-- And Navy s Offense Scores Six TD s with Six Different Players.

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1 Navy Quells Hurricanes with a Dominant Defense: Navy 44, Tulsa And Navy s Offense Scores Six TD s with Six Different Players. By Buddy Wellborn, N* USNA 59. November 21, The Golden Hurricanes of the University of Tulsa hosted the Midshipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy for an AAC Conference football game at H. A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The kickoff was scheduled for 1800 CT. The University of Tulsa has its roots in the Presbyterian School for Indian Girls, a small boarding school in Muskogee, Indian Territory, which was founded in In 1894, at the request of the Synod of Indian Territory, the Board of Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church elevated the academy s status and chartered it as Henry Kendall College, a name that honored the first general secretary of the Home Missions Board. The first classes in the new college were held on September 12, In the years following, financial difficulties prompted school officials to ask the Synod of Indian Territory to assume control, sell the school s land and seek a new location. The business and professional community of Tulsa was booming after the discovery of oil at Glenpool, and Henry Kendall College moved to Tulsa in 1907, the year of Oklahoma s statehood. Several years later, a new college, to be named after oilman Robert M. McFarlin, was proposed for the city. Aware that Tulsa was not large enough to support two competing colleges, the Henry Kendall College trustees proposed that the contemplated McFarlin College and Kendall College affiliate under the common name The University of Tulsa. A charter for the university was approved on November 9, In 1926, the articles of incorporation were amended to create its modern structure as an independent school corporation governed by a self-perpetuating board of trustees. Today, TU operates as an independent, nondenominational university located at 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK Albeit TU has an enrollment of only 2,769 undergraduate students the smallest of any FBS School it is a top-rated research institution. The TU campus fosters a rich, diverse experience for students and faculty regardless of religious or cultural background. In so doing, TU prompts a strong belief in mutual respect and understanding that welcomes students from many different faiths and countries. Prologue. CBS Sports NCAA Football Rankings for Week-12 ranked Navy (8-1) as #17. Tulsa (5-5) was ranked #74. One of the latest betting lines in Vegas had the point-spread favoring Navy by giving Tulsa +13 with an Over/Under bet on total score for either > or < My preseason prediction was for this game to be one of Navy s 6 outright Wins like, [Yes ma am, I bet on Navy, and > 68.] The game kicked at 1809 CT. The sun had set just before kickoff, and it was a clear, cool 40- degree evening with a steady light breeze of 6 knots out of the North blowing across the old Indian 1

2 Lands of Oklahoma. low].. The artificial turf was dry and fast. The attendance was 22,749 [Saturday night I watched the game with Shipmates on the large screen TV at Champps Sport s Bar at Uptown Park in Northwest Houston. GO NAVY! Summary. Navy s Drive Pinion, QB Keenan Reynolds [KR], powered a Navy Offense that amassed 512 total yards in scoring six TD s with six different players. And Navy s D, spearheaded by Navy s DE Will Anthony, held Tulsa s #9 ranked Offense to three TD s on their home field in front of their home crowd. [Yes ma am, I broke even covering the point spread but not the total score-- in that I didn t expect Navy to shut them out in the 1 st Qtr.] Statistics. Tulsa rushed 34 times for 78 yards and 3 TD s. They passed for 124 yards, but no TD s. Navy passed for 55 yards and 1 TD a 39-yard pass to Navy s WR Jamir Tillman. Navy s Triple Option Machine, however, rushed 61 times for 469 yards and 5 TD s. Notably, KR rushed 19 times for 81 yards and 1 TD. Back-up QB Tago Smith rushed 5 times for 27 yards. Four Navy FB s rushed 19 times and made 103 yards and 1 TD. And six Navy s SB s rushed 18 times for 258 yards scoring 3 TD s their best outing of the season turning the corner. Navy had 6 TFL s for -53 yards their best outing of the season. Four of those were QB-Sacks for a net loss of -32-yards three by DE Will Anthony and one by MLB Micah Thomas. Way to go, D! Tulsa had only one TFL, which was a QB sack for -7 yards. [Yes ma am, Navy s D was pursuing the ball with reckless abandon like a bunch of swarming hornets.] Navy fumbled twice and lost one. Tulsa fumbled four times and lost two. Neither team had an interception. Navy thus won the turnover battle 2-1 and the game by 3 touchdowns: 6-3. Notably, Navy has recovered 14 fumbles in ten games so far this season and ranks as one of the top teams in fumble recovery. Navy had 4 penalties for 27 yards, and Tulsa had 5 for 50 yards. Navy punted 3 times and averaged 48.0 ypp. Tulsa punted 5 times and averaged 38.2 ypp. Noting efficiencies, Navy scored 3/5 times in the Red Zone with 3 TD s. Tulsa was 3/3 with 3 TD s. Navy converted 4 of 9 on 3 rd down conversions and 0 for 0 on 4 th down conversions. Tulsa 5 of 13 on 3 rd down conversions and 1 of 2 on 4 th down conversions. Navy ran 64 plays with a Time-Of-Possession [TOP] of 32 :26 for an average of 30.4 seconds per play. Navy scored 44 points for an MOE of ppp. Tulsa ran 71 plays [7 more than Navy] at an average of 23.3 spp [7.1 spp faster than Navy] but scored only 21 points with 71 plays for an MOE of ppp. [Way to Go, D!] 2

3 Narrative. Tulsa won the toss and elected to receive. [Wind was not a factor.] Navy would defend the South goal. Game On! Navy s back-up kicker, Gavin Jernigan, USNA 16, kicked off, and the ball went out-of-bounds on the T-8. By rule, the ball was placed on the T-35, and it was Tulsa 1 st &10. After a rush netted only 1 yard and 2 incomplete passes, Tulsa punted 48 yards to the N-16 where it was fair caught. Navy s O went to work with a quick pitch to SB Demond Brown who promptly turned the corner for 32 yards to mid-field on the N-48. [You could hear 'em saying: Wow, Navy s faster than our scout team! ] Two more rushes for 14 yards and. another Navy 1 st Down! The next two rushes though netted only 6 yards, and it was Navy 3 rd &4 on T-32. KR rode the ball into the FB and then fumbled when pulling it back out. Tulsa recovered. [Yes ma am, it happens!] Okay D, get it back! Tulsa went 3&Out and punted with a 4 th &1 on the T-41 for no return. Okay O, get back to work! KR slipped off the Edge for 12 yards. But then, after 3 rushes netted only 8 yards, Navy s Alex Barta punted 51 yards to the T-13 and it was returned 35 yards to the T-48. Okay D, you ll have to do it again! Tulsa s pass was completed for 17 yards BUT Navy s CB #1 Brendon Clements, N* 17, forced a fumble [stripped the ball loose], and Navy s swarming ROV Daiquan Thomasson, N* 17, recovered it! It was Navy 1 st &10 on the N-30. After an incomplete pass to WR Jamir Tillman, N* 17, KR ran the option, and, with readperfect timing pitched to SB Toneo Gulley, N* 17, who was in motion at full speed. Toneo deftly took the pitch, turned it up, and never broke stride in racing 70 yards to score! Navy s cool-hand PK, Austin Grebe, N*16, made the PAT, and, with 06:28 left in the 1 st Qtr, it was: Navy 7, Tulsa 0. Navy kicked off to the T-2, and Tulsa mishandled it for no return. Starting with a 1 st &10 on the T-2, Tulsa rushed twice for 7 yards, then passed for 11 yards to make it 1 st &10 on T-20. Tulsa completed a pass for 10 yards, but, on the next series, Navy s D stiffened and made a stop. With 4 th &4 on the T-41, Tulsa punted 37 yards to the N-22 where it was fair caught. Way to go, Coach, you ve broken the code. Navy s SB Demond Brown took the option pitch at full speed and turned it up at the corner for a quick 14 yards. Three more rushes netted 10 yards, then two more for 14 yards. With 1 st &10 on T-40, Navy s FB Chris Swain made 3 yards, and it was: 3

4 The End of the First Quarter: Navy 7, Tulsa 0. With a 2 nd & 7 on the T-37, Navy rushed 5 more times for 22 yards before stalling out with a 4 th &4 on the T-15. Navy s Cool Hand PK, Austin Grebe, 32-yard FG attempt was. pushed Wide Right! Yes ma am, he missed it ugh! By rule, the ball was spotted on the T-20, and it was 1 st &10 Tulsa. Please note that once again Navy s D of swarming hornets continued to save the day with a 3&out stop that included a -9-yard sack by blitzing MLB Micah Thomas, N* 18. Way to go, Micah! With 4 th &16 on the T-14, Tulsa s 25-yard punt went out-of-bounds on the T-39. Hmm! Navy is winning the punting contest! Okay O, your turn! Oh my Holy Excrement! Navy does not pass but when they do, they prefer Dos Exes. Yes, KR hooked up with his wide open WR Jamir Tillman for a 39-yard scoring pass it was a 16- second possession. The PAT was good, and, with 10:26 left in the Half, it was: 4 Navy 14, Tulsa 0. [Got it? Navy s O scored on a 70-yard turning-the-corner pitch-out to a 5-8 Slot Back, and on a 39-yard pass-play from a QB, who only passes 5% of the time. Moreover, it was to a WR, who mostly blocks down-field. And all the while their other hand Navy s D of swarming hornets was shutting out the 12 th ranked passing offense, who desperately was trying to get back in this game! Go figure: Offense sells tickets Defense wins Championships!] Moving right along, Navy kicked off to the T-2, and Tulsa returned it 17 yards to the T-19 AND FUMBLED! In the melee on the ground, Tulsa not only managed to recover their fumble but advanced it 11 yards to T-30. After a 10-yard penalty for Holding, Tulsa completed a pass for 7 yards, BUT, on the very next play, Navy s DE Will Anthony sacked the QB for a -3-yard loss back to the T-24. Tulsa made 13 yards off the edge, then passed complete for 2 yards as Navy played Contain at the corners. With a 4 th &3 on their own T-37, Tulsa [desperately, aye] went for it, but Navy s D stood to the fore holding them to a 2-yard gain. The ball went over to Navy on downs just as if it was a turnover. Okay O, let s go-- 39 yards to pay-dirt. How many times have I said that the Triple Option requires that you first establish the FB? Right, more than you can count! Okay, Chris Swain ran the veer for 23 yard, then rushed again for 7 yards through the crease, then 2 more yards through the phone booth, and then scored from 6 yards out off the edge. [Yes ma am, he s fast and, at 6-1/245, he s big, too.] For the final yard, though, it was KR who scored following his big FB into the end-zone. The PAT was good, and, with 06:09 left in the Half, it was: Navy 21, Tulsa 0. This game ain t over til it s over! And Tulsa came to play. You could see the glint in their eyes when they took the field after returning the kick-off 35 yards to the T-40. With a mixed bag of grit

5 and go, Tulsa drove 60 yards in 10 plays: passing for 50 yards and 6 rushes for 10 tough-yards, including the final yard to score. With 02:16 left in the Half, the PAT was good, and it was: Navy 21, Tulsa 7. Navy returned the kick-off 19 yards to the N-21. KR rushed for 9 yards, and FB Chris Swain made the 1 st down to the N-32. Whoops, KR was sacked for a -7 loss. [Note: Tulsa came to play-- FHGT.] TIMEOUT NAVY--CLOCK: 01:25. FB Chris Swain made a tough yard pushing over the phone booth. It was 3 rd &16 on the N-26. TIMEOUT TULSA--CLOCK: 01:19. Chris Swain veered off the Edge for 4 yards, and it was Navy 4 th &12 on the N-30. TIMEOUT TULSA--CLOCK: 01:12. Okay, Navy s Alex Barta punted it away for 47 yards, and Navy s hustling Special Team s kickcoverage unit downed it on the T-23. [Navy really is showing the advantage of a good punting game.] Tulsa was dead-set on getting their passing game going, BUT Navy s pass rush was too much for them to handle. Navy s DE Will Anthony sacked Tulsa s QB for a -12-yard loss. Now, it was Tulsa 2 nd & 22 on the T-11. Tulsa rushed for 8 yards back to the T-19. On the next play, Tulsa was swarmed by a bunch of angry hornets one of which was DE Will Anthony, who forced a fumble. As the ball hit the ground, it bounded toward the end zone. It bounced off one of the scrambling Tulsa players and bounded through the end zone for a Safety! Navy 23, Tulsa 7. [Note: That was a break for Tulsa, because it easily could have been recovered by Navy in the end-zone for a TD. Albeit a Safety is for 2 points instead of a TD for 6 points, after the score, you get the ball. You know, it s like kissing your sister. It s nice, but.] By rule, Tulsa s free-kick was from the T-20. Navy returned it 5 yards as the clock expired. At the Half: Navy 23, Tulsa 7. Adjustments? Establish the FB, read the Edge, and capitalize on your speed at the corners. Yes, the pass-catch drills during the week paid off so, look for the opportunity. And, on Defense, keep doing what you re doing like rushing the passer, containing the run, and emphasizing wrap-up tackles number-to-number. Way to go, Coach Dale Pehrson Well Done! Okay, let s GO NAVY! Tulsa kicked off to the N-2, and SB Dishan Romine, 5-11/178, N* 17, almost broke it for the score by returning it 90 yards to the T-8. On the keeper, KR made 4 yards. He then ran to the corner keeping the ball until engaged then pitched to his speedy SB Demond Brown who ran for the pylon to score! The PAT was good. With 14:05 left in the 3 rd Qtr, it was: 5

6 Navy 30, Tulsa 7. Tulsa returned the kick-off 25 yards to the T-32 and went to work. Tulsa drove the ball 68 yards in 9 plays of which were passes for 51 yards, and 5 were rushes for 8 yards including the final 4 yards for the score. The PAT was good, and, with 11:04 left in the 3 rd Qtr, it was: Navy 30, Tulsa 14. Navy returned the kick-off 15 yards to the N-20. In absolutely classic Triple Option football, Navy answered by driving the ball 80 yards to score in 8 plays all of which were rushes. Two of the runs featured SB s turning the corner: The first by SB DeBrandon Sanders for 13 yards, and then one by SB Calvin Cass Jr. for 44 yards down to the T-8. FB Quentin Ezell rushed twice and scored from 3 yards out. The PAT was good, and, with 07:03 left in the 3 rd Qtr, it was: Navy 37, Tulsa 14. Tulsa returned the kick-off 20 yards to the T-23. Tulsa managed only 14 yards in 8 plays: passing for 30 yards, a -15-yard penalty for Pass Interference, and 2 rushes for a net loss of -8 yards in that one was a QB-sack by DE Will Anthony. With 4 th &18 on the T-37, Tulsa punted 39 yards to the N- 24 where it was fair caught. Way to go, D! Great Stop! FB Chris Swain rushed for 5 yards. Then, SB Demond Brown made 6 yards turning it up at the near-side corner. KR passed complete for 16 yards to his back-up WR Chad Lewellyn, 6-4/195, USNA 18. Then, KR made 3 yards on the keeper, which set up his option-pitch to his high flying SB Dishan Romine who made 10 more yards turning it up at the corner. It was Navy 1 st &10 on the T-36, and KR made 13 yards on the keeper to the T-23 BUT there were yellow flags in the air. There were two penalties for Unsportsmanlike Conduct one on each team and, thus, were offsetting. It was the End of the 3 rd Quarter: Navy 37, Tulsa 14. Navy opened the 4 th Qtr with an old school End Around to back-up WR #87 Brandon Colon, 6-4/218, USNA 18, from Brownsville, TX, who is the fastest of the lot. Brandon scampered 23 yards to score! We all jumped up pumping a fist Ooh-Rah! I almost spilled my beer. Yes, ma am, that call was Innovative! With 14:52 left in the game, the PAT was good, and it was: Navy 44, Tulsa 14. Navy s Austin Grebe kicked off into the end-zone for a touchback, and it was Tulsa 1 st &10 on the T-25. Of course, this is when the anxiety of the outcome plagues your psyche, so, everybody is a little jumpy. Tulsa drove the ball 42 yards in 6 plays: 1-1 passing for 6 yards and 5 rushes for 37 yards. At the end of the last run, Navy s Rover [SS] #26 Daiquan Thomasson, 6-0/195, N* 17, forced a fumble by stripping the ball, and Navy s DE Amos Mason recovered it on the N-28! Way to go, guys! 6

7 There was 13:06 left to play, and Coach Ken put in Navy s reserves led by back-up QB #18 Tago Smith, 5-10/201, N* 17. Navy made 21 yards on 7 rushes. Tago rushed 5 times for 27 yards, FB Shawn White rushed once for 1 yard, and SB Calvin Cass, Jr., rushed once for 3 yards. Navy was flagged twice: (1) False Start for -5 yards, and (2) Delay for -5 yards. With 4 th 14 on the N-49, Alex Barta punted 46 yards to the T-5. Tulsa returned it 7 yards to the T-12. Against Navy s reserves, Tulsa drove the ball 88 yards in 13 plays: passes for 80 yards, plus 8 yards for an Interference penalty by Navy and minus 10 yards for an Illegal Block penalty by Tulsa. Thus, the net yards passing was +78 yards on 10 completed passes. Then, on 4 rushes they made +20 yards, including the 14-yard scoring run, but -10 yards for a Holding penalty by Tulsa. Thus, the net rushing was +10 yards. All of this plus-and-minus sum-checks to 88 yards in 13 plays. The PAT was good, and, with 02:55 remaining in the game, it was: Navy 44, Tulsa 21. Of course, as the gallant thing to do, Tulsa attempted an on-side kick, which was recovered by Navy on the N-39. Tulsa was penalized 5 yards for Illegal Participation, thus, it was 1 st &10 Navy on the N-44. Navy back-up FB Shawn White rushed for 17 yards and a Navy 1 st down on the T-39. FB Shawn White rushed again for 2 yards, and it was Navy 2 nd &8 on the T-37. TIMEOUT TULSA CLOCK: 02:02. Navy back-up to the back-up FB #33 Chris High, 6-0/231, USNA 18, from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, made 13 yards on the Veer for another Navy 1 st down on the T-24. Chris got the call again, and he made 5 more yards through the crease. Albeit, on the next rush, he was stuffed for no gain. It was Navy 3 rd &5 on the T-19 technically in the Red Zone but it was: GAME OVER: NAVY 44, TULSA 21. Clausula. Navy s D limited the Tulsa Offense to 356 yards, which was well below their average per game to date of 526 yards per game. So, yes, Navy played hard-nose Defense, but it also executed its Triple Option Offense very well to rush for 469 yards, which was well above their average of yards per game. Notably, Navy scored 6 TD s with 6 different players. Navy next plays the University of Houston in Houston for the American Athletic Conference West Division Championship at Noon ET on Friday, 11/27/2015. On Monday, 11/23/2015, the AP Poll for the Top 25 ranked Navy (9-1) at #16 and ranked Houston (10-1) at #21. The weather guessers are predicting a cloudy, 78-degree day with a knots SSE moderate breeze from off the Gulf with a thunder storm in spots. One of the betting lines in Vegas favors Navy giving Houston +1, but another favors Houston giving Navy +1. Essentially, it s a push, a la, an even bet. I m predicting an all-out, hard fought game: Navy

8 Scouting Report. No. 21/21 Houston (10-1, 6-1 The American) takes on No. 16/15 Navy (10-1, 7-0 The American) for The American Athletic Conference West Championship on an ABC national broadcast. Houston is coming off its first loss of the season, at UConn, while Navy enters the showdown following a win at Tulsa. Friday's game, which is the Sam Hairston Salute to Service Game, will also air on KPRC 950 AM with pregame starting at 9:30 a.m. «The game will decide The American West Championship and the right to host the league's inaugural title game at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5. Friday's winner will host either No. 25/24 Temple or USF in the league's championship game. Temple, who hosts UConn Saturday at 6 p.m., needs just a win or a USF loss to advance. «Friday's game pits The American's top scoring offense in Houston (41.1 points per game) vs. the league's top scoring defense in Navy (18.7 points per game). On the other side of the ball, the Houston scoring defense ranks third in the league (20.2 points) while the Navy scoring offense ranks third (38.2 points). Rushing wise, Navy leads the league in rushing offense (348.4 yards per game) while Houston leads the league in rushing defense (114.8 yards per game). «This season is just the second in Houston history for the Cougars to start 10-0, the other in «Houston head coach Tom Herman is the only coach in Houston history with wins in his first 10 games, topping the previous best by John Jenkins who started 8-0 in «Herman is just the fifth coach in NCAA history to start a career with wins in each of his first 10 games, joining Boise State's Chris Petersen (2006), Miami's Larry Coker (2001), Penn's George Woodruff (1892) and Yale's Walter Camp (1888). «Houston is one of six teams nationally to defeat six opponents by 21 points or more. «Houston head coach has vowed Houston will be physical in the trenches and the numbers are reflecting it. The Cougars rank 12th nationally in rushing defense, allowing just yards per game, while ranking 11th in rushing offense with an average of yards per game. Houston is the only team in the nation to rank in the top 15 in both categories. «Ranking ninth in scoring offense (41.1 points per game) and 23rd in scoring defense (20.2 points per game), Houston is one of three programs in the nation (North Carolina, Oklahoma) to rank in the top 10 in scoring offense and top 25 in scoring defense. «Houston is second nationally with 27 turnovers forced and fourth nationally with a +18 turnover margin. «Junior quarterback Greg Ward Jr. is seventh nationally with 16 rushing touchdowns and 15th nationally in points responsible for per game with 15.8 per game. Ward also ranks ninth nationally in completion percentage, 68.5 percent, hitting 170 of his 248 attempts. «The AutoNation National Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 17, senior linebacker Elandon Roberts is fourth in the nation in solo tackles (7.1 per game) and eighth in total tackles (10.9 per game). His 120 tackles leads The American. «Junior linebacker Steven Taylor leads The American with eight sacks and is second in the league with 15 tackles for loss. «Senior cornerback William Jackson III is seventh nationally and leads The American with 14 passes broken up. «Junior receiver Demarcus Ayers ranks eighth nationally with an average of 7.4 receptions per game and is 17th nationally with an average punt return of 11.3 yards. «Junior cornerback Brandon Wilson is seventh nationally with an average of 29.2 yards per kickoff return and is fifth nationally with two kickoff returns for touchdowns. Epilogue. #119 CBS-ranked Army West Pont (2-9) lost to #55 CBS-ranked Rutgers (4-7) in Michie Stadium at West Point. Army is off for two weeks until they play Navy on 12/12/15. #46 CBS-ranked Air Force (8-3) won over #43 CBS-ranked Boise State (7-4) at Albertson s Stadium in Boise, ID. Air Force next plays New Mexico (6-5) and is favored by GO NAVY! 8