TU Survives Fresno State In Double Overtime

Tulsa improved to 3-1 after surviving Fresno State 48-41 in double overtime at Bulldog Stadium on Saturday.

Tulsa got off to a rough start, going three and out before allowing the Bulldogs to score on their first offensive possession with a 44-yard play to the house by Jamie Jordan early in the first quarter.

Midway through the quarter, Fresno capitalized off of a Keevan Lucas fumble and scored on a fake to Chason Virgil to give the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead.

At this point, Tulsa looked sloppy and rattled on both sides of the ball, making no offensive gains and unable to contain Fresno State's running game.

The Bulldogs began to take off when Dontel James rushed into the end zone to make it a 21-0 game. Before the score, Fresno State hadn't led a game 21-0 since November 29, 2014, when the team faced Hawaii at home.

With Tulsa unable to get a rhythm going, the Bulldogs elevated their lead 24-0 early in the second quarter.

It gets worse.

Fresno State went up 31-0 after Virgil connected with Jamire Jordan for a 65-yard score.

Tulsa wakes up.

The Golden Hurricane finally showed some life midway through the second, putting some points on the board when Dane Evans found Justin Hobbs deep in the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown in a six-play 68-yard drive.

The score boosted TU's momentum, leading to another score on a 40-yard connection from Evans to Lucas in a six-play 71-yard drive to cut the Golden Hurricane's deficit 31-14.

Tulsa kept rolling, making it a 31-21 ball game with a deep bomb to Lucas from Evans.

The catch helped Lucas tally 103 receiving yards, marking the third time this season that he's had at least 100 yards in the first half.

Going into intermission, Tulsa trailed 31-21.

After a Fresno field goal and a TU touchdown from Josh Atkinson, the third quarter was underway with a 34-28 matchup.

James Flanders helped TU shift the game and take its first lead with a two-yard rush for a score on an 11-play 88-yard drive.

With TU leading 35-34, Redford Jones added three more points for Tulsa with a 37-yarder. 

The Bulldogs didn't stay down for long, taking a 41-38 lead with five minutes left in the final quarter. But a 28-yarder from Jones tied the game 41-all, sending the game into overtime.

Tulsa won the first coin toss and elected to play defense. After both teams failed to score, sending the game into double overtime, it was Tulsa who prevailed 48-41 in the end.