Tulsa Dominates Abilene Christian 35-7 in Season Opener
Tulsa controlled the game from start to finish, defeating Abilene Christian 35-7 in Week 1 action. The Golden Hurricane scored in every quarter, with quarterback Kirk Francis leading the offense and completing 218 passing yards.
Tulsa established early momentum with Francis connecting with Zion Booker for a 12-yard touchdown in the first quarter. The defense stifled Abilene Christian throughout, forcing negative plays including Stone Earle's 2-yard loss in the opening period.
The third quarter proved decisive, with Dominic Richardson taking a handoff 57 yards and converting a two-point conversion on a pass from Braylin Presley to Francis to extend the lead. Ajay Allen, who rushed for 67 yards, added another touchdown on a 40-yard run in the fourth quarter to seal the rout.
CJ Johnson II led receivers with nine catches for Tulsa. Abilene Christian's offense managed only seven points, scoring late in the fourth quarter but unable to mount any sustained challenge. Tulsa covered the 5-point spread and finished comfortably under the 59.5-point over-under line.
AI-generated recap · Aug 23, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abilene Christian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
 Tulsa | 7 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 35 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Abilene Christian | Tulsa |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 13-19 | 22-34 |
| Pass Yards | 140 | 236 |
| Rush Yards | 120 | 268 |
| Total Yards | 260 | 504 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| 3rd Down | 5-15 | 8-19 |
| Penalties | 3-25 | 10-53 |
| Possession | 26:55 | 33:05 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Stone Earle run for 4 yds to the ACU 29
Jordon Vaughn run for 1 yd to the ACU 30
Stone Earle sacked by Byron Turner Jr. for a loss of 2 yards to the ACU 28
Hugo Nash punt for 42 yds, fair catch by Zion Booker at the TLSA 30
Hugo Nash punt for 42 yds, fair catch by Zion Booker at the TLSA 30
Kirk Francis pass complete to Braylin Presley for 13 yds to the TLSA 43 for a 1ST down
Kirk Francis pass complete to Braylin Presley for 6 yds to the TLSA 37
Kirk Francis pass complete to Mekhi Miller for 8 yds to the TLSA 45
Kirk Francis pass incomplete to Dominic Richardson
Angus Davies punt for 46 yds , Tyson Williams returns for 1 yd to the ACU 10
Jordon Vaughn run for 9 yds to the ACU 19
Stone Earle pass complete to J.J. Henry for 26 yds to the ACU 45 for a 1ST down
Stone Earle run for 7 yds to the TLSA 48
Stone Earle sacked by J'Dan Burnett for a loss of 2 yards to the 50 yard line
Stone Earle pass complete to J.J. Henry for 7 yds to the TLSA 43 for a 1ST down
Jordon Vaughn run for 2 yds to the TLSA 41
Stone Earle pass complete to J.J. Henry for 8 yds to the TLSA 33 for a 1ST down
Stone Earle run for 12 yds to the TLSA 21 for a 1ST down
Jordon Vaughn run for 6 yds to the TLSA 15
Rovaughn Banks Jr. run for 2 yds to the TLSA 13
Rovaughn Banks Jr. run for 3 yds to the TLSA 10 for a 1ST down
Stone Earle pass incomplete to Rovaughn Banks Jr.
Stone Earle pass incomplete to J.J. Henry
Stone Earle run for 9 yds to the TLSA 1
Stone Earle run for a loss of 2 yards to the TLSA 3
Dominic Richardson run for 4 yds to the TLSA 7
Dominic Richardson run for 5 yds to the TLSA 12
Dominic Richardson run for 4 yds to the TLSA 16 for a 1ST down
Kirk Francis pass complete to Zion Booker for 36 yds to the ACU 48 for a 1ST down
Kirk Francis pass incomplete to Braylin Presley
Kirk Francis pass complete to Micah Tease for 8 yds to the ACU 40
Braylin Presley run for no gain to the ACU 40
Dominic Richardson run for 15 yds to the ACU 25 for a 1ST down
Kirk Francis pass complete to Dominic Richardson for 6 yds to the ACU 19
Ajay Allen run for 3 yds to the ACU 16
Ajay Allen run for 4 yds to the ACU 12 for a 1ST down
Kirk Francis pass incomplete to Josh Smith
Kirk Francis pass complete to Braylin Presley for no gain to the ACU 12
Kirk Francis pass complete to Zion Booker for 12 yds for a TD (Seth Morgan KICK)
Stone Earle pass complete to Jordon Vaughn for 9 yds to the ACU 34
Jordon Vaughn run for 4 yds to the ACU 38 for a 1ST down
Stone Earle pass complete to Javon Gipson for 42 yds to the TLSA 20 for a 1ST down
(00:18) No Huddle-Shotgun Earle,Stone pass incomplete deep left to Dudley,Dallas thrown to TULSA00 PENALTY TULSA Pass Interference (Green,Elijah) 15 yards from TULSA20 to TULSA05, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Jordon Vaughn run for 3 yds to the TLSA 2
Jordon Vaughn run for 1 yd to the TLSA 1
Jordon Vaughn run for a loss of 1 yard to the TLSA 2
Stone Earle run for 1 yd to the TLSA 1
Dominic Richardson run for 2 yds to the TLSA 3
Dominic Richardson run for 4 yds to the TLSA 7
Kirk Francis pass complete to Jacob Emmers for 3 yds to the TLSA 10
Angus Davies punt for 80 yds
Rovaughn Banks Jr. run for 4 yds to the ACU 14
Stone Earle pass complete to J.J. Henry for a loss of 1 yard to the ACU 13
Rovaughn Banks Jr. run for no gain to the ACU 13
Hugo Nash punt for 47 yds , Zion Booker returns for 9 yds to the TLSA 49
Kirk Francis pass complete to Jacob Emmers for 7 yds to the ACU 44
Dominic Richardson run for 4 yds to the ACU 40 for a 1ST down
Dominic Richardson run for 11 yds to the ACU 29 for a 1ST down
(09:23) No Huddle-Shotgun Francis,Kirk pass incomplete deep right to Miller,Mekhi thrown to ACU00 PENALTY ACU Pass Interference (Malaska,Jocelyn) 15 yards from ACU29 to ACU14, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Braylin Presley run for 4 yds to the ACU 10
Kirk Francis pass incomplete to Zion Booker
Kirk Francis pass incomplete to Landen Lucas
Seth Morgan 28 yd FG GOOD
Seth Morgan kickoff for 65 yds , Raydrian Baltrip return for 25 yds to the ACU 40 Tulsa Penalty, Defensive Offside (-5 Yards) to the ACU 30
Jordon Vaughn run for 3 yds to the ACU 33
Stone Earle pass complete to J.J. Henry for 5 yds to the ACU 38
Stone Earle run for 4 yds to the ACU 42 for a 1ST down
Stone Earle pass complete to Bryan Henry for 3 yds to the ACU 45
Stone Earle pass complete to Luke Moffitt for 1 yd to the ACU 46
Stone Earle sacked by Byron Turner Jr. for a loss of 9 yards to the ACU 37
Hugo Nash punt for 40 yds
Dominic Richardson run for 3 yds to the TLSA 26
Dominic Richardson run for 5 yds to the TLSA 31
Kirk Francis run for 6 yds to the TLSA 37 for a 1ST down
Kirk Francis pass complete to Zion Booker for 6 yds to the TLSA 43
Braylin Presley run for 10 yds to the ACU 47 for a 1ST down
Braylin Presley run for 11 yds to the ACU 36 for a 1ST down
Dominic Richardson run for 5 yds to the ACU 31
PENALTY TULSA False Start (Booker,Zion) 5 yards from ACU31 to ACU36. NO PLAY.
Kirk Francis pass complete to Zion Booker for 1 yd to the ACU 35
Dominic Richardson run for 2 yds to the ACU 33
PENALTY TULSA False Start (East,Cam) 5 yards from ACU33 to ACU38. NO PLAY.
Angus Davies punt for 28 yds
Jordon Vaughn run for 7 yds to the ACU 17
Jordon Vaughn run for no gain to the ACU 17
End of 2nd Quarter
Kirk Francis pass incomplete to Zion Booker
Kirk Francis pass complete to Micah Tease for 24 yds to the TLSA 49 for a 1ST down
Dominic Richardson run for no gain to the TLSA 49
Dominic Richardson run for 6 yds to the ACU 45
Kirk Francis pass incomplete to Micah Tease
Kirk Francis run for 6 yds to the ACU 39 for a 1ST down
Kirk Francis pass complete to Josh Smith for 15 yds to the ACU 24 for a 1ST down
Ajay Allen run for 2 yds to the ACU 22
Kirk Francis pass incomplete to Micah Tease
Ajay Allen run for no gain to the ACU 22
Seth Morgan 40 yd FG GOOD
Seth Morgan kickoff for 63 yds , Raydrian Baltrip return for 49 yds to the TLSA 49
Jordon Vaughn run for 1 yd to the TLSA 48
Stone Earle pass complete to Javon Gipson for 6 yds to the TLSA 42
Stone Earle run for a loss of 1 yard to the TLSA 43
Hugo Nash punt for 37 yds, fair catch by Zion Booker at the TLSA 6
(10:08) Shotgun Richardson,Dominic rush middle for 7 yards gain to the TULSA13 (Shaffer,Will; Plumley,Dorian) PENALTY TULSA Holding (Lucas,Landen) 3 yards from TULSA06 to TULSA03. NO PLAY.
Dominic Richardson run for no gain to the TLSA 3
Dominic Richardson run for 6 yds to the TLSA 9
PENALTY TULSA False Start (Hill,Sean) 5 yards from TULSA09 to TULSA04. NO PLAY.
Braylin Presley run for 4 yds to the TLSA 8
Angus Davies punt for 49 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the TLSA 40 , Tyson Williams returns for 17 yds to the TLSA 40
Stone Earle sacked by J'Dan Burnett for a loss of 5 yards to the TLSA 45
Rovaughn Banks Jr. run for 7 yds to the TLSA 38
Stone Earle pass incomplete to Dallas Dudley
Hugo Nash punt for 30 yds, fair catch by Zion Booker at the TLSA 8
Dominic Richardson run for 3 yds to the TLSA 11
Kirk Francis pass complete to Jacob Emmers for 14 yds to the TLSA 25 for a 1ST down
Kirk Francis pass incomplete to Micah Tease
Kirk Francis pass incomplete to Zion Booker
(05:37) No Huddle-Shotgun Francis,Kirk pass incomplete deep left to Smith,Josh thrown to ACU42 broken up by West,Harold PENALTY ACU Illegal Substitution 5 yards from TULSA25 to TULSA30. NO PLAY.
Kirk Francis pass complete to Zion Booker for 7 yds to the TLSA 37 for a 1ST down
Kirk Francis pass complete to Zion Booker for 5 yds to the TLSA 42
Braylin Presley run for 1 yd to the TLSA 43
Dominic Richardson 57 Yd Run (Braylin Presley Pass to Kirk Francis for Two-Point Conversion)
Stone Earle pass complete to J.J. Henry for 5 yds to the ACU 30
Rovaughn Banks Jr. run for 2 yds to the ACU 32
PENALTY ACU False Start (Lynch,Colter) 5 yards from ACU32 to ACU27. NO PLAY.
Stone Earle pass incomplete to Javon Gipson
Hugo Nash punt for 44 yds, fair catch by Zion Booker at the TLSA 29
Kirk Francis run for a loss of 2 yards to the TLSA 27
Tulsa Penalty, Intentional Grounding (Kirk Francis) to the TLSA 19
Kirk Francis pass complete to Micah Tease for 10 yds to the TLSA 29
Braylin Presley run for 16 yds to the TLSA 45 for a 1ST down
Dominic Richardson run for 1 yd to the TLSA 46
Kirk Francis pass complete to Micah Tease for 27 yds to the ACU 27 for a 1ST down
Dominic Richardson run for 5 yds to the ACU 22
Kirk Francis pass complete to Brody Foley for 22 yds for a TD (Seth Morgan KICK)
Jordon Vaughn run for 10 yds to the ACU 35 for a 1ST down
Stone Earle pass incomplete to J.J. Henry
Stone Earle pass complete to J.J. Henry for 4 yds to the ACU 39
Stone Earle pass intercepted Elijah Green return for 4 yds to the ACU 45
Stone Earle pass intercepted Elijah Green return for 4 yds to the ACU 45
Ajay Allen run for 5 yds to the ACU 40
Kirk Francis pass incomplete to Mekhi Miller
Ajay Allen run for 40 yds for a TD (Seth Morgan KICK)
Rovaughn Banks Jr. run for 4 yds to the ACU 29
Stone Earle run for 5 yds to the ACU 34
Stone Earle run for 21 yds to the TLSA 45 for a 1ST down
Stone Earle sacked by Byron Turner Jr. for a loss of 10 yards to the ACU 45
Rovaughn Banks Jr. run for 1 yd to the ACU 46
PENALTY TULSA Offside (Cooper,Ty) 5 yards from ACU46 to TULSA49. NO PLAY.
(09:21) No Huddle-Shotgun Earle,Stone rush middle for 5 yards gain to the TULSA44 (Anglin,Josh) PENALTY TULSA Offside (Hjelle,Joe) 5 yards from TULSA49 to TULSA44. NO PLAY.
Stone Earle pass complete to Javon Gipson for 25 yds to the TLSA 19 for a 1ST down
Stone Earle run for 4 yds to the TLSA 15
Jordon Vaughn run for 2 yds to the TLSA 13 Jordon Vaughn fumbled, recovered by ACU Colter Lynch
Jordon Vaughn run for 2 yds to the TLSA 11
Stone Earle run for 11 yds for a TD (Kyler Meschi KICK)
Ajay Allen run for 3 yds to the TLSA 28
Ajay Allen run for 8 yds to the TLSA 36 for a 1ST down
Kelvin Washington run for 6 yds to the TLSA 42
Stephen Kittleman pass incomplete to Josh Smith
Stephen Kittleman pass complete to Jacob Emmers for 9 yds to the ACU 49 for a 1ST down
Kelvin Washington run for 2 yds to the ACU 47
(03:10) Shotgun Kittleman,Stephen pass complete short right to Miller,Mekhi caught at ACU30, for 25 yards to the ACU22 (West,Harold; Oku,Christian) PENALTY TULSA Ineligible Downfield on Pass (McClure,Evan) 5 yards from ACU47 to TULSA48. NO PLAY.
Stephen Kittleman pass complete to Calvin Johnson II for 9 yds to the ACU 43
Ajay Allen run for 2 yds to the ACU 41
Kelvin Washington run for 3 yds to the ACU 38 for a 1ST down
run for a loss of 2 yards to the ACU 40
(01:07) Kneel down by Tulsa at ACU42 for loss of 2 yards.
(00:34) Kneel down by Tulsa at ACU43 for loss of 1 yard.