Tulsa Stumbles Late, Falls To Cincinnati In Ohio

Tulsa hoped to gain bowl eligibility this week with a win over Cincinnati but fell short losing 49-38 to the Bearcats.

The Golden Hurricane started off strong but lost momentum late in the third quarter.

Keyarris Garrett opened play hot, hitting the 1,000 receiving yards mark with his first catch to set the tone of the game.

Shortly after, Connor Floyd came up big for the Golden Hurricane scoring on an 18-yard drive.

When TU’s defense took the field, they looked sharp, forcing the Bearcats to punt, sending Dane Evans and his mainstays back out to try and advance their 7-0 lead.

After a failed attempt, Cincinnati showed some life, tying the game 7-7 with a 12-yard run from Bearcats playmaker Mike Boone.

Cincinnati soon forced a turnover, leading to another trip to the end zone.

At this point, Cincinnati led 14-7 with 33 seconds left of the first quarter. The Bearcats offense was spreading Tulsa’s defense with their passing game and then punching it later in the drive when they needed to.

TU tied up the game early in the second quarter when Philip Montgomery took a gamble and went for it on 4th and inches resulting in a 65-yard score from Ramadi Warren. The run marked Tulsa’s longest TD run of the season.

The Bearcats answered with a short rush from Boone, tallying his second touchdown to put his team back on top, 21-14.

Mid third quarter, Warren scored again off a 39-yard run up the middle, tying the game at 21-all. This marked 95 yards in ten plays for TU.

Derrick Alexander then forced Cincinnati’s 22nd fumble of the year, giving the Golden Hurricane a chance to snag the lead. Tulsa did just that with a field goal from Redford Jones.

The 24-21 Tulsa lead didn’t last long. The Bearcats quickly took back their advantage with back to back scores from Chris Moore and Tion Green to lead the Golden Hurricane 35-24.

Cincinnati took an even bigger lead early in the fourth quarter with a 20-yard run from Hosey Williams to put the Bearcats up 42-24.

TU cut the deficit to 11 when D’Angelo Brewer punched it in from 2-yards out to make it 42-31 with 5:08 left to play.

With 1:01 before the final, Boone scored his third TD for the Bearcats. 

Garrett answered with a 46-yard scoring reception to make it a 49-38 ball game with 15 seconds on the clock. By the end, Tulsa had fallen to Cincinnati.

With the win, the Bearcats improved to 6-4, making them bowl eligible.

Tulsa will have another chance at bowl eligibility when they face Navy next Saturday.