Tulsa nearly knocked off in-state power Oklahoma in 2015, head coach Philip Montgomery's first season at the helm. Though the Golden Hurricane never led in a game that featured 1,376 yards of offense, it trailed by seven with four minutes to play in the third quarter before falling 52-38 in Norman.
For the second time in as many years, Montgomery takes his club on the road to face off against another college football titan. As you know, Tulsa visits Urban Meyer and Ohio State at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Another chance to pull off an upset against one of college football's elite program's represents the gold standard for Tulsa, as echoed by offensive lineman Blake Belcher.
"As far as going up there with the blue bloods, that’s what you dream about doing," Belcher said Tuesday. "You dream about being the underdog and, in this case, we are that. We’re going to take pride in that going into practice this week."
Belcher did not get a chance to play the Sooners, tearing his ACL in Tulsa's 47-44 overtime victory against Florida Atlantic in last year's opener. Still, Belcher had a front row seat for his team's near miss against Baker Mayfield and Co.
"Last year against OU, we kinda got that taste but still ended up with a loss," he said. "This year hopefully it’s not that case."
Here is a brief rundown of the best bits from Belcher, Montgomery and defensive lineman Jesse Brubaker during their press conference.
On the chance to play on a huge stage like Ohio Stadium and potentially pull the upset:
Brubaker: "It’s the Buckeyes, everybody knows it’s the Buckeyes. But getting out there and understanding it’s the Golden Hurricane. We’re playing for the name on our chest just like they’re playing for the name on theirs."
Montgomery: "I don’t want to put on a good show — I want to win. It’s about Ws and when we step between the lines, we’re stepping on the field to find ways to win football games."
Belcher: "You don’t get these opportunities very often so you definitely have to make the most of them."
On the amount of talent that left Ohio State for the NFL having any effect:
Montgomery: "Everybody talks about how many guys left for the Draft but they’ve got three returning starters on defense, I think four on offense, but with that being said just about each one of those guys played some point in time throughout the season. They’ve done a great job recruiting and the next guy stepping in is just as good as the guy that just left."
On Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett:
Brubaker: "He knows what Coach Meyer wants. He’s a great athlete. He can do it with his feet and throwing the ball. He showed that last week. Threw quite a few touchdowns and tied his own record. For us it’s just containing him and playing how we have to."
Montgomery: "He played extremely well the other day. Got them in and out of plays, got them in and out of situations and threw the ball very effectively. He’s a dual threat guy."
