Wednesday, October 20, 1999

Tulsa’s past
brighter than
its present

The Golden Hurricane celebrate
their 100th anniversary of football
by playing Hawaii Saturday

By Paul Arnett
Star-Bulletin

The 100th anniversary of Tulsa University football will be celebrated this weekend just minutes before the kickoff against Hawaii.

There will be so many past greats walking on the field of Skelly Stadium, you might mistakenly think you're at a Pro Bowl reunion party.

Among the expected guests are College Football Hall of Fame stars Glenn Dobbs, Jerry Rhome and Howard Twilley. Rhome and Twilley finished as runners-up in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1964 and 1965, respectively. All-Pro receivers Drew Pearson and Steve Largent also called Hurricane Alley home.

But once the pregame festivities are over, the current Tulsa football team takes the field and there's where the fun could end. The 1999 version of the Golden Hurricane is short on future hall of fame players and long on losing streaks.

Tulsa has dropped five in a row, the third consecutive season the Golden Hurricane has turned that trick, leaving head coach Dave Rader wondering what went wrong. Armed with a new four-year contract, Rader hoped to deliver a team worthy of the 100-year celebration.

Unfortunately for him, things haven't gone so well, so far. His athletic director is openly critical of the team's performance. Granted, Rader isn't enthralled by the 1-5 start, but he points to injuries as being the culprit. Some 20 players missed yesterday's practice.

"We've had a lot of critical injuries that have kept us from reaching our potential,'' Rader said of the 1-5 Golden Hurricane who are 0-3 in league play and have little hope of contending for any titles. "It's not an excuse that one out of every four of our players is hurting. Just a fact.''

The latest to jump on the M*A*S*H bandwagon is starting quarterback Michael Wall. The junior completed his first five passes in last Saturday's shellacking by Texas Christian before going down with a season-ending knee injury.

He will be replaced in the lineup by all-everything freshman Josh Blankenship. The top high school player in Oklahoma last year turned down offers from the more famous Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys to stay home and play for Rader.

"Josh came in and did a good job for us considering what he was up against last week,'' Rader said. "We feel badly for Michael because before the game, he was on. It's a shame for him and our program.''

Blankenship gets his first starting assignment against the Rainbows. He has completed 24 of 68 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns. Now, he faces one of the better defenses in the league.

""I'm sure they're going to come after him from every spot on the field,'' Rader said. "Hawaii's team speed on defense worries me. They're much quicker than I thought.''

Defense has been a problem for the Golden Hurricane. But when you play the likes of Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, the numbers game can become a problem. Tulsa is yielding 40 points and 429 yards a game.

The fact leading tackler Ashon Farley is out with a sprained knee doesn't improve Rader's mood. He leads the team in tackles with 41, including two sacks and will be tough to replace.

"Losing two of our best players in the TCU game typifies our situation,'' Rader said. "Sure, we expected big things this year. But we can't dwell on that. We just have to come out and play Hawaii hard and see what happens.''

The lone bright spot for Tulsa has been the play of wide receiver Damon Savage. Another Tulsa product, Savage has 2,559 career receiving yards and 37 touchdowns. This year, he has caught 38 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns.

"Damon is one of the best around,'' Rader said. "Unfortunately for us, he can't do it alone.''