Tulsa Heads East for Road Test with Arkansas State

GAME 2: TULSA (1-0, 0-0 American) at Arkansas State (1-0, 0-0 SBC)
Date/Time:	Saturday, September 7, 6:00 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Jonesboro, Arkansas
Stadium:	Centennial Bank Stadium (30,382)
Coaches:	TULSA – Kevin Wilson (North Carolina '84), 2nd year ARKANSAS STATE – Butch Jones (Ferris State '90), 4th year
TV:	ESPN+
Talent:	Roger Twibell (pxp), Pete Cordelli (analyst), Darrell Greene (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:	7th Meeting - Series tied 3-3
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| Arkansas State \| American Athletic Conference

JONESBORO, Ark. –– The Tulsa Golden Hurricane traveled to the Natural State for Saturday's matchup with the Arkansas State Red Wolves inside 30,382-seat Centennial Bank Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. (CT.)

Both teams are coming off first week victories. The Golden Hurricane rolled over Northwestern State 62-28 in a Thursday night home opener. Arkansas State scored a touchdown with six seconds left to win 34-31 and spoil a furious fourth quarter comeback from Central Arkansas.

Saturday marks the seventh matchup all-time between the schools with the series tied at three wins apiece. The Hurricane is winless in its only two attempts in Jonesboro, but Arkansas State has not hosted Tulsa since 2002. The first meeting between the schools was in 1978, a 21-20 TU win. The Hurricane and Red Wolves last met in 2021, with Tulsa winning 41-34.

Arkansas State has seen improvement every season under fifth-year head coach Butch Jones. The Red Wolves jumped went from three wins in 2022 to six in 2023, doubling their win total and making the team's first bowl game since 2019. With the week one win, Arkansas State looks to continue its year-by-year upward trend.

Sophomore quarterback Jaylen Raynor will be a key cog for the Red Wolves offense. He finished week one 24-47 for 317 yards, a touchdown and one interception, hitting career highs in attempts and completions. He also did some work on the ground, carrying it 15 times for 72 yards and a touchdown.

Raynor found nine different targets on Saturday. Corey Rucker was his favorite, pulling down nine receptions for 179 yards and a touchdown. Courtney Jackson had five for 69 yards and the others combined for 69 yards.

Ja'Quez Cross and Zak Wallace were the primary backs last weekend. They combined for 92 yards and Wallace scored a pair of touchdowns.

Last Thursday, the Golden Hurricane limited the Northwestern State offense to 226 yards and will have a stiffer challenge in Arkansas State. The Tulsa defense had 12 tackles for loss totaling -50 yards against the Demons, including a pair of sacks.

Justin Lohrenz had a solo sack, part of his four tackles on the evening. Tai Newhouse and Myles Jackson also combined to bring the quarterback down late in the first quarter. Newhouse and Jackson both ended up with two tackles in the win.

Owen Ostroski was his disruptive self, getting three stops and tallying two TFL for -7 yards. Graduate transfers Zach Marcheselli and Gavin Potter led the team with five tackles apiece. They also combined for four tackles for loss totaling -9 in yards.

Chris Thompson Jr. got in on the action with four tackles. In all, 24 different Tulsa players had a tackle, 14 putting in multi-tackle games.

Tulsa's offense put up a balanced attack, amassing 622 yards of total offense, 299 through the air and 323 on the ground. Redshirt freshman quarterback Kirk Francis was responsible for all the yards through the air, completing 23 of his 30 passes (76.7 percent) and tossing four touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore Cardell Williams and graduate transfer Cooper Legas each took snaps in the win, but neither threw a pass. Williams rushed for 35 yards with a 22-yard touchdown, while Legas picked up nine on the ground.

Receivers Zion Steptoe and Kamdyn Benjamin were Tulsa's top two through the air, recording 88 and 65 yards, respectively. Benjamin added a touchdown on Tulsa's second drive of the season. Braylin Presley had five receptions for 41 yards. Jeremiah Ballard scored a touchdown and had 34 yards receiving before an injury cut his game and season short. Tight end Connor Vaughn had touchdowns on back-to-back possessions to help TU pull away at the end of the opening half.

On the ground, 10 different Hurricane carried the ball and helped Tulsa put up more than 300 yards rushing. Freshman Lloyd Avant led all carriers with 64 yards on 11 rushes. Bill Jackson and Cam Crooks combined for 100 yards. Anthony Watkins had five carries for 40 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown.

Special teams had some magic in week one as well. Benjamin took a punt 66 yards for a touchdown, the first punt return for six since 2012 for the Hurricane. Later in the fourth, Avant got in on the action with a 100-yard kickoff return for a TD.

Tulsa's offense will look to have another strong outing against a Red Wolves defense that allowed 235 yards on the ground and 197 through the air against Central Arkansas. However, Arkansas State is a veteran defense with five returning starters and 22 letterwinners who have combined for more than 433 career games. Dontay Joyner led ASU with eight stops against the Bears, while Charles Willekes had seven. Jayden Jones had a solo sack for -12 yards, and Ian Jeffries and Marvin Ham combined for the Red Wolves' other sack on the evening.

The forecast appears to be sunny skies tomorrow in Jonesboro with temperatures in the low 70s at kickoff.

The game will air on ESPN+, and fans can also tune in on the Golden Hurricane Radio Network and Varsity Network app.

Tulsa Heads East for Road Test with Arkansas State

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Players Mentioned

Lloyd Avant

Jeremiah Ballard

Kamdyn Benjamin

Cam Crooks

Kirk Francis

Bill Jackson

Myles Jackson

Cooper Legas

Justin Lohrenz

Zach Marcheselli

Tai Newhouse

Owen Ostroski

Gavin Potter

Braylin Presley

Zion Steptoe

Chris Thompson Jr.

Connor Vaughn

Anthony Watkins

Cardell Williams