Saturday, October 29
H.A. Chapman Stadium
2:30 PM
Tulsa
vs
SMU
Photo by: Brett Rojo
GAME PREVIEW: TULSA HOSTS SMU TODAY ON HOMECOMING
10/28/2022 1:43:00 PM | Football
SATURDAY AFTERNOON GAME MATCHES HURRICANE AND MUSTANGS
| GAME 8: TULSA (3-4, 1-2 American) vs. SMU (3-4, 1-2 American) | |
|---|---|
| Date/Time: | Saturday, Oct. 29, 62:30 pm (CT) |
| Site: | Tulsa, Okla. |
| Stadium: | Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium (30,000) |
| Coaches: | TULSA – Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State '95), 8th year SMU – Rhett Lashlee (Arkansas '06), 1st year |
| TV: | ESPN+ |
| Talent: | Richard Cross (pxp), Taylor McHargue (analyst) |
| Tickets: | Click HERE |
| Radio: | Big Country 99.5 FM or Online |
| Talent: | Bruce Howard (pxp), Rick Couri (analyst), Jeremie Poplin (sideline) |
| Live Stats: | Live Stats |
| Series: | SMU leads 15-13 |
| Game Notes: | Tulsa | SMU | American Athletic Conference I Digital Program |
TULSA, Okla. –– Tulsa returns to H.A. Chapman Stadium for Homecoming Weekend as the Golden Hurricane hosts the SMU Mustangs on Saturday in a 2:30 p.m. game.
Both teams come into the contest with identical 3-4 overall records and 1-2 league marks. Tulsa is coming off a 27-16 road win over Temple last Friday, while the Mustangs rallied from a 15-point deficit before suffering a two-point loss, 29-27, to Cincinnati.
This will be the 29th meeting between Tulsa and SMU on the gridiron as the Mustangs lead the overall series 15-13, but the Hurricane has a 6-2 record since becoming an American Athletic Conference member in 2014
SMU comes into the contests ranked first in The American for passing offense with 327.1 per game, while Tulsa's defense leads the AAC in pass defense, allowing only 164.7 yards.
The game also features two of the nation's top receivers – Tulsa's Keylon Stokes and SMU's Rashee Rice. They have identical numbers with 802 yards and 4 TDs, and rank tied for second nationally for receiving yards per game (114.6) and fourth for total receiving yards.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Let's look at the storylines …
MORE ON THE SERIES
In the 28 games between the two teams, the average margin of victory has been 9.03 points with 17 games decided by one score or less. Only nine points have separated the two teams through the series history, as SMU has scored 746 points for a 26.6 average and Tulsa 737 points for a 26.3 average.
The last six games have been decided by less than a touchdown. A 6-point SMU overtime win in 2019 has been the biggest point differential in that time span. SMU's other win in that time frame was by four points, while Tulsa's wins have been by four points once and three wins by three points. The Hurricane has won the last two meetings, including a 34-31 road win last year and a 28-24 home win in the 2020 season.
ON HOMECOMING
This is Homecoming Weekend for the Golden Hurricane and is the fourth time that SMU has been Tulsa's Homecoming opponent. Tulsa has hosted SMU three times before on Homecoming. Tulsa has a 2-1 record on Homecoming against SMU, winning in 2003 (35-16) and 2011 (38-7) and losing in 2009 (27-13).
Tulsa has an overall 54-39-3 record on Homecoming since the first Homecoming game was played in 1926 with Tulsa defeating Arkansas 14-7. The Hurricane won last year's Homecoming game against Memphis 35-29.
AAC'S TOP PASSING GAME vs. AAC'S TOP PASS DEFENSE
The American Athletic Conference's top-ranked passing offense faces the league's top defense against the pass in this contest. SMU has thrown for a league-high 327.1 yards per game, while Tulsa's defense has allowed just 164.7 yards through the air. The Mustangs' top passing performance was a 426-yard game against North Texas in the season opener. The Hurricane has held its last five opponents to under 200 passing yards.
THE COACHES
SMU's Rhett Lashlee is in his first season as the SMU head coach after the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Miami (Fla.). He spent the 2018 and '19 seasons at SMU as the Mustangs' offensive coordinator. Lashlee also coached at Arkansas State and Auburn under a former Tulsa offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.
Tulsa's Philip Montgomery is in his eighth year guiding the Hurricane program, his first head coaching position. He has led Tulsa to the second-most bowl games in school history with four and the first Tulsa coach to defeat two top-20 teams in the same season and the first coach to have two No. 1 NFL Draft selections, and that came in back-to-back years (2021, 2022).
TWO OF THE NATION'S BEST
Two of the nation's top receivers – Tulsa's Keylon Stokes and SMU's Rashee Rice –take center stage Saturday afternoon. The two players have identical numbers with 802 yards and 4 TDs. They rank tied for second nationally for receiving yards per game (114.6) and fourth for total receiving yards (802).
A week ago, Stokes' 37 receiving yards, although a season low, was still enough for him to unseat a 57-year old record set by Howard Twilley as Tulsa's all-time receiving leader. Twilley's record of 3,343 yards had stood as Tulsa's record since 1965. Stokes now has 3,352 career receiving yards with five games remaining in the regular season.
RUN GAME NEEDS ANOTHER SOLID PERFORMANCE
The Tulsa running game will need another performance like last week at Temple to helps its passing game.
The Hurricane offensive line will be tested from an SMU defense that has totaled 40 tackles for loss, 15 sacks and 14 QB hurries. Tulsa's offense has allowed 49 TFL and 30 sacks on the year. The Hurricane will need to have a balanced attack to help offset Temple's pressure and protect quarterback Davis Brin.
Tulsa's run game last week accounted for 299 of Tulsa's 454 total yards, as Deneric Prince had the 8th most rushing yards in school history with a career-best 231-yard rushing performance. Prince was named the Early Campbell Tyler Rose Award National Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
THE COMPARISON
Statistically, it's the passing games for both teams that have been most impressive this season. Tulsa gains 439.4 yards of total offense, passes for 303, rushes for 136 and scores 32.1 points. SMU totals 457.3 yards and 34.3 points, while passing for 327 yards and rushing for 130.
For the defenses, Tulsa is one of the best against the pass, ranked seventh in the FBS allowing 164 yards per game, but gives up 217 yards on the ground. The Mustangs allow 219 yards through the air and 204.7 rushing yards.
UP NEXT FOR TULSA
Tulsa will be back at H.A. Chapman Stadium next Saturday to play host to the No. 23rd-ranked Tulane Green Wave. The game will kick off at 11 a.m. on ESPNU.
Players Mentioned
Quarterback
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Running Back
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Wide Receiver
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