Week 2 - Tulane at Tulsa

Week 2 CFN Fearless Prediction & Game Story – Tulane at Tulsa

Tulane (0-1) at Tulsa (0-1) Sept. 8, 12:00, Fox Sports Net

Here’s The Deal: Tulane and Tulsa meet in an early season showdown in the West Division of Conference USA. Having suffered opening day losses, both schools will be determined to create something to cheer about while locating a little tailwind. The Golden Hurricane is especially eager to get back on the field after turning the ball over three times and losing by 15 at Iowa State. One of the divisional contenders, it doesn’t want to let another week pass without getting righted. The Green Wave acquitted itself rather well, trailing Rutgers by only four at the start of the fourth quarter, but was unable to climb any closer.

Why Tulane Might Win: The Green Wave is going to sink or swim this week on the right arm of veteran Ryan Griffin. The senior has a seasoned group of wide receivers, led by Ryan Grant, and the peace of mind that Tulsa is still seeking proven pass rushers. With top back Orleans Darkwa still out with an ankle sprain, Griffin is liable to air it out 50 times.

Why Tulsa Might Win: The Golden Hurricane attack has a lot more potential than it showed last week in Ames. Dual-threat QB Cody Green now has a game as the starter under his belt, and backs Trey Watts and Ja’Terian Douglas will feast on a Tulane run defense that isn’t the same without LB Trent Mackey.

What To Watch Out For: Now that leading receiver Bryan Burnham is done for the year with an ACL tear, Tulsa will be searching for other pass-catchers to step up. While it’ll be a collaborative effort, to be sure, sophomore Keyarris Garrett is ready to become the new go-to guy. At 6-4 and 207 pounds, he’ll create matchup problems for the Green Wave defensive backs.

What Will Happen: With a healthy Darkwa, you never know. Without the threat of a running game, though, Griffin will be a sitting duck throwing in the direction of ball-hawking Tulsa safeties Marco Nelson and Dexter McCoil. Watts and Douglas will control the clock on offense, keeping the Tulane defense on the field for long stretches of time.

CFN Prediction: Tulsa 44 … Tulane 16
ATS Consultants Line (Click for more lines and picks) Tulsa -25 O/U: 56.5
Must Watch Rating (5 – Phineas & Ferb, 1 – Steve Harvey): 1.5