TU Notebook: Running Hurricane
BY MIKE AVERILL World Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
10/03/12 at 4:57 AM
So far this season, Tulsa has employed a three-headed running attack that ranks 12th in the nation.
In five games, the Golden Hurricane backfield is averaging 244.8 yards per game.
Having three productive backs allows for one back to have an off week, like Ja'Terian Douglas did last week against UAB, with two other backs to pick up the load, said TU head coach Bill Blankenship.
"I feel very confident that (Douglas) will come in and really be more determined to get back into the swing of things again, and that's what's fun is when you have competition, they drive each other, whereas if you don't have competition the guy might just say 'Well, I had a bad day.' This competition helps," Blankenship said.
Ebb and flow: After a strong performance against Fresno State, the TU defense gave up 42 points to UAB last week.
"I hope they're a little irritated. It'll be OK if they're a little angry, I guess, as long as they handle it next week," Blankenship said of his defense.
He credits the swing in performance to the ebb and flow of football.
"About the time you think that you're playing really well, somebody's going to challenge you. We'd had an exceptional game defensively against Fresno, and then UAB did a good job of studying and took some shots and completed some tough passes," he said.
Early shots like that can create doubt in the minds of the secondary, but they need to have a short memory.
"You've got to get back and work your fundamentals and trust your techniques," Blankenship said.
Associated Images:
Ja'Terian Douglas runs toward the end zone against Fresno State last month. Douglas is one of three productive TU backs. TOM GILBERT / Tulsa World
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