The Battle at the Beach: Tulsa vs. Central Michigan Today

Monday, December 19

Miami, Fla.

1:30 pm (CT)

Tulsa

Central Michigan

The Battle at the Beach: Tulsa vs. Central Michigan Today

12/19/2016 7:52:00 AM | Football

By: Don Tomkalski

Game 13: Tulsa (9-3, 6-2 The American) vs. Central Michigan (6-6, 3-5 The American) 2016 MIAMI BEACH BOWL
Date/Time:	Monday, Dec. 19/ 2:30 p.m. (ET)/ 1:30 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Miami, Florida
Stadium:	Marlins Park (34,000)
Coaches:	Tulsa – Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State '95), 2^nd year CMU – John Bonamego (Central Michigan '87), 2nd year
TV:	ESPNews/WatchESPN
Talent:	Allen Besstwick (pxp), Mike Bellotti (analyst), Kris Budden (sidelines)
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM
Talent:	Bruce Howard (pxp), Rick Couri (analyst), Jeremie Poplin (sidelines)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	Series is tied 3-3
First Meeting:	Oct. 18, 1986, Tulsa won 42-6 @ Tulsa, Okla.
Last Meeting:	Oct. 17, 1987, Central Michigan won 41-18 @ Mt. Pleasant, Mich.
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| Central Michigan \| American Athletic Conference

The 2016 football season culminates for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and the Central Michigan Chippewas Monday afternoon in beauty and warm Miami, Florida, as the two teams square-off in the Third Annual Miami Beach Bowl at Marlins Park.

The game kicks off at 2:31 (ET) and can be seen live on ESPN.

Tulsa (9-3, 6-2 AAC) has its hands full against an extremely talented Chippewas (6-6, 3-5 MAC) team from the Mid-American Conference, who like the Hurricane, came up just shy in a couple critical games this year.

Tulsa will be looking for its 10th double-figure winning season, and first since the 2012 season. The Hurricane could also become the first team in NCAA DI/FBS history to complete a season with a 3,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard rushers and two 1,000-yard receivers. Josh Atkinson needs just 73 receiving yards to put the Hurricane over the top and into the NCAA record books.

The Chippewas, who began the year with a 3-0 record, including non-conference wins over Oklahoma State and UNLV, will be looking to finish the season with a winning record. CMU is making its 10^th bowl game appearance and third straight.

Tulsa's offense has been explosive this season, but will face a stiff test against a CMU defense that ranks 43^rd nationally for total defense and 49^th for passing yards allowed. The Hurricane averages 41.4 points to rank 11^th nationally, and 522.5 total yards for a No. 6 national ranking. Tulsa ranks 8^th nationally in rushing with 261.8 yards per game and throws for another 260.8 yards, which ranks 40^th in the nation.

CMU has allowed its opponents to score only 28.3 points per game and has held the opposition in its 12 games to an average of under 400 yards of total offense, while also forcing 18 turnovers on the year.

Dane Evans makes the motor run for the Tulsa offense as the senior quarterback already is the school's all-time passing leader. Evans has completed 58-percent of his passes for 3,044 yards and 27 touchdowns this year.

Evans' favorite targets have been fellow seniors Keevan Lucas and Josh Atkinson and sophomore Justin Hobbs. Lucas averages 92.3 yards with 1,108 yards and has 12 TDs on 74 receptions, while Atkinson has caught 66 passes for 927 yards and Hobbs has 657 yards on 47 receptions.

Lucas is approaching the school record for career receiving yards with 3,178 yards, needing 165 more to tie Howard Twilley (1963-65) for the all-time mark, and with 29 career TDs is three shy of Twilley's and Steve Largent's record of 32 receiving touchdowns.

The Tulsa ground game, which has rushed for a school record and is tied for the nation's lead with eight 300+ yards this year, will look for another strong performance to again provide the Hurricane with a balanced offensive attack. Tulsa's two-headed monster at running back, James Flanders and D'Angelo Brewer, is ranked one-two in the American Athletic Conference this year with averages of 127.4 and 120.9 yards per game. The tandem has averaged 248.3 of Tulsa's 261.8 yards on the ground this year

The duo is the second running back tandem in school history and the 72^nd overall in NCAA D1/FBS to reach 1,000 rushing yards in the same season. Tulsa's Micheal Gunter and Ken Lacy each ran for over 1,000 yards in 1982. Flanders went over 1,000 yards for the season against East Carolina, while Brewer eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark against Navy. Flanders has 1,529 yards for a new single-season school record, and Brewer has tallied 1,330 yards on the ground this season.

The offensive line is anchored in the middle by sophomore center Chandler Miller. The left-side has been manned all season by sophomore guard Tyler Bowling and junior tackle Evan Plagg, while on the right side Willie Wright and Alex Pagonis will be starting roles tonight. Wright missed two games, but has been back in the starting lineup for the last four games and Pagonis is filling in for Blake Belcher at right guard. Zac Uhles has been Mr. Versatile for the Hurricane offensive front, seeing time at center and both tackle spots.

The Chippewas defense is led by a pair of linebackers in the likes of Malik Fountain and Nathan Ricketts. Fountain leads the team with 84 tackles, including 10 TFLs, while Ricketts has turned in 71 stops, 8.5 TFLs, five QB pressures and two interceptions. Junior defensive end Joe Ostman has caused havoc for opposing quarterbacks with nine sacks for -65 yards and has a total of 13.5 TFLs for -75 yards. Ostman leads a big 4-man defensive front coming in at 6'3" and just under 280 pounds, but the two middle men – Kelby Latta and Jabari Dean – tip the scales at 300 pounds.

CMU's secondary is led by one of the top corners Tulsa will have faced this season in the likes of junior Amari Coleman. Coleman who has returned four interceptions for 91 yards, while collecting 15 pass breakups and 48 tackles.

Although Coleman might be the leader of the Chippewas defensive backfield, he's not the only highly productive player as fellow corner John Cox and safeties Tony Annese and Otis Kearney have combined for 136 stops, 10 pass break-ups and four interceptions.

On the other side of the ball, the CMU offense has a big, strong senior in the likes of Cooper Rush leading the Chippewas attack from his quarterback position. He has thrown for 3,299 yards and 23 touchdowns this year, while completing 61.1 percent of his passes.

Rush leads a balanced attack that averages 395 yards per game. Corey Willis has been Rush's favorite target with 69 receptions for 1,028 yards and nine TDs, while Mark Chapman has 563 yards and four TDS. The tight end Tyler Conklin has been a big target for the CMU offense, catching 40 passes for 539 yards and six TDs.

The running game is led by Devon Spalding, gaining 737 yards and six TDs, and Jahray Hayes, who has totaled 468 yards and eight TDs. The duo will be running behind a line that measures at 6'5" and 302 pounds.

Tulsa's defense will again look to be opportunistic against the Central Michigan offense. In the last five games, Tulsa's defense has totaled 37 TFLs, 14 QB sacks, 20 pass breakups and 15 QB hurries.

Senior linebacker Trent Martin leads the Hurricane defense with 94 tackles and has had double-digit tackles in three of Tulsa's last four games. He is followed on the tackle chart by fellow linebackers Matt Linscott and Craig Suits, who have tallied 77 and 73 stops, respectively.

The trio has combined to tally 25.5 stops for -94 yards, eight pass breakups and three interceptions on the year.

The Tulsa defensive line has used nine players so far this season. Tackles Jerry Uwaezuoke and Hayden Carman and ends Jesse Brubaker and Myles Mouton will hold down the starting spots tonight. Brubaker leads the group with 54 tackles and a team-high 12.5 TFLs for -53 yards, while Uwaezuoke has totaled 44 tackles from his tackle spot. Petera Wilson and Frankie Davis at end and tackles Kolton Shindelar and Shemarr Robinson have made big plays and have seen valuable time on the defensive front for Tulsa.

The Tulsa safeties include senior Jeremy Brady, junior Jordan Mitchell and sophomore McKinley Whitfield, while true freshman Manny Bunch and red-shirt freshman Cristian Williams have seen more minutes in the secondary in recent weeks. Brady, who missed two games with an injury, has tallied 58 tackles, five pass-breakups and one interception. Whitfield has 54 stops and Mitchell has compiled 56 tackles and a team-high nine pass break-ups as starter.

Patrolling the corners is junior Kerwin Thomas and red-shirt freshman Reggie Robinson.
Thomas has 57 tackles and eight pass breakups, while Robinson has totaled 34 stops and six pass breakups.

A number of Tulsa Football Watch Parties will take place in the Tulsa-area. Those locations include:
•      Mamadou's Restaurant and Sports Bar at the downtown Aloft Hotel, 200 Civic Center Drive
•      Bricktown Brewery at 3301 South Peoria Ave.
•      Elgin Park Sports Bar & Brewery at 325 M.B. Brady Street
•      Fox & Hound Sports Tavern at 7001 South Garnett Road
•      Louie's Bar & Grill at 813 East A Street in Jenks
•      Maxxwell's Restaurant at 2626 East 11^th Street

To follow Tulsa football at the 2016 Miami Beach Bowl, fans can go online at TulsaHurricane.com/bowl.