2006 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football preview

In early July we began our 2006 Conference USA football preview series on CUSA-fans.com. Today we have our Tulsa preview written by CUSA-fans.com Staff Writer Alexander Firestone. CUSA-fans.com is still seeking a permanent Tulsa football correspondent for the 2006 football season, so if you are interested please email us at admin@cusa-fans.com.

2005 Record: 9-4 (6-2)
Head Coach: Steve Kragthorpe

In just his third year in charge of the Tulsa football program, head coach Steve Kragthorpe led his team to a 9-4 record and the first league title for the Golden Hurricane in 20 years. After a 0-2 start with losses to BCS programs Minnesota and Oklahoma, Tulsa ran off 9 wins in 11 games including an upset victory over Fresno State in the Liberty Bowl. 2006 brings a new season of great expectations from the fans and media alike as Kragthorpe and his staff will have 42 returning lettermen and 16 returning starters.

2006 Tulsa Offense

The offense returns 7 starters from the 2005 squad which averaged 33.1 points per game. At quarterback, Paul Smith returns after having a fantastic 2005 season where he passed for over 2800 yards with 20 TD and just 6 INT. He also can play a major role on the ground as Smith rushed for over 250 yards and 6 TD last season. Smith’s favorite targets in 2005, TE Garrett Mills and WR Ashlan Davis, will be playing on Sundays this season. As a result it will be up to former role-player Idris Moss, former JUCO transfer Ryann Bugg and others to step up and provide Smith with some help in the passing game. Running the ball will likely be Tarrion Adams who averaged 6.4 yards per carry and totaled over 500 rushing yards as he came on strong late in the 2005 campaign. Oklahoma transfer Courtney Tennial should make the RB situation interesting and Brandon Diles provides solid depth and experience. The offensive line looks to be a senior-dominated group and returns 4 starters including senior OT Jeff Perrett.

2006 Tulsa Defense

The defense returns 9 starters from a unit that allowed 23.5 points per game and held just one opponent under 13 points in 2005. The defensive line alone returns a lot of experience as they return six different players who have started at least one game in past seasons. At linebacker, the Golden Hurricane return a 3-man tandem of Nick Bunting, Nelson Coleman and Chris Chamberlain who combined for a total of 290 tackles in 2005. Bunting alone has over 250 career tackles, but because there are so many playmakers on this side of the ball for the Golden Hurricane in 2006, he may not even be the best defensive player on his team. The secondary allowed 184 yards per game through the air in 2005 and will be led by Bobby Blackshire and Anthony Germany. They should also get a boost from the return of Kedrick Alexander, the leading tackler from Tulsa’s 2003 squad.

2006 Tulsa Overview

On paper the Golden Hurricane should be at the top of the C-USA standings come November. If the offense can rebound from the loss of several key players and the defense continues to improve on their 2005 numbers, we could see Tulsa winning 10 games or more. All of their non-conference games are winnable, but conference games @ East Carolina and Houston will be tricky. Look for the Golden Hurricane to get their revenge on UTEP this season after the Miners defeated Tulsa 41-38 in 2005.

by Alexander Firestone -
CUSA-fans.com Staff Writer

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