GAME #6
TULSA (1-4, 0-1 AAC) vs. MEMPHIS (3-2, 1-1 AAC)
Saturday, Oct. 9, 8:00 pm (CT) • HOMECOMING
Stadium: H.A. Chapman Stadium (30,000), Tulsa, Okla.
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Big Country 99.5 FM
TULSA 1-4, 0-1 The American
Head Coach: Philip Montgomery
(Tarleton State ’95)
7th year at Tulsa
Career Record: 32-44 (7 years)
TU Record: same
MEMPHIS 3-2, 1-1 The American
Head Coach: Ryan Silverfield
(Hampden-Sydney ’03)
2nd year at Memphis
Career Record: 11-6 (2 years)
MEM 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 … Memphis’ enrollment is 22,044 students.
- Both teams lost their AAC openers last week … Tulsa falling to Houston at home and Memphis losing to Temple on the road.
THE SERIES . . .
- This is the 31st meeting between Tulsa and Memphis.
- The Tigers lead the overall series 19-11 and has an 11-6 mark in Tulsa against the Hurricane.
- Memphis has won four of the last five meetings, three times in which the Tigers were ranked nationally.
- Memphis has won the last three matchups … Tulsa last win against the Tigers came at the Liberty Bowl in 2016 by a score of 59-30.
HOMECOMING . . .
- Tulsa has posted an overall 53-39-3 record on Homecoming.
- Last year’s Homecoming game that was scheduled for Oct. 17 against Cincinnati was canceled due to covid-19 cases at Cincinnati.
- The theme for this year’s Homecoming is “Let the Hurricane Roar”.
- This is the eighth time that Tulsa has hosted Memphis on Homecoming.
- Two former Golden Hurricane football student-athletes –– PK Stu Crum (’82) and DB Albert Myres (’86) –– will be honored by the University as two of the three Distinguished Alumni for 2020-21.
- For more information about Homecoming, go to TUalumni.com.
BACK-TO-BACK . . .
- Tulsa has had two different receivers this year with back-to-back 100-yard receiving games.
- Josh Johnson had 149 yards on eight receptions at Ohio State and a week later caught nine passes for 127 yards against Arkansas State.
- Sam Crawford Jr. caught two passes for 105 yards, both for TDs, against Arkansas State and then had 101 yards on five receptions vs. Houston.
QUICK STRIKE . . .
- Against Arkansas State, Tulsa had four scoring drives less than 1:20, including one that covered 1:13 and three drives under one minute.
- Before that game had zero drives under one minute and only four under two minutes.
- Tulsa’s three sub-one-minute drives were also one-play drives … Tulsa scored 21 points in 0:29 on those one-play drives.
- Tulsa scored in 0:12 on an 88-yard pass from Davis Brin to Sam Crawford … Brin hit JC Santana on a 34-yarder in 0:06 … Anthony Watkins’ 75-yard run took just 0:11 off the clock.
500+ IN TOTAL OFFENSE . . .
- Tulsa has gone over 500 yards in total offense in two of its first five games.
- Tulsa gained 663 yards on 74 plays for a 9.0 average per play against Arkansas State …
the Hurricane gained 343 yards passing and 308 yards on the ground.
- A week before, Tulsa totaled 501 yards against No. 9-ranked Ohio State, throwing for 428 and rushing for 73 yards.
- The last time Tulsa had back-to-back 500+ total offensive games came in 2017 with 667 vs. Louisiana and 548 yards at Toledo.
- The last time Tulsa went over 600 yards in a game came in the 2019 season finale with 669 yards at East Carolina.
- Tulsa has now gone over 500 yards in the Philip Montgomery era in 26 games, registering a 17-9 record.
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF 500 . . .
- In the last 38 games, Tulsa’s defense has only given up 500 total yards two times.
- Ohio State was the second team to accomplish that feat during the last 38 games with 508 yards against the Hurricane.
- The previous 500+ total offensive game in that stretch was by Oklahoma State with 506 yards in 2019.
UNDER MONTY . . .
- In 76 games under Philip Montgomery, Tulsa has scored over 40 points 25 times and has posted a 20-5 record when doing so.
- Tulsa has gone over 500 yards of total offense in 26 games under Montgomery for a 17-9 record.
- The Golden Hurricane has gone over 600 yards 10 times under Montgomery, including this year’s 663 this year against Arkansas State … Tulsa had a high game of 667 yards in 2017 against Louisiana-Lafayette.
- Tulsa has 14 300+ yard rushing games in the Montgomery era, with a school record eight in 2016, three in 2017, two in 2019 and one this season (308 vs. Arkansas State).
- Tulsa is 11-1 when two players have gone over 100 rushing yards in the same game since 2015 under Montgomery … the last time that happened came this year against Arkansas State with 155 yards by Shamari Brooks and 115 yards by Anthony Watkins.
- Tulsa has three 400+ rushing games under Montgomery, two coming in back-to-back games in 2017 (424 vs. Louisiana, 423 at Toledo) and one in 2016 (470 vs. UConn).
WICK MAKING A DIFFERENCE . . .
- After an injury-riddled 2020 season that saw him play in only six of Tulsa’s nine games, senior defensive end Cullen Wick has been a nuisance for opposing offenses this year.
- Wick came into the season with 9.5 TFL for -59 yards in 30 career games.
- After five games this year, Wick has already compiled 7.5 TFL for -23 yards to lead the Hurricane … he ranks 14th nationally for tackles for lost yards.
- He has had at least a half TFL in each game this year and had two or more in two games.
- Wick had a season-high 2.5 TFL for -7 yards against Arkansas State.
- In his career, Wick now has 17 TFL for -82 yards and 6.5 sacks for -59 yards.
2 AND 2 . . .
- Tulsa had two 100-yard rushers and two -100-yard receivers earlier this season against Arkansas State.
- Shamari Brooks rushed for 155 yards and Anthony Watkins had 115 yards on the ground, while Josh Johnson had 127 yards on nine receptions and Sam Crawford caught two passes for 105 yards.
- The last time Tulsa pulled off this feat came on Oct. 7, 2016 vs. SMU –– D’Angelo Brewer and James Flanders had 182 and 132 yards on the ground … Josh Atkinson and Keevan Lucas had 115 and 113 receiving, respectively.
BURNETT UP FOR MAYO CLINIC COMEBACK POY AWARD . . .
- Tulsa senior linebacker Yohance Burnett is a nominee for the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award
- Burnett has suffered two ACL injuries since joining the Tulsa football team from Navarro Junior College in 2018.
- He suffered his first ACL injury to his right knee during the 2018 preseason camp … last year in preseason camp, Burnett tore his left ACL forcing him to miss his second season in three years.
- In five games, Burnett has totaled 29 tackles to rank third on the team this season … he has career totals of 63 tackles and 4 TFL for -7 yards in 17 games.
- Ten times during the 2021 college football season, three inspiring student-athletes from all levels of college football who have overcome injury, illness, or other challenges, will be recognized as Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Nominees.
BROOKS 10 YARDS SHY OF 3,000 . . .
- Running back Shamari Brooks, who missed the 2020 season with an ACL injury, has totaled 2,990 yards on 635 career attempts in 37 career games.
- He needs just 10 more yards to become just the 5th player in school history to reach the 3,000-yard rushing plateau.
- 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.
- Brooks had his 13th career 100+ rushing game with 155 yards on 22 carries against Arkansas State … he also scored his 24th career rushing TD in that game to move into 11th place on the school’s all-time chart.
- Brooks is now 547 yards shy of moving into a 4th place tie with Trey Watts (2010-13, 3,515 yards) on the school’s all-time rushing chart.
SPREADING THE WEALTH ON OFFENSE . . .
- This year nine different offensive players have scored a touchdown for the Hurricane.
- Tulsa has had six receiving and six rushing TDs this year … four different ballcarriers and five different receivers have scored touchdowns.
- Receivers Cannon Montgomery and Ezra Naylor II and had their first career TD receptions … Montgomery at #9 Ohio State and Naylor against Houston.
- Running backs Steven Anderson and Anthony Watkins has had their first rushing touchdowns in a Tulsa uniform.
• Watkins rushed for TDs vs. Oklahoma State and Arkansas State, while Anderson’s came in the season opener vs. UC Davis … Anderson previously had rushing TDs while at Southern Miss.
