By Matt Josephs for for Steve Merril Sports

Entering this weekend, the list of undefeated teams features some of the usual suspects… a Big 10 squad, a SEC team, a couple of Big 12 squads, Utah, Boise state, Ball state and Tulsa... wait a second, did i just type Tulsa… the Golden Hurricanes? The school that produced Steve Largent is producing some impressive offensive numbers this season… so the question must be asked… are they for real?

It reads like a Madden video game stat line… 7 games, 4,373 yards, 54 touchdowns and an average of almost 625 yards per game. The team ranks number one in total offense, scoring offense, and passing efficiency. The closest game they’ve played this year was a road game at SMU 37-31, but their other wins have come by easy 23, 30, 42, 28, 35, and 42 point margins.

The offense is led by quarterback David Johnson who has a fantastic 31-to-8 touchdown/interception ratio and is averaging an incredible 12.0 yards per pass. The wide receiver core is led by Slick Shelley (6 TD) and Brennan Marion (7 TD) who is averaging an incredible 27.0 yards per reception.

None of these guys would succeed without their quarterback David Johnson who wasn’t even the clear favorite in the preseason quarterback race with sophomore Jacob Bower giving him a good race. Johnson’s numbers this year would be Heisman worthy if his jersey said Oklahoma or Texas, but since it says Tulsa it’s simply worth a token mention. Johnson has bombed away on North Texas, New Mexico, and UTEP to the tune of over 400 yards apiece and his interception total (8) is a low for a guy who has thrown 200 pass attempts so far.

If opponents load up against the pass, then Tulsa will beat you with the run as three different players have five rushing touchdowns apiece, including Tarrion Adams and A.J. Whitmore who are both quick options out of the backfield. Whitmore is averaging an remarkable 10.0 yards per carry and Adams is currently ranked in the Top 50 in the nation in total rushing yards (633).

While Tulsa’s numbers offensive numbers are impressive, there is still a valid case against the Golden Hurricane being “for real”. The defense is a major question mark and ranks 106th in pass efficiency defense, 80th in scoring defense, and 99th in total defense overall. They gave up 34 points to NAIA’s Central Arkansas and allowed 31 points to an SMU team that had averaged just 17.0 ppg versus I-A opponents entering that game. Tulsa’s strength of schedule is only 131st in the nation, but the Golden Hurricane will be tested with a couple of tough road games at Arkansas and Houston on deck the next two weeks.

Overall, Tulsa is an exciting team to watch as their offense is explosive and makes them competitive in every game. But even if they finish the season undefeated, the Golden Hurricane will still struggle to land a major bowl due to their weak schedule and soft defense.

Steve Merril
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