Tulsa Announces 2018 Football Schedule

TULSA, Oklahoma –– Eight Bowl participants highlight the Tulsa Golden Hurricane 2018 football season, as the school released its schedule today. The Hurricane will play non-conference games road games against Texas and Arkansas, while six of its eight American Athletic Conference opponents played in a bowl game in 2017.

"We have an extremely tough and challenging schedule in 2018. We'll have our hands full right out of the starting gate," said Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery.

Tulsa kicks off the season at H.A. Chapman Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 1, against Central Arkansas, the first of three schools from the state of Arkansas on the Hurricane schedule.

The Bears went 10-2 last year and advanced to the NCAA FCS Playoffs, losing in the first round to New Hampshire 21-15. UCA's only other loss was against the Big 12's Kansas State Wildcats, while the Bears defeated FCS's #3-ranked Sam Houston State and #18 McNeese State during the season.

It will be the third meeting between Tulsa and UCA, as the Hurricane holds a 2-0 record against the Bears, winning in 2008 (62-34) and 2010 (41-14).

A week later, Tulsa goes on the road for a first-ever meeting against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 8. Texas is coming off of a 7-6 record after having defeated Missouri 33-16 in the Texas Bowl.

"We start off with a 10-win Central Arkansas team, then play at Texas, and, obviously they are who they are – a very strong and very tradition heavy opponent. I've had teams play before at Texas, it's a tough venue," said Montgomery.

Tulsa is back at home on Sept. 15 to face off against Arkansas State in a game where the series is tied at two games apiece. The teams have not met since the 2003 season, when the Hurricane claimed a 54-7 victory. The Red Wolves finished the 2017 season with a 7-5 mark, a third-place finish in the Sun Belt Conference and an appearance in the Camellia Bowl.

"After Texas, we turn back around and have an Arkansas State team who has competed for, if not won their conference championship the last few years. They've done a tremendous job," Montgomery said. "Arkansas State is a talented and very athletic team and returns a quarterback who enters his third year as a starter. So, it's a tough comeback for us, especially after being on the road at Texas."

Tulsa opens American Athletic Conference action with three straight weeknight games, including two consecutive road games on a Thursday night. First up for the Hurricane is the Temple Owls on Thursday, Sept. 20 in Philadelphia, Pa., then after an open week, Tulsa will face the Houston Cougars on Thursday, Oct. 6. A week later the Hurricane will host a Friday night game against the USF Bulls on Oct. 12.

All three teams made bowl appearances in the 2017 season. Temple posted a 7-6 record last year, winning four of its final five games, including a 28-3 victory over FIU in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl. Houston went 7-5 overall, finished second in The American West Division and dropped a 33-27 heartbreaker against Fresno State in the Hawaii Bowl. USF completed the 2017 campaign with an overall 10-2 record and defeated Texas Tech 38-34 in the Birmingham Bowl.

Last year, Tulsa fell at home to the Temple Owls in the season finale, but on Homecoming the Hurricane handed the Cougars a 45-17 loss. Tulsa took the No. 23-ranked USF Bulls down to the wire before falling 27-20 in Tampa, Fla.

The Houston game has already been declared as being televised on ESPN.

"The American Athletic Conference, from top to bottom, is probably one of the more competitive conferences in the nation. You look at what our teams did last year conference wide, winning three of four bowl games against the other power leagues," said Montgomery. "It shows the amount of talent and the way our coaches have developed talent in our league, so every game is tough."

After that three-game stretch, Tulsa jumps out of conference action for a trip across the Oklahoma-Arkansas border in Fayetteville, Ark., to face the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, Oct. 20. It will be the 73^rd meeting between the two schools, but the first game in the series since 2012, when the Razorbacks held on for a 19-15 victory.

Tulsa returns home for a two-game American Athletic Conference home-stand, first against the Tulane Green Wave on Saturday, Oct. 27, and the UConn Huskies on Homecoming Weekend, Saturday, Nov. 3. This marks the first time in five years as a member of the American Athletic Conference that Tulsa will play back-to-back conference home games.

Tulsa holds an 11-3 overall series record against the Green Wave and will be looking to avenge a six-point loss in the first-ever meeting a year ago against the Huskies.

Another two-game AAC road swing faces the Hurricane as the Memphis Tigers and Navy Midshipmen await. On Nov. 10, Tulsa faces a Memphis team that posted a 10-3 record, won the West Division of the American Athletic Conference and dropped a one-point game against Iowa State in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. In the last Tulsa-Memphis meeting at Liberty Bowl Stadium, the Hurricane claimed a 59-30 win in 2016, but last year the Tigers were victorious in T-Town.

Tulsa and Navy square-off on Saturday, Nov. 17, in Annapolis, Md. The Midshipmen compiled a 7-6 record a year ago, including a 49-7 victory over Virginia in the Military Bowl. The last time the two teams played at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium, the game went down to the wire in 2016 as the Midshipmen claimed a 42-40 win.

Tulsa closes out the season at H.A. Chapman Stadium against the SMU Mustangs on Saturday, Nov. 24. SMU is coming off of a 7-6 record and an appearance in the DXL Frisco Bowl. The Hurricane has won the last three times that the two teams have played in Tulsa.

2018 Tulsa Football Schedule
Date                           Opponent                                 2017 Record/Bowl
Sept.     1                     CENTRAL ARKANSAS           10-2, FCS Playoffs
Sept.    8                     at Texas 7-6, Texas Bowl
Sept.    15                   ARKANSAS STATE                  7-5, Camellia Bowl
Sept.     20 (Thurs.)      at Temple*                               7-6, Bad Boys Mowers Gasparilla Bowl
Oct.      4 (Thurs.)        at Houston* (ESPN)                7-5, Hawaii Bowl
Oct.      12 (Fri.)          USF*                                         10-2, Birmingham Bowl
Oct.      20                   at Arkansas                              4-8
Oct.      27                   TULANE*                                 5-7
Nov.    3                     UCONN* (Homecoming)           3-9
Nov.     10                   at Memphis*                             10-3, AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Nov.    17                   at Navy*                                    7-6, Military Bowl
Nov.    24                   SMU* 7-6, DXL Frisco Bowl

*The Tulsa at Temple game on Thursday, Sept. 20 could possibly change to Saturday, Sept. 22.

Tulsa Announces 2018 Football Schedule

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