MOBILE, Ala. -¡-¡- It didn't take long for Ball State University coach Stan Parrish to figure out his team's core weakness in its blowout loss to the University of Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl Tuesday.
Parrish could have pointed to a myriad of issues.
His offense was held without a first down or completed pass in the second half. His defense allowed 439 rushing yards. His team gave up 38 of the final 44 points en route to a 45-13 loss.
At the root of seemingly all the Cardinals' problems, Parrish said, was a severe disadvantage in team speed.
"I think Tulsa was a faster team than what we were," Parrish said. "You can hide and make excuses, but I think that's a fact. Football is a fast game, and we've got to get faster."
An example of Tulsa's advantage in team speed than its final touchdown of the first half.
Golden Hurricane tailback Tarrion Adams took a hand off and started right off tackle, when it looked like Ball State's defense would contain him to a short gain. Instead, Adams sprinted past the Cardinals defense and down the right sideline for a 56-yard touchdown run. It was the longest run for Tulsa this season and Ball State a 24-10 deficit.
Adams set the GMAC Bowl record with 209 rushing yards on 19 carries - an average of 10.9 yards per rush - and finished with three touchdowns.
"That's what we were talking about the week leading up to the game, our team speed," Adams said shortly after being named the game's MVP. "That's something we felt we had the edge on, our team speed. We had faster guys, faster athletes, and that's a testament to the coaches and their recruiting."
Adams, the Hurricane's single-season and career rushing record holder, was one of several Tulsa players who used their speed to attack Ball State's defense. Tulsa's freshman receiver Damaris Johnson finished with 274 all-purpose yards, including six catches for 135 and one touchdown.
Parrish said the speed issue his team faced Tuesday was the same problem each of the other four Mid-American Conference bowl participants suffered. The MAC finished 0-5 in bowl play with Ball State's loss to Tulsa, and the league was outscored 162-78 in those five games.
"I think our league overall needs to get faster," Parrish said. "I think the bowl games showed that. It boils down to a mano-a-mano thing a lot of times. ... I just think Tulsa was a faster football team than we were."
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