Photo by: BRETT ROJO, For the University of Tulsa
GAME NOTES: Tulsa vs. East Carolina
11/20/2023 6:00:00 PM | Football
TULSA CLOSES OUT SEASON AT EAST CAROLINA
GAME #12
TULSA (3-8, 1-6 AAC) vs. EAST CAROLINA (2-8, 1-6 AAC)
Saturday, Nov. 25 • 1 pm (CT)/ 2 pm (ET)
Stadium: Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (50,000)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Big Country 99.5 FM
FOR FULL GAMES NOTES PACKAGE, CLICK HERE
TULSA 3-8, 1-6 The American
Head Coach: Kevin Wilson
(North Carolina '84)
1st year at Tulsa
Career Record: 29-55 (7 years)
TU Record: 3-8 (1 year)
EAST CAROLINA 2-9, 1-6 The American
Head Coach: Mike Houston
(Mars Hill '94)
5th year at East Carolina
Career Record: 104-58 (13 years)
ECU Record: 24-33 (5 years)
THE STORYLINES . . .
• Both teams will be looking for their second American Athletic Conference victory of the season.
• Tulsa is coming off a seven-point home loss vs. North Texas, while East Carolina lost 10-0 at Navy.
• This will be the fourth time in the series history that Tulsa and ECU have closed out the regular season against each other ––
1985 @ ECU, 2014 @ Tulsa and 2019 @ ECU … each team won on the others home field.
• Tulsa is in its 127th season of football … Tulsa's first football season was 1895 (TU did not field a team in 1907) … East Carolina's
first official season of football was 1932.
• Tulsa has the smallest FBS enrollment with 3,777 students, while East Carolina has a student enrollment of 28,021.
THE SERIES . . .
• This is the 17th meeting between Tulsa and East Carolina, as the series is tied 8-8.
• Tulsa has won the last three meetings including a 34-30 home win the last time these teams met in the 2020 season.
• In Tulsa's last trip to Greenville in 2019, the Hurricane picked up a 49-24 victory in what was the season finale for both teams.
• Before Tulsa's three-game win streak, the Pirates had won six straight, beginning with a 27-24 win in Tulsa in the 2008 Conference USA Championship game.
• Each team has an identical 4-4 record on the others home field.
QUICK HITTERS . . .
• Tulsa played three AP top-20 ranked teams this year – No. 8 Washington, No. 19 Oklahoma and No 20 Tulane (ranking at the time of the game).
• Tulsa faced three FBS non-conference opponents who currently sport a combined 25-8 record, including two of the nation's top-20 teams Washington (11-0) and Oklahoma (9-2), and Northern Illinois (5-6).
• The four Tulsa losses of seven points or less have come down to a late possession – in the 3-point FAU loss was driving but failed on a 4th down play … the Charlotte 7-point game went to overtime … the 2-point loss at #20 Tulane saw Tulsa score late but couldn't get possession back … in the 7-point loss to North Texas, again Tulsa scored but didn't get possession back.
• The last six-game losing streak for Tulsa came in the 2018 season.
• Tulsa has been efficient in the red zone this season, converting 35-of-39 attempts (89.7%), with 24 of those going for touchdowns.
AMONG THE NATION'S TOP-10 . . .
• Safety Kendarin Ray has tallied 116 tackles this season for a 105 average per game.
• His tackle total ranks ninth in the NCAA, while his 64 solo tackles are the sixth-best in the nation.
• Ray's 116 tackles are the most for a Tulsa player since the 2015 season when another safety, Michael Mudoh, had 135 stops.
• Ray's 100+ tackle season is the 62nd time that a Tulsa player has had over 100 tackles in a season since that stat was officially kept in 1974.
A CAREER PERFORMANCE ON SENIOR DAY . . .
• Graduate Ben Kopenski, who is in his first and only year at Tulsa after transferring from Oklahoma State, has a spectacular performance in his final game at Chapman Stadium.
• On senior day, Kopenski tallied seven tackles and among those stops he had four TFL for -21 yards, including three QB sacks for -20 yards.
• He also forced two fumbles … the first of which resulted in seven points and a 14-14 tie for Tulsa … his second came most likely prevented a 4th quarter North Texas score with UNT at the Tulsa 15-yard line.
• The two forced fumbles marked the first time since the 2018 season when Trevis Gipson caused two fumbles vs. SMU (Nov.24, 2018).
TULSA DEFENDERS AMONG TOP-10 AAC LEADERS . . .
• Safety Kendarin Ray leads the American Athletic Conference in total tackles for yet another week … the super senior has tallied 116 tackles for a 10.5 average per game.
• Graduate Ben Kopenski is third in The American for quarterback sacks with 8.5 for -46 yards, while Owen Ostroski is eighth with for -37 yards.
• Kopenski would also rank in the top-5 with 13.5 TFL for -59 yard but does not meet the 1.25 TFL per game requirement, as his total comes in a 1.23 per game.
• Senior safety Jaise Oliver ranks eighth in the AAC for interceptions (3) … his nine passes defended is 11th in the league.
WHAT A FRESHMAN PERFORMANCE . . .
• True freshman QB Kirk Francis saw his most extensive playing time at No. 20 Tulane and completed 65% of his passes (22-of-34) for 345 yards and one TD … it was just his second game appearance this season.
• Francis was named to the AAC weekly honor roll for his performance.
• His 345 yards is the second highest ever for a Tulsa freshman QB, just 41 yards behind T.J. Rubley's 386 yards at Oklahoma State in 1987.
• A week later, he received his first start and completed 17 passes for 251 yards and 3 TDs against North Texas.
WATKINS GOES FOR 100 IN TWO OF LAST THREE GAMES . . .
• RB Anthony Watkins has had two 100+ rushing games this year, both coming within the last three games … he now has four career 100+ rushing games.
• Last week, he had 115 yards and a 36-yard TD run against North Texas.
• His first 100+ rushing game this season came against the Charlotte 49ers, when he toted for a career-high 146 yards and added a one-yard touchdown run.
• Watkins' previous 100+ games came in 2021 with 115 yards on seven carries vs. Arkansas State and 105 yards on 15 carries vs. No. 2-ranked Cincinnati.
• Watkins now has 1,438 career rushing yards and eight TDs at Tulsa with a team-high this season of 783 yards and four TDs.
TWO 100-YARD RECEIVERS IN SEASON-HIGH PASSING GAME . . .
• In the Tulane game, Tulsa threw for a season-best 355 yards, bettering the previous season high that came in the opener when Tulsa threw for 257 passing yards vs. UAPB.
• Against No. 20 Tulane, Kamdyn Benjamin and Carl Chester combined for 289 of those yards, each with career-best performances.
• Benjamin had eight catches for 157 yards and a career-high two TDs … his previous high game was 61 yards vs. Oklahoma this year.
• Chester had 132 yards on five receptions, including a career-long 57-yarder … his previous high game was just 40 yards a week earlier against Charlotte on just one catch.
• It marked the second and third 100-yard receiving performances this year and the first since the season opener.
K-RAY MOVES INTO 10TH ON SCHOOL'S TACKLE LIST . . .
• Sixth-year senior safety Kendarin Ray now has 338 career tackles after his career-high 16-tackle game vs. North Texas.
• Ray has moved into 10th place on the all-time tackles chart, surpassing Don Blackmon (1976, '77-80) for that spot.
• This year, Ray has a team-high 116 tackles to lead the Hurricane defense and all the American Athletic Conference defenders.
• Ray has seven double-digit tackle games this year and 14 for his career … he has led or shared the lead for tackles in 9 of 11 games this season.
• Ray was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Northern Illinois game (Sept. 23).
• In that game, he 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.
• His other double-digit tackle games include – UAPB (10), Oklahoma (11), FAU (10), Rice (15), Tulane (11).
• In his career, Ray has added 14 pass breakups, 10 TFL for -21 yards, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and two interceptions.
Players Mentioned
Wide Receiver
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Wide Receiver
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Quarterback
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Defensive Line
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Safety
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Defensive Line
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Safety
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Running Back
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