3.4: Tulsa’s per-play average over their final nine drives. The Tulsa defense lived up to expectations, but after a good start, the Golden Hurricane just couldn’t generate enough offense to hold on for the win. They gained 153 yards (6.4 per play) over their first five drives, and they took a 14-3 lead. But in their final nine drives (which included two turnovers, a missed field goal and five punts), they gained just 119 yards in 35 plays. It took all game, but eventually BYU got, and stayed, ahead on the scoreboard.
BYU Vs. Tulsa Recap, Armed Forces Bowl 2011: The Numerical
The numbers that mattered in BYU’s 24-17 win over Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl, from defensive domination, to an unexpected injury, to Cody Hoffman’s timely brilliance.
5: Kyle Van Noy's tackles for loss. The BYU linebacker was a wrecking machine, single-handedly logging half of BYU's 10 tackles for loss. For the game, he had 9.5 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry. He was equally effective in the run-stuffing and pass-rushing department; for the game as a whole, both defensive lines dominated, and neither running game could get going. Tulsa's Trey Watts and Ja'Terian Douglas combined to gain 37 yards in 14 carries (2.6 per carry) while BYU's trio of J.J. DiLuigi, Bryan Kariya and Josh Quezada combined to gain 89 yards in 26 (3.4).
5.7: Average yards gained per G.J. Kinne pass attempt. With the run game shut down, Tulsa was forced to take to the air to move the ball. But with H-back Willie Carter unexpectedly missing the game with an injury, Kinne was without his go-to target. Bryan Burnham sufficed for a while, catching two passes for 65 yards in the first half and the go-ahead 30-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but he was only targeted six times. Kinne had no idea where to consistently go with the ball, and his numbers suffered: 17-for-31 (average), 214 yards (average) and three touchdowns (good), and three sacks for 20 yards (bad).
122: Cody Hoffman's receiving yards. Riley Nelson was consistently running for his life -- he was sacked three times and rushed constantly -- and passes not aimed at Nelson were mostly failures (9-for-27, 128 yards), but Hoffman was the best offensive player on the field. He caught eight of 13 passes for 122 yards and all three BYU touchdowns. He caught a 17-yarder in the second quarter after a major improvisation by Nelson, he caught a 30-yarder late in the third quarter, and he caught the game-winner (from two yards out) with 11 seconds remaining. Both defenses were outstanding in this one -- Tulsa's Curnelius Arnick, Dexter McCoil and Shawn Jackson combined for 24.5 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two picks, two passes broken up and two quarterback hurries, and BYU was held to just 344 yards overall -- but one offensive player ended up making the biggest difference (aside from Van Noy, anyway).
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