Tulsa Returns Home to Battle Tulane

Saturday, September 27

Tulsa, Okla.

3 p.m.

Tulsa

Tulane

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Photo by: Joshua Rogers

Tulsa Returns Home to Battle Tulane

9/25/2025 4:45:00 PM | Football

GAME 5: TULSA (2-2, 0-1 American) vs. TULANE (3-1, 0-0 American)
Date/Time:	Saturday, September 27, 3:00 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Tulsa, Okla.
Stadium:	H.A. Chapman Stadium (30,000)
Coaches:	TULSA – Tre Lamb (Tennessee Tech '12), 1st year TULANE – Jon Sumrall (Kentucky '05), 2nd year
TV:	ESPNU
Talent:	Chuckie Kempf (pxp), Darius Walker (analyst)
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM or Online
Talent:	Bruce Howard (pxp), Rick Couri (analyst), Jeremie Poplin (sideline)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	20th Meeting (Tulsa leads series, 13-6-0)
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| Tulane \| American Conference \| Digital Program

NEXT UP
• Tulsa returns to H.A. Chapman Stadium on Saturday for American Conference play, hosting the Tulane Green Wave.
• This marks the 20th all-time meeting between the two programs. The series began in 1968 but went dormant until 2005.
• Tulane has won the last two matchups. The teams did not meet in 2024, snapping a streak of annual meetings since 2005.
• Tulsa owns a 7-2 record against Tulane at H.A. Chapman Stadium.
• TU's last win came on Nov. 13, 2021, a 20-13 overtime victory in Tulsa.
• Three of the last four matchups have been decided by seven points or fewer, including the most recent meeting on Nov. 11, 2023, when Tulsa fell 24-22 to No. 20 Tulane.

LAST TIME
• Tulsa defeated Oklahoma State, 19-12, last Friday night, marking its first win over the Cowboys since 1998.
• It was TU's first victory in Stillwater since Nov. 3, 1951.
• The Golden Hurricane led 16-3 at halftime, their first halftime lead over OSU since 2020.
• In the first quarter, Braylin Presley caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Baylor Hayes — the first touchdown reception of his career.
• Zion Booker recorded five or more receptions for the fourth straight game, finishing with six catches for 59 yards.
• Dominic Richardson set a career high with 31 rushing attempts, totaling 146 yards — his season best.

Nation's No. 2 Tackler
• Ray Coney has anchored the Tulsa defense through the first four weeks of the season. He leads the American Conference in tackles with 49 total tackles. His 49 total tackles are the most by any player in the nation.
• Coney's 12.3 tackles per game lead the AAC and rank second in the NCAA, behind only Colorado State's Owen Long (12.7). He is the only American Conference player ranked among the nation's top 10. The top five tacklers per game in the nation can be found here:

Rank	Name	School	Tackles Per Game
1.	Owen Long	Coloardo State	12.7
2.	Ray Coney	Tulsa	12.3
	Isaiah Chisom	UCLA	12.3
4.	JonJon Vaughns	UCLA	11.7
5.	Chris Jones	Southern Miss	11.5

• Coney has logged two 14-tackle performances this season (vs. Abilene Christian, vs. Navy) and added 13 tackles at Oklahoma State and eight at New Mexico State. He has led TU in tackles in every game this year.
• 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 become the first Hurricane defender with three straight 10+ tackle games since 2023.
• Added his first sack of the season (seventh career) at Oklahoma State, becoming the fourth different TU player to record a sack in 2025.
• Beyond tackles, Coney has contributed 3.0 TFL, a QB hurry, and a pass breakup.
• Ray Coney's career-high for tackles in a season came in 2024 at ETSU, when he recorded 97 stops.
• The last Tulsa defender to reach 100 tackles in a season was Kendarin Ray, who tallied 131 tackles in 2023.
• In 2024, Gavin Potter led TU with 75 tackles, followed by Dayne Hodge with 60.
• Coney entered the year with high expectations, earning preseason honors:
                • 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).

TARGET BOOKER
• Zion Booker has emerged as Tulsa's go-to receiver, recording 5+ receptions in all four games this season (nine career games with 5+ catches).
• Leads TU with 29 receptions for 273 yards and 1 TD in 2025.
• Ranks 2nd in the American Conference and 9th nationally with 7.3 receptions per game, while averaging 68.3 yards per game (7th in American).
• Logged a team-high 6 catches for 59 yards at Oklahoma State.
• In his AAC debut vs. Navy, posted 8 catches for 90 yards, both team highs.
• Recorded a career-best 9 receptions at New Mexico State, the first TU player with 9+ grabs in a game since 2022 (Keylon Stokes & Malachai Jones). The last TU player with more than nine was Stokes (11 at Wyoming, 2022).

RICHARDSON POWERS TULSA BACKFIELD
• Dominic Richardson has established himself as TU's lead back, averaging 21.0 carries and 110.5 yards per game through the first four weeks.
• His 5.3 yards per carry in 2025 is the best mark of his career.
• Has rushed for 442 yards this season, already surpassing TU's 2024 team leader (402 yards for the full season).
• Richardson ranks 2nd in the American and 8th nationally in rushing yards with 442.
• Logged a career-high 31 carries for 146 yards in the win at Oklahoma State – the most carries by a TU back since 2019 (Shamari Brooks, 36 vs. Memphis).
• He has two 100+ yard games this season (146 at OSU, 142 vs. ACU), the first TU RB with multiple 100-yard games in a season since 2023 (Anthony Watkins) and the first TU RB with two 140+ yard games in a season since 2022 (Deneric Prince).
• Richardson had a career-long 57-yard TD run came against ACU.
• In 49 career games, Richardson has 2,209 rushing yards on 512 carries (4.3 avg.), one of 20 active FBS players with 2,200+ career yards.

BURNETT PILING UP THE PRESSURE
• J'Dan Burnett has tallied 5.0 sacks through four games, already surpassing the season-high of any TU defender in 2024.
• Ranks 4th nationally and 2nd in the AAC with 1.25 sacks per game.
• Has recorded at least one sack in all four games this season, including one vs. Oklahoma State and TU's lone sack against Navy.
• Entered 2025 with just 5.0 career sacks; has matched that total in his first four games this season.
• Since 2012, only one TU player has reached double-digit sacks in a season (Jared St. John, 11.5 in 2012).
• Beyond sacks, Burnett leads TU with 7.0 tackles for loss, already a career high.

DRIVES OF 9+ PLAYS
• Under head coach Tre Lamb, Tulsa has recorded eight scoring drives of 9+ plays this season.
• Four of those came in the win at Oklahoma State last Friday.
• TU's longest possession in terms of plays: a 16-play, 67-yard drive in 6:22, capped by a field goal.
• Tulsa also produced a 15-play, 60-yard drive (5:51) for another FG vs. OSU.
• Against Abilene Christian, TU engineered a 14-play, 97-yard TD drive, the longest scoring drive by yardage this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Seth Morgan scored 13 of TU's 19 points in the win at Oklahoma State, hitting four field goals (27, 38, 47, 47) and adding a PAT.
• On Monday, Morgan was named the American Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.
• It marks his third career AAC weekly honor — once at Memphis, and now twice at Tulsa (Sept. 23, 2024 & Sept. 15, 2025).
• Morgan converted four field goals (27, 38, 47, 47), becoming the first TU kicker with 4+ field goals in a game since Zack Long (Nov. 10, 2022 vs. Memphis).
• His two 47-yard makes tied the longest of his TU career; he also connected from 47 vs. ECU in 2024.
• Added a perfect 1-for-1 on PATs against the Cowboys.
• On kickoffs, Morgan went 6-for-6 on touchbacks, neutralizing OSU's return game.
• Season totals: 7-of-9 on field goals, perfect from 39 yards and in.
• In his first season at TU (2024), Morgan went 10-for-15 on FGs. For his career, he has made 55 field goals, including 10+ in three different seasons.

BRINGING THE PRESSURE
• Tulsa's defense has totaled 10 sacks through four games, ranking 40th nationally (2.5 per game) — already halfway to its 2024 season total.
• TU opened 2025 with five sacks vs. Abilene Christian, matching its single-game high from all of 2024 and the most by any American Conference team in Week 1.
• Added two more sacks at New Mexico State, recorded by J'Dan Burnett, Byron Turner Jr., and Nahki Johnson.
• Byron Turner Jr. recorded three sacks in the season opener, the first TU player with 3.0 sacks in a game since Ben Kopenski (Nov. 18, 2023), and just the second since 2008 to post three in a season opener (Zaven Collins).
• Burnett added two sacks vs. ACU, helping form one of the AAC's top pass-rushing tandems.

BALL HAWK GREEN
• Elijah Green has been a ball hawk for the Golden Hurricane, recording takeaways in three of the four games this season.
• He opened with an interception vs. Abilene Christian, then added a fumble recovery at New Mexico State, before a career night against Navy with two first-quarter interceptions — his first multi-pick game.
• Green's three interceptions lead the American Conference and are the second most in the nation; he's one of just seven players nationally with three or more INTs.
• He set a career-high with 7 tackles at New Mexico State (previous best: 5 vs. North Texas, 2024), also forcing a fumble and breaking up a pass.
• Through three games, Green has tallied 13 tackles, 3 interceptions, 2 PBUs, and a fumble recovery, showcasing his all-around defensive impact.

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.