Expectations for the Tulsa University football team are low.

TU was picked to finish last in the West Division in the preseason poll of the American Athletic Conference.

Last season, TU opened with a win and then lost nine out of 11 to finish 3-9.

Will the low expectations make Tulsa players play with a chip on their shoulders?

“I don’t think so,” said TU coach Philip Montgomery. “Every year I’ve been here we’ve been picked low, and that’s fine. Preseason polls in my opinion  – no one across the country knows what your teams going to be. Every year there are surprises. Every year you have teams picked at the top that don’t have the kind of season people expected them to have and vice versa. It’s too early to tell what teams are going to be. We’ll get into the season, get to work and take it week-by-week.”

He attended last week’s AAC Media Days in Newport, Rhode Island, and took along defensive players – end Trevis Gipson and linebacker Cooper Edmiston – and offensive players – tackle Chris Ivy Jr. and running back Corey Taylor II.

“Silent,”Montgomery said describing Edmiston. “He has become more vocal. His production speaks for itself. He just goes out and does his job every time he steps on the field. He’s had 100 tackles in each of the last two years. I don’t expect anything different. Probably from a stats standpoint, he had an incredible season last year.”

 “Leadership,” Montgomery said of Gibson. “He’s really dedicated himself to our football team. He’s unselfish. He’s explosive and plays with a lot of passion.”

Ivy is similar to Gibson, Montgomery said.

 “(He has) some of the same traits as Trevis because he is the only senior upfront,” he said. “He’s been very vocal. He’s worked his tail off. He has improved so much at the left tackle position. He has to be an anchor for us. With all the guys up front, he’s the centerpiece and he needs to set the tone for the younger players.”

Likewise, Taylor has improved.

“He’s solid. He’s physical. Downhill,” Montgomery said. “He has a great burst. He has a denseness about him when you hit him. He’s just very productive.”

Tulsa junior running back duo of Shamari Brooks and Taylor were named to the Doak Walker Award Preseason Watch List, it was announced by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum. The Doak Walker Award, named for SMUs three-time All-America running back Doak Walker, is annually presented to the nation’s top college running back.

The Tulsa duo, both from local area high schools, combined for 1,813 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2018 and has totaled 2,683 rushing yards and 33 TDs in their careers.

Tulsa is joined by Arkansas, Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisiana -Lafayette, Minnesota, Notre Dame and Oregon as the eight teams with a tandem of running backs named to this year’s Doak Walker preseason list. There is a total of six running backs from the American Athletic Conference on the list.

Brooks, who stands 5-9, from Tulsa Union High School, rushed for a team-high 967 yards and seven touchdowns last year in 11 games

A two-year letterwinner and returning starter, Brooks has played in 20 career games and has 1,654 total rushing yards and 17 TDs. He has eight career 100+ rushing games, including four in each of his first two seasons. Brooks rushed for a season-best 151 yards on 17 carries vs. UConn, averaging 8.9 yards per carry, a year ago.

The 5-10 Taylor, from Tulsa’s Holland Hall High School, had 846 yards and 11 TDs on the ground in 11 contests last season.

A two-year letterwinner, Taylor has 1,029 career rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in 19 career games. He has five 100-yard rushing games and five multiple rushing TD games in his career. Last year, Taylor had career-highs of 152 yards and 33 carries in his lone career starting assignment at Houston. Tulsa players will report on to fall camp on July 31 with the first day of practice set for August 1.

TU opens at Michigan State with a Friday night game on August 30. Then they travel to San Jose State on September 7. The home opener is September 14 against in-state rival Oklahoma State.