On defense, Tulsa returns All-Conference corner Elijah Green, who led the American with 5 interceptions last season and adds a legitimate havoc element on the back end. Against a Lions team that leans almost entirely on the pass, that's the kind of matchup that can turn into a long afternoon for East Texas A&M's skill players.
East Texas A&M isn't walking in here with nothing, though. Clint Dolezel's group actually has some juice on offense — the Lions ran the Southland's top passing attack in 2025 at 266.8 yards a game and put up a season-high 52 points against Incarnate Word. The problem is everything else. A 3-9 record and a league-worst 42 points allowed per game tell the real story, and losses to the conference's top two teams down the stretch showed just how far the defense has to go.
That gap in overall talent and level of competition is the whole ballgame here. East Texas A&M is still building out a Southland roster; Tulsa is stocking an FBS program with transfer portal pickups on both sides. Unless the Lions can somehow out-score a defense with a legitimate first-round-caliber cover corner on it, this is Tulsa's game to lose.
For East Texas A&M, the value is developmental — a chance for Dolezel's passing attack to get reps against a bigger, faster defense before Southland play resumes. For Tulsa, it's about building rhythm behind Hayes and getting the defense comfortable before conference play gets tougher.