Tulsa 2012 Recruiting

Tulsa Golden Hurricane 2012 ... Head Coach: Bill Blankenship

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

2011 Record: 9-4

Sep. 3 at Oklahoma L 47-14
Sep. 10 at Tulane W 31-3
Sep. 17 Oklahoma St L 59-33
Sep. 24 at Boise State L 41-21
Oct. 1 North Texas W 41-24
Oct. 8 OPEN DATE
Oct. 15 UAB W 37-20
Oct. 22 at Rice W 38-20
Oct. 29 SMU W 38-7
Nov. 5 at UCF W 24-17
Nov. 12 Marshall W 59-17
Nov. 19 at UTEP W 57-28
Nov. 26 Houston L 48-16
Armed Forces Bowl
Dec. 30 BYU L 24-21

2010 CFN Prediction: 6-6
2010 Record: 10-3

Sept. 5 at East Carolina L 51-49
Sept. 11 Bowling Green W 33-20
Sept. 18 at Oklahoma St L 65-28
Sept. 25 Cen. Arkansas W 41-14
Oct. 2 at Memphis W 48-7
Oct. 9 at SMU L 21-18
Oct. 16 Tulane W 52-24
Oct. 23 OPEN DATE
Oct. 30 at Notre Dame W 28-27
Nov. 6 Rice W 64-27
Nov. 13 at Houston W 28-25
Nov. 20 UTEP W 31-28
Nov. 26 Southern Miss W 56-50
HAWAII BOWL
Dec. 24 Hawaii W 62-35
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Tulsa Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. QB Dane Evans
6-2, 183, Scout.com 54th ranked, three-star quarterback.

2. OT Blake Belcher
6-6, 270, Scout.com 57th ranked, three-star offensive tackle.

3. PK Daniel Schwarz
6-2, 180, Scout.com 10th ranked, three-star kicker.

4. S Michael Thomas
6-1, 195, Scout.com 102nd ranked, three-star safety.

5. DE Damian Gibson
6-3, 220, 122nd ranked, three-star end.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... Receivers. It’s not a glaring need after loading up with talent in 2009, but the coaching staff will be looking for down the road with options to keep the high-octane attack going. There isn’t any one major issue for this year’s class to address, so it’ll be about trying to upgrade the talent level across the board. Defensively, the back seven will get the most attention.

Team Concerns For 2012: Quarterback. G.J. Kinne was one of college football’s most underappreciated quarterbacks, playing in a league with Case Keenum and hidden in anonymity in a state with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. He’ll be missed, meaning Kalen Henderson will have the pressure on to shine right away this offseason. Star recruit Dane Evans will get a long look at being the No. 2.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: It’s all up to the quarterback situation with Kalen Henderson needing to prove he’s the playmaker G.J. Kinne was. Willie Carter is one of Conference USA’s best receivers, leading a loaded corps that should make Henderson’s life easier. Ja’Terian Douglas and all the running backs are back to balance things out, but three starters are gone off the line. The defense has to replace tackling machine linebacker Curnelius Arnick, but Shawn Jackson should be a dominant statistical star. Three starters return up front and in the secondary. Kicker/punter Kevin Fitzpatrick has to be replaced, but Trey Watts should be a top kickoff returner.

2011 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 71. That Class Was Heavy On ... Cornerback. The offense should keep on rolling under new head coach Bill Blankenship, but the nation’s worst pass defense has to stop someone for the team to make a big step toward a Conference USA title. While the defensive line got the most bodies, and Gus Johnson and Zack Langer are interesting running backs, the focus is on cornerback with Kwame Sexton a potential No. 1, shutdown defender and Dwight Dobbins a good prospect. JUCO transfer J.D. Ratliff will be used immediately.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 93. That Class Was Heavy On ... The defensive front. RB Ja'Terian Douglas is the star of the class and Thomas Roberson should be a No. 1 wide receiver early on, but the key is the defensive front. JUCO transfers Tyrunn Walker and Darrell Zellars will be in the rotation right away, and Durrell Finch, another JUCO transfer, has the speed to be a dangerous pass rusher. With a little bit of time, DT Alec Henry could be the best of the bunch.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 77. That Class Was Heavy On ... wide receivers. The resignation of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn does not signal a change in philosophy at Tulsa, which still plans to wing it around out of no-huddle sets. With that in mind, the Hurricane is bringing in a bunch of receivers, most of whom are undersized flyers in the mold of current flanker Damaris Johnson. The gem of the newcomers is Ricky Johnson, who could have gone to any number of SEC schools.

Armed Forces Bowl
BYU 24 … Tulsa 21
- CFN Thoughts on the Game

BYU: The Cougars held Tulsa to 272 yards of total offense. … Riley Nelson completed 17-of-40 passes for 250 yards and three scores with two picks. … J.J. Di Luigi ran ten times for 38 yards. … Cody Hoffman caught eight passes for 122 yards and three scores. …. Punter Riley Stephenson averaged 41.9 yards per kick putting seven of eight inside the 20. … LB Kyle Van Noy made ten tackles, two sacks, five tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane ran for 37 yards. … G.J. Kinne completed 17-of-31 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns … Trey Watts ran ten times for 38 yards. … Bryan Burnham caught four passes for 113 yards and a score. … Curnelius Arnick made 17 tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss. … Shawn Jackson made nine tackles with three tackles for loss.

DALLAS (AP) -- Riley Nelson threw three touchdown passes to Cody Hoffman, the last with 11 seconds left, and BYU beat Tulsa 24-21 Friday in the Armed Forces Bowl for another 10-win season.

With no timeouts and the ball at the 2, the Cougars hurried up to the line. Nelson then faked a spike that would have stopped the clock and instead stood up and threw to Hoffman in the end zone.

The Cougars (10-3) wrapped up their season of independence by winning 10 games for the fifth time in coach Bronco Mendenhall's seven years.

G.J. Kinne threw three TD passes for Tulsa (8-5), including a 30-yarder to Bryan Burnham with 10:42 left for a 21-17 lead.

BYU needed 12 plays to go 48 yards on its last drive. Nelson converted a fourth-and-9 with a 14-yard scramble and later ran 8 yards on third-and-5.

Tulsa, whose other four losses this season came against top-10 teams, failed to take advantage when BYU was penalized for running into the kicker on fourth down from the 10 with about 6 minutes left. But the Golden Hurricane punted the ball away four plays later, setting up the winning drive for the Cougars.

Hoffman, who had eight catches for 122 yards, got his first TD just before halftime after an impressive block gave Nelson time to throw the ball.

Nelson was scrambling to his left to avoid pressure and threw back toward the middle of the field after 305-pound offensive tackle Matt Reynolds, who had already lost his helmet on the play, retreated for a crushing block that flattened pursuing 275-pound defensive end Cory Dorris.

Hoffman made the catch, then lunged forward with the ball in his stretched-out hand out for the 17-yard score that cut Tulsa's lead to 14-10.

Nov. 26 Houston 48 … at Tulsa 16  

Nov. 19 Tulsa 57 … at UTEP 28

Nov. 12 at Tulsa 59 … Marshall 17

Nov. 3 Tulsa 24 … at UCF 17
CFN Analysis: Everything is moving towards the showdown of showdowns with Houston to close out the Conference USA season. The secondary had too many problems with a UCF passing game that’s been mediocre over the last several games, but G.J. Kinne did enough to keep the chains moving, but the balanced offense turned out to be the different. The Golden Hurricane kept the Knights guessing, with Kinne running for 92 yards to go along with his 203 passing yards. Curnelius Arnick was fantastic, making 19 tackles with a tackle for loss, but the defense allowed 226 passing yards. Tulsa didn’t commit any penalties.  

Oct. 29 at Tulsa 38 … SMU 7  

Oct. 22 Tulsa 38 … at Rice 20  

Oct. 15 at Tulsa 37 … UAB 20
CFN Analysis: It wasn’t a pretty performance and the defense continues to have problems, but the Golden Hurricane was able to win without a problem thanks to G.J. Kinne’s best game of the season, throwing for 341 yards and three scores, while Ja’Terian Douglas ran for 137 yards and a score on just 14 carries. Turnovers were a big problem coming into the game, and giving up three fumbles and a Kinne pick showed just how far the team has to go to tighten up. UAB’s only change to keep this close was with takeaways, and Tulsa gave them up. That shouldn’t be a problem against Rice, but the offense has to be perfect against SMU in a few weeks.  

Oct. 1 at Tulsa 41 … North Texas 24
CFN Analysis: Tulsa came up with an easy blowout that was far better than the final score looked. G.J. Kinne looked healthy and fine throwing for 314 yards and three touchdowns, while the defense made it a blowout with Dwight Dobbins and Dexter McColl coming up with pick sixes. The defense had a hard time getting off the field, though, and the offense didn’t do on many long sustained drives, but this was a nice and easy win after rough outings against Oklahoma State and Boise State. UAB won’t be much tougher. If the team can keep winning the turnover battle, Kinne will take care of the rest.  

Sept. 24 at Boise State 41 … Tulsa 21
CFN Analysis: It was a bigger blowout and an easier game than the final score might indicate. Boise State was in control from the start with Tulsa’s points coming in garbage time late. Kellen Moore was nearly perfect completing 23-of-29 passes for 279 yards and four scores, and while the running game wasn’t great, it was good enough early on to get by. The Broncos won the field position battle with a nice day from punter Brad Elkin, putting three kicks inside the 20, and the defense kept the high-powered Golden Hurricane offense under wraps. The road games at Fresno State and Colorado State will be interesting but Boise State is going through the motions right now and still winning easily.   
Sept. 17 Oklahoma State 59 ... at Tulsa 33
CFN Analysis: Everyone is going to get ripped up by Oklahoma State, but the team didn’t quit. Considering the late night and the ugly score, it almost looked like the defense was about to give up in the third quarter, but instead the offense kept bombing away and the D perked back up. The loss of G.J. Kinne to a knee injury might be disastrous to the season, and Kalen Henderson had problems with three picks, but Ja”Terian Douglas and Trey Watts ripped off big runs to help the Golden Hurricane run for 365 yards and two scores. There’s no relief next week against Boise State, but with North Texas and UAB on the horizon, life will soon get easier.

Sept. 10 Tulsa 31 … at Tulane 3
CFN Analysis: Now that’s the Tulsa team that’s supposed to be such a player in the Conference USA race … sort of. Playing Oklahoma to start the season is no way to judge how good the team is, and while the offense might not have exploded against Tulane, the defense made up for it with key takeaways and great play against the run. The Green Wave never got on track, while G.J. Kinne had a good, effective game completing 21-of-29 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown with a pick to keep the offense moving. There weren’t enough third down conversions, and the team had a hard time holding on to possessions, but it was an effective blowout. The game wasn’t put away until the fourth, but Tulsa was never threatened. Now the O has to gear it up ten notches to try to stay with Oklahoma State. 

Sept. 3 at Oklahoma 47 … Tulsa 14
CFN Analysis: Tulsa was going to struggle defensively against Oklahoma – everyone will – but the offense didn’t get going until it was too late and couldn’t make up for the inability of the defense to get off the field. G.J. Kinne was pressured for most of the game, and while he was able to scramble his way to 46 yards on the ground and came up with 271 yards through the air, it wasn’t nearly enough. The defense might have struggled, but Curnelius Arnick came up with a strong statistical game with 18 tackles. Up next is a road trip to Tulane before dealing with Oklahoma State and Boise State; basically, the Golden Hurricane will be 0-4 if it can’t come out of New Orleans with a win.
 
The 2011 Recruiting Class Is Heavy On … Cornerback. The offense should keep on rolling under new head coach Bill Blankenship, but the nation’s worst pass defense has to stop someone for the team to make a big step toward a Conference USA title. While the defensive line got the most bodies, and Gus Johnson and Zack Langer are interesting running backs, the focus is on cornerback with Kwame Sexton a potential No. 1, shutdown defender and Dwight Dobbins a good prospect. JUCO transfer J.D. Ratliff will be used immediately.

Five Tulsa Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. CB Kwame Sexton
5-11, 170, Scout.com’s 54th ranked cornerback

2. RB Gus Johnson
5-10, 205, Scout.com’s 108th ranked running back

3. QB Joseph Calcagni
6-2, 190, Scout.com’s 132nd ranked quarterback

4. LB Trent Martin
6-2, 215, Scout.com’s 64th ranked outside linebacker

5. OG Garrett Gladd
6-4, 295, Scout.com’s 66th ranked guard

2011 Entire Recruiting Class

Derrick Alexander DE 6-2 257 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./BT Washington
Joseph Calcagni QB 6-1 190 Fr. Springdale, Ark./Springdale
Colt Clontz TE 6-8 225 Fr. El Maton, Texas/Tidehaven
Dwight Dobbins DB 5-9 173 Fr. Midwest City, Okla./Carl Albert
Zach Epps WR 6-5 185 Fr. Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley West
Conner Floyd WR 6-1 197 Fr. Austin, Texas/Lake Travis
James Floyd OL 6-3 287 Fr. Fort Worth, Texas/Paschal
Keyarris Garrett WR 6-4 185 Fr. Daingerfield, Texas/Daingerfield
Garrett Gladd OL 6-4 303 Fr. Sallisaw, Okla./Sallisaw
Nick Hall DT 6-3 259 Fr. Broken Arrow, Okla./Broken Arrow
Zack Langer RB 5-11 202 Fr. Jenks, Okla./Jenks
Gary Lee DT 6-5 277 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./Victory Christian
Derrick Luetjen DT 6-3 270 Fr. Hennessey, Okla./Hennessey
Trent Martin LB 6-2 220 Fr. Jenks, Okla./Jenks
Michael Mudoh DB 5-10 190 Fr. Richmond, Texas/Bush
Gary Owens WR 5-9 178 Fr. Mesquite, Texas/West Mesquite
Derek Patterson ATH 6-0 175 Fr. Kingfisher, Okla./Kingfisher
J.D. Ratliff* DB 5-9 174 Jr. Tylertown, Miss./SW Mississippi CC
Kwame Sexton ATH 5-11 170 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./Holland Hall
Michael Sorrells RB 6-2 205 Fr. Austin, Texas/McCallum
Garrett Stafford* OL 6-5 314 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./Memorial
Brentom Todd DE 6-3 222 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./Union
Darrell Williams DB 5-10 179 Fr. Houston, Texas/Westfield