Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Tulsa football: Keevan Lucas, Josh Atkinson are top-tier receiving threats

By Collin Wieder

Sep 5, 2015; Tulsa, OK, USA; Tulsa Golden Hurricane wide receiver Keevan Lucas (2) runs for a first down as Florida Atlantic Owls linebacker Jerrad Ward (47) tackles during the third quarter at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium. Tulsa won 47-44. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 5, 2015; Tulsa, OK, USA; Tulsa Golden Hurricane wide receiver Keevan Lucas (2) runs for a first down as Florida Atlantic Owls linebacker Jerrad Ward (47) tackles during the third quarter at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium. Tulsa won 47-44. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Tulsa football returned to respectability in 2015 under new head coach Philip Montgomery. Wide receivers Keevan Lucas and Josh Atkinson were big reasons for that success. In 2016, they lead one of college football’s most prolific offenses.

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane didn’t have a lot of wins in 2015 going just a mediocre 6-7. But, they did find a high-scoring offense that will carry over in 2016. The Golden Hurricanes were a top 25 scoring offense averaging 37.2 points per game.

A major reason for the offense’s growth is a strong receiving corp and experienced quarterback play. Senior QB Dane Evans has led Tulsa football for the last two years and in 2015 he put up 4,332 yards and 25 touchdowns. His main targets in the offense are Keevan Lucas and Josh Atkinson.

Lucas is a three-year starter for Tulsa football and its lead playmaker. In 2014, he caught 101 passes for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns. The 2015 season looked to be headed in the same direction.

More from Saturday Blitz

Unfortunately, his 2016 season ended just four weeks into the season because of a knee injury. Lucas did manage to put up nice numbers in four games catching 26 passes for 409 yards and five touchdowns. Lucas plays bigger than his 5’10” 198-pound frame would suggest, but he is more of a burner on the outside.

If Lucas is the speedster and playmaker, then Josh Atkinson is the physical, jump ball, wideout. Atkinson has big play written all over him. In Lucas’s absence last year, he caught 76 passes for 1,071 yards and five touchdowns. Just because he’s a big receiver, doesn’t mean he can’t spread the field out, though. Atkinson had a 14.1 yards per catch average on the season.

must read: 25 Best Small School College Football Players of All Time

Between these two wideouts and their experienced quarterback, you can expect even more ridiculous offensive numbers from Tulsa football. In the team’s first year under Montgomery, they averaged 507.4 yards per game. That should go up in the team’s second year in his offense.

Home/American