Thursday, Nov. 10, 6:30 pm (CT)
Stadium: Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (58,318), Memphis, Tenn.
TV: ESPN
Radio: Big Country 99.5 FM
TULSA 3-6, 1-4 The American
Head Coach: Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State ’95) 8th year at Tulsa
Career Record: 41-52 (8 years)
TU Record: same
MEMPHIS 4-5, 2-4 The American
Head Coach: Ryan Silverfield (Hampden-Sydney ’03) 3rd year at Memphis
Career Record: 18-17 (3 years)
MEM Record: same
THE STORYLINES . . .
• Tulsa is in its 126th season of football in 2022.
• Tulsa has the smallest FBS enrollment with a total enrollment of 3,705 students … Memphis’ enrollment is 20,585 students.
• Both teams are looking to snap losing streaks … Tulsa has lost two straight games, both at home … Memphis has lost four straight games, including two at home and two on the road,
THE SERIES . . .
• This is the 32nd meeting between Tulsa and Memphis.
• Memphis leads the overall series 19-12, including holding an 11-7 mark against the Hurricane in Tulsa.
• Tulsa captured a 36-29 home win last year to snap a 3-game losing streak.
• Tulsa has a 5-8 record in Memphis … the last Tulsa win in Memphis came in the 2016 season by a score of 59-30.
STOKES NO. 1 ON TULSA’S ALL-TIME RECEIVING CHART . . .
• WR Keylon Stokes entered the season ranked ninth on the school’s all-time receiving chart with 2,550 career yards.
• Stokes is now Tulsa’s all-time leading receiver with 3,514, sub-planting a record that stood for 57 years … he entered the Temple game needing 28 yards to tie Twilley and ended the game with 37 yards on four receptions for 3,352 yards.
• In nine games, Stokes has accumulated 964 yards, five TDs, a 107.1 average per game on 57 receptions this year … he has totaled six 100+ receiving games this season.
QUICK HITS . . .
• LB Jon-Michael Terry had a career-high 18 tackles against Tulane, the most for any Tulsa player this season.
• After starting the season with just one offensive lineman with a previous start, Tulsa has started the same offensive line for five straight games.
• WR JC Santana became the second career 2,000-yard receiver on the Tulsa roster this season when he surpassed that mark against SMU … he now has 2,076 yards.
• With 13 tackles last week vs. Tulane, SAF Kendarin Ray became the third player this season to reach the 200-tackle plateau in their careers … he needed nine to hit 200 and with 13, he now has 204 career stops … NKL Bryson Powers has 224 and LB Justin Wright 223.
• Freshman-RS QB Braylon Braxton made his first career start last week against the league’s top defensive unit, Tulane … he threw for 146 yards and one TD and rushed for another 32 yards.
TAKIN’ A LIKING TO LIBERTY BOWL STADIUM . . .
• In the 2000s, Tulsa has played in Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium a total of seven times and has posted a 5-2 record, including two contests in the Liberty Bowl Game.
• Tulsa won the 2005 AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Fresno State by a score of 31-24, and also defeated Iowa State 31-17 in the 2012 AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
• In regular season play, Tulsa has posted a 3-2 record against Memphis at Liberty Bowl Stadium in the 2000s, winning games in 2006 (35-14), 2010 (48-7), 2016 (59-30), while in Tulsa the series is tied 3-3 in the 2000s.
• Overall, since the first game between the two teams at Liberty Bowl Stadium in 1966, the Tigers have a 8-5 home mark against the Hurricane.
APPROACHING AAC RECORD . . .
• Tulsa’s Keylon Stokes has amassed 5,202 career all-purpose yards in 55 career games for a 94.6 average per game.
• He is third on the school’s all-time list trailing second place by 675 yards.
• However, Stokes is second on the American Athletic Conference all-purpose yards list, trailing Navy’s Malcolm Perry’s (2016-19) total of 5,320 yards by 118 yards.
PRINCE BREAKS OUT . . .
• RB Deneric Prince had a career-best 231 rushing yards on 20 carries for an 11.6 average per attempt at Temple … it was also the 8th highest rushing game in the FBS this season.
• The 231-yard performance tied for the 10th most in school history and it marked the 26th time Tulsa had a player surpass 200 rushing yards, and the 20th different runner to do so.
• For his performance, Prince was named the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose National Offensive Player of the Week.
• It was Tulsa’s first 200-yard rushing game since 2019 when Shamari Brooks had 202 yards on 16 carries in the season finale at East Carolina.
• Including the breakout game, Prince has averaged 124.0 yards per game and 7.0 yards per carry in games against Temple, SMU and #19 Tulane.
• Prince has 438 yards and 3 TDs in just 5 games this season for a 87.6 average per game.
• Prince has four 100+ rushing games in his career … the 231-yard game bettered his previous career-high of 151 yards vs. UC Davis in the 2021 season opener.
STOKES AMONG NATION’S TOP RECEIVERS . . .
• Keylon Stokes ranks third in the nation for receiving yards at 964 yards behind SMU’s Rashee Rice (1,068) and Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt (970)
• His 107.1-yad average per game ranks fourth in the FBS, trailing Rice (118.7), Hyatt (107.8) and Washington’s Rome Odunze (107.2)
• Stokes also ranks 19th for receptions per game (6.3) and 33rd for all-purpose yards (116.2).
• Stokes was added to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List on Oct. 5.
• In American Athletic Conference history, Stokes is the just the fifth player to reach 3,000 career receiving yards.
• Stokes currently ranks fourth overall and needs 76 yards to tie Memphis’ Anthony Miller (2105-17) for third place … he is 435 yards shy of tying the AAC career leader James Proche (2016-19) who totaled 3,949 yards at SMU.
BRAXTON FILLS IN . . .
• Redshirt freshman QB Braylon Braxton made his first career start for an injured Davis Brin last week against No. 19-ranked Tulane.
• Braxton completed 13-of-25 passes for 146 yards and one TD, covering 28 yards while also rushing for 32 yards on 13 carries against Tulane.
• Braxton was forced into duty twice before when Davis Brin left games with an injury.
• The first came against #13 Ole Miss at the 5:01 mark of the 2nd quarter. … Braxton completed 9 passes for 83 yards and a 17-yard TD on 4th-and-7 to make the score 35-27 in the 4th quarter … he also gained 39 yards on 4 carries.
• The next came in the SMU game on the last series of the 3rd quarter and the entire 4th quarter … Braxton ran for one TD earlier in the game in a wildcat package and threw for 2 TDs in the 4th quarter, finish 8-of-14 for 120 yards … his TD strikes covered 50 and 9 yards.
• Braxton’s previous most extensive playing time came in the third game of the season against JAX State.
• On the year, Braxton has completed 35 passes for 387 yards and 5 TDs, while rushing for 88 yards and 2 touchdowns.
