All Sooners

Oklahoma 2023 Schedule Preview: Tulsa

With a new head coach and a rebuilt roster, the Golden Hurricane present something of a mystery to the Sooners in Week 3.

John E. Hoover

University of Tulsa Athletics
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As August closes in, AllSooners previews every game on the 2023 schedule.

Oklahoma’s 12-game regular season schedule features six home games, five road games and the annual neutral-site Red River Showdown.

After hosting Arkansas State and SMU, the Sooners take a short road trip to Tulsa.

Tulsa’s last hire was a bright, young, up-and-coming offensive innovator.

The Golden Hurricane’s newest head coach is a bright, established, experienced offensive innovator.

Kevin Wilson — yep, that Kevin Wilson — replaces Philip Montgomery as TU’s head coach for 2023, and as usual the program has some catching up to do.

Montgomery, the former Baylor mastermind under Art Briles, was let go in December after compiling a 43-53 record in eight seasons. Tulsa went 5-7 last year and fell short of a third straight bowl game.

Wilson was hired a week later and has gone about remaking the roster.

Count on Wilson using lots of quarterback run game with lots of tempo — he contributed heavily in popularizing both, the former as offensive coordinator at Miami-Ohio and Northwestern and the latter at Oklahoma.

Wilson switching to a turbocharged tempo offense in 2008 allowed Sam Bradford to put up more than 4,000 yards and 50 touchdowns and bring home the Heisman Trophy, and allowed the Sooners to score an NCAA record 716 points and play for another BCS National Championship.

Wilson asked Bob Stoops what he thought about taking an OU offense replete with NFL talent and going up-tempo. Stoops took it to the Sooners’ then-defensive coordinator — Brent Venables — who gave Wilson the green light to go as fast as he wanted.

Oklahoma’s 2023 Schedule

  • Sept. 2: vs. Arkansas State
  • Sept. 9: vs. SMU
  • Sept. 16: at Tulsa
  • Sept. 23: at Cincinnati
  • Sept. 30: vs. Iowa State
  • Oct. 7: vs. Texas (Dallas)
  • Oct. 14: OPEN
  • Oct. 21: vs. UCF
  • Oct. 28: at Kansas
  • Nov. 4: at Oklahoma State
  • Nov. 11: vs. West Virginia
  • Nov. 18: at BYU
  • Nov. 24: vs. TCU

Now Venables is tasked with defending the latest version of Wilson’s offense at Tulsa.

The Golden Hurricane play at cozy, 30,000-seat Chapman Stadium, so tickets will be at a premium.

And Wilson has newcomers all over the field — Tulsa must replace 15 starters in all — so wins could be at a premium too.

At least the quarterback picture is settled. Multi-year starter Davis Brin transferred to Georgia Southern, leaving the job for impressive backup Braylon Braxton, a dual-threat QB who threw for 10 touchdowns and two interceptions while compiling 1,133 passing yards in three starts at the end of the season.

He’ll be coached by offensive coordinator Steve Spurrier Jr., who was a member of Bob Stoops’ first staff at Oklahoma in 1999, and had successful runs at Mississippi State, Washington State, Kentucky and South Carolina. He’s coached mostly wide receivers and has helped develop talent like Alshon Jeffery, Sidney Rice and Deebo Samuel.

At TU, he’ll have the luxury of a dynamic and promising quarterback in Braxton.

Braxton actually entered the transfer portal when Montgomery was fired, but took a listen to what Wilson and Spurrier Jr. had to say — and liked what he heard.

“We’re fortunate to have him back,” Wilson said. “He’s a tough kid and he’s a competitor. … He’s elusive, has a great arm and he’s a great option for us.”

Braylin Presley, from nearby Bixby, is among TU’s newcomers via the portal. Presley got time as a true freshman a Oklahoma State and gives the Golden Hurricane receiver corps instant credibility and big-play potential. He caught only five passes for 26 yards last year at OSU, but Wilson knows how to use smaller, breakaway receivers.

Junior college transfer Jordan Ford, former Missouri transfer Anthony Watkins and Virginia Tech transfer Tahj Gary give TU some big-time potential in the backfield.

With Braxton throwing to Presley and others, and handing off behind an experienced offensive line fortified with transfers, Tulsa’s offense could break out in Wilson’s inaugural season.

The defense, however, may have taken its biggest hit when Wilson’s new defensive coordinator, Matt Guerrieri, left for Indiana before spring practice even began.

Get to Know Tulsa

Sept. 16, 2:30 p.m. Chapman Stadium, Tulsa

  • Series: OU lead 20-7-1
  • Last meeting: 2015 (OU won 52-38)
  • Head coach: Kevin Wilson, 1st year (0-0), 7th overall (26-47)
  • 2022 record: 5-7 (3-5 AAC)
  • 2022 offense: 45th overall (84th rushing, 24th passing, 49th scoring)
  • 2022 defense: 98th overall (121st rushing, 33rd passing, 116th scoring)

Wilson elevated an analyst — former Sooner DB Dominque Franks — for spring practice and in May he hired Chris Polizzi from Tennessee-Martin to coordinate the defense.

"Even though we're adding Chris late, we tried to do it as seamless as possible to keep the continuity growing with our players,” Wilson said. “I really liked the direction spring ball went as the kids really bought in to the defense that would be best for us.

Two other interesting hires on Wilson’s first staff: former NFL wide receiver and return specialist Ryan Switzer will coach wideouts, and former Oklahoma State player and coach and NFL veteran Michael Hunter will coach cornerbacks as the defensive passing game coordinator.

With transfers and former transfers who began their careers at places like Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Arizona, Missouri, Virginia Tech and even Oklahoma — former Sooner offensive lineman Darrell Simpson is getting his fresh start as a graduate transfer at TU — the Golden Hurricane could present a formidable roster.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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