Three Things Tulsa Coach Tre Lamb Said ahead of Tulsa’s Trip to Stillwater

The Cowboys will host a new era of Tulsa football this weekend when Tre Lamb and the Golden Hurricane make the trip down the turnpike.

Oklahoma State and Tulsa play at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Boone Pickens Stadium.

Lamb came to Tulsa after a season at East Tennessee State, where he led the Buccaneers to their first winning season since 2021. Before that, Lamb was the head man at Gardner-Webb, where he led the Bulldogs to two Big South Conference titles.

He met with reporters in Tulsa on Monday to preview the Golden Hurricane’s trip to Stillwater.

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1. ‘Mike Gundy Just Finds a Way to Win Games’

Mike Gundy has earned many Bill Snyder comparisons over the years, and he got another Monday.

Lamb put Gundy up there with Snyder as underrated coaches of a generation for what they’ve been able to do at one spot. In 27 years as K-State’s coach, Snyder won 215 games. Gundy is up to 170 wins early in his 21st season in Stillwater.

“Coach Gundy, can’t wait to get to go against him on ESPN on Friday night,” Lamb said. “Got really a lot of respect for Coach. Probably one of the most, if not the most, underrated coaches of my generation, of my lifetime. I would say him and Bill Snyder are two of the guys that come to mind when you think of doing the most at where they’ve been.

“Nine and 10 win seasons consistently, changing at coordinators and quarterbacks, and Mike Gundy just finds a way to win games. Really, really look up to him as a mentor in our industry. After we play I’d love to pick his brain and learn from him. I think he does a phenomenal job.”

2. Lamb Talks Dominic Richardson, Braylin Presley

As we discussed a bit last week, a pair of former Pokes are major pieces to Tulsa’s offense.

Running back Dominic Richardson played in Stillwater from 2020 through 2022 before spending two seasons at Baylor and now closing out his career in Tulsa. He carried 272 times across 30 games with the Cowboys, running for 1,139 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Richardson has been the Golden Hurricane’s most consistent offensive weapon through three games, as he has run for 296 yards and two touchdowns on 53 carries.

“He’s been a workhorse for us,” Lamb said. “We’re gonna try to get him 20 carries Friday night. Right now, he’s the bell cow of our offense. Him and (wide receiver Zion) Booker are kind of carrying a lot of the weight. We gotta distribute the ball better on the perimeter and downfield, but I have all the confidence in the world right now in our running game and a lot of it is because of Dom.”

Braylin Presley has his best start to a season in his college career this year under Lamb. The younger brother of Brennan Presley, OSU’s all-time leader in receptions, Braylin played seven games for the Cowboys as a freshman in 2022, where he caught five passes for 26 yards to go with two rush attempts.

This is Presley’s third year with the Golden Hurricane. The first two combined, coming under Kevin Wilson, saw Presley catch 20 passes for 195 yards and run nine times for 46 yards and a touchdown. Through three games under Lamb, Presley — now listed as a running back — has rushed 14 times for 99 yards and caught eight passes for another 42 yards.

“He’s doing well,” Lamb said. “He’s a gadget guy. We’re trying to get him six to 10 touches a game, in space, in the box. We’ve got a plan for him this week. I know how big this is for him, his brothers playing there and their family going back to Stillwater. It’s gonna be a big game for him, and I’m excited to watch him play.”

3. Questions at Quarterback

Tulsa starting quarterback Kirk Francis suffered a concussion in Tulsa’s Week 2 loss to New Mexico State. It kept him out of the Golden Hurricane’s conference opener against Navy.

In his place, Tulsa has used redshirt freshman Baylor Hayes, who transferred from East Tennessee State with Lamb. Francis and Hayes have attempted the same number of passes this season. Here is how they stack up:

Lamb said Francis has one more test to pass which will take place Tuesday, where he is expected to be limited in practice. Lamb said both guys could see the field against OSU.

“The plan is for me to practice both guys and see who has the best week of practice,” Lamb said. “I truly, honestly, mean that. Like if you asked me today, I have no clue who we’re gonna start. I’m gonna reward the reps to the guy who moves the ball at practice. Baylor, obviously, gives you a little bit of a dynamic with his legs, but Kirk gives you the experience and probably a little more accuracy in the passing game. So we’re gonna play both on Tuesday. Whoever moves the ball the most will get the most reps on Wednesday, and then we’ll decide on a starter probably Thursday in the walkthrough.”