Photo by: BRETT ROJO, For the University o
GAME NOTES: Tulsa Hosts Charlotte
10/30/2023 7:00:00 PM | Football
TULSA HOSTS FIRST-YEAR AAC MEMBER CHARLOTTE ON HOMECOMING
GAME #9
TULSA (3-5, 1-3 AAC) vs. CHARLOTTE (2-6, 1-3 AAC)
Saturday, Nov. 4 • 3 pm (CT)
Stadium: H.A. Chapman Stadium (30,000)
TV: ESPNU
Radio: Big Country 99.5 FM
FOR FULL GAMES NOTES PACKAGE, CLICK HERE
FOR HOMECOMING INFORMATION, CLICK HERE
TULSA 3-5, 1-3 The American
Head Coach: Kevin Wilson
(North Carolina '84)
1st year at Tulsa
Career Record: 29-52 (7 years)
TU Record: 3-5 (1 year)
CHARLOTTE 2-6, 1-3 The American
Head Coach: Biff Poggi
(Duke)
1st year at Charlotte
Career Record: 2-6 (1 year)
CHAR Record: same
THE STORYLINES . . .
• Both teams are coming into this week's game looking for its second American Athletic Conference victory of the season.
• Tulsa has lost three straight, while Charlotte is 1-7 since starting the season 1-0.
• Contrasting histories … Tulsa is in its 127th season of football, while Charlotte is in its 11th season … Charlotte's first year of
football was 2013 … Tulsa's first football season was 1895 (TU did not field a team in 1907).
• Both head coaches are in their first seasons lead their programs, but have faced each other in the past two years … Tulsa's Kevin
Wilson spent the previous nine years at Ohio State, and Poggi the last two years at Ohio State's rival, Michigan.
• Tulsa has the smallest FBS enrollment with 3,777 students while Charlotte has a student enrollment of 30,146.
THE SERIES . . .
• This is the first meeting between Tulsa and Charlotte.
TULSA ON HOMECOMING . . .
• Tulsa has posted an overall 54-40-3 record on Homecoming.
• Tulsa's first Homecoming game was in 1926 as Tulsa beat Arkansas, 14-7.
• Tulsa has won four of its last six Homecoming games but suffered a 45-34 loss last year against SMU.
• In the last 20 years, Tulsa has a 12-7 record in Homecoming games … there was no Homecoming contest in the 2020 season due to the covid pandemic.
QUICK HITTERS . . .
• Tulsa faced three FBS non-conference opponents who currently sport a combined 18-4 record, including two of the nation's top-10 teams Oklahoma and
• Tulsa has been efficient in the red zone this season, converting 24-of-27 attempts (88.9%), with 17 of those going for touchdowns.
• Three Tulsa quarterbacks have started at least one game this year due to injuries … Braylon Braxton started the opener and vs. Rice, Cardell Williams vs. #8 Washington, NIU, Temple and FAU and Roman Fuller against #19 Oklahoma.
THE HOMECOMING FESTIVITIES . . .
• Fans and Alumni can go to utulsa.edu/homecoming for more information on all Homecoming events.
• Pregame festivities will take place on Chapman Commons with music, games, inflatables, food and fun beginning at 11 a.m.
• Swae Lee takes the main stage 1:15 p.m. Saturday at Chapman Commons Live during tailgating festivities.
• The first 5,000 fans at the game receives a TU mascot pennant.
• On Friday night, the Homecoming Pep Rally and Bonfire takes place on Dietler Commons ("The U") at 7:30 p.m.… the Letterwinners Association All Sports Reception takes place from 9-11 p.m. at TU on Tap on Dietler Commons.
HURRICANE PLAYER WATCH . . .
• SAF Kendarin Ray leads the AAC with 80 tackles for a 10.0 average per game, while ranking 12th in the NCAA.
• Sophomore PK Chase Meyer leads the The American and shares the NCAA lead for field goal percentage at 100%, connecting on 9-of-9 field goals … Meyer has also converted 21-of-21 PATs.
• After missing two games with an injury, DE Owen Ostroski has had 3.5 TFL for -28 yards in his two games back … he has team-high eight TFL for -46 yards … 36% of his total tackles on the season have been tackles for loss.
• Walk-on SAF Dayne Hodge has gotten the start at safety in each of the last five games and has responded with 31 tackles, one TFL, one interception and caused one fumble … he had two stops and one INT in his first start at NIU and tallied a team-highs of nine tackles against Temple and SMU.
• JACK Ben Kopenski has 5.5 TFL for -26 yards and a team-high 4.5 sacks for -24 yards this season after transferring from Oklahoma State.
• SAF Jaise Oliver has a team-high three interceptions and five pass breakups this year … he has five pickoffs and 13 pass breakups in his career.
• Oliver record 11 stops, one TFL for -3 yards, two PBUs and one INT against FAU … nine of his tackles, the TFL, INT and PBUs came in the first half.
• True freshman TE Luke McGary has caught five passes for 65 yards with two of those going for TDs, covering 35 yards.
• In the last six games, WR Kamdyn Benjamin has totaled 281 yards and two TDs on 17 catches after having just five career receptions for 25 yards in his previous 26 games played.
• LB Julien Simon, after transferring from USC, had a career-high 10 tackles at FAU … in the last five games, Simon has 31 stops, 2.5 TFL, one PBU and one fumble recovery.
• Oklahoma State transfers Kanion Williams (SAF) and Demarco Jones (CB) each had their first career interceptions this year … Williams' interception came against UAPB in the opener and Jones' pickoff came against #19 Oklahoma.
BALANCE . . .
• Offensively, Tulsa's offense has shown balance as only 24 yards separate Tulsa's season totals for rushing (1,438) and passing (1,414) yards.
• Tulsa has averaged 179.8 yards on the ground and 176.8 yards passing.
• Of Tulsa's 21 offensive touchdowns, Tulsa has 13 passing TDs and eight TDs on the ground.
K-RAY LEADING THE WAY . . .
• Sixth-year senior safety Kendarin Ray has been the leader of the Tulsa defense this season.
• He has a team-high 80 tackles thru eight games to lead the Hurricane defense and all the American Athletic Conference defenders.
• He entered the 2023 season with 222 career tackles and now has 302 career stops in 47 games and 34 starting assignments … Ray now 34 stops shy of 10th place on Tulsa's career tackles list.
• Ray was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Northern Illinois game (Sept. 23).
• Ray had a team-high 10 tackles and came up with a game-clinching interception to lead Tulsa to a 22-14 win at NIU … he made a pivotal tackle on a 4th-and-1 play from the NIU 28-yard line that allowed Tulsa to get a key field goal, while his pickoff came at the Tulsa 21 with 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
• Ray has 5 double-digit tackle games this year and 12 for his career … he has led or shared the lead for tackles in 6 of 8 games this season.
• In the season opener, Ray had 10 stops, 5 solos and 5 assists … he totaled 11 stops against #19 Oklahoma and tallied 10 tackles at both NIU and FAU.
• In his career, Ray has added 13 pass breakups, 10 TFL for -21 yards, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and two interceptions.
OLIVER PLAYING BIG DEFENSIVELY . . .
• SAF Jaise Oliver has made a big presence in the Tulsa secondary this year.
• The fifth-year senior leads Tulsa for interceptions (3) and pass breakups (5), while ranking third for tackles with 35 stops … he has also forced one fumble.
• Oliver had a career-game with 11 stops, one TFL for -3 yards, two pass breakups and one interception at FAU.
WALKONS TO STARTERS . . .
• Three former walk-ons who earned scholarships during their careers have made strong showings in their senior years, while a current walk-on has also seen the starting rotation this year.
• Sixth-year seniors Joe Anderson and Mitchell Kulkin and fifth-year senior Kamdyn Benjamin are former walk-ons to current starters.
• Anderson and Kulkin, who play on the defensive side of the ball, redshirted in the 2018 season … Anderson has now played in 39 games with 18 career starts, while Kulkin has made 51 game appearances with four starts.
• Anderson, at tackle, has started all eight games this year and Kulkin has started the last four contests … Kulkin, at linebacker, has 24 tackles, three PBUs and two QB hurries this year, while Anderson has tallied 10 stops, one TFL and one PBU.
• Benjamin, a receiver who came to Tulsa in 2019, has played in 30 games and has started the last three contests … Benjamin has caught 20 passes for 288 yards and two TDs, after coming into the year with just three receptions for 18 yards.
• Current walk-on SAF Dayne Hodge, a third-year sophomore, has started five games this year and has tallied 34 tackles, 1.5 TFL, one interception and caused one fumble this year.
Players Mentioned
Wide Receiver
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Quarterback
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Quarterback
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Safety
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Defensive Line
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Tight End
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Place-kicker
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Safety
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Defensive Back
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