Thursday, August 29
H.A. Chapman Stadium
7 p.m. (CT)
Tulsa
1-0 , 0-0
62
vs
28
Northwestern State
0-1 , 0-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Northwestern St.
14
0
0
14
28
Tulsa
14
27
7
14
62
Photo by: Brett Rojo
Tulsa Explodes for 62 points in Season-Opening Win
8/30/2024 1:07:00 AM | Football
TULSA, Okla. — Another football season opener is in the books as the Golden Hurricane roared past Northwestern State 62-28 in front of 16,483 fans Thursday night at H.A. Chapman Stadium.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Kirk Francis earned the starting nod and did not disappoint, tossing 299 yards and four touchdowns to three receivers on 23-of-30 passing. He spread the wealth, finding 10 different receivers on the evening.
To be a really good team, and I think we got a chance to be much better, we just got off to a pretty good start," Tulsa Head Coach Kevin Wilson said. "For sure I hope those guys can see there is a lot we can clean up and we can play so much better. To me that's exciting and encouraging, too"
Kamdyn Benjamin was the favorite target, with five receptions on seven targets for 65 yards and the season's first touchdown midway through the first quarter. On Tulsa's next touch of the ball, he'd give the Hurricane its first lead with an electric 66-yard touchdown return. Zion Steptoe didn't find the endzone but pulled down five passes of his own for 88 yards in his TU debut.
Jeremiah Ballard grabbed his first TU touchdown and redshirt sophomore Connor Vaughn recorded touchdowns on consecutive drives late in the second quarter. The second of which was an athletic toe-touch while falling out of bounds in the south endzone.
Ten Tulsa rushers combined for 323 yards on the night with two surpassing 50 yards. True freshman running back Lloyd Avant led the way with 64 yards on 11 carries. Avant added a brilliant 100-yard kickoff return early in the fourth quarter and finished the night with 191 yards of total offense. Redshirt junior Bill Jackson followed in rushing with 53 yards. Running back Anthony Watkins, quarterback Cardell Williams and wide receiver Braylin Presley each found the endzone on the ground.
Similar to last season's opener, the Hurricane found itself down early, but the offense responded quickly and scored early and often. The game was tied at 14 heading into the second, but TU scored four touchdowns in the second frame to take a 41-14 lead to the lockers.
"I know the opponent we were playing is kind of starting over a little bit and coaching staff and guys have always done well, but the kids were battling hard and I would say a little bit ugly early," Wilson said. "Settled in and found some runs. Kirk played pretty well. Guys caught it pretty decently. A lot of things to clean up but a lot of good out there and it was a great first start."
Tulsa amassed a staggering 622 yards of offense on Thursday night, picking up an average of 8.8 yards per play. The defense did its part on the other side of the ball, holding NSU to 226 yards of total offense. Heading into the fourth, the Hurricane defense had allowed just 129 yards, 55 through the air and 74 on the ground.
Local products and grad transfers Gavin Potter and Zach Marcheselli each had a strong night in their first game in Tulsa uniforms. They, along with Chris Thompson Jr. led the team with five tackles each. Justin Lohrenz had the lone sack of the evening as part of his two tackles for loss. Five different Hurricane dropped an opponent for a loss with Tulsa recording 11 for -40 yards.
1st Quarter Breakdown
• Northwestern State scored on the second play of the game with a 75-yard run by RB Kennieth Lacy.
• Tulsa's first score came from a beautifully placed ball by QB Kirk Francis on a 36-yard arc to WR/PR Kamdyn Benjamin (9:40) in the right corner of the endzone.
• Benjamin gave Tulsa the 14-7 lead when he fielded a 36-yard punt from the Demons and took it 66 yards to the house with 7:34 left in the quarter.
• NSU's Cadillac Rhone blocked a Seth Morgan field goal and saw the ball returned 74 yards to the endzone by Jeremiah Keppard (1:06).
• At the end of the first quarter, the game was tied 14-14, which for Tulsa matched its two highest first quarter points totals from Coach Kevin Wilson's first season at TU last year (Temple and Charlotte). Tulsa went 1-1 in those games.
2nd Quarter Breakdown
• Tulsa shook off the rust and ran the second quarter with 27 unanswered points.
• First, WR Jeremiah Ballard hauled in a 29-yard reception from Francis (12:34) with an acrobatic catch in the endzone to move the score to 21-14.
• RB Anthony Watkins punched his name into the box score at 7:45 with a 33-yard touchdown run down the right side. Tulsa missed the subsequent extra point.
• The final Tulsa touchdowns of the first half were a pair of Kirk Francis to TE Connor Vaughn connections, both Vaughn's first career receptions.
• At the end of the first half, Tulsa led 41-14, which is the most halftime points in 13 games under Coach Kevin Wilson. The previous high was 28 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (8/31/23).
• Tulsa's 41 points were the most first half points since Tulsa opened up a 48-0 lead vs. NC A&T (9/17/16).
3rd Quarter Breakdown
• One score highlighted the third quarter, and that belonged to WR Braylin Presley who brought it in from 19 yards out on the reverse sweep (11:12) for his first career touchdown.
• Presley's touchdown Thursday night was the first in his career.
• The score was 48-14 heading into the final frame.
4th Quarter Breakdown
• Each team scored a pair of touchdowns to close out the season opener.
• At the 14:28 mark of the fourth quarter, RB/KR Lloyd Avant scored his first career touchdown on a 100-yard kickoff return.
• The last time Tulsa returned a kickoff return for a touchdown was when Anthony Watkins scored on a 97-yard return against Navy (10/29/21).
• The last Tulsa player to return a kickoff for 100 yards was Ashlan Davis against Boise State (10/16/04).
• Tulsa now has five 100-yard kickoff returns for touchdowns in school history.
• QB Cardell Williams scored his sixth career rushing touchdown on a 22-yard play with 4:30 left to play.
• RB Cam Crooks rushed for a career-best 41 yards on his first carry of the season (1:50). He previously had four carries for 13 yards.
• In his third career start and fifth career game, QB Kirk Francis finished the game with 299 yards and four touchdowns on 23 for 30 passing. Francis also finished with a 204.4 passer rating.
• Francis' 299 yards passing was the fifth best among Tulsa freshmen quarterbacks.
• Francis' four touchdown passes tied Seth Boomer (2018 vs. UCONN) for most by a freshman quarterback.
• Francis' also tied Boomer for first on the freshman touchdown responsibility chart.
• WR Zion Steptoe opened his Tulsa career as the leading receiver with 88 yards on five receptions.
• WR/PR Kamdyn Benjamin totaled 65 yards receiving with one touchdown on five receptions. Benjamin also returned four punts for 83 yards including a 66-yard touchdown.
• Head coach Kevin Wilson is now 7-1 all-time in season openers and 2-0 at Tulsa.
• Tulsa finished the game with 62 points—the most under Head Coach Kevin Wilson, the first time Tulsa has exceeded 50 points since a 54-17 victory against Jacksonville State (9/17/22) and the most points for Tulsa since a 66-42 victory against Louisiana (9/9/17).
Redshirt freshman quarterback Kirk Francis earned the starting nod and did not disappoint, tossing 299 yards and four touchdowns to three receivers on 23-of-30 passing. He spread the wealth, finding 10 different receivers on the evening.
To be a really good team, and I think we got a chance to be much better, we just got off to a pretty good start," Tulsa Head Coach Kevin Wilson said. "For sure I hope those guys can see there is a lot we can clean up and we can play so much better. To me that's exciting and encouraging, too"
Kamdyn Benjamin was the favorite target, with five receptions on seven targets for 65 yards and the season's first touchdown midway through the first quarter. On Tulsa's next touch of the ball, he'd give the Hurricane its first lead with an electric 66-yard touchdown return. Zion Steptoe didn't find the endzone but pulled down five passes of his own for 88 yards in his TU debut.
Jeremiah Ballard grabbed his first TU touchdown and redshirt sophomore Connor Vaughn recorded touchdowns on consecutive drives late in the second quarter. The second of which was an athletic toe-touch while falling out of bounds in the south endzone.
Ten Tulsa rushers combined for 323 yards on the night with two surpassing 50 yards. True freshman running back Lloyd Avant led the way with 64 yards on 11 carries. Avant added a brilliant 100-yard kickoff return early in the fourth quarter and finished the night with 191 yards of total offense. Redshirt junior Bill Jackson followed in rushing with 53 yards. Running back Anthony Watkins, quarterback Cardell Williams and wide receiver Braylin Presley each found the endzone on the ground.
Similar to last season's opener, the Hurricane found itself down early, but the offense responded quickly and scored early and often. The game was tied at 14 heading into the second, but TU scored four touchdowns in the second frame to take a 41-14 lead to the lockers.
"I know the opponent we were playing is kind of starting over a little bit and coaching staff and guys have always done well, but the kids were battling hard and I would say a little bit ugly early," Wilson said. "Settled in and found some runs. Kirk played pretty well. Guys caught it pretty decently. A lot of things to clean up but a lot of good out there and it was a great first start."
Tulsa amassed a staggering 622 yards of offense on Thursday night, picking up an average of 8.8 yards per play. The defense did its part on the other side of the ball, holding NSU to 226 yards of total offense. Heading into the fourth, the Hurricane defense had allowed just 129 yards, 55 through the air and 74 on the ground.
Local products and grad transfers Gavin Potter and Zach Marcheselli each had a strong night in their first game in Tulsa uniforms. They, along with Chris Thompson Jr. led the team with five tackles each. Justin Lohrenz had the lone sack of the evening as part of his two tackles for loss. Five different Hurricane dropped an opponent for a loss with Tulsa recording 11 for -40 yards.
1st Quarter Breakdown
• Northwestern State scored on the second play of the game with a 75-yard run by RB Kennieth Lacy.
• Tulsa's first score came from a beautifully placed ball by QB Kirk Francis on a 36-yard arc to WR/PR Kamdyn Benjamin (9:40) in the right corner of the endzone.
• Benjamin gave Tulsa the 14-7 lead when he fielded a 36-yard punt from the Demons and took it 66 yards to the house with 7:34 left in the quarter.
• NSU's Cadillac Rhone blocked a Seth Morgan field goal and saw the ball returned 74 yards to the endzone by Jeremiah Keppard (1:06).
• At the end of the first quarter, the game was tied 14-14, which for Tulsa matched its two highest first quarter points totals from Coach Kevin Wilson's first season at TU last year (Temple and Charlotte). Tulsa went 1-1 in those games.
2nd Quarter Breakdown
• Tulsa shook off the rust and ran the second quarter with 27 unanswered points.
• First, WR Jeremiah Ballard hauled in a 29-yard reception from Francis (12:34) with an acrobatic catch in the endzone to move the score to 21-14.
• RB Anthony Watkins punched his name into the box score at 7:45 with a 33-yard touchdown run down the right side. Tulsa missed the subsequent extra point.
• The final Tulsa touchdowns of the first half were a pair of Kirk Francis to TE Connor Vaughn connections, both Vaughn's first career receptions.
• At the end of the first half, Tulsa led 41-14, which is the most halftime points in 13 games under Coach Kevin Wilson. The previous high was 28 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (8/31/23).
• Tulsa's 41 points were the most first half points since Tulsa opened up a 48-0 lead vs. NC A&T (9/17/16).
3rd Quarter Breakdown
• One score highlighted the third quarter, and that belonged to WR Braylin Presley who brought it in from 19 yards out on the reverse sweep (11:12) for his first career touchdown.
• Presley's touchdown Thursday night was the first in his career.
• The score was 48-14 heading into the final frame.
4th Quarter Breakdown
• Each team scored a pair of touchdowns to close out the season opener.
• At the 14:28 mark of the fourth quarter, RB/KR Lloyd Avant scored his first career touchdown on a 100-yard kickoff return.
• The last time Tulsa returned a kickoff return for a touchdown was when Anthony Watkins scored on a 97-yard return against Navy (10/29/21).
• The last Tulsa player to return a kickoff for 100 yards was Ashlan Davis against Boise State (10/16/04).
• Tulsa now has five 100-yard kickoff returns for touchdowns in school history.
• QB Cardell Williams scored his sixth career rushing touchdown on a 22-yard play with 4:30 left to play.
• RB Cam Crooks rushed for a career-best 41 yards on his first carry of the season (1:50). He previously had four carries for 13 yards.
• In his third career start and fifth career game, QB Kirk Francis finished the game with 299 yards and four touchdowns on 23 for 30 passing. Francis also finished with a 204.4 passer rating.
• Francis' 299 yards passing was the fifth best among Tulsa freshmen quarterbacks.
• Francis' four touchdown passes tied Seth Boomer (2018 vs. UCONN) for most by a freshman quarterback.
• Francis' also tied Boomer for first on the freshman touchdown responsibility chart.
• WR Zion Steptoe opened his Tulsa career as the leading receiver with 88 yards on five receptions.
• WR/PR Kamdyn Benjamin totaled 65 yards receiving with one touchdown on five receptions. Benjamin also returned four punts for 83 yards including a 66-yard touchdown.
• Head coach Kevin Wilson is now 7-1 all-time in season openers and 2-0 at Tulsa.
• Tulsa finished the game with 62 points—the most under Head Coach Kevin Wilson, the first time Tulsa has exceeded 50 points since a 54-17 victory against Jacksonville State (9/17/22) and the most points for Tulsa since a 66-42 victory against Louisiana (9/9/17).
Team Stats
NSU
TLS
Total Yards
226
622
Pass Yards
112
299
Rushing Yards
114
323
Penalty Yards
35
45
1st Downs
12
31
3rd Downs
3
9
4th Downs
0
1
TOP
28:30
31:30
1st Quarter
NSU 7, TLS 0
NSU - Lacy,Kennieth 75 yd run (Honshtein,Reed kick), 2 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:47
NSU 7, TLS 7
TLS - Benjamin,Kamdyn 36 yd pass from Francis,Kirk (Morgan,Seth kick) 7 plays, 80 yards, TOP 02:11
NSU 7, TLS 14
TLS - Benjamin,Kamdyn 66 yd punt return (Morgan,Seth kick)
NSU 14, TLS 14
NSU - Hall,Antonio 74 yd blocked field goal return (Honshtein,Reed kick)
2nd Quarter
NSU 14, TLS 21
TLS - Ballard,Jeremiah 29 yd pass from Francis,Kirk (Morgan,Seth kick) 9 plays, 73 yards, TOP 03:03
NSU 14, TLS 27
TLS - Watkins,Anthony 33 yd run (), 2 plays, 41 yards, TOP 00:44
NSU 14, TLS 34
TLS - Vaughn,Connor 20 yd pass from Francis,Kirk (Morgan,Seth kick) 5 plays, 52 yards, TOP 02:23
NSU 14, TLS 41
TLS - Vaughn,Connor 14 yd pass from Francis,Kirk (Morgan,Seth kick) 7 plays, 65 yards, TOP 02:05
3rd Quarter
NSU 14, TLS 48
TLS - Presley,Braylin 19 yd run (Morgan,Seth kick), 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:38
4th Quarter
NSU 21, TLS 48
NSU - Kitt-Denton,Myles 12 yd pass from Hawkins,Quaterius (Honshtein,Reed kick) 2 plays, 12 yards, TOP 00:13
NSU 21, TLS 55
TLS - Avant,Lloyd 100 yd kickoff return (Morgan,Seth kick)
NSU 28, TLS 55
NSU - Newman,Chance 4 yd run (Honshtein,Reed kick), 7 plays, 76 yards, TOP 03:52
NSU 28, TLS 62
TLS - Williams,Cardell 22 yd run (Morgan,Seth kick), 10 plays, 73 yards, TOP 05:59
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
23
TD
4
YDS
299
INT
0
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
Wide Receiver
/ Football
Wide Receiver
/ Football
Quarterback
/ Football
Running Back
/ Football
Defensive Line
/ Football
LB
/ Football
PK
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LB
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Running Back
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WR
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LB
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Tight End
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Running Back
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Quarterback
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