Bowl Games 2006: Armed Forces Bowl
Tulsa (8-4) vs. Utah (7-5)
Only five Division I-A teams surrender fewer passing yards per game than Tulsa, and the strong play of FS Bobby Blackshire is a big reason for that success. Blackshire can cover a lot of ground and has recorded three interceptions.
In addition, DE Robert Latu is an effective pass rusher who possesses a good blend of size and athletic ability. However, the 3-4 scheme has had problems defending the run.
The Golden Hurricane hoped that Idris Moss (54-772) would be a playmaker this season and he didn’t disappoint. Moss averaged 116.8 yards per game as a receiver, kick returner and occasional ballcarrier. Paul Smith needs to take better care of the football at times, but he is a leader on the field and has been accurate. RB Courtney Tennial (792 yards) is Tulsa’s leading rusher. The powerful runner has gotten into the end zone 14 times.
Eric Weddle has pretty much done it all for the Utes. The AFCA Coaches All-American defensive back occasionally lines up at quarterback, where he can make plays with his arm as well as his feet, and has returned punts.
Brett Ratliff (2,256 yards, 25 TDs) lines up at quarterback when Waddle doesn’t and does a good job of spreading the ball around to WRs Derrek Richards, Brent Casteel, Marquis Wilson and Brian Hernandez. As a result, he is a good fit for Utah’s spread scheme. Though RB Darryl Poston’s longest run this year is just 18 yards, he runs hard between the tackles.
The Utes have excellent size at defensive tackle, so it comes as little surprise that they have been stout against the run. Utah has masked its lack of a consistent pass rush with strong coverage and big plays.
Prediction: Utah is plus-eight in turnovers. Tulsa is minus-five. The Golden Hurricane have good defensive numbers but have generated only 12 takeaways. Turnovers might be even more of an indicator than normal in this game. The Utah defense can take away the Tulsa ground attack, forcing Smith to air it out. In the end, the turnover ability of the Utes defense will be the key to victory. Utah wins 24-14.
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