Tulsa Drops To Houston In Conference Opener

Tulsa dropped to 2-2 on the season and 0-1 in the AAC after suffering a 38-24 loss to Houston.

Here’s the synopsis of how the game played out:

The Golden Hurricane got on the board early with a 46-yard field goal from Redford Jones just minutes into the game but failed to stop a Houston touchdown moments later to make it 7-3.

The defense looked good, forcing a turnover that the offense took advantage of. With 4:58 left in the first, Zack Langer started his birthday out right, rushing in a 6-yard score to elevate Tulsa to a 10-7 advantage.

Tulsa’s defense didn’t stop there; they soon made another 4th down stop to keep the score 10-7 entering the second.

TU holding UH to just one score with two 4th down stops was huge because the Cougars are a team that ranks 6th in the nation in scoring offense.

Houston opened up the second with a touchdown that helped them to a 14-10 lead.

After the Golden Hurricane failed to add points to the board, the defense made another 4th down stop to give Tulsa a new opportunity to touch the end zone. After a few Houston stops, Tulsa decided to kick but the field goal attempt strayed wide left, leaving the score at 14-10.

The Cougars took the scoring opportunity and ran with it, advancing their lead, 21-10, going into halftime.

Tulsa’s defense managed to hold UH out of the end zone, forcing them to punt midway through the third, upping the Cougar lead 24-10.

TU soon answered with a 2-yard TD from Langer, making it a 24-17 ball game.

With Tulsa’s defense playing the best we’ve seen them this season, they did it again, this time recovering a fumble. A chance to tie the game now rested on the offense.

One of Dane Evan’s passes was soon intercepted, halting the score at 24-17 going into the final quarter. Before the pass, Evans had attempted 125 passes without an interception.

At this point, Keevan Lucas was no longer in the game after suffering an injury attempting to catch a touchdown pass, resulting in a pass interference call. He was soon carried off the field and later to the locker room for further observation. "It's a big loss, obviously. I mean that guy is a tremendous football player and even better kid," said Philip Montgomery. "You know, it affects us... When you lose such an important weapon to what you do, it's always going to be a factor. And so as far as his prognosis goes, you know, I've talked to the doctors. We'll get the MRI; we'll kind of see how it goes from there, but I'm extremely concerned." 

Within three quarters, Houston’s quarterback Greg Ward was dominating Tulsa. He tallied 158 rushing yards and three touchdowns while throwing for 221 yards. UH had 498 yards of total offense vs. TU’s 333.

Houston scored early in the 4th to extend its lead, 31-17.

By the end of the quarter, the Cougars managed another TD before Langer went on to score his third touchdown of the game. The birthday boy was on fire, but it wasn’t enough to lead Tulsa past UH.

Houston finished with a 38-24 victory over Tulsa.