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Tulsa Didn't Make Plays
Published: 11/1/2008 6:36 PM
Last Modified: 11/1/2008 6:36 PM

We've come to expect Tulsa to make plays to win games. The Golden Hurricane offense has been close to unstoppable all season.
But, finally faced with the best defense it has seen all year, Tulsa couldn't convert its chances and lost to Arkansas 30-23.
There's no one to blame. No mystery flag. No strange calls. No officiating mistakes.
Just a bad day in Fayetteville.
That's nothing new for the Golden Hurricane. TU has suffered a lot of bad days in Fayetteville.
The problem was simple. The plays that worked against UTEP and Central Florida and Central Arkansas do not work against Arkansas, a lower division SEC team.
The Razorbacks have enough good athletes to make cause disruptions for TU's usually reliable offense.
Tulsa could have easily won this game.
On the other hand, Arkansas could have made this a runaway. In fact, the Razorbacks had a chance to end the mystery with three minutes to go when it threw an interception.
In the end, it was an entertaining game.
But, once again, it was a long, sad ride home for Tulsa.



Reader Comments 16 Total

Stacy (4 years ago)
All the TU fans will cry but what do you expect with a strength of schedule rated 118 out of 119 Division I teams.

If TU ever wants to be considered in serious conversation, schedule somebody with half a pulse. Their schedule this year left them unprepared to on the road against a below average SEC team who would actually hit back when hit in the mouth.

Poor little TU did not know what to do.
Gold (4 years ago)
Stacy needs a shrink.

There were several bad no calls in that game. But down your cheeseburger, Klein.

TU beat themselves more than anything with blunders on the goal line (snapping the ball over the QB) and mysterious playcalling (too much Wildcat and not enough running at a tired Arkansas defensive line).

Arkansas isn't very good team. And the refs did help them a little bit, even if they got caught a couple of times (starting the clock twice on stoppages, for example).

It's a lot more complicated than you let on Klein or that a hater like Stacy can understand.
Stacy (4 years ago)
The first crying TU fan is GOLD.

1. Blames the officials.
2. Blames the coaching / playcalling.

Refuses to acknowledge that TU was unprepared to go on the road against a below average team from a bigger conference. That is EXACTLY why TU "beat themselves"...they were unprepared.

RR (4 years ago)
Stacy...you have a very sad life!
willie (4 years ago)
HEY GOLD THERE WERE NO CALLS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL. DON'T EVEN GO THERE. ARKANSAS IS NOT VERY GOOD THIS YEAR. OUR QUARTERBACK CASEY DICK WOULD NOT MAKE YOUR TEAM. 2ND AND 1 AND YOU LOSE 18 ON A DRIVE TO PUT YOU AHEAD WAS A VERY POOR DECISION. YOUR COACHES ARE TO BLAME ON THIS ONE.
Keith (4 years ago)
Sorry but there was a lot of game clock, ball placement, and missed call issues, And I just wish Arkansas wasn't too chicken to come here and play so we could return the loss. I think we have went there like 14 times in row or someting. And as far as scheduling "teams with a pulse" Is it TU's fault New Mexico had a crappy year this year after coming off a 9 win season last year. Not to mention the rest of C-USA having an awful year! There is no way they could have foreseen that.
Keith (4 years ago)
Sorry but there was a lot of game clock, ball placement, and missed call issues, And I just wish Arkansas wasn't too chicken to come here and play so we could return the loss. I think we have went there like 14 times in row or someting. And as far as scheduling "teams with a pulse" Is it TU's fault New Mexico had a crappy year this year after coming off a 9 win season last year. Not to mention the rest of C-USA having an awful year! There is no way they could have foreseen that.
Keith (4 years ago)
Sorry but there was a lot of game clock, ball placement, and missed call issues, And I just wish Arkansas wasn't too chicken to come here and play so we could return the loss. I think we have went there like 14 times in row or someting. And as far as scheduling "teams with a pulse" Is it TU's fault New Mexico had a crappy year this year after coming off a 9 win season last year. Not to mention the rest of C-USA having an awful year! There is no way they could have foreseen that.
'canesablowin (4 years ago)
OK, everyone and I mean everyone get off the blame game topic. We lost, so one, and only one goal may have eluded our grasp (BCS Bowl). Here are the prospects for the remainder of the season for this excellent TU team: (1) win out and go 11 -1, winning CUSA's West Division, (2) win the CUSA Championship game and move to 12-1, and (3) go to the Liberty Bowl and beat an SEC team with a winning record. This team has the opportunity to set a new standard for TU football, one that will consistently draw national coverage and place TU among college football's top teams. There is much to play for, the final chapter on this team is a long way from being written.
theBeard (4 years ago)
Just to clear everything up, here are the reasons we lost the game. 1. Mistakes galore. 2. Poor decisions (hey lets just throw it down field into coverage, ok) 3. Inability to score in the red zone. and 4. unable to cover a single Arkansas receiver (we got burned several times).

There were no bad calls we just had bad breaks. Arkansas played pretty solid, but we played one of the most mistake ridden games I've seen and still only lost by a touchdown.

And Stacy is right we need to schedule someone with a pulse, which is why we play OU and Boise St. next year. So Stacy, shut up.
shadow Kows (4 years ago)
Decidedly poor play callinG on the last drive!! Give the ball to Charles Clay and let him run toward the goal!! He was about the only TU player who had the size and speed to match up to the Hogs!! Don't schedule the Hogs again until they agree to at least one game in Tulsa!! Crap on how much money they offer to go to Fayettvile!!! TU is a good team and neden't lower themselves toanyone! Also, schedule futre games with similar academic staNDARDS LIKE dUKE, wAKE fOREST, vANDERBILT , sTANFORD AND nORTHWESTERN! gOOOOOOOtu WIN THE REST OF YOUR GAMES AND GET MORE RUNNING GAME GOING!!!!!!!
sHADOW kNOWS (4 years ago)
i'LLBET THERE WEREN'T MANY hOG PLAYERS WHO COULD QUALIFY FOR ADMISSION TO tu!! tHE hOGIES MAY HAVE A BETTER FOOTBALL TEAM, BUT THEY ARE DECIDEDLY INFERIOR TO TU IN
ACADEMICS! qUIT PLAYING THE DEGREEFACTORIES WHOADMIT ANYBODY AND SCHEDULE OTHER HIGH STAND ARD AADEMIC SCHOOLS LIKE DUKE, wWKE fOREST, STANFORD AND NORTHWESTERN
George (4 years ago)
Watched the game on pay per view! A home fieldcall when TU intercepted a Hog pass and the ball didn't touch the ground, but the refs and so called objective replay saidincmplete pass!! The replay on TV clearly showed the ball never hit the ground and should have been TU's ball!! NNo wonder the cowardly Hogies won't goto Tulsa, when they have homer refs and replay officials!!!!!!! No more games with the Homer Hogies until they agree to games in Tulsa!!!!!!!!!!!
Scott (4 years ago)
The problem is it was ANOTHER bad day in Fayetteville . Arkansas has played Tulsa in H.A. Chapman Stadium 18 times between 1930 and 1952. During that time Arkansas won 7, lost 9, and tied 2 games on the Hurricanes home field. Since 1952 all 39 games have been played in Arkansas and the Hogs have run up a total of 35 wins with only 4 losses. The last loss to Tulsa in 1976 it is time to end this series until we get a home & home agreement other schools have given much better terms than 39 away games to zero ..
MikeTU (4 years ago)
First, there were not that many blown calls. While I don't think the overturned interception ever touched the ground, it wasn't a clean catch. It looked more like it went off the foot of the Arkansas receiver than anything. Second, on the kick return, there was a borderline block in the back. That is the kind of call where the home team will get the benefit 90% of the time no matter where you play.

On the final TU drive, there was too much of the wildcat package. On the 4th and 4 play, Arkansas gave the middle of the field to TU as a gift. I can't remember exactly who it was, but on that play, there was a TU player standing at the 2 with nobody within 7 yards of him. Hit him and you get 1st and goal at the 2 with 40 seconds to go in the game, or maybe even a TD. If it was 4th and goal, sure, you have to go for the TD, but if you have a chance to get a 1st down inside the 5, you do that.
sidster (4 years ago)
TU fans, stop talking about educational standards. I'm a big TU fan and was at the game and plan on going to our bowl game. We didn't go to Arkansas for classroom work or homework. We went there to play football and to win the game. Now, it would be good if Arkansas came to Tulsa to play, but if they don't, hell let's go back to Arkansas next year. I don't think Arkansas would really want to play Tulsa next year. TU beat themselves not Arkansas. The coaches made a few bad calls, but so what that's part of coaching. Hell, Stoops makes alot of bad calls and every other coach in the nation do to. Arkansas was very lucky to come out with a win, it happens. I'm also a coach and it's been times I've made some calls that I shouldn't had made, but it was still successful and at times it backfired on me. Sometimes when TU scores a touchdown, it might not been what the coach was calling but in the stands you are cheering because the play worked, so don't bash Coach Graham and his staff. You get in that position and see how you can handle situations that you haven't been in before. If you work, do your boss job and feel a little of that pressure. And remember, there's a lot of atheletes that leaves TU after 4 years and don't have a degree. Be thankful that you have coaches like TU's basketball coach Doug Wojcik that pushes for the former players to come back and finish up their schooling. I know quite a few former students and players that still haven't finished just like at any other school. Great Job TU and staff. I hope Tulsa get back in the rankings, probably should still be in the top 25.
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Tulsa World senior sports columnist John Klein is in his fourth decade of covering sports. He started his newspaper career at The Daily Ardmoreite in 1977 and moved to the Tulsa World in 1978. He served 10 years as sports editor for the Tulsa World before being named to his current position in 2005. He also spent five years as the Southwest Conference beat writer for the Houston Post. He has won many writing awards and is a former Oklahoma Sports Writer of the Year.

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