Photo by: Brett Rojo
Golden Hurricane Kicks Off the Tre Lamb Era Under the Lights
8/28/2025 7:07:00 PM | Football
| GAME 1: TULSA (0-0, 0-0 American) vs. ABILENE CHRISTIAN (0-0, 0-0 UAC) | |
|---|---|
| Date/Time: | Saturday, August 30, 7:00 p.m. (CT) |
| Site: | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Stadium: | H.A. Chapman Stadium (30,000) |
| Coaches: | TULSA – Tre Lamb (Tennessee Tech '12), 1st year ABILENE CHRISTIAN – Keith Patterson (East Central '86), 5th year |
| TV: | ESPN+ |
| Talent: | James Westling (pxp), Leger Douzable (analyst) |
| 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: | 1st Meeting |
| Game Notes: | Tulsa | ACU | American Conference |
NEXT UP
• Tulsa opens the 2025 season at H.A. Chapman Stadium for the third consecutive year when Abilene Christian comes to town on Saturday.
• Ranked No. 16 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, Abilene Christian makes its first-ever trip to Tulsa after advancing to the second round of the 2024 FCS Playoffs.
• This marks the third straight season that the Golden Hurricane have opened against an FCS opponent at home. TU is 2-0 in those contests, averaging 52 points per game in the two victories.
• Saturday's matchup will be the first meeting between Tulsa and Abilene Christian in program history.
Drone Show and Reunion
We are proud to welcome back our past Conference Championship teams at the season opener on August 30. Join us at halftime for a special recognition of the 1975, 1985, and 2005 teams, in conjunction with an exciting drone show presented by QuikTrip.
NEW ERA
• The 2025 season opener signals the beginning of a new era for Tulsa Golden Hurricane football under Head Coach Tre Lamb.
• Lamb was introduced as the 35th head coach in program history on Dec. 8, 2024, after serving as the head coach at East Tennessee State.
• In his lone season at ETSU, Lamb engineered a turnaround campaign as the Buccaneers rushed for 2,330 yards — the third-best single-season mark in school history — while the defense limited opponents to just 110.5 rushing yards per game, also the third-best figure in program history.
• Prior to ETSU, Lamb spent four seasons as head coach at Gardner-Webb, where he led the Bulldogs to consecutive Big South Conference championships and FCS playoff appearances.
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.
QB1: KIRK FRANCIS
• Tulsa native Kirk Francis is set to make his second consecutive season-opening start for the Golden Hurricane.
• In 2024, Francis started seven games, including the first six of the season. He enters his third year in the program with nine career starts.
• Francis represents Coach Tre Lamb's emphasis to "Recruit Local", choosing to remain at Tulsa following the coaching transition rather than entering the transfer portal.
• He delivered a strong performance in the 2024 season opener against Northwestern State, setting a career-high with four touchdown passes while throwing for 299 yards – his highest total of the season.
• Francis' career-best passing performance came as a true freshman in 2023, when he threw for 345 yards at Tulane (Nov. 11, 2023) – his only career 300+ yard game.
• Over his career, Francis has recorded six 200-yard passing games (three in each of his first two seasons).
• His career-high for completions is 24, set during a 23-20 overtime win at Louisiana Tech in 2024. He has tallied four career games with 20+ completions.
MEET KAM MARTIN: RUNNING BACKS COACH
• Tre Lamb announced the addition of Kam Martin as associate head coach and running backs coach in December 2024.
• Martin spent the last two seasons at UCF, where he coached one of the nation's top rushing attacks.
• In 2024, Martin guided RJ Harvey to a record-breaking season, earning First Team All-Big 12 honors and a second straight semifinalist nod for the Doak Walker Award (nation's top RB). Harvey became the first player in UCF history to earn semifinalist recognition in consecutive years.
• Harvey led the Big 12 and ranked third nationally with 1,577 rushing yards, while his 22 rushing TDs ranked third in the country. He finished with 25 total touchdowns, setting a new UCF career record (48), surpassing Hall of Famer Kevin Smith.
• Under Martin, UCF ranked fourth nationally in rushing (228.2 ypg) and eighth in total offense (487.0 ypg) in 2024.
• In 2023, Harvey rushed for 1,416 yards (fourth-best in UCF history) and 16 touchdowns, again earning Doak Walker semifinalist honors. He ran for over 100 yards in seven of his last eight games, including a career-high 206 yards in an upset win over No. 15 Oklahoma State.
• Martin, a former Auburn running back, began his coaching career at UCF in 2021 as a recruiting/offensive assistant before returning in 2023 as RBs coach under his college head coach, Gus Malzahn.
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)
Season Tickets On Sale
Season tickets for the 2025 University of Tulsa football season are on sale now as fans can book their seats at H.A. Chapman Stadium for the first season of the Tre Lamb era. Full season packages running from $95 to $350 are available for Tulsa's six-game home schedule.
Fans can CLICK HERE or call 918-631-4688 to purchase tickets for the upcoming football season.
2025 Football Mini Plan
Mini-plan ticket packages for the 2025 Tulsa football season are officially available. This exciting three-game ticket plan includes marquee matchups against our conference opponents, Navy and Tulane, as well as a thrilling late non-conference showdown with Oregon State. Don't miss your chance to be part of the action!
Mini-plan ticket prices start at $50 for red zone, $80 for blue zone, $110 for gold zone seats and $140 for platinum seating.
Fans can purchase mini-plan tickets online by clicking here,
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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