The Golden Hurricane were led by first-year head coach Bill Blankenship and played their home games at Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium.

The Green Wave got on the board first after Shakiel Smith intercepted a deep pass from G. J. Kinne and returned it for 36 yards, setting up a successful field goal attempt.

The Golden Hurricane went ahead on a 5-yard touchdown reception by Bryan Burnham in the second quarter and continued to build its lead after halftime, aided by a strong defensive performance.

[5] In week 3, Tulsa took on Oklahoma State in a home game that memorably lasted until 3:35 a.m. after inclement weather delayed the kickoff past midnight.

The Golden Hurricane scored a field goal on their first drive to take an early lead, but were unable to contain the Cowboys' potent offense and quickly fell behind for good.

The team was further hindered by the loss of G. J. Kinne near the end of the first quarter, forcing them to rely heavily on the run for the remainder of the game.

Backup QB Kalen Henderson completed 6 of 20 for 104 yards in his second appearance for the Golden Hurricane, with two touchdown passes (both to Bryan Burnham) and three interceptions.

TU's offense got off to a quick start, scoring 17 1st quarter points due to 3 turnovers forced by Tulsa's opportunistic defense and winning 38–20.

[12] Furthermore, Tulsa had struggled against SMU under previous head coach Todd Graham, losing 2 straight and barely winning by an average of 6 points against two 1–11 teams in 2007 and 2008.

TU scored quickly and got out to a 24–0 lead at half time thanks to 3 interceptions by CB Milton Howell and two rushing touchdowns by short-yardage specialist HB Alex Singleton.

[15] After trailing 14–13 at the half, TU prevailed 24–17, running out over 5 minutes of clock at the end of the game, denying UCF the opportunity to score.

Under Graham, Tulsa had lost its previous two games in El Paso by 5 points total against two UTEP teams which finished 4–8.

TU's defense struggled early, giving up 15 points in the first half, but shut down UTEP for the pivotal 3rd quarter in which Tulsa seized control.