GAME #3
TULSA (0-2, 0-0 AAC) vs. #9 OHIO STATE (1-1, 1-0 Big 10)
Saturday, Sept. 118, 2:30 pm (CT) / 3:30 pm (ET)
Stadium: Ohio Stadium (102,780), Columbus, Ohio
TV: FS1
Radio: Big Country 99.5 FM
TULSA 0-2, 0-0 The American
Head Coach: Philip Montgomery
(Tarleton State ’95)
7th year at Tulsa
Career Record: 31-42 (7 years)
TU Record: same
OHIO STATE 1-0, 0-0 Big 12
Head Coach: Ryan Day
(New Hampshire ’02)
3rd year at Ohio State
Career Record: 24-3 (3 years)
OSU Record: same
THE STORYLINES . . .
- Tulsa is in its 125th season of Tulsa football.
- Tulsa has the smallest FBS enrollment with 2,929 undergraduate students (based off 2020-21 statistics) … Tulsa’s overall enrollment is 3,961 … Ohio State’s enrollment is 57,466 students.
- Each team has one player on their roster from the home state of the other school … for Ohio State, Josh Proctor is from the Tulsa metro area – in nearby Owasso, Okla. … Tulsa graduate transfer defensive lineman Elijah Taylor played his prep football at Cincinnati Moeller HS.
THE SERIES . . .
- This is the second meeting between Tulsa and Ohio State.
- The No. 4-ranked Buckeyes won the only other meeting 48-3 on Sept. 10, 2016.
A LOOK BACK . . .
- The nation’s No.4-ranked Ohio State took advantage of four first-half Tulsa turnovers to take a 20-3 halftime lead.
- The Buckeyes went on for a 48-3 victory in front of 104,410 fans at Ohio State Saturday afternoon … the crowd was the largest to watch a Tulsa football game.
- Tulsa kept the game close, trailing 6-3 late into the first half, but two Ohio State pickoffs returned for touchdowns.
- OSU had a 26-yard INT return at the 3:02 mark and a 40-yard INT return with 0:33 remaining in the first half to take a 20-3 lead at halftime.
- Torrential rain began falling with under a minute to play in the first half, while lightning delayed the start of the second half by 60 minutes.
- Ohio State finished the 2016 season with an 11-2 record and ranked 6th nationally, while Tulsa finished the season with a 10-3 mark.
HOLDING THE EDGE IN TOTAL OFFENSE . . .
- Despite starting the season with two losses, the margin of loss is just 3.5 points.
- The Hurricane has had the edge in total offense in each game … Tulsa out-gained UC Davis by 49 yards, 448 yards to 399.
- Tulsa also out-gained Oklahoma State by 34 yards, 347 to 313.
- The Hurricane offense averages 395.0 yards per game, while the defense has held the opposition to 356.0 yards.
BROOKS 5th ON ALL-TIME RUSHING CHART . . .
- Running back Shamari Brooks missed the 2020 season with an ACL injury.
- The senior from Tulsa’s Union High School came into the 2021 season ranked 5th on the school’s career rushing list with 2,700 yards and 12th for career rushing TDs with 23.
- Brooks rushed for 80 yards on 10 carries in the season opener.
- He now has a 2,806 career yards and 23 TDs in 34 career games and needs 194 yards to become the fifth Tulsa running back to reach the 3,000-yard plateau.
- Brooks is 1,137 yards shy of the school’s career rushing leader D’Angelo Brewer (2014-17, 3917 yards) … Brooks is 735 yards shy of moving into a 4th place tie with Trey Watts (2010-13, 3,515 yards).
STOKES SURPASSES 4,000 CAREER ALL-PURPOSE YARDS . . .
- Senior receiver and kick return specialist Keylon Stokes entered the 2021 season ranked third on the school’s career all-purpose yardage chart with 3,956 yards.
- In the season opener, Stokes totaled 116 all-purpose yards and went over the 4,000-yard plateau.
- After two games this year, Stokes now has 4,108 career all-purpose yards.
- Damaris Johnson (2008-10) ranks first on the all-purpose chart with 7,796 yards and Trey Watts (2010-13) is second with 5,877 career yards.
- In 44 career games, Stokes has caught 161 passes for 2,516 yards, has 61 kickoff returns for 1,253 yards, 220 rushing yards and 119 punt return yards.
- Stokes is ranked 11th on the school’s career receiving chart with 2,516 yards and needs 827 yards to tie Howard Twilley (1963-65) for the school record.
TACKLES FOR LOSS . . .
- Tulsa’s defense has totaled 18 TFL for -52 yards in the first two games this season.
- A total of 13 players have recorded at least an 0.5 TFL for lost yards, while defensive lineman Jaxon Player leads the way with 2.5 TFL for -4 yards.
- The Hurricane had 9 TFL in each of the first two games, including 9 TFL for -20 yards in the season opener against UC Davis and 9 TFL for -32 yards at Oklahoma State.
- Among the TFL, three have been credited as sacks for -17 yards.
PLAYER LEADS DEFENSIVE FRONT . . .
- Senior defensive tackle Jaxon Player has been a solid force for the Tulsa defense since his true freshman season of 2018.
- Player has totaled 91 career tackles, 19.5 TFL for -43 yards, 3 sacks for -6 yards, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 30 career games.
- He has totaled 8 tackles, 2.5 TFL for -4 yards and 2 QB hurries this season.
- Player was a first-team all-AAC performer last year.
- He has been named to the watch lists for the 2021 Chuck Bednarik Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, going to college football’s top defender.
- Last year, Player led a Tulsa defense that was dominant in a 19-6 road win at Navy.
- Tulsa’s defense held the Navy to 6 points, 0 TDs and only 153 yards of total offense … for most of the 2nd half Tulsa was without All-America linebacker Zaven Collins due to injury.
- Player was the catalyst behind the defensive effort with a career-best 12 tackles, including 10 solos, and had a team season-best of 4.5 TFLs for -12 yards and added 2 sacks for -3 yards.
