Saturday, Sept. 9, 4:00 pm (CT)/ 2:00 pm (PT)
Stadium: Husky Stadium (70,138)
TV: PAC 12 Network
Radio: Big Country 99.5 FM
TULSA 1-0, 0-0 The American
Head Coach: Kevin Wilson
(North Carolina ’84)
1st year at Tulsa
Career Record: 27-47 (7 years)
TU Record: 1-0 (1 year)
WASHINGTON 1-0, 0-0 PAC-12
Head Coach: Kalen Deboer
2nd year at Washington
Career Record: 91-11 (9 years)
UW Record: 12-2 (2 years)
THE STORYLINES . . .
• The two teams opened the 2023 season with convincing wins last week … Tulsa had a 42-7 win over Arkansas-PB on Thursday and Washington defeated Boise State 56-19 on Saturday.
• Tulsa is in its 127th season of football in 2023.
• The first year of Tulsa football, known then as Henry Kendall College, was in 1895 … Washington’s first year of football was six years earlier in 1889.
• Tulsa has the smallest FBS enrollment with of 3,777, while Washington has a student enrollment is 48,482.
THE SERIES . . .
• This is the first meeting on the gridiron between Tulsa and Washington.
• Tulsa has played four current Pac-12 members previously and has a 4-4 record in those games, but three of those teams were not league members at the time.
• Tulsa played Arizona in 1958 and 1960, Colorado in 1969 and Utah in 1943 and 2006 … Arizona became a league member in 1978, Colorado and Utah in 2011.
• Only Oregon, who joined the league in 1915, was a conference member when Tulsa and the Ducks played in the 1989 Independence Bowl … Oregon won the contest by a score of 27-24.
QUICK HITS . . .
• Tulsa amassed 500+ yards of total offense and 40+ points in the season opener vs. UAPB with 517 yards and 42 points.
• Defensively, the Hurricane held UAPB to 252 total yards, 102 on the ground and 150 passing.
• Tulsa had a 100-yard rusher (Jordan Ford) and 100-yard receiver (Marquis Shoulders) in the opener.
• Freshman redshirt QB Cardell Williams became only the third freshman in school history to throw for 3 TDs in a game, joining true freshman T.J. Rubley in 1987 (Temple) and RS-freshman Braylon Braxton last year at Houston.
• For his performance, Williams was named to the AAC weekly honor roll.
• Tulsa had 2 players with 10 stops– Ben Kopenski and Kendarin Ray– vs. UAPB.
• The 7 points Tulsa allowed vs. UAPB was the fewest for a Tulsa opponent since a 19-6 win at Navy on Dec. 5, 2020.
• Tulsa’s 35-point victory was the largest win margin since a 37-point win vs. JAX State in the third game of the 2022 season.
NEWCOMERS . . .
• A total of 20 first-year players saw action for Tulsa in the season opener.
• The number included 11 transfers and 9 true freshmen, as six of those newcomers were in the starting lineup against UAPB.
• On offense, transfer WR Braylin Presley and true freshman TE Luke McGary each started … Presley had 13 rushing yards on 3 carries, while McGary had 27 receiving yards on 2 receptions.
• Defensively, transfers DE Ben Kopenski, CB Demarco Jones, LB Julien Simon and LB Coleton Smith were in the starting lineup and combined for 17 tackles and 3 TFL for -14 yards.
BEN & OWEN CREATE HAVOC . . .
• The entire defensive unit put in a solid season-opening performance, but the duo of Ben Kopenski and Owen Ostroski caused havoc in the UAPB backfield.
• The pair combined for 16 tackles and 5.5 TFL for -29 yards, including 3.5 for-25 yards coming on QB sacks.
• Kopenski shared the team-lead with 10 tackles, and among those were 2.5 TFL for -13 yards, including 2 sacks for -12 yards … the 10 stops is the OSU transfers career-high.
• Ostroski tallied a career-best 6 tackles, as well as a career-high 3 TFL for -16 yards, including 1.5 sacks for -13 yard.
WILLIAMS STARS COMING OFF THE BENCH . . .
• Redshirt freshman QB Cardell Williams came off the bench for an injured Braylon Braxton and starred in his first career game for the Hurricane.
• Williams was sacked twice on his first collegiate possession in the 1st quarter, but in the second period he led Tulsa on four straight scoring drives.
• He finished the first half completing 9-of-9 passes for 169 yards and 3 TDs … his TD passes covered 80, 15 and 19 yards.
• For the game. Williams finished 13-of-14 for 233 yards and 3 TDs … he converted on 13 straight passes before his first incompletion.
• His 80-yard TD pass to Marquis Shoulders tied for the 10th longest pass in school history… it was the longest pass since an 88-yarder in the fourth game of the 2021 season.
RUNNING BY COMMITTEE . . .
• Five running backs had at least one carry in the 42-7 opening win over UAPB, while averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
• Leading rusher Jordan Ford had 19 carries for 110 yards, while Tulsa got 137 yards by its other 4 running backs.
• Anthony Watkins added 69 yards (7.7 avg per carry), Bill Jackson 54 (7.7 avg), Tahj Gary 12 (6.0 avg) and true freshman Cam Crooks 2 yards (2.0 avg).
GOING FOR A HUNDRED . . .
• In the season opener, Tulsa had a 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver, as it was the first in each of their careers.
• RB Jordan Ford rushed for a career-high 110 yards and one TD … it bettered his previous career-best of 7 yards against SMU in 2022.
• WR Marquis Shoulders, who had only one previous career game with a reception, had career-highs of 5 receptions for 132 yards and 2 TDs.
BROTHERS FIND HOME IN TULSA . . .
• The Simon brothers find themselves on the field together for the first time since high school in 2018.
• Jayden Simon found his way to Tulsa last year after three seasons and eight games at Colorado.
• This year, Jayden’s younger brother, Julien, enrolled at Tulsa for the spring 2023 semester, after two years at Southern Cal.
• The brothers were each in the starting lineup for the season opener … Jayden tallied 5 tackles and 0.5 TFL for -1 yard from his defensive line position, while Julien started at linebacker and had 3 stops and 0.5 TFL for -1 yard.
• The opener was the first time the brothers were on the field together since the 2018 season at Lincoln High School in Tacoma Washington … Jayden’s last prep season was 2018, while Julien’s was 2020.
K-RAY GETS ANOTHER 10+ TACKLE GAME IN OPENER . . .
• Safety Kendarin Ray entered the 2023 season with 222 career tackles.
• After his eighth career double-digit tackle game in the season opener, Ray now has 232 career stops in 40 games and 27 starting assignments.
• He had 5 solos and 5 assists for 10 tackles against UAPB
• In his career, Ray has added 13 pass breakups, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and one interception.
• He had a career-high 13 stops and his first career pickoff for a 23-yard return against No. 19 Tulane.
• Ray’s three forced fumbles in 2022 tied for second in the AAC with an 0.25 average.
