2009 Tulsa Recruiting Class

Tulsa Golden Hurricane 2009 Head Coach: Todd Graham

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

- 2008 Tulsa Season
- 2008 Tulsa Preview
- 2007 Tulsa Season

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 8-4
2008 Record: 11-3

Aug. 30 at UAB W 45-22
Sept. 6 at North Texas W 56-26
Sept. 13 OPEN DATE
Sept. 20 New Mexico W 56-14
Sept. 27 Central Ark. W 62-34
Oct. 4 Rice W 63-28
Oct. 11 at SMU W 37-31
Oct. 18 UTEP W 77-35
Oct. 26 UCF W 49-19
Nov. 1 at Arkansas L 30-23
Nov. 8  OPEN DATE
Nov. 15 at Houston L 70-30
Nov. 22 Tulane W 56-7
Nov. 29 at Marshall W 38-35
C-USA CHAMPIONSHIP
East Carolina L 27-24
GMAC Bowl
Jan. 6 Ball State W 45-13

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 9-3
2007 Results: 10-4

Aug. 30 at UL Monroe W 35-17
Sept. 15 BYU W 55-47
Sept. 21 Oklahoma L 62-21
Sept. 29 UAB W 38-30
Oct. 6 at UTEP L 48-47
Oct. 13 Marshall W 38-31
Oct. 20 at UCF L 44-23
Oct. 27 SMU W 29-23
Nov. 3 at Tulane W 49-25
Nov. 10 Houston W 56-7
Nov. 17 at Army W 49-39
Nov. 24 at Rice W 48-43
Conference USA Championship
Dec. 1 UCF L 44-25
GMAC Bowl
Jan. 6 Bowling Green W 63-7

2009 Recruiting Class

Five Best Prospects

1. Shavodrick Beaver	QB	6-2	179	Wichita Falls, TX
2. Brian DeShane	OL	6-3	280	Tulsa, OK
3. Arthur Render	DB	6-0	185	San Marcos, CA
4. Anthony Foster	WR	5-8	177	Tulsa, OK
5. Eric Sproal	OL	6-4	305	Santa Ana, CA

Rest Of The Class

LaQuentin Black	DB	5-9	175	Mason City, IA
Michael Brodsky	OL	6-1	210	Aplharetta, GA
Greg Brown	TE	6-3	225	Bixby, OK
Daeshon Bufford	DE	6-4	220	Edmond, OK
Stetson Burnett	OL	6-4	271	Lawton, OK
Brett Davis	WR	6-1	200	Shawnee, OK
Trent Dupy	OL	6-3	280	Enid, OK
Shawn Jackson	LB	5-10	240	Tulsa, OK
Jordan James	WR	6-2	189	Lafayette, LA
Jack Jewell	DT	6-6	240	Norman, OK
Ricky Johnson	WR	6-2	190	Lafayette, LA
Freeman Kelley	WR	6-0	175	Lancaster, TX
Dexter McCoil	DB	6-4	168	Lutcher, LA
Gabe McGee	DT	6-0	310	Duncan, OK
Brian Mincher	OL	6-3	285	Jenks, OK
Antonio Parker	DB	5-11	175	Destrehan, LA
Tony Peoples	DB	6-0	178	The Colony, TX
Alex Singleton	RB	6-0	235	LaPlace, LA
Justin Skillens	DB	5-8	170	Tulsa, OK
Cody Wilson	LB	6-0	220	Tulsa, OK

Jan. 6
2009 GMAC Bowl
Tulsa 45 … Ball State 13
In a rain storm, the Tulsa offense had no problems, racking up 632 yards with Tarrion Adams leading the way with touchdown runs of one, 56, and 11 yards. Ball State managed to keep it close early on a 17-yard Nate Davis scoring run, but the offense failed to get into the end zone over the final 49 minutes. The Cardinals only managed two Ian McGarvey field goals the rest of the way, while Tulsa dominated the second half with 21 unanswered points on two David Johnson touchdown passes and Adams’ final scoring dash.
Player of the Game: Tulsa RB Tarrion Adams ran 19 times for 207 yards and three touchdowns, and WR Damaris Johnson caught six passes for 135 yards and a touchdown, ran three times for 76 yards, and retuned three kickoffs for 63 yards. 
Stat Leaders: Ball State - Passing: Nate Davis, 9-29, 145 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: MiQuale Lewis, 16-35. Receiving: Briggs Orsbon, 3-46
Tulsa - Passing: David Johnson, 15-25, 193 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Tarrion Adams, 19-207, 3 TD. Receiving: Damaris Johnson, 6-135, 1 TD
Inside The Box Score ...  5 Thoughts on the GMAC Bowl … Total offense: Tulsa 632 – BSU 223 … Rushing yards: Tulsa 439 – BSU 78 … Third down conversions: Tulsa 9-of-18 – BSU 2-of-15 … 2^nd half time of possession: Tulsa 21:24 – BSU 8:36 … Average yards per punt return: BSU 38 – Tulsa 4.3 … First downs: Tulsa 30 – BSU 9 … Ball State’s Alex Knipp made 13 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and a sack.

Dec. 6
2008 Conference USA Championship
East Carolina 27 … Tulsa 24
East Carolina forced seven turnovers with Van Eskridge snuffing out Tulsa’s final drive with a pick to end a miserable day for David Johnson. The Golden Hurricane quarterback threw five interceptions, with one on the first play of the day and one on his last throw, and East Carolina took advantage. Travis Simmons took one errant pass 72 yards for a touchdown to help ECU take a 14-0 lead, but Tulsa came back with two one-yard touchdown runs from Tarrion Adams and a 37-yard Jarod Tracy field goal for a three-point lead. Norman Whitley tore off a 69-yard touchdown run and Ben Hartman hit two field goals as the Pirates took the lead for good, breaking a 24-24 tie, with a 12-play, 53-yard drive capped off with a 36-yarder with under two minutes to play.
Player of the game: East Carolina DB Van Eskridge made nine tackles and two interceptions
Stat Leaders: Tulsa - Passing: David Johnson, 23-42, 195 yds, 1 TD, 5 INT
Rushing: Tarrion Adams, 28-120, 2 TD. Receiving: Slick Shelley, 6-48
East Carolina - Passing: Pat Pinkney, 10-24, 122 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Norman Whitley, 14-104, 1 TD. Receiving: Davon Drew, 3-28
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Can David Johnson recover from this? He needs to have a big bowl game to put a little salve on the wounds, but it might be rough to ever completely dismiss this disastrous performance in the Conference USA title game loss to East Carolina. The offense moved the ball, Tarrion Adams had another huge game, and Johnson had his chances, this was an unfortunate end to a tremendous season. The defense put together one of its better games, especially against the ECU passing game, but it wasn’t enough to overcome’s Johnson’s unfortunate day.

Nov. 22
Tulsa 56 …. Tulane 7
Tarrion Adams ran for 323 yards with a five-yard touchdown run as part of the 489 rushing yards the Golden Hurricane cranked out. Jamad Williams ran for touchdowns from seven and 39 yards out in the third quarter and Damaris Johnson caught touchdown passes from 12 and 28 yards away as Tulsa did whatever it wanted to. Tulane got its lone score on a one-yard J.T. McDonald run in the second quarter.
Player of the game: Tulane RB Tarrion Adams ran 33 times for 323 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Tulane - Passing: Kevin Moore, 15-30, 144 yds
Rushing: J.T. McDonald, 15-53, 1 TD. Receiving: Alan Mitchell, 4-41
Tulsa - Passing: David Johnson, 9-13, 104 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Tarrion Adams, 33-323, 1 TD. Receiving: Damaris Johnson, 4-61, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Tulsa offense is back. After two straight losses and the 70-30 bombing from Houston, the Golden Hurricane took it all out on Tulane with a big-time day from the rushing attack highlighted by Tarrion Adams’ 323-yard day. David Johnson was only needed for 13 passes, but he was great on third downs and came up with three touchdown passes just when the Green Wave D was keying on the ground game. Now the team needs to prove again it can win on the road again with the final date at Marshall.

Nov. 15
Houston 70 … Tulsa 30
Houston jumped out to a 14-0 lead on two four-yard Case Keenum touchdown passes, and the rout was on. The defense came up with two fourth down stops in the first half and took away five turnovers, but it was the offense that was the story as Keenum threw six touchdown passes and Tyron Carrier caught a 66-yard touchdown pass and returned a kickoff 93 yards for a score with nine seconds to play in the first half. Keenum added a six-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to get Houston to 70, and the defense even got in the act with a 69-yard interception return for a score from Loyce Means. Tulsa’s offense cranked out 501 yards of total offense with four touchdown passes from David Jonson. Houston LB C.J. Cavness made 16 tackles
Player of the game: Houston QB Case Keenum completed 24-of-37 passes for 402 yards and six touchdowns, and he ran four times for 43 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: Tulsa - Passing: David Johnson, 18-29, 271 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Tarrion Adams, 12-62. Receiving: Charles Clay, 6-83, 1 TD
Houston - Passing: Case Keenum, 24-37, 402 yds, 6 TD
Rushing: Bryce Beall, 17-56. Receiving: Mark Hafner, 8-93, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... As bad as the loss to Houston might be, the Golden Hurricane is still tied for first in the division and it has a win over Rice. The offense sputtered too much in the first half, with the failure to convert on two fourth down chances setting the tone, while the five turnovers were way too much to overcome. The defense wasn’t close to closing down the short to midrange Cougar passing game, but there won’t be similar problems against Tulane and Marshall over the next two weeks. It’ll be a shocker if Tulsa doesn’t win the final two games with ease; the West race might not be over.

Nov. 1
Arkansas 30 … Tulsa 23
The high-powered Tulsa offense gained 528 yards, but it only managed three points in the second half and came up short in the final moments as David Johnson’s fourth down pass on the Arkansas seven was incomplete. Arkansas got up 17-0 helped by a 13-yard Andrew Davie touchdown catch and a seven-yard Michael Smith run, but the offense fell flat in the second half. The Golden Hurricane came back with two Charles Clay touchdowns in the second quarter and a 22-yard Trae Johnson catch in the first, but that would be it for getting into the end zone. Following a 22-yard Jarod Tracy field goal from Tulsa to tie it at 23 late in the third, Dennis Johnson took the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for what would turn out to be the game-winning touchdown.
Player of the game: Arkansas QB Casey Dick completed 25-of-38 passes for 385 yards and a touchdown with an interception
Stat Leaders: Tulsa - Passing: David Johnson, 17-31, 322 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Tarrion Adams, 9-45. Receiving: Charles Clay, 7-117, 1 TD
Arkansas - Passing: Casey Dick, 25-38, 385 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Michael Smith, 23-67, 1 TD. Receiving: D.J. Williams, 6-129
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Alright, so the perfect season might be gone and the one shot against a BCS conference team didn’t work out well, but that doesn’t mean Tulsa’s other goals are gone. With a week off, the team has to get the focus back for the showdown at Houston. Losing to Arkansas stings, but a loss to the Cougars would be a killer. The offense worked against the Hogs, but there weren’t enough points off of all the yards. The three turnovers didn’t help, but the silver lining will be the 528 yards. The offense works, and now the team needs to hope it works in the Liberty Bowl.

Oct. 25
Tulsa 49 … UCF 19
Tulsa wasn’t always sharp, giving up a 19-point first half run with Brian Watters catching touchdown passes from 62 and seven yards out for the Knights, but that was it for the fun. The Golden Hurricane reeled off 35 unanswered points as David Johnson ran for two third quarter scores and hit Damaris Johnson for a 15-yard touchdown run. UCF’s offense sputtered in the second half of an ugly overall game with six turnovers and 13 penalties. UCF finished with a mere 187 yards to Tulsa’s 436.  
Player of the game: Tulsa QB David Johnson completed 17-of-27 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown with an interception, and hr ran for two scores.
Stat Leaders: UCF - Passing: Rob Calabrese, 8-15, 124 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Brynn Harvey, 24-91. Receiving: Brian Watters, 7-121, 2 TD
Tulsa - Passing: David Johnson, 17-27, 264 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Charles Opeseyitan, 5-55. Receiving: Damaris Johnson, 4-21, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The secondary and the defense came up with three takeaways against Tulsa, but they needed a lot more to make up for the lack of an offense. 69 of the team’s 187 yards came on the two second quarter touchdown catches from Brian Watters, and there was nothing sharp about the second half. The defense will have to start doing even more until QB Rob Calabrese or RB Brynn Harvey can start making the offense perform on a regular basis.

Oct. 18
Tulsa 77 … UTEP 35
In one of the wildest quarters of the season, it a Damaris Johnson kickoff return for a touchdown tied the score for Tulsa at 28 all, and it sparked a 28-point run with David Johnson hitting Slick Shelley for a 31-yard touchdown along with short touchdown runs from A.J. Whitmore and Jamad Williams. But the real big play came early in the first as Johnson found Brennan Marion for a 97-yard touchdown pass. Just over three minutes later, Marion caught a 51-yard touchdown pass. Marion finished with three touchdown catches and Tarrion Adams ran for two scores in the third quarter. Tulsa finished with 791 yards of total offense.
Player of the game: Tulsa QB David Johnson completed 21-of-27 passes for 434 yards and five touchdowns, and he ran seven times for 21 yards
Stat Leaders: UTEP - Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 21-34, 306 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: James Thomas 1-34, 1 TD. Receiving: Kris Adams, 5-126, 1 TD
Tulsa - Passing: David Johnson, 21-27, 434 yds, 5 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Tarrion Adams, 15-114, 2 TD. Receiving: Brennan Marion, 6-233, 3 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Tulsa machine keeps on rolling. David Johnson and the skill players got time to work against SMU, and they came through as they ripped through the UTEP defense throughout the 49-point first half. Nothing is stopping Johnson and the attack right now with 470 passing yards and 321 rushing yards. With a home game against UCF up next before three road games in the final four games, Tulsa has to stay hot.

Oct. 11
Tulsa 37 … SMU 31
Down seven going into the fourth quarter, Tulsa got two touchdowns in just over a minute as Trae Johnson caught a 33-yard pass and A.J. Whitmore ran for an eight-yard score to give the Golden Hurricane the win. SMU played well as Bo Levi Mitchell threw four touchdown passes including a 77-yarder to Emmanuel Sanders and an 18-yarder to Aldrick Robinson. But Tulsa always had an answer with Slick Shelley catching touchdown passes from 15 and 40 yards out and Jarod Tracy hitting three field goals. The two teams combined or 1,071 yards of offense, with Tulsa getting 602 of them.
Player of the game: Tulsa WR Slick Shelley caught six passes for 105 pounds and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: SMU - Passing: Bo Levi Mitchell, 19-34, 318 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Butler, 9-95. Receiving: Emmanuel Sanders, 6-132, 1 TD
Tulsa - Passing: David Johnson, 17-30, 281 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Tarrion Adams, 21-121. Receiving: Slick Shelley, 6-105, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The win over SMU showed just how fine a line it is for Tulsa. The offense cranked out 602 yards and moved the ball at will, but three turnovers and too many stalls that led to field goals kept the Mustangs in the game. The defense held up when it had to in the fourth quarter, but the Golden Hurricane has to be even better to beat UTEP next week and Houston down the road. The D isn’t good enough to stop anyone cold; the O can’t make a slew of mistakes.

Oct. 4
Tulsa 63 … Rice 28
Tulsa busted open a 14-14 game with a 21-point run as David Johnson hit Damaris Johnson and Charles Clay for touchdowns and Slick Shelley returned a punt for a score. Johnson finished with four touchdown passes on the day to four different receivers as the Golden Hurricane rolled up 577 total yards. Rice got two touchdown passes from Chase Clement, including a 25-yarder to Jarett Dillard in the second quarter, but the Owls couldn’t keep up the pace in the second half. Four turnovers ended up proving costly.
Player of the game: Tulsa RB Tarrion Adams ran 23 times for 112 yards
Stat Leaders: Rice - Passing: Chase Clement, 22-42, 321 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chase Clement, 15-40. Receiving: James Casey, 9-120, 1 TD
Tulsa - Passing: David Johnson, 13-25, 177 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Tarrion Adams, 23-112. Receiving: Brennan Marion, 4-76, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Tulsa’s offense keeps on rolling. The offense has scored more than 60 points in two straight games, has gone over 50 points in four straight games, and leads the nation averaging 56 points and 596 yards per game. After blowing away Rice, the hits will keep on coming next week against SMU. Everyone’s getting in the act. David Johnson is spreading the ball around well, the running game tore off 386 yards and averaged 7.3 yards per carry, and the defense is even doing a decent job.

Sept. 27
Tulsa 62 … Central Arkansas 34
Tulsa rolled up 641 yards of total offense as David Johnson threw four touchdown passes including two to Brennan Marion, with a 51-yarder coming on the opening drive. Central Arkansas stayed alive thanks to Nathan Park, a next-level bomber who threw for 342 yards with three touchdown passes to stay in the game, highlighted by a 60-yard play to Willie Landers in the third quarter. The Golden Hurricane put the game away early in the fourth quarter on a one-yard Courtney Tennial run. The two teams combined for 1,076 yards.
Player of the game: Tulsa QB David Johnson completed 18-of-24 passes for 286 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions  
Stat Leaders: Central Arkansas - Passing: Nathan Park, 24-33, 342 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Brent Grimes, 15-57, 1 TD. Receiving: Willie Landers, 5-117, 1 TD
Tulsa - Passing: David Johnson, 18-22, 286 yds, 4 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Tarrion Adams, 13-120, 1 TD. Receiving: Brennan Marion, 6-136 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The machine keeps on rolling. The offense remains unstoppable, cranking out 641 yards of total offense against Central Arkansas, but the secondary had major problems with Nathan Park, an NFL prospect who bombed away to keep the game close. With Rice coming up next, led by QB Chase Clement, the Golden Hurricane has to be ready for an even bigger shootout. If David Johnson keeps throwing like he’s been throwing, all will be fine.

Sept. 20
Tulsa 56 … New Mexico 14
David Johnson threw six touchdown passes including two in the first quarter to Damaris Johnson, and a third in the fourth, and two in the first half to Slick Shelley highlighted by a 64-yarder in the final minute of the half. New Mexico was down 42-0 before getting on the board late in the third quarter on a 37-yard Rodney Ferguson run. Brad Gruner had to come in for an injured Donovan Porterie, and he threw three picks along with a garbage-time 21-yarder to Bryant Williams.
Player of the game: Tulsa QB David Johnson completed 24-of-39 passes for 469 yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions
Stat Leaders: Tulsa - Passing: David Johnson, 24-39, 469 yds, 6 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Tarrion Adams, 12-57. Receiving: Slick Shelley, 6-129, 2 TD
New Mexico - Passing: Brad Gruner, 7-12, 98 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 27-122, 1 TD. Receiving: Bryant Williams, 5-32, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Is it time to start talking about the Golden Hurricane as a BCS buster? Ripping up UAB and North Texas is one thing, but destroying New Mexico is another. There’s no one on the schedule, Arkansas included, who can keep up with this offense at the moment. It’s still early, but this is an ultra-efficient passing attack that’s humming on all cylinders. It’s not going to be pretty over the next few weeks against some horrendous pass defenses. Central Arkansas, Rice, SMU and UTEP don’t have a shot of keeping up.

Sept. 6
Tulsa 56 … North Texas 26
Tulsa roared out to a 42-7 first half lead with Davis Johnson throwing four of his six touchdown passes and running for another. The Golden Hurricane rolled up 554 yards of total offense and were never threatened with more offense coming in the second half with Johnson hitting A.J. Whitmore for the final Tulsa score with a 22-yard touchdown catch. North Texas came up with two fourth quarter touchdowns with Casey Fitzgerald catching a 32-yard touchdown pass and Breece Johnson scoring on a six-yard catch.
Player of the game:  Tulsa QB David Johnson completed 25-of-33 passes for 418 yards and six touchdowns and ran eight times for 12 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: Tulsa - Passing: David Johnson, 25-33, 418 yds, 6 TD
Rushing: Tarrion Adams, 11-46  Receiving: Brennan Marion, 4-107, 1 TD
North Texas - Passing: Giovanni Vizza, 30-45, 247 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Lance Dunbar, 10-72, 1 TD. Receiving: Sam Dibrell, 5-65
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Paul Smith, schmaul Smith. The Tulsa offense is humming on all cylinders with David Johnson moving the offense like a long-time veteran. The North Texas defense is hardly a great test, but Tulsa ripped through it like it wasn’t there. Johnson spread the ball around well and kept things moving with his legs as well as his arm, while the defense stuffed the Mean Green when it was still a game.

Aug. 30
Tulsa 45 ... UAB 22
UAB took a 22-21 lead into the locker room helped by a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Frantrell Forrest, who also caught a 32-yard touchdown pass, but it was all Tulsa in the second half as the defense shut down and shut out the Blazer offense, and the Golden Hurricane attack to a nine-yard touchdown run from Tarrion Adams, his second score of the game, along with a 73-yard Charles Clay scoring grab. Tulsa finished with 601 yards of total offense.
Player of the game: Tulsa QB David Johnson completed 20 of 24 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran twice for 48 yards.
Stat Leaders: Tulsa - Passing: David Johnson, 20-24, 332 yds, 3 TDs
Rushing: Tarrion Adams, 12-63. Receiving: AJ Whitmore, 5-63
UAB - Passing: Joe Webb, 17-31, 169 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Joe Webb, 18-136. Receiving: Mario Wright, 3-46
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... New quarterback, same results for the high-powered Tulsa offense. In his first start as Paul Smith’s successor, David Johnson was near-perfect, throwing for 332 yards and three touchdowns, while misfiring on just four passes. The Hurricane racked up more than 600 balanced yards, picking up where it left off last season. From the play of the defense, which didn’t wake up until the second half, it looks like Tulsa will need all the points it can get this fall.