The Tulsa Golden Hurricane will face off against the Old Dominion Monarchs in the 2021 Myrtle Beach Bowl. Both of these teams finished with a record of .500. This matchup will be on December 20th at 2:30 PM EST in Brooks Stadium. Learn more about these teams battling for a bowl win.
Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane finished fifth in the American Athletic Conference, ending the season with a three-game winning streak. Tulsa’s offense features a balanced attack with quarterback Davis Brin under the helm. In the regular season, he threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 16 touchdowns. However, he tends to put the ball in dangerous spots, resulting in 16 interceptions on the year.
The Golden Hurricane also has three 500-yard rushers who play a big role on the field. In fact, they combined for a total of 15 rushing touchdowns this season. Brin’s primary targets include Josh Johnson, J.C. Santana, and Sam Crawford Jr. They each posted more than 400 receiving yards in 2021, and they combined for 12 receiving touchdowns.
Tulsa’s defense had a great year, especially in the secondary. Travon Fuller and TieNeal Martin are the key players on the backend of Tulsa’s defense. Fuller is a transfer from Texas A&M, and he finished the regular season with 40 tackles and three interceptions. Martin switched positions from linebacker to safety, and he has 29 tackles paired with four interceptions this year. Furthermore, Tulsa’s secondary held down Ohio State‘s offense early in the season; the Golden Hurricane only allowed the best offense in the country to score 27 points through three quarters.
Tulsa’s defense has a decent linebacker core in Justin Wright and Yohance Burnett, who combined for more than 150 tackles. The primary strength of Tulsa’s team is the defense, but the Golden Hurricane can rely on its offense if Brin is aggressive and efficient when throwing the football to put points on the scoreboard.
Old Dominion Monarchs
The Old Dominion Monarchs finished third in the Conference USA East division; they ended the season with a five-game winning streak after being 1-6 midway through the year. Darriel Mack Jr. was initially the starter for the Monarchs, but he was replaced by freshman Hayden Wolff later during the season. Wolff has led Old Dominion to a 5-1 record as the starting quarterback.
Wolff has thrown for 1,000 fewer passing yards than Brin, but the Monarch’s running back duo in Blake Watson and Lala Davis has led them to success near the end of the season. Watson and Davis combined for 14 touchdowns on the year, and even Darriel had six rushing touchdowns this season. Ali Jennings and Zach Kuntz have been the primary receivers on Old Dominion’s squad, each having more than 700 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
Early in the year, Old Dominion’s defense was giving up 35 points or more to teams such as Wake Forest, Liberty, and Buffalo. Granted, these opponents did feature great offenses, but the Monarchs’ defense has done a tremendous job of improving over the season. In fact, the Monarchs have allowed more than 30 points only twice in their eight games following the loss to Buffalo.
Old Dominion’s defense slightly differs from Tulsa’s defense, for the Monarchs are great at stopping the run as opposed to the pass. Jordan Young and R’Tarriun Johnson are the leaders on the defensive side for Old Dominion; they combined for 160 tackles and each has at least one interception. However, if Tulsa’s offense does have success in the passing game, it will be interesting to see how Old Dominion’s defense adjusts its game plan.
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Concluding Thoughts
The 2021 Myrtle Beach Bowl will be a great matchup between two equally talented teams in Old Dominion and Tulsa. While these squads have different styles offensively and defensively, it will be intriguing to see how coaches on both sidelines choose to exploit the opposing team. Regardless, fans of both squads should be in for a thrilling bowl game.
