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Without Hoke, Ball State faces Tulsa in GMAC Bowl

Jan 6, 2009 - 11:41 AM (22) Ball St (12-1) vs. Tulsa (10-3), Jan. 6, 8:00pm, EST

MOBILE, Alabama (Ticker) -- Stan Parrish will make his head-coaching debut when No. 22 Ball State takes on Tulsa of Conference USA in the GMAC Bowl.

Brady Hoke guided the Cardinals to a 12-0 regular season before they lost to Buffalo, 42-24, in the Mid-American Conference championship game.

During the year, Ball State climbed into top 25 for the first time in school history and was ranked 13th prior to the game against Buffalo.

However, Hoke bolted for San Diego State when the Ball State wouldn't match the Aztecs' offer of a five-year contract worth $3.5 million.

The Cardinals promoted Parrish, the Cardinals' offensive coordinator since 2006. He was the quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during their 2002 Super Bowl-winning season.

In his first game as a head coach, Parrish will face the second-most potent offense in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Tulsa is averaging 47.4 points per game, second only to Oklahoma.

Senior quarterback David Johnson passed for 3,866 yards and 43 touchdowns. However, he also threw 18 interceptions - five in Tulsa's 27-24 loss to Rice in the Conference USA title game.

Johnson spreads around the wealth with seven receivers catching at least 20 passes and four scoring at least seven touchdowns. Brennan Marion, a big-player receiver, is averaging 25.9 yards on his team-leading 43 catches.

The Golden Hurricane also can run the ball as Tarrion Adams paced Conference USA in rushing with 1,316 yards and 11 TDs.

However, Tulsa lost three of its last five games following an 8-0 start. Ball State will be the first ranked opponent the Golden Hurricanes will face this season.

Tulsa, which is seeking a school-record 11th win, is making its second straight appearance in the GMAC Bowl. Last year, the Golden Hurricane routed Bowling Green - another MAC team- 63-7 in the most lopsided game in bowl history.

Ball State is led by its talented tandem of quarterback Nate Davis and running back MiQuale Lewis.

Davis is rated as the No. 8 quarterback in the Football Bowl Subdivision, having passed for 3,446 yards and 26 touchdowns. However, he will be looking to make amends after fumbling four times against Buffalo - two of which were returned for touchdowns.

Lewis is the third-leading rusher in the FBS with 1,701 yards and 22 touchdowns, which leads the FBS. He has surpassed 500 yards in each of his last five games.