The Tulsa football team battled through high winds and temperatures in the 30’s through practice No. 11 last Saturday morning and went through their first full scrimmage.

“It was good for us to get out and work through some different situations. Anytime you go through a scrimmage, coaches are off the field and guys are having to communicate. I thought we did a good job of that and showed some positive signs,” said Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery.

Montgomery was pleased with the give-and-take from the offense and defense.

“On both sides, I thought that there was some good give-and-take today. Defensively, we’re obviously a little bit further ahead, and we should expect that with nine guys coming back and a lot of experience on that side of the ball,” said Montgomery.  “As we’re working through things offensively, the defense puts a lot of pressure on us and our guys are starting to grow and understand some things. You saw some guys today that you haven’t heard of previously that made some plays today. So, it was good to see them go out and execute in that type of atmosphere and especially on a day like today with the way the wind was blowing. It was not the best day to go out and try to sling it around.”

There is a tight competition for starting quarterback between Seth Boomer and Zach Smith.

“I love the competition right now,” Montgomery said. “Seth (Boomer) and Zach (Smith) have taken the majority of the one reps. Davis (Brin) performed really well today. I like the direction we’re headed at the quarterback spot. As you saw today, we’re probably going to push the ball around to a lot of different people, and those guys are handling it pretty well.”

The offensive line is improving.

 “Were getting better every day,” Montgomery said. “Right now, Chris Paul is not going through spring ball, who started every game for us last year. It will be great when we get him back. Dylan (Couch) moved into the center spot and has performed very well. We’re continuing to gel. It takes a little more time for those guys to do that upfront. X’Zauvea (Gadlin) has come in and has been playing our right tackle spot and has performed very well, but he’s playing against Trevis Gipson every day. I think our defensive line is very talented, and it’s putting a lot of pressure on our guys upfront and they’re growing very quickly from it because they have to. We still have work to do up front, but I’m excited in what they are doing and how they’re progressing right now.

Montgomery was asked what he wants to see in the final week of spring drills.

“We have to stay hungry,” said Montgomery. “We’ve seen some good times and been through some bad. Right now, we have to understand that every time we step on the field we have to come with a big chip on our shoulder and understand we have to go earn everything we get, and the only way we’re going to do that is put in the work.”

Tulsa’s Annual Spring Game will begin at 11 a.m., with gates opening at 10:30 a.m. Admission is free.