Game Primer: Oklahoma vs. Tulsa

September 19 | 11 a.m. | Norman, Okla.

¹⁶ Oklahoma

Tulsa

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OPENING KICK

Last year, the Sooners defeated the Golden Hurricane 52-7.

• No. 16/17 Oklahoma finishes its 2015 regular season non-conference slate when its hosts Tulsa on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT. The game will be televised by FS1.

• The Sooners are coming off a heart-racing 31-24 double-overtime road win over No. 23 Tennessee in which the OU defense surrendered only 254 total yards. It was the biggest come-from-behind regular season non-conference win against the Vols in UT history. OU trailed 17-0 in the second quarter but gave up only 93 yards after halftime.

• Tulsa also notched a road win on Saturday, knocking off New Mexico by a 40-21 count. The Golden Hurricane, which scored 10 points in each quarter, trailed 14-10 before outscoring the Lobos 30-7 the rest of the way. TU outgained UNM 600 yards to 390 and racked up 13 more first downs (31-18).

• OU is 75-4 (.949) all-time at home under Stoops against unranked teams, and has won 14 of its last 15 such contests.

• The Sooners are 48-6 (.889) in September under Stoops (have outscored their opponents by an average count of 42-16 in those games).

SPECIAL HALFTIME CEREMONY

• Two of the Sooners' seven national championship teams will be honored at halftime. Head coach Barry Switzer's 1974 (11-0) and 1975 (11-1) OU teams went a combined 22-1 and claimed the program's fourth and fifth national titles. First-team All-Americans from either (or both) of those seasons were SE Billy Brooks, C Kyle Davis, DE Jimbo Elrod, DB Randy Hughes, SE Tinker Owens, G John Roush, NG Dewey Selmon, DT Lee Roy Selmon, LB Rod Shoate, T Mike Vaughan, RB Joe Washington and C Terry Webb.

FIVE TOP STORYLINES

• Saturday's game will mark the 100th at home of the Bob Stoops era, with each of the previous 99 a sellout. Cumulative attendance for the first 99 games is more than eight million (average of 82,360). OU is 91-8 (.919) at home under Stoops

• Oklahoma owns a 19-7-1 all-time record against Tulsa and is 13-1 against the Golden Hurricane since 1943. The Sooners are 8-0 against TU under Stoops and have won those eight contests by an average score of 48-10. Tulsa's last win against OU came in 1996 in Norman in a battle of unranked teams (31-24). The Sooners are 12-3-1 against TU in Norman.

• Saturday's game will pit Tulsa's high-powered offense against an Oklahoma defense that has been stifling through two outings. TU ranks fifth nationally in yards per game (609.0) and 10th in passing yards per contest (372.5). The Sooners rank 10th in the country in total defense (240 yards per game) and sixth in passing defense (106.5 yards per game).

Junior linebacker, Dominique Alexander goes up against his brother, Derrick on the Tulsa defense. Read more here.

• OU has outscored Akron (24-0) and Tennessee (14-0) by a combined 38-0 margin in the third and fourth quarters. The Sooners gave up just 100 yards after halftime to the Zips and only 66 second-half yards to the Volunteers.

• Two of the better defenders in Saturday's game are from the same household but will suit up for different teams. OU junior linebacker Dominique Alexander was a second-team AP All-Big 12 selection last year when he paced the team with 107 tackles. He leads the league with 9.5 stops per game this season. His older brother, Derrick Alexander, is a senior defensive end who also earned second-team all-conference honors a year ago when he tallied 12 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. For his career, Derrick has 27 tackles for loss and 17 sacks. Both Alexanders played at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa.

SCOUTING TULSA

• Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State, '95) is in his first season as a head coach. He spent the last seven seasons as an assistant at Baylor, the last three as the Bears' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

• Tulsa posted a 47-44 home overtime win against FAU in its season opener before going on the road to knock off New Mexico by a 40-21 score. Tulsa ranks fifth nationally out of 127 teams in total offense (609.0 yards per game), 10th in passing offense (372.5 ypg) and 29th in rushing offense (236.5 ypg). Conversely, it ranks 110th in total defense (476.5 ypg), 73rd in passing defense (214.5 ypg) and 119th in rushing defense (262.0 ypg).

• Senior safety Michael Mudoh has registered a team-high 24 tackles while junior linebacker Matt Linscott has 21 (4.0 tackles for loss).

• Junior quarterback Dane Evans, who has played in 22 career games and has made 19 starts, ranks fourth in FBS passing yards per game at 372.5 through two weeks. He threw for 424 yards and two scores in the opener against FAU and responded with 321 yards and two more TDs through the air against New Mexico. He is completing 58.7 percent of his pass attempts (37-for-63) and has two interceptions.

• TU also boasts a potent rushing attack with a pair of backs averaging more than 100 yards a game. Senior Zack Langer averages a team-high 114 yards a contest (4.0 per carry) and has a team-high four touchdowns. Sophomore D'Angelo Brewer averages 112.5 yards a game on the ground (6.2 per carry) and has one score.

• The Golden Hurricane also has two receivers who are both averaging triple digits in yards per game. Senior Keyarris Garrett averages a team-high 132.5 yards receiving (no touchdowns) while junior Keevan Lucas is racking up 129.0 yards a game (three touchdowns).

LAST YEAR AT TULSA

Shepard registered a then-career-high 177 receiving yards and scored a touchdown.

• Oklahoma scored early and often in a 52-7 September road win over the Golden Hurricane at H.A. Chapman Stadium last season. Quarterback Trevor Knight threw for 299 yards and accounted for three touchdowns (two passing), Sterling Shepard registered a then-career-high 177 receiving yards and a touchdown, and Alex Ross rushed for 90 yards and a score on five carries as the Sooners outgained TU 580-328.

• OU scored touchdowns on four of its first six possessions and kicked a field goal on another to take a 31-0 lead with 6:13 left in the second quarter.

• The Oklahoma defense forced five three-and-outs and eight punts on the day.

• Eric Striker and Caleb Gastelum led the Sooners with eight tackles each, while Dominique Alexander added seven.

• Tulsa quarterback Dane Evans passed for 204 yards and a touchdown. He was 23-for-43 with two interceptions. Gastelum and Geneo Grissom registered the OU picks, with Grissom returning his 38 yards for a score in the third quarter. TU receiver Keevan Lucas racked up 10 catches for 84 yards and a score.

IMPROVED DEFENSE

• The Oklahoma defense has been one of the best in the nation through two weeks. The Sooners rank No. 10 in the country in total defense (240 yards allowed per game), sixth in pass defense (106.5) and 56th in rush defense (133.5).

• Last year, the Sooners finished 51st nationally in total defense (382.6), 117th in pass defense (276.2) and eighth in rush defense (106.4).

OU ranks first in the Big 12 in total defense, pass defense and pass defense efficiency.

• Among Big 12 teams, OU ranks first in total defense, pass defense and pass defense efficiency (67.0), second in opponent first downs (14.5 per game) and opponent third-down conversion rate (27.0 percent), and third in rush defense.

• OU is the only school in the country to play two FBS teams and limit each to 125 or fewer passing yards.

• The Sooners have yet to allow a point in the third or fourth quarters this season.

HOME IS WHERE THE "W" IS

OU owns a 39-2 home non-conference record under Stoops.

• Oklahoma is 447-105-22 (.798) all-time at home and 375-84-15 (.807) at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

• The Sooners are 91-8 at home under Bob Stoops and have outscored their opponents 4,131-1,507 (42-15 average) in those games. Included were a school record 39-game home winning streak and a pair of 19-game strings.

• OU owns a 39-2 (.951) home non-conference record under Stoops and has outscored those opponents by an average margin of 45-13. The Sooners' only two home non-conference losses came to TCU in 2005 (17-10) and Notre Dame in 2012 (30-13).

RECAPPING THE WIN AT TENNESSEE

• After falling behind 17-0 and trailing 17-3 with less than nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Oklahoma scored touchdowns with 8:20 and 0:40 left in regulation to force overtime at No. 23 Tennessee and went on to post a 31-24 double-overtime victory in front of the largest crowd to ever watch the Sooners play (102,455).

Video

Take an all-access look at the Sooners' come-from-behind win over Tennessee and the ensuing celebration Saturday night in Knoxville.

• Junior quarterback Baker Mayfield accounted for four touchdowns for the second straight game (three passing and one rushing in both contests). He finished the game 19 for 39 through the air for 187 yards (was 11 for 14 for 103 yards after the third quarter).

• After surrendering a touchdown in the first overtime, OU responded with one of its own on 4th and goal from the 1. Mayfield faked a handoff to Samaje Perine and bolted into the end zone on the right side following a block by the sophomore running back to knot the game at 24.

• In the second overtime, senior receiver Sterling Shepard turned a short reception on 3rd and 3 into an 18-yard touchdown thanks to an acrobatic move along the sideline. It was his second touchdown grab of the night (also scored with 40 seconds left in regulation on a 5-yard catch).

• Junior cornerback Zack Sanchez sealed the game with his ninth career interception on Tennessee's final possession on 3rd and 12 from the 27-yard line. Sanchez was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week after adding six tackles (one for loss) and a quarterback hurry.

Sanchez was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week after his Tennessee performance.

• OU's comeback win (it trailed 17-0) marked the largest against Tennessee by any team in a regular season game.

• The Oklahoma defense allowed only 254 yards of total offense (3.3 yards per play) after the Vols racked up 604 yards (6.9 per play) against Bowling Green the previous week. OU allowed only 93 yards in the second half and overtimes (2.5 yards per play).

• Saturday's win marked the first time since 1983 the Sooners had trailed by 14 or more points at the end of the third quarter and went on the win (OU trailed Oklahoma State 17-3 at the end of the third that year before winning 21-20).

• Oklahoma did not score a touchdown on its first 11 possessions but reached the end zone on each of its last four.

• OU improved to 25-7 under head coach Bob Stoops against current SEC programs (6-4 against SEC members at the time of competition). The Sooners have won three straight against the SEC (one each of the last three seasons).

OPENING KICK

SPECIAL HALFTIME CEREMONY

FIVE TOP STORYLINES

SCOUTING TULSA

LAST YEAR AT TULSA

IMPROVED DEFENSE

HOME IS WHERE THE "W" IS

RECAPPING THE WIN AT TENNESSEE

Players Mentioned

Dominique Alexander

Caleb Gastelum

Geneo Grissom

Trevor Knight

Baker Mayfield

Samaje Perine

Alex Ross

Zack Sanchez

Sterling Shepard

Eric Striker

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University of Oklahoma Athletics