Tulsa Set for Saturday Conference Clash at Rice

Saturday, October 17

Houston, Texas

3:30 p.m.

University of Tulsa

Rice

Photo by: Peyton Stoike

10/15/2026 1:22:00 PM | Football

GAME 7: TULSA (3-3, 0-2 American) at Rice (1-5, 0-2 American)
Date/Time:	Saturday, October 17, 3:30 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Houston, Texas
Stadium:	First Community Stadium (47,000)
Coaches:	TULSA – Tre Lamb (Tennessee Tech '12), 2nd year Rice – Scott Abell (Longwood '92), 2nd year
TV:	ESPN+
Talent:	David Saltzman (pxp), LaDarrin McLane (analyst), Maria Trivelpiece (sideline)
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM or Online
Talent:	Bruce Howard (pxp), Rick Couri (analyst), Jeremie Poplin (sideline)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	21^st Meeting (Tulsa leads the series 10-9-1)
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| Rice \| American Conference

ON TO HOUSTON
• Tulsa continues American Conference play at Rice on Saturday, Oct. 17, with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
• The Golden Hurricane enters the matchup 3-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play following a 34-26 loss at Navy.
• This will be Tulsa's first visit to Rice since a 38-20 victory on Oct. 22, 2011.
• Tulsa has won its last five trips to Rice, earning victories in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011.
• The Golden Hurricane looks to reverse the series' recent results after Rice won the last two meetings, both in Tulsa.

TAKEAWAYS FUEL THE GOLDEN HURRICANE
• Tulsa forced four turnovers at Navy, recovering three fumbles and intercepting one pass while playing turnover-free football.
• Devin Robinson, Dedaunte Scott and Dax Collins recovered fumbles, while Tyson Williams recorded his second interception of the season.
• Three of those takeaways came inside Tulsa's red zone, ending potential Navy scoring drives.
• The Golden Hurricane has forced seven turnovers over its last two games, collecting three against North Texas and four at Navy.
• Those seven takeaways represent half of Tulsa's season total and include four fumble recoveries and three interceptions.
• Tulsa has produced 14 takeaways through six games, leading the American Conference and ranking third nationally. Only New Mexico and UCLA have more turnovers forced than Tulsa. They lead the nation with 19 each.
• The Golden Hurricane has already surpassed the 11 turnovers it forced in all 12 games during 2025, reaching three more takeaways in half as many contests.
• Tulsa is averaging 2.33 takeaways per game, compared with 0.92 last season, more than doubling its production.
• The defense has matched last season's seven interceptions and increased its fumble recoveries from four in 2025 to seven this year. The seven interceptions during the 2026 season, currently leads the American Conference in interceptions.
• Tyson Williams added his second interception of the year against Navy. The two interceptions is the second most in the conference. Only Dylan Smith of Memphis has more interceptions this season.
• Tulsa has committed only four turnovers, producing a plus-10 turnover margin. The Golden Hurricane is plus-seven over its last two games, forcing seven turnovers without a giveaway.
• The Golden Hurricane has a turnover margin of 1.67 on the season. This is the best in the American Conference and the fourth best margin in the NCAA. Only New Mexico, UCLA and Notre Dame have a better turnover margin than the Golden Hurricane.

RETURN TO HOUSTON
• Tulsa visits Rice on Oct. 17 for its first game on the Owls' home field since 2011.
• The Golden Hurricane owns a 6-3-1 record at Rice, including victories in its last five visits.
• Tulsa won its most recent road meeting with the Owls, 38-20 on Oct. 22, 2011. Its five consecutive road victories came in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011.

ROSS EXTENDS HIS STREAK WITH SEASON-BEST PERFORMANCE
• Javon Ross delivered his most productive receiving performance as a member of the Golden Hurricane at Navy, establishing season highs with seven receptions and 90 receiving yards.
• His seven catches surpassed his previous Tulsa best of four at Sam Houston, while his 90 yards exceeded the 33 he recorded against the Bearkats.
• Ross extended his consecutive-games reception streak to 25, spanning his careers at Bethune-Cookman and Tulsa. He has caught a pass in all six appearances for the Golden Hurricane.
• His streak is tied for 11th nationally with UTSA's David Amador II with 25 or more consecutive games with a reception. Only 10 players have longer streaks. Rankings below shown reflect players ranked Nos. 7–11 nationally on the list.

Rank	Player	Postion	School	Streak
T7.	TJ Moore	WR	Clemson	32
T7.	Jacory Barney Jr.	WR	Nebraska	32
9.	Nick Marsh	WR	Indiana	29
10.	Jordan Faison	WR	Notre Dame	27
T11.	Javon Ross	WR	Tulsa	25
T11.	David Amador II	WR	UTSA	25

• Ross is one of three American Conference receivers on the list with a reception in at least 25 consecutive games, joining Florida Atlantic's Easton Messer and Amador.
• He contributed receptions of 39 and 23 yards at Navy, helping Tulsa move the ball during two first-half scoring drives.
• Ross also rushed for 36 yards on two carries, including a 28-yard gain, finishing with 126 yards from scrimmage.
• His 90 receiving yards at Navy accounted for more than 42 percent of his season total.
• Ross enters the Rice game with 20 receptions for 212 yards and one touchdown, ranking second on the team in both catches and receiving yards.

COLLINS CONTINUES HIS BREAKOUT SEASON
• Dax Collins established a career high with 13 tackles at Navy, surpassing his previous best of 12 set earlier this season at Sam Houston.
• Collins finished with four solo tackles and nine assists, leading the Golden Hurricane in stops with 13.
• He also recorded the first forced fumble and first fumble recovery of his collegiate career, stripping Navy's Michael Barrow and recovering the ball himself at Tulsa's 6-yard line during the second quarter.
• The takeaway ended a Navy scoring threat and set up an 88-yard Tulsa drive that resulted in a field goal, extending the Golden Hurricane's lead to 20-7.
• Collins has produced three double-digit tackle performances this season, recording 12 at Sam Houston, 11 at Arkansas and 13 at Navy.
• Those three performances account for 36 tackles—more than three times his total from the entire 2025 season.
• Through six games, Collins has collected 52 tackles, already more than five times the 10 stops he recorded in 12 appearances last year.
• He ranks second on the team in tackles and is averaging 8.7 stops per game and fourth in the American Conference. This ranks 26th best in the nation.
• Collins has added 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three pass breakups and two quarterback hurries, contributing against both the run and pass.

SINGLETON MAKES AN IMPACT IN MULTIPLE WAYS
• Oran Singleton Jr. continues to provide Tulsa with versatility as a receiver, runner, passer and punt returner.
• Singleton caught five passes for 81 yards and a touchdown at Navy, including a three-yard scoring reception.
• He also threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to David Wells Jr. during the first quarter, contributing to two of the Golden Hurricane's three touchdowns. This was his first career passing touchdown.
• Singleton has combined for 16 receptions and 185 receiving yards over his last two games, following his season-best 11-catch, 104-yard performance against North Texas.
• He has recorded at least five receptions in three games this season, accomplishing the feat against Arkansas, North Texas and Navy.
• Singleton leads Tulsa with 31 receptions and 387 receiving yards and shares the team lead with three touchdown catches.
• He is averaging 12.5 yards per reception, with a season-long 56-yard catch against Oklahoma State. His 12.5 yards per reception is the 12th highest in the American Conference belonging to receivers with 15 or more receptions.
• Singleton has added 28 rushing yards on six carries and 25 yards on five punt returns, giving him 440 all-purpose yards, the second most he has recorded in a single season in his career. This is the 17th most in the American Conference this season.
• His receiving, rushing and return production is complemented by a touchdown pass, giving Tulsa several ways to put the ball in his hands.

THOMPSON'S COMEBACK CONTINUES
• Chris Thompson Jr. recorded seven tackles at Navy, increasing his team-leading total to 56 through six games.
• Thompson is averaging 9.3 tackles per game and has recorded at least seven stops in every contest. The 9.3 tackles per game ranks as the 13th most in the nation.
• Thompson is continuing to build off his success and leads the conference in tackles with his 56. This is the eighth most by a player in the nation this season. He is the only American Conference player in the top ten for tackles this season.
• His consistent production includes 10 tackles against Oklahoma State, eight against Sam Houston, eight against East Texas A&M, nine at Arkansas, 14 against North Texas and seven at Navy.
• Thompson's 14 tackles against North Texas remain his season high. He has collected 21 stops over his last two games.
• His 56 tackles already exceed the 49 he recorded in 12 appearances during the entire 2024 season.
• The graduate student returned after missing the entire 2025 season because of injury and entered 2026 on the Comeback Player of the Year Award Watch List.
• Thompson earned American Conference Defensive Player of the Week recognition on Sept. 7 following his 10-tackle performance in Tulsa's season-opening victory over Oklahoma State.

HAYES DELIVERS THROUGH THE AIR
• Baylor Hayes completed 20-of-35 passes for a season-high 268 yards and one touchdown without an interception at Navy.
• Hayes produced five completions, covering at least 20 yards against the Midshipmen, accounting for 184 of his 268 passing yards.
• His explosive connections included gains of 39 and 23 yards to Javon Ross, 40 and 29 yards to Oran Singleton Jr. and 53 yards to David Wells Jr.
• Hayes has completed two passes covering more than 50 yards this season—a 56-yard connection with Singleton against Oklahoma State and the 53-yard completion to Wells at Navy.
• In just four appearances, Hayes has already matched his 2025 total of two completions exceeding 50 yards. Both came against Tulane, a 51-yard pass to Grayson Tempest and a 72-yard touchdown to Brody Foley.
• Both of his longest completions this season helped Tulsa score after starting deep in its own territory. The Oklahoma State possession began at Tulsa's 3-yard line, while the Navy drive began at its own 6. Both ended with field goals.
• The 53-yard connection with Wells converted third-and-four, moving the Golden Hurricane from its own 12-yard line to Navy's 35.
• Hayes has surpassed 200 passing yards in three of his four appearances this season, including consecutive performances against North Texas and Navy.
• Over those last two games, Hayes has completed 45 passes for 479 yards and four touchdowns while adding two rushing touchdowns.
• He enters the Rice game with 78 completions for 832 yards and five touchdown passes, averaging 10.7 yards per completion.

RICE PRESENTS ANOTHER RUN-GAME TEST
• Tulsa continues its stretch of consecutive American Conference road games when it visits Rice on Saturday, Oct. 17.
• Rice enters the matchup 1-5 overall and 0-2 in conference play after falling 28-12 at East Carolina. The Owls led 9-7 during the third quarter before the Pirates pulled away.
• The Owls rank fourth in the American Conference in rushing offense at 230.5 yards per game. Tulsa enters the matchup allowing 175.3 rushing yards per contest and 4.1 yards per attempt.
• Rice has produced a 100-yard rusher in each of its six games. Tyvonn Byars continued that streak with 111 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries at East Carolina, his second 100-yard performance this season.
• Quarterback Jacurri Brown adds another dimension to the ground attack, leading Rice with 514 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. Byars has contributed 319 yards and two scores.
• Rice has run the ball on 290 of its 376 offensive plays—77.1 percent—and averages 4.8 yards per carry. The Owls average 82.7 passing yards per game, placing an emphasis on Tulsa's ability to contain the run and create passing situations.
• Ball security presents another key matchup. Rice has lost seven fumbles this season, while Tulsa leads the American Conference with seven fumble recoveries and 14 total takeaways.
• Tulsa's offense will face a Rice defense allowing 188.7 rushing yards per game and 5.0 yards per carry. Opponents have scored 10 rushing touchdowns against the Owls.
• Extending possessions could also be significant. Tulsa leads the conference with an 80.0-percent fourth-down conversion rate, while Rice has limited opponents to seven conversions in 17 attempts (41.2 percent).

THOMPSON AND COLLINS ANCHOR THE DEFENSE
• Linebackers Chris Thompson Jr. and Dax Collins have combined for 108 tackles through six games, averaging 18 stops per contest for the Golden Hurricane.
• Thompson leads the American Conference and is tied for eighth nationally with 56 total tackles. Collins ranks fourth in the conference and is tied for 18th nationally with 52.
• Tulsa is the only FBS program with two players ranked among the national top 10 in total tackles.
• The Golden Hurricane is one of three American Conference programs with two players in the conference's top 10 in total tackles, joining Tulane and UAB. Tulsa is the only team with two players among the top four.
• Thompson also leads the conference and is tied for 13th nationally in tackles per game at 9.3. Collins ranks sixth in the conference and is tied for 26th nationally at 8.7.
• Collins led Tulsa with a career-high 13 tackles at Navy, while Thompson added seven. Collins also forced and recovered a fumble at Tulsa's 6-yard line to stop a Navy scoring opportunity.
• Collins has added 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three pass breakups and two quarterback hurries. His 52 tackles already exceed five times the 10 he recorded in 12 appearances during 2025.
• Thompson's production highlights his return after missing the entire 2025 season because of injury. The graduate student entered 2026 on the Comeback Player of the Year Award Watch List.

PRESSURE FROM MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS
• Tulsa has recorded 14 sacks for 106 yards through six games, ranking tied for third in the American Conference and tied for 38th nationally in total sacks.
• The Golden Hurricane is averaging 2.33 sacks per game, improving on its 1.92 average during the 2025 season.
• Tulsa has already produced 60.9 percent of last season's 23 sacks with half of its regular-season schedule remaining. Maintaining its current pace would give the Golden Hurricane 28 sacks over 12 games.
• Thomas Davis and Kyran Duhon share the team lead with four sacks apiece, combining for eight of Tulsa's 14 sacks.
• Dax Collins has contributed 2.5 sacks, while Will Upshaw has added 1.5. Zane Woodham and Sam Stone have one apiece, giving Tulsa six defenders with a sack this season.
• Davis' impact extends beyond sacks. He leads Tulsa with 7.5 tackles for loss and seven quarterback hurries while adding an interception, a forced fumble and a pass breakup.
• Duhon has forced two fumbles, helping turn quarterback pressure into additional possessions for the Golden Hurricane.

2026 CAPTAINS
• Head Coach Tre Lamb announced the 2026 team captains during fall camp.
• Captain selections include one head coach's pick and four team-voted leaders (two offense, two defense).
• The 2026 team captains are:
                • Baylor Hayes – Quarterback
                • Sevion Morrison – Running Back
                • Chris Thompson Jr. – Linebacker
                • Jaylen George – Defensive Line
                • Malachi Preciado – Offensive Line

NEW NUMBERS FOR 2026
• Seven returning Golden Hurricane players will wear new jersey numbers during the 2026 season.
• Donnell Gee Jr. moves from No. 18 to No. 0, Zach Williams from No. 18 to No. 1, Devin Robinson from No. 16 to No. 2 and Ashton Williams from No. 15 to No. 5.
• Aquavious Dunbar changes from No. 40 to No. 21, Tristan Lawyer from No. 51 to No. 40 and Micah Tease moves from No. 3 to No. 8 as he transitions from wide receiver to cornerback.

RECRUIT LOCAL
• Tulsa's 2026 roster features 27 players from the Tulsa metropolitan area, demonstrating the Golden Hurricane's commitment to recruiting and retaining local talent.
• The group includes 17 players whose listed hometown is Tulsa, four from Owasso, three from Bixby and one each from Collinsville, Jenks and Mannford.
• Local players represent every phase of the roster, with Tulsa-area talent appearing on offense, defense and special teams.
• The group includes players from several of the area's most successful high school programs, including Bixby, Booker T. Washington, Cascia Hall, Collinsville, Holland Hall, Jenks, Metro Christian, Owasso, Rejoice Christian and Union.
• Tulsa's local contingent includes returning Golden Hurricane players as well as student-athletes who returned home after beginning their collegiate careers elsewhere.
• Head coach Tre Lamb and his staff continue to prioritize relationships with area high school coaches while providing local players an opportunity to compete at the FBS level in their hometown region.

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.