GAME PREVIEW: TULSA HOSTS CAL DAVIS IN SEASON OPENER TONIGHT

Thursday, September 2

Tulsa, Okla.

6:30 pm

Tulsa

UC Davis

Tickets

GAME PREVIEW: TULSA HOSTS CAL DAVIS IN SEASON OPENER TONIGHT

9/2/2021 7:00:00 AM | Football

UC DAVIS BRINGS IN NO. 23 FCS NATIONAL RANKING WITH
21 RETURNING STARTERS

GAME 1: TULSA (0-0, 0-0 American) vs. CAL DAVIS (0-0, 0-0 Big Sky)
Date/Time:	Thursday, Sept. 2, 6:35 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Tulsa, Oklahoma
Stadium:	Skelly Field @ H.A. Chapman Stadium
Coaches:	TULSA – Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State '95), 7th year UC DAVIS – Dan Hawkins (UC Davis '84), 4th year
TV:	ESPN+
Talent:	Ted Emrich (pxp), Stanford Routt (analyst)
Tickets:	Buy HERE
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM or Online
Talent:	Bruce Howard (pxp), Rick Couri (analyst), Jeremie Poplin (sideline)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Virtual Program:	Game Day Program
Series:	First Meeting
First Meeting:	N/A
Last Meeting:	N/A
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| UC Davis \| American Athletic Conference
Post-Game Press Conference:	Live Post-Game Press Conference

TULSA, Okla. –– The Tulsa Golden Hurricane opens its 125^th season of football with a Thursday night game against the nation's 23^rd-ranked FCS UC Davis Aggies at H.A. Chapman Stadium.

Kickoff is at 6:35 p.m. Pre-game festivities on Chapman Commons with tailgating, beer garden, inflatable for youth and live music begin at 3:30 p.m. Game tickets can still be purchased online at TulsaHurricane.com or by calling 918.631.4688 all day Thursday. Ticket booths by the gates will open with tickets for sale at 5 p.m.

Team Entrance — Tulsa opens the 2021 campaign Thursday night at home against UC Davis.

Tulsa ended the 2020 campaign with an overall 6-3 record, 6-0 in league play and runner-up for the AAC Championship, losing to #6-ranked Cincinnati 27-24 on a last-second field goal.

UC Davis played a spring season and finished with a 3-2 record and national raking of 14^th in the country. The Aggies return an astounding 81 lettermen and 21 of 22 starters on its talented and experienced rosters.

The Hurricane defense, ranked among the FBS' top defensive units a year ago as well as the second-ranked defense in the American Athletic Conference, will have its hands full with an Aggie offense that averaged 455 yards per game and 33.2 points last season.

The Aggies offense starts with quarterback Hunter Rodrigues, who completed 65.5 percent of his passes a year ago for eight TDs and an average of 186.2 yards per game. Rodrigues has a solid contingent of receivers back in the fold and the ground attack features a two-headed monster behind the running of Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. and Lan Larison.

Gilliam averaged 103 yards per game and a 5.1 average per carry, while Larison gained 65.4 yards a game and a 5.8 average. Gilliam is the school's fourth-leading rusher of all-time with 2,534 yards, needing 1,055 yards to become the school's career leader.

UC Davis returns three all-conference players to the offensive front as well as first-team tight end McCallan Castles.

East Carolina vs TU - BRETT ROJO/For the University of Tulsa — Jaxon Player

Despite losing college football's 2020 National Defensive Player of the Year in linebacker Zaven Collins, Tulsa's defense returns eight starters to a unit that allowed just 333.6 yards per game to rank 19^th nationally.

The defensive front features a solid two deep led by tackle Jaxon Player, nose guard Tyarise Stevenson and end Anthony Goodlow returning to the starting spots in Tulsa's 3-3-5 scheme.

The trio combined for 86 tackles, 17.5 TFL for -60 yards and eight quarterback sacks for -32 yards in 2020.

Tulsa's linebacker corps lost Collins, but returns six letterwinners from last season plus the return of Yohance Burnett from injury and the arrival of Oklahoma graduate transfer Jon-Michael Terry. Second-leading tackler from 2020 returns in the likes of Justin Wright, who tallied 62 tackles, as well as Treyvon Reeves, Grant Sawyer, Robert Revels III and Dorian Hopkins.

The secondary is led by safeties Kendarin Ray and Cristian Williams. The 6'4" Ray returns as Tulsa's leading tackler from a year ago with 63 stops, while Williams returns for his seventh season after collecting 48 tackles last year.

The corner slot took the biggest hit with departures, but senior Tyon Davis and graduate transfer Travon Fuller have locked down starting spots and will be spelled by three quality guys in the likes of Tyree Carlisle, Reggie Ellis and Kenney Solomon.

UC Davis' defense held the opposition to 367.4 total yards and 23.6 points last season and returns 10 starters.

Leading tackler from 2020, Connor Airey, is the only player not returning. Linebacker Cole Hansen was active with 34 stops and 7.5 TFL for -21 yards and leads the Aggies this season. Safeties Chris Venable and Isaiah Thomas combined for 48 tackles, three pick-offs and four pass breakups between them a year ago. Big Sky first-team cornerback Jordan Perryman also returns to anchor the secondary.

The Big Sky Conference's Freshman of the Year Chubba Maae anchors the defensive front from his nose tackle position.

Davis Brin will engineer the Tulsa offense as a first-time starter, but the last time Tulsa stepped onto the turf at H.A. Chapman Stadium came against the Tulane Green Wave last year and it was Brin who led the Hurricane on a 14-point comeback victory in overtime.

Brin's "Hail Mary" pass to JC Santana as time expired tied the score at 21 following the PAT. He ended the game by completing 18-of-28 passes for 266 yards and 2 TDs, while rushing for an 18-yard touchdown.

Although starting his first game, the signal-caller has a lot of weapons to move the ball downfield. Deneric Prince returns to the backfield after gaining 475 yards, 4 TDs and a 5.4 average per carry last year. Returning to the running back lineup from a 2020 injury is Shamari Brooks. The senior is ranked fifth in school history for rushing with 2,700 career yards and 12^th for rushing TDs with 23.

The backs will be running behind a veteran offensive front that has nine players who have started games and all five starters earned all-conference accolades a year ago, including first-teamer Tyler Smith, second-team Chris Paul and honorable mention selections Dylan Couch, Gerard Wheeler and Dante Bivens.

October 3, 2020 - Orlando, FL, U.S: during 2nd half NCAA football game between the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and the UCF Knights. Tulsa defeated UCF 34-26 at the Bounce House in Orlando, Fl. Romeo T Guzman — Keylon Stokes

Brin's receiving targets include four players who each caught passes that totaled more than 350 yards. Keylon Stokes had 644 yards on 46 receptions, Josh Johnson had 38 catches for 499 yards, JC Santana 34 catches for 544 yards and Sam Crawford Jr. hauled in 28 passes for 374 yards.

If the game comes down to special teams each team appears to be equipped with enough weapons in the return game along with outstanding punters and solid place-kickers.

The game can be seen on the internet on ESPN+.