Tulane and Tulsa meet at 4-4 in the Homecoming game at Yulman
Both teams are 4-4 for the 11 a.m. Homecoming game at Yulman Stadium. Tulsa brings a plus-10 turnover margin and quarterback Baylor Hayes; Tulane brings a ground game that produced 99 yards and two scores from Johnnie Daniels at Charlotte.
NEW ORLEANS: Tulane and Tulsa arrive at Yulman Stadium on Saturday with the same record and opposite problems, in a Homecoming game that will leave one of them above .500 and the other below it.
Both teams are 4-4. Tulane is 2-2 in the American Conference, and Tulsa is 1-3, with its three conference losses decided by a combined 12 points. The most recent was a 38-35 loss to Army. Kickoff on Saturday, Nov. 7, is at 11 a.m., with coverage on ESPNU, and the game sits inside Tulane's Wave Weekend, the Homecoming celebration that brings alumni, families and fans back to campus. Tailgate Village festivities on campus run from 8 a.m. until 10:30 a.m.
Tulane comes in off the harder escape. At Charlotte last week the Green Wave trailed 24-14 at halftime, outscored the home team 17-7 in the second half to force overtime, and won 38-31 in the extra period.
Two performances carried that comeback. Running back Johnnie Daniels rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, and freshman quarterback Trace Johnson completed 28 of 36 passes for 284 yards and a touchdown, with one interception.
Tulsa's offense is built around quarterback Baylor Hayes, who has thrown for 1,343 yards and 10 touchdowns against two interceptions, completing 63 percent of his passes. Running back Damari Alston has added 429 yards on 103 carries. As a team the Golden Hurricane average about 370 yards and nearly 30 points a game.
The clearest gap between the teams is in turnovers. Tulsa enters the game with a plus-10 turnover margin, while Tulane sits at minus-3, a difference that has shaped close games for both sides all season.
The running game points the other way. Tulsa has allowed just over 200 rushing yards a game, which gives Tulane a direct route to repeat the Charlotte formula: establish Daniels and the ground game early, keep Hayes on the sideline, and avoid the mistakes that have kept the Green Wave from winning consecutive games this year.
History offers Tulane some comfort and Tulsa some motivation. Tulsa leads the all-time series 13-8, but Tulane won the last meeting 31-14 on Sept. 27, 2025, and has won the last three meetings. At home, Tulane has won 10 of its last 11 games at Yulman Stadium, although its most recent home game was a 42-19 loss to UTSA.
What follows Saturday is demanding for Tulane either way: road games at Rice and South Florida, then a home game against North Texas to close the stretch. A win on Saturday keeps a fifth straight bowl appearance in reach for Tulane. Tulsa is chasing its first bowl berth since 2021.
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