Tulsa Football: Will Golden Hurricane return to bowl for first time since 2016?
Expectations high for experienced offense
When Phillip Montgomery arrived in Tulsa, a lot was expected from the offense, as he was coming from Baylor which had been sporting some of the best offenses in the nation and he had a hand in that.
Tulsa has been average on offense so far but that could all change in 2020.
It’s bringing back senior quarterback Zach Smith and he’s looking to improve upon a season that saw him throw for over 3,200 yards and 19 touchdowns with nine interceptions. Montgomery has struggled finding consistency at quarterback, but Smith is a veteran and should be in for a big season.
Last year’s leading rusher Shamari Brooks is back and he is looking to improve upon his season a season ago in which he rushed for over 1,000 yards and made the All-AAC second team.
Tulsa’s offense was explosive last season, but found no consistency in running the ball and some of that can be attributed to how much the offensive line struggled. Last year’s backup Corey Taylor II is back and he has been a solid presence in the backfield during the last three seasons. The run game will need to improve and be more consistent if the Golden Hurricane are hoping to return to the postseason.
Also returning one of the most loaded wide receiving corps in the conference and they should be even better this season.
Keylon Stokes had over 1,000 yards last season and averaged nearly 17 yards per catch as well. Sam Crawford Jr. had 59 catches for 777 yards and five touchdowns and could make it where the Golden Hurricane have two 1,000-yard receivers. Josh Johnson is back for his junior season and should step into the role that Keenen Johnson left open.
James Palmer is back at tight end and will be another threat for what should a dynamite passing game.
One of the main issues that this offense had was that the offensive line struggled for the majority of last season and that could be chalked up to youth as they had some freshmen and sophomores in that lineup and they are a year older now. Four starters are back on that line and they are going to have to be better for this offense to reach its potential.