GAME NOTES: Tulsa hosts #13 Oklahoma State in Gateway Turnpike Classic
9/11/2024 9:47:00 AM | Football
GAME #3
TULSA (1-1, 0-0 AAC) vs. #13/14 OKLAHOMA STATE (2-0, 0-0 BIG XII)
Saturday, Sept. 14, 11:00 am (CT)
Stadium: H.A. Chapman Stadium (30,000)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Big Country 99.5 FM
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TULSA 1-1, 0-0 The American
Head Coach: Kevin Wilson
(North Carolina '84)
2nd year at Tulsa
Career Record: 31-56 (8th year)
TU Record: 5-9 (2nd year)
OKLAHOMA STATE 2-0, 0-0 Big XII Conference
Head Coach: Mike Gundy
(Oklahoma State '90)
20th year at Oklahoma State
Career Record: 168-79 (20th year)
OSU Record: Same
THE STORYLINES . . .
• The Golden Hurricane was tripped up for the first time this
season in a 28-24 loss at Arkansas State last weekend.
• Oklahoma State enters the game 2-0 and ranked #13/14
nationally after overcoming a halftime deficit to beat Arkansas in
double overtime 39-31.
• This is the eighth time the Cowboys will bring a top-15
ranking into this series.
• Oklahoma State and Tulsa are separated by just 72 miles.
• Coach Kevin Wilson is familiar with the Cowboys from his days
on the Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff (2002-10), but this
is his first time to meet Oklahoma State as a head coach.
• OSU head coach Mike Gundy is 6-0 against Tulsa.
• Tulsa returns 33 letterwinners to the 2024 roster.
• Tulsa is in its 128th season of football in 2024.
THE GATEWAY FIRST BANK TURNPIKE CLASSIC . . .
• This is the 76th meeting in a series that dates back to 1914.
• Oklahoma State leads the series 43-27-5 and has won nine straight, dating back to a 35-20 Tulsa win in 1998 ... the game has been played in Tulsa only three times since then.
• The Hurricane is 22-16-2 in home games against the Cowboys
• This is the first of an eight-year scheduling agreement ... the two teams will meet annually from 2024 to 2031, rotating host sites between H.A. Chapman Stadium and Boone Pickens Stadium.
FIRST & TEN . . .
• Tulsa enters the weekend 1-1 after dropping its first road contest 28-24 at Arkansas State.
• The Golden Hurricane jumped out to a 17-7 lead at the half, but were held to a single touchdown in the second half, an Anthony Watkins two-yard rush, as the Red Wolves scored twice in the opening five minutes of the half to retake the lead.
• Redshirt freshman quarterback Kirk Francis threw for 199 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the loss and is up to 498 yards passing on the season.
• Redshirt sophomore quarterback Cardell Williams got his second rushing TD of the season with a five-yard run shortly before halftime.
• Graduate wide receiver Kamdyn Benjamin pulled in his second receiving touchdown of the season and broke the 100-yard barrier for the first time this season, recording 131 yards on six receptions
• Francis and Benjamin have connected for a touchdown in five straight games dating back to Tulane on Nov. 11 of last season.
• Lloyd Avant led the rushing attack for the second straight week with 61 yards on 14 carries ... Avant has 125 yards this season
• Anthony Watkins scored a TD in both games and has rushed for 84 yards.
• Through two games, linebacker Gavin Potter leads the Hurricane in tackling, recording 13 tackles and 3 TFL for -12 yards ... Secondary members Dayne Hodge and Keuan Parker each have 11 tackles, with Hodge notching a pick.
• Tai Newhouse and Chris Thompson Jr. each have 10 stops.
KEVIN WILSON IN SECOND YEAR LEADING THE TULSA FOOTBALL PROGRAM . . .
• Kevin Wilson (North Carolina '84) is in his second season as the Tulsa head coach.
• He was introduced as The University of Tulsa's 34th head football coach on December 6, 2022.
• With Tulsa's season opening 62-8 win over NSU, Wilson's opening day record improved to 7-1 as a head coach.
• He finished his first season with a 4-8 overall record in a year that saw Tulsa take on three top-20 ranked foes.
• Wilson's career head coaching record is 31-56.
• He spent the previous six seasons as the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Ohio State.
• In 2022, Wilson was selected as one the inaugural recipients of the GRAPHITE Award, which recognizes excellence in Offensive Play Calling Efficiency, presented by RII Sports Technology.
• His Play Calling Efficiency Rating (PCER) of 80.2% during the 2022 campaign was the highest in the Big 10 Conference and ranked in the 96th percentile among all FBS programs.
• Before his stint at Ohio State, Wilson spent six years as the Indiana head coach.
• He posted a 26-47 record at Indiana and led the Hoosiers to two straight bowl games.
• He also coached at Oklahoma, Northwestern, Miami (Ohio), North Carolina A&T, Winston Salem and his alma mater, North Carolina, as a graduate assistant.
• Wilson has been a part of 13 seasons with 10 or more victories and has coached in four national championship games, including three at Oklahoma and one with Ohio State.
BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER . . .
• For the first time in their careers, Tulsa wide receiver Braylin Presley and Oklahoma State wide receiver Brennan Presley will play on opposite sidelines against each other ... the brothers played together at Bixby High School.
• Braylin Presley started his career at Oklahoma State before transferring to Tulsa last season and is in his second season with the Golden Hurricane.
• In 14 career games at TU, Presley has 170 yards through the air and 17 receptions ... he picked up his first Tulsa touchdown in the home opener, taking a handoff 19 yards for six.
• His brother Brennan has been a key cog in a high powered OSU offense, playing in 53 games with 241 receptions, 2674 yards and 18 touchdowns ... he also has six TDs on the ground.
FRANCIS TO BENJAMIN . . .
• Last season's roadtrip to Tulane led to a breakout game for now redshirt freshman quarterback Kirk Francis and graduate Kamdyn Benjamin ... Francis finished 22-of-34 for 345 yards and a touchdown pass ... Benjamin led the team with 157 yards and two touchdowns off eight receptions.
• Including that game, Francis and Benjamin have connected through the air for a touchdown in each of the past five games, a streak extended with Francis' 39-yard toss to his favorite target in the first quarter at Arkansas State.
• In that stretch of games, the pair have connected 32 times for 585 yards and five touchdowns, breaking the 100-yard mark in three games ... Benjamin and Francis average 18.3 yards per reception together.
THE BA BOYS . . .
• Graduate transfers Gavin Potter and Zach Marcheselli earned their first Golden Hurricane starts in the season opener against Northwestern State … the two close friends played high school football together at Broken Arrow and have come back home for their final season.
• Potter played four seasons at Kansas and a year at Arkansas State, while Marcheselli spent all his previous five seasons at TCU.
• The two did not disappoint in their initial homecoming, sharing the team lead with five tackles apiece … Marcheselli had 2.5 TFL for -7 yards, while Potter had 1.5 TFL for -2 yards on top of a quarterback hurry.
• Through the first two games, Potter is tied for the team lead with 13 tackles and has 3 TFL for -12 yards ... Marcheselli has eight tackles and leads the team with 3.5 TFL for -8 yards plus a forced fumble.
RUNNING BY COMMITTEE . . .
• Five different running backs got carries in Thursday's home opener, sharing 31 carries amongst them.
• Leading rusher Lloyd Avant had 11 carries for 64 yards.
• Anthony Watkins racked up 40 yards on five carries, including a 33-yard TD run … Bill Jackson and Cam Crooks carried the ball for 53 and 47 yards, respectively, with the majority of Crooks' yards coming on a 41-yard scamper in the fourth … in addition to his special teams duties, Viron Ellison Jr. carried the ball five times for 26 yards.
• Running backs weren't the only one to help Tulsa on the ground in the win …quarterback Cardell Williams rushed for 35 yards and a touchdown, and Kirk Francis and Cooper Legas combined for 26 yards on the ground in four attempts …wide receivers Braylin Presley and Jacob Emmers each got a carry, with Emmers taking his attempt to the right for 15 yards and Presley finding the endzone with a 19-yard run early in the second half.
• Avant, Watkins and Jackson got the carries against Arkansas State, combining for 151 yards (5.03 ypc) and a Watkins touchdown ... Avant led the team with 62 yards on the ground ... Williams and Kirk Francis each had a rush from the QB position with Williams picking up his second TD of the young season.
