MISSISSIPPI ST vs TULSA
When: 12/31/2020 12:00 PM
Where:

TV: 12:00 PM
LINE: -2.5
PREDICTION: TULSA , MISSISSIPPI ST

Oddsmakers currently have the TULSA listed as -2.5 point favorites versus the MISSISSIPPI ST, while the game’s total is sitting at 49.

At Mississippi State, bowl appearances are an annual occurrence.

No. 24 Tulsa, meanwhile, is set to end a brief postseason hiatus.

The Bulldogs (3-7) will make a school-record 11th consecutive bowl appearance, while the Golden Hurricane (6-2) will play in their first bowl since 2016 when they meet on New Year’s Eve in the Armed Forces Bowl at Fort Worth, Texas.

Tulsa beat Central Michigan 55-10 in the Miami Beach Bowl in 2016. Then the Golden Hurricane went 2-10, 3-9 and 4-8 before having a breakout season this year.

“Throughout this time I’ve seen a lot of ups and downs,” senior running back Corey Taylor II said. “It’s been a blessing to see how a championship team is created, and I believe this Tulsa team is definitely a championship team.”

Tulsa isn’t an official championship team, but it did go 6-0 in American Athletic Conference regular-season play to reach the conference title game against undefeated Cincinnati on Dec. 19. The Bearcats escaped with a 27-24 victory on a field goal as time expired.

“It has been a magical year for this group,” Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery said. “Now we get an opportunity to continue to play one more game.”

The Golden Hurricane had four games canceled because of COVID-19 issues, including a contest at Houston. Tulsa has 62 Texans on its roster who get a chance to play in their home state after all.

“Generally we’re playing at least one game a year down there whether that’s an SMU or a Houston,” Montgomery said. “For the guys (from Texas), it will be special to play this game in Fort Worth.”

Any location would be special for the Bulldogs, who usually have a winning record going into their bowl game.

Mississippi State played the two best games of coach Mike Leach’s first season in the first and last games of the season. The Bulldogs opened with a 44-34 road victory against defending national champion LSU, then lost seven of eight before finishing Dec. 19 with a 51-32 home victory against Missouri.

“We have been competitive all year,” said Leach, who has led 17 of his 19 teams as a head coach to bowl games. “We practice hard and play hard, we just do it incongruently. We just do it in spurts and kind of segmented.”

In between the first and last wins came a victory came against Vanderbilt. None of the Bulldogs’ triumphs came against a team that currently sports a winning record.

Mississippi State gained 446 total yards in the finale, including its first 100-yard rushing game of the season (151).

“It’s been a gradual process,” Leach said. “We’re not there yet, but we took a step (against Missouri).”

The season began with KJ Costello, a graduate transfer from Stanford, passing for a Southeastern Conference-record 623 yards against LSU, but gradually Leach transitioned to a youth movement.

Freshman Will Rogers took over the starting position at midseason, and he has passed for 1,828 yards. The Bulldogs’ true freshmen have combined for 146 receptions, the most among any team in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

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TULSA vs TEMPLE
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, September 20, 2018
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

TV: 7:30 PM
LINE: -7.5
PREDICTION: TEMPLE , TULSA

Oddsmakers currently have the TEMPLE listed as -7.5 point favorites versus the TULSA, while the game’s total is sitting at 57.

Temple showed signs of life its last time out and can keep the momentum going Thursday night, when it hosts Tulsa in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams. The Owls opened their season with a pair of disappointing losses before upsetting Maryland last weekend.

Tulsa, meanwhile, won its first game of the year before dropping the last two, including a home loss to Arkansas State last weekend. The Golden Hurricane fell to the Owls, 43-22, in last season’s meeting. Frank Nutile, who threw three touchdowns in that contest, missed Temple’s last outing with an undisclosed injury and will be a game-time decision Thursday. If he cannot go, the Owls will once again turn to Anthony Russo, who passed for 228 yards and a score in the 35-14 triumph at Maryland.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Temple -7.5

ABOUT TULSA (1-2, 0-0 AAC): The Golden Hurricane continue to get strong production out of Shamari Brooks, who ran for 5.8 yards per carry with 10 touchdowns a season ago. This season, the sophomore ran for two TDs in his first two games and rushed for 5.5 yards per carry in the third contest, leaving him three yards shy of 1,000 for his career. Luke Skipper has failed to throw for 200 yards in any of the first three games this season and has as many touchdowns as interceptions (seven) through the first 10 games of his collegiate career.

ABOUT TEMPLE (1-2, 0-0): Russo got plenty of help last weekend from Ryquell Armstead, who rushed for 118 yards but still has yet to find the end zone this season. The Owls’ defense was outstanding against the Terps, holding Maryland to 195 yards and allowing only two scores – one on an interception return and another on a blocked punt. “I’m really proud of how they started fast, how they didn’t let go of the rope and finished strong,” said coach Geoff Collins, whose team limited the Terps to 1-of-12 third-down conversions.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Brooks had scored a touchdown in six straight games before last week.

2. Tulsa had 55 passing yards in last year’s matchup.

3. Temple has scored a special teams touchdown in each of its three games.

PREDICTION: Temple 37, Tulsa 17

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TULSA vs TEXAS
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, September 8, 2018
Where: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: TEXAS , TULSA

Oddsmakers currently have the TEXAS listed as point favorites versus the TULSA, while the game’s total is sitting at .

Texas starts a tough three-game homestand against Tulsa on Saturday with the hopes of burying last week’s disappointing loss to Maryland. Second-year coach Tom Herman insists his team is making strides despite another loss to the Terrapins.

“We’re learning how to win,” Herman to the media Monday. “I think, again, losses are unacceptable. Losses hurt really bad. It was like a funeral home around our building yesterday, and it should be.” The Longhorns, who have not lost to a non-Power 5 opponent since 1994, will stick with sophomore quarterback Sam Ehlinger despite two late interceptions. The Golden Hurricane snapped a five-game losing streak by beating FCS opponent Central Arkansas behind a duo of running backs. It was Tulsa’s 16th straight game with at least one running back gaining 100 rushing yards.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Longhorn Network. LINE: Texas -23

ABOUT TULSA (1-0): Shamari Brooks rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns while fellow sophomore Corey Taylor II added 110 rushing yards in the come-from-behind win. Sophomore quarterback Luke Skipper threw for 196 yards and two scores in the opener, including a 49-yard TD to Justin Hobbs (three catches, 61 yards). Tulsa held Central Arkansas to 0-of-10 on third down and recovered two fumbles but the Golden Hurricane also lost three fumbles.

ABOUT TEXAS (0-1): Ehlinger (21-of-39 for 263 yards, two touchdowns) has thrown for at least 200 yards in each of his seven career starts (2-5 record). Freshman running back Keaontay Ingram had 37 yards and a score on six carries but wasn’t used after a weather delay as Texas relied on starter Tre Watson more (12 carries, 52 yards). Lil’Jordan Humphrey (six catches, 82 yards), Devin Duvernay (four, 58) and Collin Johnson (three, 59) were solid in the opener, combining for six receptions of at least 15 yards and two scores.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Texas has lost seven games under Herman by average 6.7 points after losing 21 games under Charlie Strong between 2014-16 by an average of 16.

2. Three of Texas’ four starting defensive backs – S Brandon Jones (ankle, questionable), CB Davante Davis (neck, questionable) and CB Kris Boyd (ankle, probable) – are listed on the team’s injury report.

3. Tulsa is 73-103-7 against nine current Big 12 teams with Texas being the only one it has never faced.

PREDICTION: Texas 42, Tulsa 17

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East Carolina Pirates vs Tulsa Golden Hurricane
When: 4:00 PM  ET, Sunday, February 26, 2017
Where: Donald Reynolds Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma

TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPNU
LINE: -6.5
PREDICTION: Tulsa 68, East Carolina 64

Oddsmakers currently have the TULSA listed as -6.5 point favorites versus the E CAROLINA, while the game’s total is sitting at 130.

East Carolina goes after its first winning streak in American Athletic Conference play this season on Sunday, when it visits a Tulsa team that also will be seeking its second straight win following a six-game losing streak. The Pirates, who rank 333rd in the nation in field-goal percentage (39.7), shot 58.1 percent and scored 47 points in the second half to rally past Tulane 76-73 on Tuesday, while the Golden Hurricane finished strong to beat last-place South Florida 82-68 two days later.

Caleb White scored all 17 of his points against Tulane in the second half and led four players in double figures as the Pirates won for the fourth time in their last eight conference games after starting 1-6. East Carolina ranks eighth in field-goal percentage defense (38.6 percent) and 15th in blocked shots (5.5) thanks in large part to Andre Washington, a 7-1 graduate student who recorded a career-high seven blocks against Tulane and is fifth in the nation in that category (3.1). The Golden Hurricane only have one player – redshirt junior Junior Etou (12.4 points, seven rebounds) – averaging in double digits in points, but he was the only starter against USF who didn’t reach 10 as Tulsa scored 82 points after averaging only 54.8 during its losing streak. “We’ve seen this before, so we just came together and knew it was winning time,” senior guard Pat Birt told reporters about the team’s mindset prior to a late 11-1 run that assured the win. “We just had to gut-up and go even harder so we could get the  win. We just kept telling each other, ‘Don’t give up, don’t give up, don’t give up.'”

ABOUT EAST CAROLINA (13-15, 5-10 American Athletic Conference): Kentrell Barkley (12.1 points, 7.6 rebounds), who tied White for team scoring honors against Tulane with 17 while going 6-of-8, leads the Pirates in scoring but – like most of his teammates – is shooting below 40 percent on a squad that ranks 336th in points (62.4). The young Pirates started three freshmen versus Tulane – including point guard Jeremy Sheppard (9.3 points, 3.5 assists), who is showing steady improvement as he gains experience. In addition to being a rim protector, Washington (7.2 points, 7.3 rebounds) is shooting 56.2 percent, making him the only one of the team’s top seven scorers better than 40.

ABOUT TULSA (13-14, 7-8): There is no doubt the Pirates know who Etou is, as the forward torched them for 31 points while pulling down 12 rebounds earlier this season in a 69-66 loss. Tulsa has good depth in the backcourt with four players – Birt, Sterling Taplin, Jaleel Wheeler and Corey Henderson Jr. – averaging between 8.1 and 9.6 points with a combined 101 made 3-pointers. Freshman forward Martins Igbanu (5.4 points) has started eight games, including each of the last six, and is averaging 8.6 points on 21-of-35 shooting as a starter.

TIP-INS
1. Tulsa leads the AAC in free-throw percentage in league games (76.6 percent) while East Carolina ranks last (62.6 percent).
2. The Golden Hurricane lead the all-time series 15-3 and is 8-1 at home against the Pirates.
3. Washington has blocked 86 shots and needs just four more to set a new school record.

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Central Michigan Chippewas vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane
When: 2:30 PM ET, Monday, December 19, 2016
Where: Marlins Park, Miami, Florida

TV: 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN.
LINE: Tulsa -11.5
PREDICTION: Tulsa 48, Central Michigan 38

Oddsmakers currently have the Golden Hurricane listed as 13-point favorites versus the Chippewas, while the game’s total is sitting at 70.

Central Michigan coach John Bonamego confessed he had some homework to do when it was announced that the Chippewas were playing Tulsa in the Miami Beach Bowl.

“I don’t know much about Tulsa yet,” he said, “but I know we’ll face a high-powered offense.”

Indeed, the Golden Hurricane (9-3) will bring the nation’s sixth-most productive offense in the country to Marlins Park in Miami to face the Chippewas (6-6) at 2:30 p.m. Monday with ESPN handling the telecast.

In just his second season, coach Philip Montgomery has guided his Tulsa crew to churn out yardage at a 522.6-yard-per-game clip, which ranks No. 6 in FBS statistics nationally. Not only that, the former Baylor offensive coordinator has the Golden Hurricane on the verge of becoming the first FBS program to feature a 3,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard rushers and two 1,000-yard receivers.

Tulsa already is the just the fifth team with a 3,000-yard passer (quarterback Dane Evans with 3,044), two 1,000-yard rushers (running backs James Flanders with 1,529 and D’Angelo Brewer with 1,330) and a 1,000-yard receiver (wide receiver Keenan Lucas with 1,108).

Wide receiver Josh Atkinson goes into the game needing just 73 yards in catches to hit 1,000.

“I’m not a big stat guy,” Montgomery said. “But this is one that’s out there. It’s never been done. To have the opportunity to do it just doesn’t come along very often.”

Montgomery said he won’t alter his approach to the game to go for the mark — “Don’t let the horse buck you there. Let’s stay in the saddle and finish this thing up,” is the colorful way he put it — because getting to the 10-win level for the 10th time in program history takes priority.

“That’s what our focus is,” Montgomery said. “We’ve talked about it. Teams that are excited about bowl season, that are fired up about going to the bowl, those are the ones that usually play well. And our guys are excited about it.”

The Chippewas have a little motivation of their own. They will be playing in their third consecutive bowl, but they have lost their last two postseason appearances, including a 21-14 loss to Minnesota in last season’s Quick Lane Bowl, Bonamego’s first at CMU.

“We want to win, get a bowl ring, hold a trophy — something we haven’t been able to do,” senior quarterback Cooper Rush said. “It’s definitely on our mind.”

Rush figures to play a key role if that is to happen. He has passed for nearly 275 yards per game and 23 touchdowns with junior wide receiver Corey Rush accounting for 1,028 yards and nine touchdowns on a team-high 69 receptions.

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