GAME PREVIEW: TULSA HOSTS #19-RANKED TULANE

THE HURRICANE AND GREEN WAVE KICK-OFF AT 11 AM AT H.A. CHAPMAN STADIUM

GAME 9: TULSA (3-5, 1-3 American) vs. #19 TULANE (7-1, 4-0 American)
Date/Time:	Saturday, Nov. 5, 11 a.m. (CT)
Site:	Tulsa, Okla.
Stadium:	Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium (30,000)
Coaches:	TULSA – Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State '95), 8th year TULANE – Willie Fritz (Pittsburg State '83), 7th year
TV:	ESPNU
Talent:	John Schrifen (pxp), Rene Ingoglia (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:	Tulsa leads 13-5
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| Tulane \| American Athletic Conference I Digital Program

TULSA, Okla. –– Tulsa is back at H.A. Chapman Stadium this Saturday for an 11 a.m. game against the nation's 19^th-ranked Tulane Green Wave.

Tulane comes into the contest on a four-game winning streak, while posting an overall 7-1 record and a 4-0 mark in the American Athletic Conference. Tulsa (3-5, 1-3 AAC) leads the series 13-5, including a 7-1 home record. Each of the last two games went into overtime, as the Hurricane scored a 30-24 double overtime win at home in 2020 and a 20-13 OT win a year ago in New Orleans.

The Green Wave has the AAC's top defense and scoring defense, holding opponents to 313.6 yards and 17.3 points per game, while Tulsa's offense has totaled 434.2 yards this year to rank as the league's third-best offense.

The game will be televised on ESPNU.

Let's look at the storylines …

CLOSE GAMES
The last two games in the series have gone into overtime with the Hurricane winning both contests. In 2020, Zaven Collins 96-yard interception return in the second overtime gave Tulsa a 3024 victory. A year ago, Tulane tied the game 13-13 with 10 fourth quarter points to push the game into overtime. Tulsa scored a TD in the first OT period, then Tyon Davis' pass break-up on a 4^th-and-10 play preserved the win for the Hurricane.

TULSA FACING TOP DEFENSE
The Green Wave has the AAC's top defense and scoring defense, holding opponents to 313.6 yards and 17.3 points per game. Tulane's 17.3 scoring defense also ranks 12^th nationally. The Green Wave have only allowed one opponent, South Florida, to score more than 30 points per game, and has held four opponents to 10 points or less.

THE COACHES
Tulane's Willie Fritz is in his seventh season leading the Tulane Green Wave. Before taking over the Tulane program, Fritz had four previous head coaching positions. His first was at Blinn Junior College, where he spent four seasons, followed by Central Missouri (13 years), Sam Houston State (4) and Georgia Southern (2). Fritz has a 231-118 career record and a 38-44 mark with the Green Wave.
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).

THE PASSING GAMES
Tulsa quarterbacks have targeted 13 receivers this season with four getting most of the touches –– Keylon Stokes, JC Santana, Malachai Jones and Isaiah Epps –– totaling 2,183 of Tulsa's 2,338 total receiving yards, 93-percent of Tulsa's total. On the other side, Tulane has spread the ball around to 20 different receivers this season with a total of seven tallying more than 200 yards. Those seven receivers combine for 87-percent of Tulane's receiving yards.

TULSA RECEIVERS VS. GREEN WAVE PASS DEFENSE
Tulsa averages 292 passing yards per game to rank 20^th nationally for pass offense and will be facing a Tulane defense that ranks 19^th in the FBS against the pass, allowing only 184.6 yards per game.

THE ALL-TIME LEADER
Keylon Stokes became Tulsa's career receiving leader breaking a 57-year old record held by Howard Twilley (1963-65). Twilley's record of 3,343 yards had stood as Tulsa's record since 1965. Stokes now has 3,474 career receiving yards with four games remaining in the regular season.

THE GROUND GAMES
The Tulsa running game will face a stiff test against a stout Tulane defense. After averaging just 112.3 rushing yards in its first six games, the Tulsa run game has totaled 240.5 yards in the last two contests and will need a strong performance against the Green Wave, who has held the opposition to just 129.0 yards per game. Tulsa averages 142.0 rushing yards through the first eight games, while Tulane has managed 158 yards on the ground.

UP NEXT FOR TULSA
Tulsa goes on the road for a weeknight game against the Memphis Tigers next Thursday, Nov. 10. The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

GAME PREVIEW: TULSA HOSTS #19-RANKED TULANE

Next Event

Related Videos