Tulsa World: TU coach knows the task at hand

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TU coach knows the task at hand

By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist
Published: 10/28/2008 2:02 AM
Last Modified: 10/28/2008 3:08 AM

Tulsa's history with Arkansas is full of heartache and disappointment.

Just in case he didn't know, TU coach Todd Graham said about 50 people reminded him of it after the Golden Hurricane beat Central Florida on Sunday night.

"I know what it means," said Graham on Monday. "I know what an opportunity we have."

Tulsa, tired of traveling and losing in Fayetteville, said it would never go back across the state line until the Razorbacks promised to play in Tulsa.

That wasn't going to happen, and no matter what Graham hopes it won't happen anytime in the near future, either.

All of that went out the door this year when the Razorbacks were willing to give TU a huge payday if the Golden Hurricane would dump Texas Tech off the schedule. That was a no-brainer. Lots of money. No Red Raiders.

So Tulsa is back on the road to Arkansas and is favored by a touchdown.

"These are big games for our program," Graham said.

Yes, this is big for a lot of reasons, not the least of which this is a Southeastern Conference team. Tulsa desperately needs credibility.

"It is our biggest test of the season," Graham said.

The Razorbacks, by any stretch of the imagination, are not a good team. Yes, they were competitive with Auburn, Ole Miss and Kentucky. They also probably should have lost to Louisiana-Monroe and Western Illinois.

Scheduling Tulsa, at its football zenith of the past 60 years, is not the smartest thing the Razorbacks have ever done.

"This is the game we've got to go out and prove we're deserving of our ranking," Graham said.

As any longtime TU fan can tell Graham, don't take anything for granted this week.

Graham knows. "The hardest thing in college football to do is win on the road," he said.

Throw in an old rival who is desperate to beat anyone and the task grows.

"Playing at Fayetteville will be a big challenge," Graham said.

Yes, playing at Fayetteville has been more than a challenge over the years for the Golden Hurricane.

Strange things have happened to TU football in the Ozarks. Mystery flags. Sure-footed kickers suddenly start hitting the uprights. The ball bounces back to guys in red jerseys. Sure-handed receivers start dropping passes. Guys fall down leaving receivers wide open.

You name it and it has probably happened.

"I don't look at the history," Graham said. "I just look at it as getting step No. 9."

It might be a good idea to throw away the history books in the Case Center this week. The past 39 games in this series, halted by TU when the Razorbacks said no to any games in Tulsa, have been in Arkansas. Tulsa has lost 16 times since the legendary 9-3 victory in Fayetteville in 1976.

The last time in Fayetteville, in 2003, the Razorbacks won easily, 45-13.

Much is different this time. Tulsa is the better team. The Golden Hurricane is not only better but appear capable of treating Arkansas like it has treated defenseless Conference USA opponents.

But as any TU fan will tell you, don't put this in the victory column just yet.

No one at TU should expect this to be another easy week.

"This is the best personnel we've played," Graham said.

Tulsa has rolled through the first eight games of the schedule. And the Razorbacks are nothing to brag about, but they really are the best team the Hurricane has played so far this season.

Arkansas does have a few SEC-caliber athletes. It has been making some progress this season. Whether that is enough for the Razorbacks to be competitive with Tulsa is still to be seen. But no one who has been paying attention to Tulsa football the past 60 years will feel comfortable until this victory is secure and they cross the state line at Siloam Springs.

Because, as Graham said, "favorites get beat every week." By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist

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TUgrad76, Spring (10/28/2008 11:56:48 AM)

Truer words were never written. Let's beat the Pigs badly and never play the high and mighty Arkies again. Go Golden Hurricane.

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