Tulsa @ Fresno State preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 22, 2012 ) Fresno State 26, Tulsa 27

Tulsa looks to notch back-to-back wins for the first time in nearly two years when it hits the road to face Fresno State on Saturday. The Golden Hurricane bounced back from their lopsided loss to No. 2 Ohio State by thrashing FCS program North Carolina A&T 58-21 and hope to beat another team from the state of California after downing San Jose State 45-10 in their season opener.

"We've got to get better but I think we're on the right track," Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery told reporters. "We've just got to continue to keep working and pushing and understanding that we've got another big opponent this week." Fresno State looks to rebound from a dreadful performance after suffering a humiliating 52-17 defeat to Toledo in Week 3. The Bulldogs have struggled mightily against FBS opponents, surrendering 95 points and 1,025 total yards in losses to Nebraska and the Rockets, and they hope to turn their fortunes around by avoiding their third straight defeat in the series with the Golden Hurricane. "There is no excuse for it and it's going to change," Fresno State head coach Tim DeRuyter told reporters. "We've got a bunch of guys who have pride but we've got to play much better."

TV: 4:30 p.m. ET, Mountain West Network. LINE: Tulsa -14.5

ABOUT TULSA (2-1): Keevan Lucas found the end zone for the first time since a knee injury cut his season short in 2015 as he caught four passes for 119 yards and three touchdowns against North Carolina A&T. McKinley Whitfield continues to make plays all over the field as the sophomore safety blocked two punts and recorded an interception, leading to three touchdown drives against the Aggies. Quarterback Dane Evans was named one of the 24 players to the 2016 AFCA Good Works Team, an honor bestowed on college football players who help out local charities.

ABOUT FRESNO STATE (1-2): Freshman quarterback Chason Virgil was limited to 190 yards on 12-of-23 passing but did throw for two touchdowns, including an 85-yard bomb to Jamire Jordan, in the loss to Toledo to become the ninth player in program history to complete a pass of more than 85 yards. KeeSean Johnson caught four passes for 51 yards and a touchdown to take his season total to three TDs, which is already one more than he had in the entire 2015 campaign. Stratton Brown made a career-best 10 tackles while fellow safety DeShawn Potts added a personal-best eight tackles against the Rockets.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Lucas has 20 touchdowns in 31 career games.

2. Tulsa has scored more than 40 points in nine of 16 games under Montgomery.

3. Fresno State has given up 11 plays of 20 yards or more in its first three games.

PREDICTION: Tulsa 42, Fresno State 24