| 30 December 2011
Continuing the military theme from the Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman, a thrilling 42-41 Toledo victory over Air Force, is the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Fun fact: Bell Helicopters is responsible for V-22 Osprey tiltrotor as well as the ubiquitous UH-1 Iroquois, aka the “Huey.”
Sadly, no service academy is playing in this game, but we do get to see 9-3 Brigham Young against 8-4 Tulsa.
This isn't the official bowl logo, but it should be.
The Cougars started the season slowly, struggling to beat lowly Ole Miss 14-13 and then losing to Texas and getting blown out by bitter rival Utah. Since the debacle against the Utes, BYU has gone 8-1 and comes into this game riding a three-game winning streak in which the Cougars scored over 40 points in each game, albeit against a Murderer’s Row of Idaho, New Mexico State, and Hawai’i. BYU’s season turned around once Riley Nelson supplanted Jake Heaps at quarterback.
Tulsa enjoyed a seven-game winning streak before losing the regular season finale against Houston. All four of Tulsa’s losses came to teams that were ranked in the top ten at the time: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Boise State, and Houston. Led by senior quarterback G.J. Kinne, the Golden Hurricane can put points on the board in a hurry.
Key matchup: Tulsa defense vs. BYU’s balanced offense
Tulsa's defense is represented by the venerable "Huey" (L). It has less ability than BYU's offense (R, represented by the Super Cobra) but is still plenty capable.
The matchup of BYU’s defense (20.3 points allowed per game) against Tulsa’s high-octane offense (34.1 points, 454.4 yards a game) figures to get most of the attention, but the game will be determined by whoever wins the matchup between BYU’s offense and Tulsa’s defense. The Cougars average almost 31 points and 411 yards a game and will be facing a Tulsa defense that gives up almost 28 points a game.
It stands to reason that Tulsa will be able to score against BYU but nearly as much as normal, so if BYU is able to pound away the Golden Hurricane and put up some points, the Cougars will likely win. If Tulsa can get some stops on defense, it will go a long way towards a Golden Hurricane victory.
Why you should watch: This is an intriguing matchup of two teams that are coming in on a roll. Both teams are multi-dimensional on offense and have a number of playmakers. BYU has a stouter defense, but Tulsa’s offense has more firepower. The last time these two teams met, in 2007, Tulsa won a 55-47 shootout.
Why you shouldn’t watch: Well the game is at noon eastern, so if you have to work, that’s going to be a problem. I suppose you could take a day off to watch college football, but I don’t think this would be the game to do so. BYU has a gaudy record, but the best team the Cougars have beaten is arguably 7-5 Utah State. Every decent team they’ve played has defeated them. The same can be said of Tulsa; they haven’t beaten anyone of note. The top two wins for the Golden Hurricane are SMU and Marshall. The teams that beat Tulsa were of higher quality than anyone BYU played, but the Golden Hurricane were blown out in all those games.
Prediction: BYU generally is a tough team, and that toughness will pose some problems for Tulsa. The Cougars struggled against mediocre Texas and Utah teams and barely beat an awful Mississippi team. All of that was before Nelson took over full-time as the starter. Still, TCU was able to hang 38 points on the BYU defense. Tulsa has a more balanced offense and will be able to make some plays. If the Golden Hurricane defense can hold up, Tulsa will win.
