Saturday, September 9
H.A. Chapman Stadium
3:00 pm
Tulsa
vs
Louisiana
Tulsa Football Hosts Louisiana Today at 3 PM
9/8/2017 10:00:00 AM | Football
WEAR WHITE ON SATURDAY!
Revenue from Ticket Sales Goes to Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund!
| GAME 2: TULSA (0-1) vs. LOUISIANA (1-0) | |
|---|---|
| Date/Time: | Saturday, September 9/3:05 p.m. (CT) |
| Site: | Tulsa, Okla. |
| Stadium: | Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium (30,000) |
| Coaches: | TULSA – Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State '95), 3rd year LOUISIANA – Mark Hudspeth (Delta State '92) 7th year |
| TV: | ESPN3 (Digital) |
| Talent: | David Saltzman (pxp), George Wrighster (analyst) |
| Tickets: | To purchase tickets, click here |
| Gameday Guide: | For gameday guide, click here |
| Radio: | Big Country 99.5 FM or Online |
| Talent: | Bruce Howard (pxp), Rick Couri (analyst), Jeremie Poplin (sidelines) |
| Live Stats: | Live Stats |
| Series: | Louisiana leads 5-4 |
| First Meeting: | Louisiana 48, Tulsa 21 (Sept. 3, 1977), Louisiana, La. |
| Last Meeting: | Tulsa 27, Louisiana 9 (Oct. 31, 1992), Tulsa, Okla. |
| Game Notes: | Tulsa | Louisiana | American Athletic Conference |
Tulsa opens the home season Saturday afternoon on a WHITE-OUT Day, where fans are encouraged to wear white to support the Golden Hurricane against the Ragin' Cajuns from the University of Louisiana. Game time is set for 3:05 p.m. at H.A. Chapman Stadium.
Fans can purchase special WHITE-OUT T-shirts at the Campus Corner Bookstore (southeast corner of 11th and Harvard Avenue) or at the game until supplies last. 5,000 Hurricane flags will be available at the stadium gates for TU fans in helping continue the "Wave the Flag" tradition.
Louisiana sprinted out of the gates last week with an entertaining 51-48 victory over Southeastern Louisiana, while Tulsa fell to the nation's No. 10-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater.
Special teams, turnovers and big plays were the common threads in the openers for the two teams. For the Cajuns, Raymond Calais returned kickoffs 100 and 97 yards, and in the waning moments a forced fumble on a two-point attempt that would have tied the game for SE Louisiana turned into two points for Louisiana.
For Tulsa, the first points of the season came on a recovery in the end zone of a fumbled punt, but on the down side, two 70+ yard runs and 40+ yard passes for scores, as well as an 82-yard fumble return totaled 35 of OSU's 59 points against the Hurricane.
The Hurricane has posted a 9-1 record in home openers since the stadium was renamed H.A. Chapman Stadium in 2007, and will be looking to continue its' home winning streak of six games from last year.
Tulsa's offense, having to replace a 3,000+ yard passer, two 1,000-yard receivers and one 1,000-yard rusher from last year, showed some bright spots in the season opener with a lot of room to grow with a talented, but young cast.
Getting the nod at quarterback is third-year sophomore Chad President, while red-shirt freshman Luke Skipper could also see playing time behind center. President threw for 178 yards and rushed for another 69 yards against Oklahoma State, while Skipper completed 2-of-3 passes for 10 yards.
Tulsa's offensive line, that paved the way for a school record eight 300+ yard rushing games in 2016, adds just one new starter, guard Zac Uhles to the unit. Returning starters include all-conference performers – Tyler Bowling, Chandler Miller, and Evan Plagg – along with right tackle Willie Wright.
D'Angelo Brewer, a 1,000-yard rusher from last year, is complimented by sophomore Corey Taylor, who rushed for 111 yards and two TDs in the opener. Tulsa's receiving corps caught 18 of Tulsa's 20 receptions a week ago as sophomore Keenen Johnson caught 7 passes for 52 yards, Justin Hobbs had 6 for 71 yards, Josh Stewart 3 for 30 yards and Nigel Carter 2 for 18 yards.
Tulsa will be going against a Louisiana defense that was stingy a year ago, holding opponents to only 129 yards rushing and 249 yards through the air. In the opener, the Ragin' Cajuns gave up 343 rush yards and 171 yards passing.
The Cajuns' defense is led by a trio of defensive backs – Tracy Walker, Travis Crawford, and Damar'ren Mitchell – who combined for 184 tackles last year. Walker tallied 10 tackles and two pass breakups in the season opener.
Linebackers T.J. Posey and Tanner Holmes were active in the opener with eight and six stops, respectively, while sophomore end Joe Dillon, who had 51 tackles and a team-leading 12.5 TFLs for -65 yards last year, leads the front line for the Ragin' Cajuns. It was Dillon who recovered the fumbled punt and raced the length of the field for the defensive two-point conversion to seal the Louisiana victory last week.
The Ragin' Cajuns, like Tulsa, are in a similar transition at quarterback with a young supporting cast. Junior Jordan Davis was at the controls of the offense last week as he threw for 162 yards and ran for another 48 yards in the opener.
Like Tulsa's President, Jordan targeted six different receivers, as Keenan Barnes had a game-high of 70 yards on three receptions. Cajun receivers averaged 13.5 yards per catch last week.
The Louisiana run game put up 201 yards for a 5.6 average per carry behind an offensive line that tips the scales at 308 pounds with an average height of 6'5". Red-shirt freshman Trey Ragas and true freshman Elijah Mitchell ran for 61 and 56 yards, respectively, with each scoring a touchdown last Saturday.
The Hurricane defense will need to stop the big-play potential of Louisiana this week. After settling in last week, the Tulsa defensive unit held OSU to 187 yards and 14 points in the second half after giving up 453 first-half yards.
Last week, junior McKinley Whitfield made the start at linebacker after spending his first two seasons at safety. He had a team-high 10 tackles, including three stops for -9 yards, while fellow linebacker Craig Suit, a senior, is the leader of the unit and has totaled 211 career tackles.
Senior ends Jesse Brubaker and Jeremy Smith headline the Tulsa defensive front and will need to put pressure on Louisiana's quarterback and help contain the running game. Two new starters on the inside, Kolton Shindelar and Shemarr Robinson, will need to be the stop gaps in the middle.
Sophomore safety Manny Bunch totaled 8 tackles in his first career start last week against the Cowboys, and is the only new starter in the defensive secondary. Returning starters Kerwin Thomas and Reggie Robinson lock down the corner positions, while senior Jordan Mitchell is steady at free safety.
Tickets still remain for the game. All revenue from ticket sales goes to the Hurricane Harvey Relief efforts. Advance tickets are $15, $30 and $40 until 12 pm on Saturday. Ticket prices at the ticket gate booths are $20, $35 and $45 beginning at 1:30 pm Saturday.
Players Mentioned
Offensive Guard
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Wide Receiver
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Center
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Offensive Tackle
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Quarterback
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Defensive Tackle
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Quarterback
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Cornerback
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Safety
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Offensive Tackle
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