Tulsa, UConn to meet for first time in football

After being in the American Athletic Conference together since 2014, Tulsa and UConn are meeting for the first time. The Hurricane visits Pratt and Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, Connecticut, on Saturday, and the Huskies will play at H.A. Chapman Stadium in 2018.

UConn has played a team from the Sooner State only once, losing 48-20 to Oklahoma in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl.

New-look Huskies

With the arrival of Rhett Lashlee as offensive coordinator, UConn has scored at least 27 points in five games. Last year, the Huskies ranked last nationally in scoring offense, averaging 14.8 points per game.

Beating the odds

Against Houston, TU was a 14-point underdog but prevailed 45-17. According to betting site OddsShark.com, the last time the Hurricane won as a double-digit underdog was in 2005, when TU beat Southern Miss.

Looking back

TU's defense had three takeaways against the Cougars, and each led to a Hurricane touchdown. The last score came in the final minute, when defensive end Jeremy Smith pressured and sacked Houston quarterback Kyle Postma, resulting in a fumble that Petera Wilson Jr. took 3 yards into the end zone. "It happened so fast," Smith said. "I came off the ball and I was back there and then I look up and see Petera scooping and scoring. It was awesome. I was kind of jealous because I wish I could have gotten the fumble, but it was cool."

Injury update

Strong safety Manny Bunch will miss the rest of the season with an injury that occurred on Tulane's first play two weeks ago. Bunch recorded 45 tackles, including 27 solo in the first six games and also had an interception.