Kirk Francis threw four touchdowns – all before halftime – and Tulsa defeated Northwestern State 62-28 on Thursday night in both teams' season opener.
The spirited FCS member Demons put up a spirited fight in the first quarter as Kenneth Lacy scored a 75-yard touchdown on the second play of the game for a 7-0 lead.
Francis scored his first point when he connected with Kamdyn Benjamin from 36 yards out to tie the game. Just over two minutes later, Benjamin returned a punt 66 yards to give Tulsa a 14-7 lead.
With 1:06 left in the first quarter, the Demons' Cam Hardy blocked a 32-yard field goal attempt by Seth Morgan and Antonio Hall intercepted the ball and returned it 74 yards to tie the score at 14-14.
Tulsa took control in the second half with four touchdowns, ending Northwestern's threat. Francis threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Ballard and scored touchdowns of 20 and 14 yards to Connor Vaughn. The 14-yard touchdown to Vaughn came with 37 seconds left before halftime, giving Tulsa a 41-14 lead.
Francis completed 23 of 30 passes for 299 yards.
Lacy of the Demons managed a ball over 72 yards seven times, despite the 75-yard touchdown run.
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