Tulsa Football drops American opener to Navy, coach Tre Lamb post conference takeaways

Tulsa fell to Navy 42-23 in its American Athletic Conference opener Saturday night at Chapman Stadium, and Golden Hurricane head coach Tre Lamb provided insight on what went wrong, what went right, and how his team will respond moving forward.

RELATED: Tulsa drops American opener to Navy, 42-23

Coach Lamb: Respect for Navy, Lessons Learned

“First of all, hats off to Navy and hats off to Coach Newberry. They do an unbelievable job,” Lamb said. “They’ve got a great football team. That quarterback is the real deal. Great young men. They showed great class at the end of the game singing the alma mater with us and us going to them. Great respect for our military and the service they provide.”

Lamb acknowledged the experience and senior leadership of the Midshipmen. “They got a lot of seniors. Every guy that touched the ball tonight for their team was a senior…they weren’t phased when they got punched in the mouth early,” he said. “We got punched in the mouth in the third quarter. We lost the middle eight, about 21 points.”

Watch the full postgame press conference below:

Quarterback Baylor Hayes Shows Resilience

On the performance of redshirt freshman quarterback Baylor Hayes, Lamb said: “I thought he played tough. He made some off-schedule plays, but he also missed some guys like we had Booker wide open on the sideline…He’s got to play enough football to know, hey, third and 17, you ain’t gonna get it very many times.”

Hayes reflected on his own performance, noting areas to improve. “I was comfortable and in a rhythm at first, but I have to be more consistent in the third and fourth quarter in crucial moments,” he said. “There are certain moments where I made mistakes…my team deserves a way better version of me.”

Defensive Highlights and Struggles

Tulsa’s defense made early noise with turnovers but couldn’t sustain momentum. Lamb said, “We got three turnovers early, which were big, unfortunately, we gave it back about three times on fourth down stops and a sack fumble.”

DB Elijah Green also discussed his interceptions. “The first one is really just being right place, right time…The second one just kind of playing off the quarterback a little. I know I had to pass it off to my safety, which is very reliable,” he said. Green also reflected on his bounce-back mindset: “I think last week I was just in my head…now I think this game I got to regain focus, fly around, be there for my team.”

Turning Points and Lessons for Tulsa

Lamb pinpointed critical moments in the second quarter. “We threw the ball up all night…We didn’t make very many plays. Penalties hurt us…Two plays later, Baylor sack fumble…We could have taken a two-score lead in the first half.”

Despite the loss, Lamb remained positive about his team’s growth. “We need to gain confidence from the things we did well and not dwell on the things we’re doing poorly…We’ve got a tough stretch ahead, but I like our fight. I think our kids care a lot. We just need a few more plays to be made in critical moments.”

Looking Ahead

Tulsa now prepares for a challenging stretch in the AAC, including games against Oklahoma State, Tulane, and Memphis. Lamb emphasized the importance of experience. “Going through this is invaluable. We are in games and we will be in close games…We’ve got a competitive football team,” he said.