Armed Forces Bowl recap: Tulsa falls to Utah, 26-13

CUSA-fans.com has a new staff of team correspondents this season to help bring you, the fan, more detailed Conference USA football coverage. Today, our new Tulsa Correspondent Taylor Burke recaps the 2006 Armed Forces Bowl.

The Tulsa-Utah matchup in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl was billed as one of two high-flying offenses. The only high-flying action Tulsa fans saw was the flyover of two military jets before the coin toss.

Utah took the lead, 9-7, on a field goal with the clock running out in the second quarter. From there, Utah’s defense frustrated a rather vanilla Tulsa offense. Tulsa rarely threw to its receivers, preferring screens to the running backs and a steady diet of running plays.

Utah added a touchdown on its first drive of the third quarter when Utah’s Brett Ratliff hit Brent Casteel on a 10-yard-pass off the old hook-and-ladder. Ratliff finished 23-of-34 for 240 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Tulsa safety Bobby Blackshire intercepted a pass near midfield early in the fourth quarter. Tulsa then drove and scored on a one yard Paul Smith touchdown run, making it 19-13 Utah (Jeff Tracey missed the extra point).

Tulsa had a chance to take the lead with around 5:00 remaining in the contest. Utah had trapped Tulsa deep at its five-yard line. In what will be remembered by some as the key to the game, Tulsa elected two running plays rather than to air it out. On third and long, Smith scrambled but threw a pass behind wide receiver Ryan Bugg.

After that third down play, Tulsa punted and Utah got possession in Tulsa territory. Utah defensive back Eric Weddle took a series of direct snaps, finally scoring a touchdown to cap the effort. On the day, Weddle finished with 10 rushes for 56 yards, a rushing touchdown, and one interception. He was also the holder on all four Utah field goals.

Smith finished 20 of 27 for 158 yards and had two running touchdowns to go with one interception. He appeared to be limping most of the game and that wear may have caused him to slip a couple of times on the night.

What Went Right

Not much. Safety Bobby Blackshire capped an outstanding career with his interception. All-CUSA linebacker Nick Bunting played a fearless game. Tulsa managed to hold Utah to four field goals, which kept the game close. If anything, that is how the 3-3-5 "bend but don’t break" scheme is supposed to work.

There were lots of fine plays on the night and this group of seniors is very deserving of the accolades they have received. "Tulsa is certainly in a much better place than five years ago. That said, a lot of fans had a long and unhappy ride home Sunday morning.

What Went Wrong

A lot. Fans will remember the play-calling of OC Charlie Stubbs. To be fair, Stubbs is a well-respected football mind and deserves that reputation. His hand may well have been forced by a lack of speed at wide receiver and a Utah pass rush that managed to make QB Paul Smith uncomfortable most of the night. It seemed like he was always a second and a half from making a good play.

Tulsa’s biggest question in the pre-season was who would replace All-American tight end Garrett Mills. That question remains unanswered. Senior receivers Ryan Bugg and Idris Moss blossomed, making key plays throughout the year. However, no one ever matched the big play capability of Mills.

Tulsa struggled to pressure the Utah quarterback. At times, TU opted for maximum coverage in the secondary. Utah was able to find open receivers all night, usually underneath the coverage. Combine that with a couple of spectacular catches by the Utah receivers and you have a formula for a tough night. Utah utilized a lot of misdirection plays and delays that frustrated the Tulsa defense. Ratliff had enough speed to evade most of the Tulsa defenders who got penetration.

Tulsa football notes

• Credit Utah DB Weddle with the classy play of the night. He intercepted a Paul Smith interception as the game clock ran out, but fell to the ground rather than run it back for an easy score.
• Dallas Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe (who worked with Kragthorpe in Buffalo) and legendary Cowboy receiver Drew Pearson (a Tulsa alum) were on the sidelines.
• Tulsa is 5-9 in bowls in its history. The Armed Forces Bowl was the third bowl for Tulsa in four years under Head Coach Steve Kragthorpe (Humanitarian Bowl 2003, Liberty Bowl 2005).
• Prior to Kragthorpe arriving at Tulsa, TU had 11 straight losing seasons.
• Tulsa sold around 6,000 tickets through its ticket office for the game. Total attendance was estimated at 34,000 and some contend that as many as 12,000 Tulsa fans were at the game. This author guesses there were around 8,000 Tulsa fans in attendance.
• Tulsa finished the season 1-4, after starting 7-1.