Richardson leads dominant Tulsa rushing attack with TD in 35-7 opening win over Abilene Christian

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Dominic Richardson ran for 142 yards and a touchdown, leading a 263-yard team rushing performance for Tulsa in a dominant 35-7 win over Abilene Christian in a season opener for both teams on Saturday night.

Tulsa quarterback Kirk Francis was 20 for 31 with 218 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Brody Foley and Zion Booker. Booker had a team-high six catches for 67 yards.

Ajay Allen also turned in 67 yards and a touchdown on nine carries for Tulsa.

The Tulsa defense was led by dominant performances from senior Byron Turner Jr. and junior J’Dan Burnett. The senior turned in three sacks, and his junior counterpart had two. The defense turned in nine tackles for a loss, a forced fumble and an interception.

It was the first win of Tre Lamb’s Tulsa head coaching tenure after taking the post in December following a 7-5 season as head coach for East Tennessee State.

Abilene Christian came in as the No. 16-ranked FCS team. They were led by quarterback Stone Earle, who was 13 for 19 for 130 yards and an interception. He scored the lone touchdown on an 11-yard rush with 6:42 left in the fourth. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football