Tigers Football Preview: Tulsa

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Coaches preach about it all the time: how to handle adversity.

Memphis and Tulsa enter Saturday's American Athletic Conference showdown at 7 p.m. (CT) at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium with both teams facing recent adversity. ESPNews is televising the Tigers' 82^nd Homecoming contest.

The Tigers ran into its roadblock last Saturday at Navy, falling to the No. 25/24 Midshipmen 42-28 in Annapolis, Md. The loss, which was closer than the final score, was Memphis' first in conference play. Late in the contest, the Tigers had the ball with a chance for a game-tying drive, but turned the ball over to Navy, which scored a late game-clinching touchdown.

Pick up your Memphis Football GameDay Program at the Tigers' Pink Game Saturday. — Pick up your Memphis Football GameDay Program
at the Tigers' Pink Game Saturday.

Rewind to two weeks ago with Tulsa at top-15 nationally-ranked Houston. Like Memphis, the Golden Hurricane were driving for a potential game-tying score. Tulsa, however, was stopped near the goal line as time expired, and Houston took the victory.

Memphis head coach Mike Norvell has stated in the past he likes to see how his team responds to times like these.

"We have to grow from it," said Norvell of last week's game. "Just like anything, every week there is an experience that you will learn from, whether it's a win or a loss. I hate learning lessons from losses, but it definitely is necessary.

"Our guys continue to grow. Last week was a setback. We stubbed our toe a little bit and didn't play up to the standards of what I think our guys are capable of. I know they are going to respond."

Memphis and Tulsa have a big reason to bounce back as both are still in the race for The American West Division crown. The Tigers and Golden Hurricane are 2-1 in league play and only trail Navy by a game in the loss column. So, the winner of Saturday's contest remains in the race for a spot in the American Athletic Conference championship game Dec. 3.

For the Tigers to stay in that race, they are going to have to stop one of the nation's explosive offenses Saturday, and that starts with limiting what Tulsa senior quarterback Dane Evans is able to do.

"We have another great challenge this week with a Tulsa team that is playing at an extremely high level," Norvell said. "Their only two losses are to top-25 opponents.

"Everything starts for them with their quarterback. Dane Evans can throw the ball all over the field. When you look at their offense, everybody talks about the passing attack, but they have done a phenomenal job running the ball this season. They are very balanced in their attack, not only running the ball but being able to stretch the field vertically.

"They play at an extreme tempo and force you to communicate and line up quickly. This is going to be one of the top offenses that we have faced, and they present a lot of unique challenges. I know our guys are excited about the opportunity."

Television: ESPNews
Radio: 600 WREC/102.9 FM (Flagship station); 91.7 FM (WUMR/student station)
Internet Video: ESPN3.com
Live Stats: memphis.statbroadcast.com; gotigersgo.com/fblivestats
LiveTweet: @Tigersmedia, @MemphisFB

Tigers Tidbits/Five Notes To Know
• Saturday's game is 27^th overall meeting between the two programs. Memphis leads the overall series 16-10, but in games played as league foes, Tulsa holds a narrow 5-4 lead in those contests. The Tigers and Golden Hurricane have met as members of the Missouri Valley Conference, Conference USA and Americam Athletic Conference. Memphis has won the last two meetings, a 66-42 win last season in Tulsa and a 40-20 victory at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in 2014.

• Saturday is Memphis' Homecoming. The Tigers have an all-time Homecoming record of 47-33-1. Memphis has won two of its last three Homecoming contests, including a 40-20 victory over Tulsa in 2014. In its history, Memphis has hosted Tulsa as its Homecoming opponent six times, and the schools have split those meetings (3-3).

• Memphis playing at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium on Halloween weekend is becoming a tradition for Tiger Nation. On Saturday, the Tigers play their fourth-straight Halloween weekend game. Memphis is 2-1 in recent Halloween weekend encounters, having won the last two. Last season, the Tigers defeated Tulane 41-13 on Halloween. In 2014, Memphis posted a 40-20 Halloween win over Tulsa in an ESPNU Friday night special telecast.

• When he takes the field Saturday, Tigers head coach Mike Norvell may give proverbial "tip-of-the-cap" to the football program on the opposing sideline, Tulsa. Although he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Central Arkansas in 2006, Norvell's first full-time coaching position came at Tulsa in 2009. Prior to being hired full time, Norvell also spent the 2007 and 2008 seasons as a graduate assistant on the Tulsa staff.

• Redshirt freshman running back Tony Pollard ended a 20-year Memphis football drought with his kickoff return for a touchdown in the Oct. 6 win over Temple. He struck again Oct. 22 with a 100-yard kick return for a score against Navy. The 100-yard kick return is the longest in program history. His two kick returns for touchdowns set school marks for most in both a season and a career.

Scouting Tulsa
The Golden Hurricane bring a 5-2 overall record and a 2-1 American Athletic Conference mark into Saturday's league match-up. Tulsa has won three of its last four, including two overtime victories over Fresno State and SMU. The Golden Hurricane's lone loss in that stretch was a 38-31 last-second setback at Houston.

For the third-straight week, Memphis faces a foe that runs the ball well, this time in Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane rank 27^th nationally in rushing offense (225.1 ypg). The D'Angelo Brewer-James Flanders tandem paces the Golden Hurricane rushing attack. Brewer leads Tulsa with 803 yards and has scored four times, while Flanders has a team-best seven rushing TD to go with his 650 yards.

Senior QB Dane Evans is 136-of-236 passing for 1,736 yards and 13 TD. He is second in Tulsa history in with 10,068 passing yards. Last season, Evans passed for 421 yards and four TD versus the Tigers. Senior WR Keevan Lucas is Evans' favorite target with 44 catches for 663 yards and six TD, all team highs.

The Tulsa defense is allowing opponents over 400 yards per game. Leading the Golden Hurricane defensive charge are senior LB Trent Martin and Matt Linscott. Martin is tops on the team with 48 total tackles and also has 2.5 TFL and four PBU. Linscott is second with 47 total stops and four TFL.

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