# 2023 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team

The 2023 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team represented the University of Tulsa as a member of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Golden Hurricane were led by first-year head coach Kevin Wilson and played their home games at Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team drew an average home attendance of 20,187 in 2023.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 7:00 p.m. | Arkansas–Pine Bluff* | Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman StadiumTulsa, OK | ESPN+ | W 42–7 | 17,529 |
| September 9 | 4:00 p.m. | at No. 8 Washington* | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | P12N | L 10–43 | 63,128 |
| September 16 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 19 Oklahoma* | Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman StadiumTulsa, OK | ESPN2 | L 17–66 | 30,855 |
| September 23 | 11:00 a.m. | at Northern Illinois* | Huskie StadiumDeKalb, IL | CBSSN | W 22–14 | 10,321 |
| September 28 | 6:30 p.m. | Temple | Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman StadiumTulsa, OK | ESPN | W 48–26 | 17,538 |
| October 7 | 5:00 p.m. | at Florida Atlantic | FAU StadiumBoca Raton, FL | ESPN+ | L 17–20 | 21,077 |
| October 19 | 6:00 p.m. | Rice | Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman StadiumTulsa, OK | ESPN2 | L 10–42 | 18,527 |
| October 28 | 11:00 a.m. | at SMU | Gerald J. Ford StadiumDallas, TX | ESPNU | L 10–69 | 20,800 |
| November 4 | 3:00 p.m. | Charlotte | Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman StadiumTulsa, OK | ESPN+ | L 26–33 $^{OT}$ | 20,151 |
| November 11 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 23 Tulane | Yulman StadiumNew Orleans, LA | ESPN2 | L 22–24 | 20,126 |
| November 18 | 2:00 p.m. | North Texas | Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman StadiumTulsa, OK | ESPN+ | L 28–35 | 16,520 |
| November 25 | 1:00 p.m. | at East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen StadiumGreenville, NC | ESPN+ | W 29–27 | 29,567 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Arkansas–Pine Bluff

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Tulsa | 0 | 28 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
at Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK
* Date: August 31
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: • Temperature:
* TV announcers (ESPN+): James Westling (play-by-play) and Leger Douzable (analyst)
* ESPN game summary
| Statistics | UAPB | TLSA |
| First downs | 18 | 26 |
| Plays–yards | –252 | –517 |
| Rushes–yards | 43–102 | 49–260 |
| Passing yards | 150 | 256 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 15–26–1 | 16–20–2 |
| Time of possession | 33:05 | 26:55 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Arkansas–Pine Bluff | Passing | Mekhi Hagens | 10–21, 1908, 1 INT |
| Arkansas–Pine Bluff | Rushing | Johness Davis | 17 carries, 82 yards |
| Arkansas–Pine Bluff | Receiving | Kenji Lewis | 5 receptions, 64 yards |
| Tulsa | Passing | Cardell Williams | 13–14, 233 yards, 3 TD |
| Tulsa | Rushing | Jordan Ford | 19 carries, 110 yards, 1 TD |
| Tulsa | Receiving | Marquis Shoulders | 5 receptions, 132 yards, 2 TD |

### at No. 8 Washington

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tulsa | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| No. 8 Washington | 14 | 8 | 14 | 7 | 43 |
at Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA
* Date: September 9, 2023
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C)
* Referee: Jeff Dahle
* TV announcers (Pac-12 Network): J. B. Long (play-by-play) and Yogi Roth (analyst)
| Statistics | TLSA | WASH |
| First downs | 22 | 30 |
| Plays–yards | –318 | –563 |
| Rushes–yards | 40–168 | 22–109 |
| Passing yards | 150 | 454 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 18–32–1 | 30–40–1 |
| Time of possession | 30:04 | 29:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tulsa | Passing | Roman Fuller | 12–18, 85 yards, 1 TD |
| Tulsa | Rushing | Jordan Ford | 15 carries, 67 yards |
| Tulsa | Receiving | Braylin Presley | 3 receptions, 54 yards |
| Washington | Passing | Michael Penix Jr. | 28–38, 409 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Washington | Rushing | Will Nixon | 6 carries, 30 yards |
| Washington | Receiving | Jalen McMillan | 8 receptions, 120 yards, 1 TD |

### No. 19 Oklahoma

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 19 Oklahoma | 28 | 10 | 21 | 7 | 66 |
| Tulsa | 0 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
at Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK
* Date: September 16, 2023
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: • Cloudy Temperature: 79
* Game attendance: 30,855
* Referee: Tutashinda Salaam
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Brock Osweiler (analyst), and Kayla Burton (sideline)
| Statistics | OKLA | TLSA |
| First downs | 27 | 17 |
| Plays–yards | 63–595 | 73–292 |
| Rushes–yards | 28–119 | 46–75 |
| Passing yards | 476 | 217 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 30–35–1 | 17–27–5 |
| Time of possession | 26:54 | 33:06 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Oklahoma | Passing | Dillon Gabriel | 28/31, 421 yards, 5 TD's, 1 INT |
| Oklahoma | Rushing | Jovantae Barnes | 13 carries, 68 yards, 1 TD |
| Oklahoma | Receiving | Drake Stoops | 8 receptions, 53 yards, 2 TD's |
| Tulsa | Passing | Cardell Williams | 11/17, 196 yards, 2 TD's, 2 INT's |
| Tulsa | Rushing | Bill Jackson | 10 carries, 40 yards |
| Tulsa | Receiving | Devan Williams | 6 receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD |

### at Northern Illinois

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tulsa | 2 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 22 |
| Northern Illinois | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL
* Date: September 23, 2023
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: • Temperature:
* TV: CBSSN
* ESPN game summary
| Statistics | TLSA | NIU |
| First downs | 17 | 18 |
| Plays–yards | –281 | –295 |
| Rushes–yards | 48–179 | 41–167 |
| Passing yards | 102 | 128 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 8–20–2 | 17–29–2 |
| Time of possession | 27:48 | 32:12 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tulsa | Passing | Cardell Williams | 8–20, 102 yards, 2 INT |
| Tulsa | Rushing | Anthony Watkins | 23 carries, 91 yards, 1 TD |
| Tulsa | Receiving | Kamdyn Benjamin | 4 receptions, 53 yards |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Ethan Hampton | 13–23, 97 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Justin Lynch | 8 carries, 84 yards, 1 TD |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Grayson Barnes | 3 receptions, 40 yards |

### Temple

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Temple | 3 | 0 | 15 | 8 | 26 |
| Tulsa | 14 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 48 |
at Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK
* Date: September 28, 2023
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: • Temperature:
* Game attendance: 17,538
* TV: ESPN
* ESPN game summary
| Statistics | TEMP | TLSA |
| First downs | 15 | 24 |
| Plays–yards | –313 | –533 |
| Rushes–yards | 21–44 | 53–289 |
| Passing yards | 269 | 244 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 27–49–1 | 14–17–0 |
| Time of possession | 24:45 | 35:15 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Temple | Passing | E. J. Warner | 27–49, 269 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Temple | Rushing | Joquez Smith | 10 carries, 26 yards |
| Temple | Receiving | Amad Anderson Jr. | 4 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD |
| Tulsa | Passing | Cardell Williams | 14–17, 244 yards, 3 TD |
| Tulsa | Rushing | Cardell Williams | 10 carries, 90 yards, 1 TD |
| Tulsa | Receiving | Marquis Shoulders | 5 receptions, 76 yards, 2 TD |

### at Florida Atlantic

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tulsa | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
| Florida Atlantic | 14 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
at FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL
* Date: October 7, 2023
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 83 °F (28 °C) • Wind: SE at 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
* Game attendance: 21,077
* Referee: Nate Black
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Matt Schumacker (play-by-play), Taylor McHargue (analyst)
| Statistics | TLSA | FAU |
| First downs | 16 | 18 |
| Plays–yards | 71–376 | 71–378 |
| Rushes–yards | 43–194 | 43–234 |
| Passing yards | 182 | 144 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 13–28–2 | 18–28–1 |
| Time of possession | 28:39 | 31:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tulsa | Passing | Cardell Williams | 10/20, 115 yards, 2 INT |
| Tulsa | Rushing | Tahj Gary | 11 carries, 53 yards |
| Tulsa | Receiving | Kamdyn Benjamin | 3 receptions, 46 yards |
| Florida Atlantic | Passing | Daniel Richardson | 18/28, 144 yards, 1 INT |
| Florida Atlantic | Rushing | Larry McCammon | 26 carries, 130 yards, 2 TD |
| Florida Atlantic | Receiving | LaJohntay Wester | 9 receptions, 98 yards |

### Rice

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rice | 14 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
| Tulsa | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK
* Date: October 19, 2023
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C)
* Game attendance: 18,527
* Referee: Darryl DeBerry
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Jay Alter, Rene Ingoglia, and Lericia Harris
| Statistics | RICE | TLSA |
| First downs | 24 | 14 |
| Plays–yards | 68–512 | 64–296 |
| Rushes–yards | 31–170 | 42–158 |
| Passing yards | 342 | 138 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 24–37–0 | 11–22–1 |
| Time of possession | 33:48 | 26:12 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Rice | Passing | JT Daniels | 24–37, 342 yards, 2 TD |
| Rice | Rushing | Dean Connors | 9 carries, 120 yards, 3 TD |
| Rice | Receiving | Luke McCaffrey | 6 receptions, 99 yards, 1 TD |
| Tulsa | Passing | Cardell Williams | 7–14, 101 yards, 1 TD |
| Tulsa | Rushing | Braylon Braxton | 12 carries, 89 yards |
| Tulsa | Receiving | Kamdyn Benjamin | 3 receptions, 48 yards, 1 TD |

### at SMU

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tulsa | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| SMU | 28 | 24 | 14 | 3 | 69 |
at Gerald J. Ford Stadium • University Park, TX
* Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: Rain • Temperature: 60 °F (16 °C)
* Game attendance: 20,800
* Referee: Kevin Randall
* TV announcers (ESPNU): John Schriffen, Rocky Boiman, and Dawn Davenport
| Statistics | TLSA | SMU |
| First downs | 14 | 26 |
| Plays–yards | –247 | –638 |
| Rushes–yards | 47–123 | 39–192 |
| Passing yards | 124 | 446 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 14–25–2 | 22–29–0 |
| Time of possession | 30:13 | 29:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tulsa | Passing | Braylon Braxton | 10–20, 92 yards, 2 INT |
| Tulsa | Rushing | Anthony Watkins | 15 carries, 50 yards |
| Tulsa | Receiving | Devan Williams | 3 receptions, 57 yards |
| SMU | Passing | Preston Stone | 15–20, 371 yards, 3 TD |
| SMU | Rushing | Camar Wheaton | 9 receptions, 80 yards, 2 TD |
| SMU | Receiving | RJ Maryland | 2 receptions, 95 yards, 1 TD |

### Charlotte

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Charlotte | 0 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 7 | 33 |
| Tulsa | 14 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 26 |
at Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK
* Date: Saturday, November 4, 2023
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C) • Wind: 7 N MPH
* Game attendance: 20,151
* Referee: Steven Anderson
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Matt Schumacher, LaDarrin McClane
| Statistics | CLT | TLSA |
| First downs | 19 | 21 |
| Plays–yards | –431 | –412 |
| Rushes–yards | 36–154 | 50–273 |
| Passing yards | 277 | 139 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 20–37–0 | 13–31–1 |
| Time of possession | 30:12 | 29:48 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Charlotte | Passing | Trexler Ivey | 20–36, 277 yards, 1 TD |
| Charlotte | Rushing | Henry Rutledge | 4 carries, 92 yards |
| Charlotte | Receiving | Jairus Mack | 7 receptions, 124 yards |
| Tulsa | Passing | Kirk Francis | 6–16, 74 yards, 1 INT |
| Tulsa | Rushing | Anthony Watkins | 24 carries, 146 yards, 1 TD |
| Tulsa | Receiving | Kamdyn Benjamin | 5 receptions, 46 yards |

### at No. 23 Tulane

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tulsa | 0 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 22 |
| No. 23 Tulane | 14 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
at Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA
* Date: Saturday, November 11, 2023
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 67 °F (19 °C) • Wind: NE 8 mph
* Game attendance: 20,126
* Referee: Scott Hardin
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Roddy White (color), Taylor McGregor (sideline)
| Statistics | TLSA | TULN |
| First downs | 22 | 17 |
| Plays–yards | 74–477 | 64–357 |
| Rushes–yards | 33–122 | 35–163 |
| Passing yards | 355 | 194 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 26–41–1 | 16–29–1 |
| Time of possession | 29:29 | 30:31 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tulsa | Passing | Kirk Francis | 22/34, 345 yards, TD |
| Tulsa | Rushing | Anthony Watkins | 15 carries, 76 yards |
| Tulsa | Receiving | Kamdyn Benjamin | 8 receptions, 157 yards, 2 TD |
| Tulane | Passing | Michael Pratt | 16/29, 194 yards, TD, INT |
| Tulane | Rushing | Makhi Hughes | 19 carries, 131 yards, TD |
| Tulane | Receiving | Bryce Bohanon | 4 receptions, 57 yards |

### North Texas

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| North Texas | 7 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 35 |
| Tulsa | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
at Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK
* Date: Saturday, November 18, 2023
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: • Temperature:
* Game attendance: 16,520
* TV: ESPN+
| Statistics | UNT | TLSA |
| First downs | 22 | 22 |
| Plays–yards | 78–593 | 77–434 |
| Rushes–yards | 47–299 | 43–183 |
| Passing yards | 294 | 251 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 19–31–0 | 17–34–1 |
| Time of possession | 32:04 | 27:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| North Texas | Passing | Chandler Rogers | 19–31, 294 yards, 3 TD |
| North Texas | Rushing | Oscar Adaway III | 16 carries, 126 yards, 1 TD |
| North Texas | Receiving | Ja'Mori Maclin | 2 receptions, 61 yards |
| Tulsa | Passing | Kirk Francis | 17–34, 251 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Tulsa | Rushing | Anthony Watkins | 21 carries, 115 yards, 1 TD |
| Tulsa | Receiving | Kamdyn Benjamin | 8 receptions, 93 yards, 1 TD |

### at East Carolina

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tulsa | 13 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 29 |
| East Carolina | 14 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 27 |
at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC
* Date: Saturday, November 25, 2023
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: • Temperature:
* Game attendance: 29,567
* TV: ESPN+
| Statistics | TLSA | ECU |
| First downs | 23 | 17 |
| Plays–yards | –446 | –409 |
| Rushes–yards | 33–149 | 37–225 |
| Passing yards | 297 | 184 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 23–37–1 | 12–18–2 |
| Time of possession | 30:50 | 29:10 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tulsa | Passing | Kirk Francis | 23–37, 297 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Tulsa | Rushing | Anthony Watkins | 18 carries, 106 yards |
| Tulsa | Receiving | Kamdyn Benjamin | 6 receptions, 143 yards, 1 TD |
| East Carolina | Passing | Alex Flinn | 12–18, 184 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| East Carolina | Rushing | Rahjai Harris | 21 carries, 145 yards, 1 TD |
| East Carolina | Receiving | Chase Sowell | 5 receptions, 108 yards |