Baylor Hayes Starts For Tulsa Vs North Texas Thursday

Tulsa gets its starter back right as conference play opens, and Pete Thamel had it first.

Pete Thamel

@PeteThamel

Sources: Tulsa quarterback Baylor Hayes (knee) will start on Thursday night at home against North Texas. He missed Tulsa's past two games, including the loss at Arkansas this weekend. Hayes completed nearly 71-percent of his passes in Tulsa's upset of Oklahoma State.

The timing matters. Tulsa started 3-0 without breaking much of a sweat, and then Hayes got hurt. Coach Tre Lamb told ESPN before the Arkansas game that Hayes was doubtful and that the plan was to have him back for American Conference play. Dexter Williams started again in Fayetteville, and Tulsa took its first loss of the year. Now Hayes is back for the conference opener, right on the schedule Lamb laid out.

If you want to know why Tulsa was being careful with him, look at the Oklahoma State game. On September 5 the Golden Hurricane beat the Cowboys 24-10 and ruined Eric Morris' debut as OSU's head coach. Hayes went 17-for-24 for 227 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception, and his touchdown was a 21-yard throw to Omari Singleton in the 3rd quarter. Damari Alston ran for 2 more. It was also Tulsa's second straight win over Oklahoma State, which Lamb made sure to mention afterward.

Then came Week 2. Hayes got hurt late in the win over Sam Houston State, and Thamel added how long he's been out:

Pete Thamel

@PeteThamel

He's missed more than nine-straight quarters for the Golden Hurricane after getting hurt against Sam Houston State in Week 2.

More than 9 quarters is 2 full games plus the end of the Sam Houston win. Tulsa got through it, going 1-1 without him, but the loss at Arkansas showed what the offense looks like with a backup running it against real competition. A guy who completes close to 71 percent of his passes changes what Lamb can call.

What to watch on Thursday is whether the knee holds up and whether Tulsa trusts him to push the ball downfield. The Golden Hurricane went 1-1 in the nonconference games he missed, so they are still in good shape in the league. If Hayes comes back looking like the guy who beat Oklahoma State, Tulsa goes into American play as a real contender and not just a team with 1 upset on its résumé.