The Wiz of Odds

Tulsa

A change in leadership at Tulsa, where Philip Montgomery replaces Bill Blankenship. Montgomery comes from Baylor, where he was offensive coordinator. But defense has been the problem for the Golden Hurricane, who gave up 39.3 points a game in 2014.

Poster designed by Old Hat Creative.

Tulane-Tulsa Opener Is a Double Overtime Thriller

Greg Laughlin started his 2014 tour in Tulsa, where the Golden Hurricane were playing host to the Green Wave of Tulane. He picked a good opener because the game went into double overtime with Tulsa prevailing, 38-31, before 19,032 fans. It was the American Athletic conference debut for both teams.

There are more photos after the jump.

Tulsa

Tulsa makes the move from Conference USA to the American Conference. The Golden Hurricane stumbled badly in 2013 and finished with a 3-9 record. This has made 2014 a make or break season for Bill Blankenship, who shook up his staff in the offseason. Tulsa plays host to Oklahoma on Sept. 6.

Poster designed by Old Hat Creative.

Living on Tulsa Time

Imagine telling your wife or girlfriend that you would be home late because the start of Saturday's Oklahoma State-Tulsa game, which you planned to attend, was 9:10 p.m. (Central).

Chances are you had some serious explaining to do. The game didn't end until 3:35 a.m. Sunday.

Shortly after the National Anthem, officials from the National Weather Service advised Tulsa officials that severe weather was about to descend on the Golden Hurricanes' H.A. Chapman Stadium. The teams were ordered to leave the field and fans were advised to seek shelter. All but one did.

Heavy rain and cloud-to-ground lightning arrived at 9:15 and the wait began. Fox Sports Net announcers J.C. Pearson, above left, and Ron Thulin kept viewers updated on conditions, and their frustrations grew as the delay passed the two-hour mark.

Tulsa

Bill Blankenship takes over the coaching duties at Tulsa, replacing Todd Graham, who left to become coach at Pittsburgh. September will be a big month for the Golden Hurricane. The team opens at Oklahoma on Sept. 3 and plays host to Oklahoma State on Sept. 17.

Click the image for an enlarged view. Thanks to Don.

Rule No. 1: Tulsa Committed Infraction on Final Play

It's a moot point now, but East Carolina likely saved somebody's arse by scoring on the last play in Sunday's wild 51-49 victory against Tulsa.

Justin Jones used his 6-foot-8 frame to soar above Golden Hurricane defenders and snare the winning pass in the end zone, video of which you can watch here. But as you can see from this frame grab, there were two Tulsa players wearing uniform No. 1, a no-no according Kevin Donahue of FanBlogs.

According to Rule 1, Section 4, Article 2, c: No two players of the same team shall participate in the same down wearing identical numbers (A.R. 1-4-2-II) [S23].

It's a five-yard penalty and the down would have been replayed. It's unclear, however, if officials noticed the two players wearing No. 1. Had they missed it, Conference USA officials would have been hearing about it all week.

If the officials had called a penalty, the Tulsa coaching staff would have some explaining to do, especially if East Carolina converted on the second opportunity.