TULSA, OKLA. ? Tulsa has played one good game among its four losses the first half against Oklahoma and the second half against Baylor.
The Golden Hurricane forced five Baylor turnovers and outscored the Bears 19-7 in the second half of their 37-25 loss Saturday.
They trailed then-co-No. 1 Oklahoma just 3-0 at the break in the season opener.
I dont think we were intimidated in the first half against Baylor, Tulsa coach Keith Burns said Monday. Weve just got to find a way to come out and play a first half like we did the second half.
Both periods of productive play for Tulsa (0-4) came against Big 12 Conference opponents, so maybe its good that Kansas (1-3) is coming Saturday for Tulsas second home game of the season.
The Golden Hurricane had originally scheduled Akron, but changed the game when the Jayhawks became available.
What you get is, if you beat a Kansas you beat a Big 12 opponent, you beat a team that most people thought you couldnt, Burns said. With Akron, I think most of our fans expect us to win.
Kansas is a four-point favorite, despite the fact that the Jayhawks havent won a nonconference road game since 1998.
Burns hopes Kansas brings plenty of its own fans to Skelly Stadium, where the Golden Hurricane have typically been drawing fewer than 20,000. In the opener, Sooner red filled the Tulsa stands.
You need your fans when you come home, Burns said. Our first ballgame here was awesome. I know a lot of them were for Oklahoma. If half of them come out well have a heck of a crowd. I think our players need that.
Kansas, under first-year head coach Mark Mangino, has struggled as well. The Jayhawks, who finished last in the Big 12 North division last season, lost 39-16 at home to Bowling Green on Saturday.
Oklahoma 37, Tulsa 0Arkansas State 21, Tulsa 19Louisiana Tech 53, Tulsa 9Baylor 37, Tulsa 25 |
While Tulsa holds the nations longest active losing streak at 14 games, Burns insists his team isnt far from winning.
For evidence, he points to his teams Western Athletic Conference leading plus-5 turnover margin.
The Golden Hurricane, also the leagues third-least penalized team, have forced 13 turnovers while giving the ball away just 8 times.
The last five minutes of the ballgame, all you can hope for is that you have a chance to win it, he said. Weve had that now in two of our four ballgames and havent been able to make the play to finish it out or to give ourselves the next chance. Weve got to find a way to get that done.