Tulsa Hosts East Carolina 6:30 PM Thursday Night

Thursday, November 14

H.A. Chapman Stadium

6:30 p.m. (CT)

Tulsa

East Carolina

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Photo by: BRETT ROJO, For the University of Tulsa

Tulsa Hosts East Carolina 6:30 PM Thursday Night

11/13/2024 10:00:00 AM | Football

Tulsa Hosts East Carolina in Thursday Night's Nationally Televised ESPN Game

GAME 10: TULSA (3-6, 1-4 American) vs. EAST CAROLINA (5-4, 3-2 American)
Date/Time:	Thursday, November 14, 6:30 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Tulsa, Okla.
Stadium:	Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium (30,000)
Coaches:	TULSA – Kevin Wilson (North Carolina '84), 2nd year EAST CAROLINA – (Interim) Blake Harrell (Western Carolina '02), 1st year
TV:	ESPN
Talent:	Matt Berrie (pxp), Dan Mullen (analyst), Harry Lyles Jr. (sideline)
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 9-8
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| East Carolina \| American Athletic Conference I Game Program

TULSA, Okla. –– Coming off an open week, Tulsa (3-6, 1-4 AAC) will look to get back in the win column Thursday night in an ESPN televised contest, while the visiting East Carolina Pirates (5-4, 3-2 AAC) are looking to extend its winning streak to three games.

Game time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (CT) from Tulsa's H.A. Chapman Stadium.

Tulsa's last time at Chapman Stadium, Oct. 26, saw the Golden Hurricane fight back from a 28-point halftime deficit for a 46-45 victory over UTSA. ECU has posted back-to-back home wins over Temple (56-34) and last Thursday against FAU (49-14).

Fans shouldn't be surprised if this game is another barn-burner as each of the last two meetings, both wins for Tulsa, have been decided by a combined six points. The last ECU visit in Tulsa came in 2020 as the Hurricane claimed a 34-30 win, while Tulsa gained a 29-27 last second win in Greenville last year.

This meeting has even more significance for both teams. A Tulsa victory keeps their bowl hopes alive, while an East Carolina win gives the Pirates six on the season and clinches a bowl opportunity.

The ECU passing game has tallied 273 yards per game with 21 touchdowns and the run game has put up just 145 yards.

Like Tulsa, the Pirates have used two different signal-callers with Katin Houser likely to get the start against the Hurricane. In five games, Houser has completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,028 yards with 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Jake Garcia has made six game appearances and has thrown for 1,426 yards, eight TDs but has thrown 12 pickoffs.

Receivers Chase Sowell, Anthony Smith and Winston Wright Jr. can be dynamic, having combined for 1,559 yards and 14 touchdowns on 67 receptions.

Rahjai Harris has been effective in the run game with 616 yards and five TDs on the ground, running behind an offensive front led by center Dustyn Hall.

The Pirates will look to put pressure on a Tulsa pass defense that has seen opposing offenses complete 65 percent of their passes for 309 yards through nine games with 28 touchdowns.

Tulsa is led by graduate transfer linebackers Gavin Potter and Zach Marcheselli, both hailing from nearby Broken Arrow High School. The duo has combined for 89 tackles and 14.5 TFL for -39 yards in their first seasons in a Tulsa uniform. Potter has a team-high 54 stops and eight TFL for -26 yards while Marcheselli has 35 stops and 6.5 tackles for -13 yards.

The defensive front is young in the interior and relies on veteran ends Myles Jackson, Owen Ostroski and Vontroy Malone to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Ostroski has 28 tackles, Jackson 26 and Malone 23 while combining for 17 stops for -83 yards. Sophomore starting tackles Tau Newhouse and RJ Jackson Jr. have combined for 50 tackles.

Safety Dayne Hodge anchors a Tulsa secondary that has seen 12 different starters between the five positions, including three true freshmen. Hodge has tallied 51 tackles, three pass breakups and one interception to lead the group.

Fellow safety Malachai Jones, who is in his first year on defense after making the switch from receiver, has 35 stops and three pass breakups. Corners Tyree Carlisle, NuNu Campbell and Keuan Parker have combined for 73 tackles and seven pass breakups.

East Carolina's defense has held opponents under 400 yards of total offense, including 234 through the air and 159 yards on the ground. Linebackers Zayke Barker, Michael Edwards III and Gavin Gibson are among the top five tacklers on the Pirates roster.

Barker has totaled team-highs of 64 stops and 10 TFL for -23 yards, while Edwards has 45 tackles and 4.5 stops for -14 yards. Gibson has tallied 40 tackles and 4.5 TFL for -14 yards with three interceptions.

ECU's four-man front is anchored by end Chad Stephens and tackle D'Anta Johnson. Stephens has totaled 35 tackles and four TF for -21 yards, while Johnson had 28 tackles and 3.5 stops for -10 yards.

Safeties Omar Rogers and Devon King have combined for 102 tackles, while corner Isaiah Brown-Murray has a team-high six breakups.

The Hurricane offense, averaging only 3.4 points in the first quarter of the first nine games, will look to establish itself early in the game. Overall, Tulsa averages 225 yards passing with 17 touchdowns while gaining of 158 yards on the ground with eight rushing TDs.

Quarterback Cooper Legas has seen most of the snaps in each of the last two games, passing for 563 yards and seven TDs in those two contests with just one interception. In Tulsa's 28-point comeback win against UTSA, Legas took over the reins at quarterback when Kirk Francis went out with a second-quarter injury and proceeded to lead the Hurricane with 333 passing yards and a career-high five touchdowns. For his performance, Legas was named the AP National Player of the Week and the AAC Offensive Player of the Week.

Legas has thrown for 675 yards and eight TDS in eight appearances this year, while Francis has completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,249 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games with seven starts.

Graduate Kamdyn Benjamin leads all receivers with 55 receptions for 683 yards and five TDs, while a pair of true freshmen – Joseph Williams and Corey Smith – are next with 239 yards and one touchdown for Williams and 179 yards and two TDs for Smith. Sophomore Luke McGary with 122 yards on eight receptions leads Tulsa's tight ends.

Benjamin caught seven passes for 125 yards and a career-high three TDs in that UTSA win, including the final two scores in the final three minutes.

Tulsa's run game is "by committee" as four running backs have each gained 200+ yards on the season. Junior Bill Jackson leads the way with 296 yards, graduate Anthony Watkins has 281 yards and a team-high three TDs, while the freshman duo of Lloyd Avant and Viron Ellison Jr. have combined for 421 yards, including Avant with 216 and Ellison 205.

The quartet has also been effective in the pass game, combining for 44 receptions for 312 and four touchdowns.

The Hurricane offensive line, which has had five different starting lineups in nine games, will need to establish the line of scrimmage for the run game to have success, while keeping pressure off Tulsa quarterbacks.

In last year's meeting it was the special teams that played a key role, as all 12 second-half points came on field goals. Tulsa won the game on a 37-yard field goal in the final 0:01 of the contest.

The temperature for the 6:30 p.m. kickoff is expected to be in the mid-60s with clear skies.