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TU: Senior moments

Mike Bryan

 
By ERIC BAILEY & MIKE BROWN World Sports Writers
Published: 11/26/2009  2:28 AM
Last Modified: 11/27/2009  11:04 AM

 TU seniors share memories from their time with the Hurricane as their final game nears.

MIKE BRYAN

Feeling another's pain

Mike Bryan and Dylan Wray spent quiet moments together before Tulsa's game against East Carolina.

The 22-year-old football player and 12-year-old Coweta youngster will always share a common bond.

Both lost their fathers at young ages.

One week after Rick Bryan's death last July, Gary Wray worked with Mike Bryan on a pasture fence. The Wrays have land that borders the Bryans, and some cattle were going through the fence.

On Nov. 6, Gary Wray was killed in a traffic accident on the Muskogee Turnpike by a vehicle traveling the wrong direction. Dylan was a passenger in the truck and suffered only a broken toe.

Before the East Carolina game, Mike Bryan invited Dylan to the field during pregame warmups. He spent time with Dylan, and the team presented him with a signed football.

"He's got a tough time in from of him, but I have a little bond with him and I know what he's going through," Mike Bryan said. "I felt for him. When I heard that, my heart dropped and it brought rough feelings back to me. I can't imagine going through that at his age."

The Wray family is thankful for Mike Bryan's support. The Tulsa linebacker thought a lot of Gary Wray.

"He was an all-around good guy," Bryan said. "About 4-5 days after my dad passed away, our cows were getting out. He didn't call. He just went to fix it. That's the type of guy that he was.

"They have a standout family, and (Dylan) is a standout boy."

JAMES LOCKETT

'Playing every game like it's your very last'

James Lockett played his way into a defensive enforcer role in his final two seasons.

An all-conference player who always has a smile on his face after the season, he had only a handful of tackles in his first two years. Now he's a team leader.

Lockett was asked what he'll miss the most about playing football at Tulsa.

"It's probably (defensive coordinator Keith) Patterson's speeches and Coach (Galen) Scott getting us hyped for the game," Lockett said. "They're always talking about playing every game like it's your very last."

CURT PUCKETT

Seconds count down to favorite moment

Offensive lineman Curt Puckett's favorite memory comes from the Hurricane's 55-47 win over Brigham Young in 2007.

"We knew they were a really good team, and the clock was winding down and we were taking a knee, and I can just remember watching the clock winding down and being ecstatic," Puckett said.

Paul Smith threw for 454 yards and five TDs, both career highs, and was chosen Conference USA offensive player of the week.

"That was probably my second or third (collegiate) start, so I was pretty excited," Puckett said. He will make his 32nd consecutive start Friday against Memphis.

WILSON GARRISON

Broken leg can't stop victory celebration

Nose guard Wilson Garrison had broken his leg and was cheering wildly from the training room as the Hurricane pulled out a 29-23 win over SMU in 2007.

Tulsa had to stop the Ponies at the 1-yard line and race 99 yards in the final two minutes for the winning score.

"I watched them make that goal line stand and I watched (then-TU linebacker) Nelson Coleman grab the ball and pull it back (on fourth down), and Charles Clay caught the touchdown pass (a 51-yarder from Paul Smith)," Garrison said.

"I was cheering so loud, I fell of the training table with a broken leg," he said.

KAIPO SARKISSIAN

Team's achievement tops individual results

Kaipo Sarkissian had a season full of tackles behind the line in one game, notching four in a 27-10 win at Rice last month.

But the linebacker's favorite memory was playing in last year's Conference USA title game. TU lost to East Carolina 27-24 in Chapman Stadium.

"Even though we didn't win it, it was the first time I'd been to a championship game in my (major-college) career," said Sarkissian, who was also part of a conference championship team in junior college.

"(The Rice game) was one of my top memories, but going to the championship game trumps any individual effort."
By ERIC BAILEY & MIKE BROWN World Sports Writers

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Rhymeister, International (11/26/2009 6:30:09 PM)
Can't believe Mike Bryan's career at Tulsa is about done. I remember watching him and Coweta whup Booker T thinking OU had better be recruiting this kid, he'd make a heck of a safety, that of course before he grew into quite the linebacker. Very touching to hear the story of him and Dylan Wray, God bless and comfort them both.

Best of luck to the seniors and Tulsa for the last game. Whup some Tigers' behinds...
 

 
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