Tulsa is a mid-major with one of the lowest enrollments in the FBS. While Tulsa has not been a consistent power since the 1940’s, in their good years they generally have featured a stellar passing attack. Glenn Dobbs, Heisman runnerup Jerry Rhome, Gus Frerotte, TJ Rubley, GJ Kinne and Dane Evans have all been stellar for the Golden Hurricane.
After Tulsa’s latest turnoverfest against Temple, their mark stands at 1-3. The Golden Hurricane has committed 9 turnovers in their past two games, both winnable with fewer turnovers. The current QB, Luke Skipper, has been a culprit and has been falling well short of Tulsa’s vaunted QB tradition. To be competitive in the rugged American Athletic Conference, a terrific QB is needed to not be an afterthought in the neighborhood of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Arkansas.
Today, one of the best quarterbacks in America will be playing in Lynchburg, Virginia against FBS newbie, Liberty. His name: Mason Fine. His school: North Texas. The Mean Green were the only FBS school to offer Fine a scholarship.
Now, the baffling part. Despite a prolific prep career in Locust Grove, 50 minutes east of Tulsa, Fine did not get an offer from nearby Tulsa. Oklahoma State liked Fine but was worried about his short height. Fine is listed at 5’11” which likely means he is at most 5’10” So, one of the best quarterbacks in recent history in Eastern Oklahoma has produced is leading a startling renaissance in Denton, Texas.
Schools like Oklahoma State can afford to occasionally miss on a quarterback since they can often dig into their recruiting well, but Tulsa’s mediocre QB play has been the difference between their current 1-3 mark and a possible 4-0 record. While this development greatly cheers folks in Denton, Texas, Fine’s excellence has to greatly sting the Golden Hurricane.