Tulane @ Tulsa preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 7, 2017 ) Tulsa 28, Tulane 62

Tulane might be staring at its best shot to earn a road victory this season, and the team is doing everything it can to put its best team on the field. LSU graduate transfer Justin McMillan is expected to get his first start at quarterback when the Green Wave visit Tulsa on Saturday.

Tulane, which dropped road games at UAB, Ohio State and Cincinnati and still needs to go to South Florida and Houston, fell for the fourth time in five games overall when quarterback Jonathan Banks fumbled twice as the squad allowed a nine-point lead to slip away in a 27-23 home loss to SMU last week. "(Banks) did some really good things (against SMU), and like I’ve said before, the quarterback gets too much blame and too much credit when things go well," Green Wave coach Willie Fritz told reporters. "For Justin to have success, we need to do a good job up front and with the backs and the tight ends and receivers." The Golden Hurricane are losers of six straight and were shut out 23-0 at Arkansas last week during a brief step out of American Athletic Conference play. "Offensively, I thought our guys are continuing to fight," Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery told reporters. "We’ve got to make plays."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPNU. LINE: Tulsa -2.5

ABOUT TULANE (2-5, 1-2 AAC): Banks is completing 51.8 percent of his passes and failed to throw a TD pass in any of the last four games. McMillan, who is less of a running threat than Banks, owns three TD passes and no interceptions in parts of three games. "We’re looking for a spark right now," Fritz told reporters of the quarterback switch. "That’s one of the reasons for it. ... (McMillan's) got good knowledge of what we’re doing. He’s a smart kid."

ABOUT TULSA (1-6, 0-3): The Golden Hurricane enter the week 113th out of 130 FBS teams in passing offense at an average of 165.7 yards after freshman quarterback Seth Boomer completed 8-of-25 passes for 127 yards and an interception in the loss at Arkansas. "Boom’s growing and learning," Montgomery told reporters. "The only way he’s going to get better is if he continues to go through some of the things he’s going through right now." Boomer took over the starting quarterback job from sophomore Luke Skipper, who is not expected to return this season while dealing with a back injury.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Tulane RB Darius Bradwell has rushed for at least one score in each of the last five games.

2. Tulsa LB Zaven Collins has averaged 12.5 tackles in the last two games.

3. The Green Wave snapped a three-game losing streak in the series with a 62-28 home win last season.

PREDICTION: Tulsa 28, Tulane 24