Chase Michaelson

Special to the Free Press

Tulsa running back Corey Taylor II wasn’t shy Thursday when asked about the goals for the Golden Hurricane ahead of their August 30 matchup against Michigan State football.

“With the offensive line that we have, those are great guys, so 100 yards apiece (for Taylor and fellow junior tailback Shamari Brooks), at least, and five (yards) per carry is pretty reasonable,” he said.

It may be a taller task than Taylor thinks, as Michigan State’s front seven helped produce the top run defense in the country last season, holding opponents to 77.9 yards per game on the ground, a per-carry average of 2.58 yards.

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Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery, who runs the Texas high school spread offense made famous by Art Briles, was complimentary of the Spartans' front seven. He said it represented one of the biggest challenges for a Tulsa offensive line in his five-year tenure.

“They don’t give you anything, you’re going to have to earn every yard,” Montgomery said. “You can see (a blocker) have his hands in great position, got his body in the right spot, and all of a sudden, you see (an MSU defensive player) just pop away from it and make the tackle.”

Montgomery was a member of Briles’ staff at Houston and Baylor for 11 years before taking over at Tulsa in 2015. Results have been mixed — a 10-win season in 2016 has been overshadowed by a 5-19 mark over the past two seasons. The spread scheme has produced yards on the ground — Tulsa averaged 201 yards per game on 4.1 yards per carry last season, but inconsistency at quarterback has troubled the offense. The Golden Hurricane completed 54% of their passes last season.

Montgomery said Thursday he was “close” to naming a starting quarterback, but would not say who it would be. The battle in Tulsa’s fall camp has been between incumbent Seth Boomer, who started the final eight games of the 2018 season, and junior Baylor transfer Zach Smith, who started 10 games for Baylor in two seasons.

“I think the battle’s been awesome,” Smith said. “We’ve been pushing each other — been competing — and I think we’ve both made really good strides during this camp. It’s been fun. It’s just been a battle. I’m enjoying it.”

On the defensive side of the ball, Tulsa employs a 3-3-5 defensive scheme intended to combat the pass-happy American Athletic Conference. After a porous 2017 season in which they allowed over 500 yards per game of total offense, the defense took a step forward last season, allowing 408 yards per game.

The defense returns eight starters from last season, and features a new defensive coordinator in Joseph Gillespie, who served as the linebackers coach for the past four seasons.

“They’ve still got huge jumps to make, but in a year with so many of them coming back, I think we have a chance to be special,” Montgomery said of his defense. “The opportunity is there.”

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Much like the Spartans are led in many ways by co-captain and middle linebacker Joe Bachie, the Golden Hurricane rely on senior middle linebacker Cooper Edmiston, who recorded 113 tackles last season en route to being named first team All-AAC.

“I’ll put his middle linebacker stats against anybody’s,” Montgomery said of his senior leader.

Another potential disruptor is senior defensive end Trevis Gipson. At 6-foot-4, 275 pounds, he’s a strong player known among offensive linemen in the conference as having a quick burst in the pass rush.

“Going against the big schools, I always want to make a big play to show what I’m made of,” Gipson said of the opportunity to play against Michigan State.

The Spartans are currently listed as a 22.5-point favorite by Bovada.

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