Saturday, October 4
Memphis, Tenn.
7:00 p.m.
Tulsa
at
Memphis
Photo by: Brett Rojo
Golden Hurricane Set for Road Test at Memphis
10/2/2025 10:33:00 AM | Football
| GAME 6: TULSA (2-3, 0-2 American) at MEMPHIS (5-0, 1-0 American) | |
|---|---|
| Date/Time: | Saturday, October 4, 7:00 p.m. (CT) |
| Site: | Memphis, Tenn. |
| Stadium: | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (58,325) |
| Coaches: | TULSA – Tre Lamb (Tennessee Tech '12), 1st year MEMPHIS – Ryan Silverfield (Hampden-Sydney '03), 7thyear |
| TV: | ESPNU |
| Talent: | Jay Alter (pxp), Rocky Boiman (analyst) |
| Radio: | Big Country 99.5 FM or Online |
| Talent: | Bruce Howard (pxp), Rick Couri (analyst), Jeremie Poplin (sideline) |
| Live Stats: | Live Stats |
| Series: | 33rd Meeting (Memphis leads series, 20-12-0) |
| Game Notes: | Tulsa | Memphis | American Conference |
NEXT UP
• Tulsa travels to Memphis, Tennessee to face the Tigers in what will be the 33rd all-time meeting between the programs.
• TU holds a 5-9 record in Memphis, with its last road win in the series coming in 2016 (59-30).
• The Golden Hurricane's last victory over Memphis came in 2021 at H.A. Chapman Stadium, a 35-29 win.
• The teams last met in Memphis during the 2022 season.
• This will be the first road American Conference contest for Tulsa.
LAST TIME
• Tulsa hosted Tulane last Saturday, falling 31-14 to the Green Wave.
• The Golden Hurricane opened the game with a 75-yard touchdown drive in 2:14, marking the third straight game TU scored a touchdown on its first possession.
• TU also produced a 93-yard scoring drive in the second half, its third drive of 90+ yards this season and the second longest (previous: 97 and 92 yards vs. Abilene Christian).
• Baylor Hayes connected with Grayson Tempest for a 51-yard trick-play completion, the longest reception of Tempest's career.
• Later, Hayes found Brody Foley for a 72-yard touchdown, the longest career passing play for Hayes and longest reception for Foley.
• Hayes finished with a career-high 245 passing yards, completing 18-of-36 attempts. He became the ninth freshman QB in TU history with multiple 200-yard passing games, with his 245 yards ranking 16th-most all-time among TU freshmen.
• Defensively, Elijah Green posted a career-high 10 tackles (5 solo), including one tackle for loss.
EXPLOSIVE PLAYS
• Tulsa recorded its two longest pass plays of the season last week against Tulane, both ranking among the team's top three overall plays this year.
• In the first quarter, QB Baylor Hayes connected with WR Grayson Tempest on a trick play for a 51-yard gain, marking TU's first 50+ yard pass play of 2025 and the longest reception of Tempest's career.
• In the second quarter, Hayes found TE Brody Foley for a 72-yard touchdown, the longest play of the season for the Golden Hurricane and the career-long pass/reception for both players.
• On the season, Tulsa has produced seven plays of 35+ yards — four through the air and three on the ground.
• A full list of explosive plays can be found on page 20.
BOOKER PACES GOLDEN HURRICANE RECEIVING CORPS
• Zion Booker has emerged as Tulsa's top receiving option, recording 5+ receptions in four of five games this season and in nine career games overall.
• He leads TU with 33 receptions for 283 yards and 1 TD in 2025.
• Booker ranks second in the American Conference and 13th nationally with 6.6 catches per game, while his 68.3 receiving yards per game stand 7th in the American Conference.
• He has a catch in every game as a Golden Hurricane, extending his streak to 15 straight games and 21 of 23 career games.
• He logged a team-high six receptions for 59 yards at Oklahoma State.
• In his American Conference debut vs. Navy, Booker tallied 8 catches for 90 yards, both team highs.
• Booker set a career-high with nine receptions at New Mexico State, becoming the first TU player with 9+ catches in a game since 2022 (Keylon Stokes & Malachai Jones). The last TU player with more than 9 was Stokes (11 at Wyoming, 2022).
HARDIMAN THE RUNNING BACK
• Defensive lineman Tim Hardiman made a surprise appearance in the backfield last Saturday, lining up on offense for a goal-line play.
• He recorded his first career carry, punching it in from one yard out for a touchdown.
• Hardiman's score marked Tulsa's sixth rushing touchdown of the season, with four different Golden Hurricane players now finding the end zone on the ground in 2025.
RAY CONEY ANCHORS TULSA DEFENSE
• Ray Coney has anchored the Tulsa defense through the first five weeks of the season, leading both the American Conference and the nation with 56 total tackles.
• Coney is averaging 11.2 tackles per game, the top mark in the AAC and among the top 5 nationally. He is one of only two American Conference defenders ranked in the national top 10. The top five tacklers per game in the nation can be found here:
| Rank | Name | School | Tackles Per Game |
| 1. | Owen Long | Colorado State | 13.0 |
| 2. | Quinton Urwiler | Northern Illinois | 12.5 |
| 3. | JonJon Vaughns | UCLA | 11.8 |
| 4. | Ray Coney | Tulsa | 11.2 |
| 5. | Chris Jones | Southern Miss | 10.6 |
| Red Murdock | Buffalo | 10.6 |
• He has logged two 14-tackle games (vs. Abilene Christian, vs. Navy), added 13 stops at Oklahoma State, and has led TU in tackles every game this season.
• With his 13 tackles at OSU, Coney posted back-to-back double-digit tackle games, the first TU player to do so since Kendarin Ray (2023). He'll look to be the first Hurricane defender with three straight 10+ tackle games since 2023.
• Coney also added his first sack of the year (seventh career) at Oklahoma State, becoming the fourth TU player to record a sack this season.
• Beyond tackles, he has contributed 3.0 TFL, two pass breakups, and a QB hurry.
• His career-high for tackles in a season came in 2024 at ETSU (97). The last Tulsa defender to reach 100 in a season was Kendarin Ray with 131 in 2023.
• In 2024, Gavin Potter (75) and Dayne Hodge (60) paced TU in total tackles.
• Coney entered the 2025 campaign with high expectations, earning:
• Second-team All-AAC (Phil Steele)
• Fourth-team All-AAC (Athlon Sports)
• East-West Shrine Bowl 1,000 Player Watch List (only TU player selected)
RICHARDSON POWERS TULSA BACKFIELD
• Dominic Richardson has established himself as Tulsa's lead running back, averaging 19.6 carries and 98.0 yards per game this season.
• His 5.0 yards per carry in 2025 is the second-best of his career, having averaged 5.1 yards per carry as a freshman at Oklahoma State.
• With a total of 490 rushing yards this season, he has already surpassed Tulsa's 2024 team leader, who finished the season with 402 yards. Notably, Richardson has only lost 10 yards on rushing attempts throughout the season.
• He currently ranks 2nd in the American Conference and 11th nationally in rushing yards with 490.
• Richardson logged a career-high 31 carries for 146 yards in the win against Oklahoma State, marking the most carries by a Tulsa back since 2019 when Shamari Brooks had 36 carries against Memphis.
• He has recorded two games with over 100 rushing yards this season (146 at Oklahoma State and 142 against ACU), making him the first Tulsa running back with multiple 100-yard games in a season since 2023 (Anthony Watkins) and the first to achieve two 140-yard games in a season since 2022 (Deneric Prince).
• Richardson also had a career-long 57-yard touchdown run against ACU.
• Over his 50 career games, Richardson has accumulated 2,257 rushing yards on 526 carries, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. He is one of 22 active FBS players with over 2,200 career rushing yards and currently ranks 19th among active players in rushing yards.
PLAYING BEHIND THE LINE: BURNETT'S DOMINANCE
• J'Dan Burnett has tallied 5.5 sacks through five games, already surpassing the 2024 season-high by any TU defender.
• He ranks 5th nationally and 1st in the American Conference with 1.10 sacks per game.
• Burnett has recorded at least 0.5 sack in every game this season, including one against Oklahoma State and TU's lone sack vs. Navy.
• He opened the year with two sacks in his Tulsa debut vs. Abilene Christian.
• Burnett has already set career highs in sacks (5.5) and tackles for loss (7.5).
• He entered 2025 with just 5.0 career sacks and has matched that total in the first four games this season.
• Since 2012, only one TU player has posted double-digit sacks in a season (Jared St. John, 11.5 in 2012).
• Burnett leads TU in tackles for loss (7.5), putting him just 7.5 TFL shy of cracking the program's single-season top 10 (Trevis Gipson, 15.0 in 2019, currently 10th).
TEMPEST STEPS UP
• Grayson Tempest saw his first action of the season last Saturday as a receiver and made an immediate impact.
• Caught two passes for 84 yards, including a 51-yard grab on the opening drive, the second-longest pass play of the year for TU.
• Added a 33-yard reception in the fourth quarter, giving him two explosive plays in his season debut.
TOUCHDOWN FOLEY
• Tight end Brody Foley made the most of his lone reception against Tulane, turning it into a 72-yard touchdown — the longest play of the season for the Golden Hurricane and the longest reception of his career.
• Foley has proven to be a scoring threat, with three of his nine career receptions going for touchdowns, including scores on each of his first two career catches.
2025 CAPTAINS
• Head Coach Tre Lamb announced the 2025 team captains on Sunday night ahead of the season opener.
• Captain selections include one head coach's pick and four team-voted leaders (two offense, two defense).
• The 2025 team captains are:
• Kirk Francis – Quarterback
• Sevion Morrison – Running Back
• Chris Thompson Jr. – Linebacker
• Ray Coney – Linebacker
• Tai Newhouse – Defensive Line
RECRUIT LOCAL
• Coach Tre Lamb's message is simple: Recruit Local. And it shows — 23 Golden Hurricane players hail from the Tulsa area.
• Of those 23, 16 are from Tulsa, four from Owasso, and three from Bixby.
• Expanding across the state, Tulsa's roster features 31 players from Oklahoma. Key transfers returning home include JD Drew, Micah Tease, Sevion Morrison, and Dominic Richardson.
• Lamb has emphasized that keeping homegrown talent in Tulsa not only strengthens the roster but also deepens the program's connection with fans and alumni.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL FREAKS LIST
• Bruce Feldman, a prominent national college football reporter, compiles an annual list for The Athletic highlighting the most physically impressive players in the country.
• Braylin Presley earned a spot on the 2025 Freaks List, recognized as one of college football's most dynamic and explosive athletes.
• Presley made an impact last season as a returner, averaging 52 yards on three kickoff returns.
• The 5-6, 170-pound senior boasts elite measurables: 10.4 100 meters, 23 mph top speed, 1.44 10-yard split, 38-inch vertical, 4.18 shuttle, 585-pound squat, and a 315-pound power clean.
WHAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT TULSA'S FOOTBALL TRADITION
• New Year's Day Bowl Streak: Tulsa was the first school to play in five consecutive New Year's Day bowl games: Sun Bowl (1942), Sugar Bowl (1943, 1944), Orange Bowl (1945), and Oil Bowl (1946).
• Ellis Jones: An All-American guard in 1945, Jones played with one arm and was a standout on the College All-Star team vs. the Chicago Bears.
• Pro Football Hall of Fame: Four former Tulsa players are enshrined: Bob St. Clair, Jim Finks, Steve Largent, and Drew Pearson.
• Heisman Runners-Up: Jerry Rhome (1964) and Howard Twilley (1965) finished second in Heisman Trophy voting.
• Glenn Dobbs (1940–42): Considered Tulsa's greatest player, Dobbs also coached the Hurricane in the 1960s. Eighth Street near H.A. Chapman Stadium is Glenn Dobbs Drive, dedicated in 2000. A statue of Dobbs was dedicated before the 2013 spring game.
• Zaven Collins (2020): Consensus All-America linebacker who won the Chuck Bednarik and Bronko Nagurski awards as college football's top defender.
• NFL Head Coaches: Four former Tulsa players have served as NFL head coaches: Tommy Hudspeth (Detroit Lions), Sam Rutigliano (Cleveland Browns), Ray Rhodes (Philadelphia Eagles/Green Bay Packers), and Lovie Smith (Chicago Bears/Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Houston Texans).
• College Football Hall of Fame: Tulsa has three former players, two former head coaches, and two former assistant coaches inducted:
• Players: Glenn Dobbs (1940–42, 1961–68), Howard Twilley (1963–65), Jerry Rhome (1963–64)
• Head Coaches: Francis Schmidt (1919–21), John Cooper (1977–84)
• Assistant Coaches: Darrell Royal (1951), Sammy Baugh (1963)
Visit www.TulsaHurricane.com for the latest news and information on the football program. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching 'TulsaFootball' on X, Facebook and Instagram.
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