of the Pryor Daily Times. He joined the Tulsa World on Oct. 17, 1989, the same day an earthquake struck the World Series. He is the OSU basketball beat writer and a columnist and feature writer during football season. In 2007, he wrote a book about Oklahoma State football with former Cowboy coach Pat Jones.

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