Tulsa gets Tre Lamb era off to a hot start with the 35-7 win over Abilene Christian

In his first game in charge of the Tulsa football program, new head coach Tre Lamb and the Golden Hurricane came away with a 35-7 win over Abilene Christian.

Saturday, August 30th 2025, 6:01 pm

By: Justin Woodard


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In his first game in charge of the Tulsa football program, new head coach Tre Lamb and the Golden Hurricane came away with a 35-7 win over Abilene Christian.

After finishing 133rd in the nation last year in scoring defense, that unit made a statement on Saturday night at Chapman Stadium.

The TU defense made not one, but two goal line stands in the first and second quarter. When it was all said and done the Golden Hurricane gave up just 260 total yards and the lone touchdown they allowed came in garbage time.

As for the Tulsa offense, starting quarterback Kirk Francis took care of the football with no interceptions while throwing two touchdown passes. Francis ended with 218 passing yards.

The stars of the night were the running game and the offensive line. The Golden Hurricane racked up over 260 rushing yards while averaging 5.7 yards per carry.

Running back Dominic Richardson busted a 57-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and that was followed by a 40-yard TD run by Ajay Allen in the fourth quarter. Richardson finished with over 140 yards on the ground for the Golden Hurricane.

Off to a 1-0 start, Tulsa is back under the lights next Saturday night at New Mexico State. Kick is set for 8 pm central time.

Previous story:

The University of Tulsa plays at home to open its season against Abilene Christian Saturday.

Griffin Media's Jeremie Poplin caught up with "The Voice of the Golden Hurricane" Bruce Howard just before the game to break down keys to victory as TU begins the Tre Lamb era.

READ MORE: Tulsa vs. Abilene Christian: Golden Hurricane Open the Tre Lamb Era at Home

Watch in the post below, or follow along for what to expect ahead of kickoff.

Honoring Legends at TU

The University of Tulsa is honoring past teams, and premium seats sold out early for the 'Cane's home opener.

NFL Hall of Famers were in Tulsa for Friday's Night of Legends. The weekend honored past conference championship teams of 1975, 1985, and 2005.

Abilene Christian as an opponent

"Abilene Christian is a really good FCS school, so you have to be careful, and be ready to play, but I think Tre Lamb's team will be," Howard said.

Poplin pointed out Keith Patterson is likely eager to make an impression at Saturday's game, given his ties to the TU.

Keys to Tulsa Victory

  1. Play clean: "We've seen first games be really sloppy; week 0, earlier today," Howard said. "You're going to have a lot of new players; everyone has a lot of new players."
  2. Offense: Howard said Tulsa's offensive line has run the ball well in the preseason, and mentioned Quarterback Kirk Francis brings experience to the field.
  3. Defense: Howard said he's interested to see how TU's defense fares against Abilene Christian's inexperienced offensive line.
  4. Speed: Tre Lamb, as a first year head coach, said ahead of the opening game that he wants the team to be, "playing with their hair on fire," bringing speed to the game. "I feel like it's in his DNA, I can't wait to see what kind of pace the offense operates with," said Poplin.
  5. Intelligence: Howard said he believes TU will play with pace, and will know when to turn up the intensity.

Watch News On 6 social media channels for updates.


Justin Woodard

Justin Woodard joined News On 6's sports team in January of 2024, bringing over 12 years of broadcast experience. He's excited to cover high school sports in Tulsa and athletics at Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tulsa, and Oral Roberts.

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