Tulsa sees BYU as good test

TULSA, Okla. — First-year Tulsa head coach Todd Graham would like to know where his program stands. He figures he'll have a pretty good idea after entertaining BYU Saturday night.

"This is to measure where we're at as a program, to play a team like this," Graham said. "This is a great measuring stick. To go out and be successful against a BYU team would speak volumes of where we're at."

The Golden Hurricane (1-0) opened the season with a 35-17 road win over UL-Monroe on Aug. 30, then had a bye, meaning they've been preparing for BYU (1-1) for two weeks. A victory over the Cougars would make a major statement, Graham said.

"To play BYU on national television and have an opportunity to put our program on the map, this is what you play for," he explained. "We've talked about the storied past of BYU. They are a national program with national prominence."

Speaking of national prominence, the following Saturday, the Golden Hurricane host nationally ranked Oklahoma.

"Our whole motto is we want to take this thing to the next level, and to do that, here it is," Graham said. "In the next two weeks, we're playing the best two teams on our schedule as far as how the national media looks at the next two teams."

While Graham is in his first season as Tulsa's coach, he is no stranger to the program. He served as the Golden Hurricane's defensive coordinator for three seasons under former coach Steve Kragthorpe, who is now at the helm at Louisville.

Following the 2005 campaign, Graham left Tulsa to become the head coach at Rice last season. He led the Owls to a 7-6 record and the program's first bowl appearance in 45 years. Rice began the season 0-4, but the Owls won seven of their next nine games and Graham earned Conference USA coach of the year honors.

Tulsa athletic director Bubba Cunningham said Graham played a big part, as a defensive coordinator, in the Golden Hurricane's turnaround beginning in 2003, when Tulsa posted an 8-4 record after going 1-11 in 2002. The Golden Hurricane have enjoyed three winning seasons in the past four years. Prior to that, they hadn't had a winning season since 1991.

BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall respects Tulsa's program. "They're coming off another bowl season again. They know how to win. They're very difficult on both sides of the ball to prepare for."

Mendenhall said Tulsa's explosive offense and 3-3-5 defensive scheme presents his team with a different kind of challenge. A year ago, the Cougars defeated Tulsa in Provo, 49-24.

"They have a unique style on both offense and defense, very similar to the Tulsa team from last year in terms of offensive firepower and scoring potential. They're very similar defensively with a 3-3-5," he said.

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