The Tulsa Golden Hurricane is set to face the Old Dominion Monarchs on Monday night, December 20 at 2:30 p.m. EST. Both teams are fresh out of winning streaks and they both sure want to carry it to 2022. This season, both teams went 6-6. The Golden Hurricane won their last three games and the Monarchs won five in a row.
Following its 28-26 loss to Mississippi State in last year’s Armed Forces Bowl, Tulsa is 10-12 in bowl games. Meanwhile, for Old Dominion, the upcoming Myrtle Beach Bowl game is their second since joining the FBS in 2014. The Monarchs defeated Eastern Michigan 24-20 in the 2016 Bahamas Bowl.
Can Tulsa cover?
Both teams are set to face each other at Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C. According to the latest Tulsa vs. Old Dominion odds from Caesars Sportsbook, The Golden Hurricane are nine-point favorites, with the over-under for total points scored is 52.5.
It is understood that Tulsa needs to win the ga,e to have a chance for bowl eligibility. The victory would be another of the Philip Montgomery-led team’s major accomplishments other than their winning streak after losing to UC Davis, Oklahoma State, and Ohio State at the start of the season.
Tulsa will need to keep the football on the ground to control the clock if the Golden Hurricane wants to win. They will have to run on average 55 percent of the time. Spearheading the rushing attack will be senior running back Shamari Brooks with 922 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season. Last year, he tore his ACL and had to miss the entirity of 2020. Backing him up will be former P5 transfers Deneric Prince and Anthony Watkins, both of whom averaged over five yards per carry on the year.
The Hurricane finished third in the conference in rushing. Tulsa, however, ended up bottom third in the country in both Rush Play Success Rate and Line Yards created, per CollegeFootballData.com. Despite their recent winning streak, Tulsa’s offense this season has been rather disappointing. With Davis Brin, Tulsa made 428 yards in Week 3 vs. Ohio State. He, however, struggled with turnovers all year. Despite that fact, he still threw for almost 3,000 yards. He also had 16 touchdown passes while throwing 16 interceptions.
Will Old Old Dominion Cover?
Going 9-3 against the spread this season, the Monarchs benefit greatly from Blake Watson’s transition into their running back. Rushing 168 yards against Marshall, he topped 100 yards in five of the next six games to finish over 1,000. Watson also rushed for 1,035 yards and seven touchdowns. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry.
Old Dominion averaged 36 points during its five-game win streak, with quarterback Hayden Wolff also playing a significant role in the feat. Starting the last six games, the Freshman completed more than 62 percent of his attempts for 1,757 yards and 10 touchdowns.
If the game comes down to turnovers, the Monarchs will have the high ground. In six starts, Wolff managed to throw six interceptions while Tulsa turned it over 24 times on the year with 18 in the last eight games. Moreover, Wolff is also supported by top-tier pass-catchers Ali Jennings and tight end Zack Kuntz who have scored five touchdowns.
The Monarchs’ defense also ranked 26th in the nation, holding opponents to just 3.5 yards per carry and yielded 125 yards per game on the ground.
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