Breaking Down Tulsa's Win over UTEP

Originally Published: Nov 21, 2010 10:0 PM CDT

Bobby Lewis
Oklahoma Sports Reporter

TULSA, Oklahoma – For the first time since last season, Tulsa (8-3/5-2) trailed at home in the second half of a game. UTEP scored a touchdown in the third quarter to take a 28-24 lead. The Golden Hurricane didn’t buckle under the pressure. Tulsa capped a 36-yard drive with a 1 yard touchdown run by Alex Singleton to get its conference title hopes alive.

OFFENSE: B-
Penalties slowed down the offense, which still managed to pick up 543 total yards. G.J. Kinne had two touchdown passes called back because of penalties. They didn’t have a lot of infractions, but the ones they had came at costly moments in the game.

Offensive Coordinator Chad Morris finally got Charles Clay some touches on offense. The senior carried the ball nine times and caught three passes, including a perfectly thrown 12-yard touchdown in the second quarter. The dozen touches were the most for Clay this season. He entered the game averaging 5.7 touches per game. He now is just one score away from tying the school record for touchdowns.

Kinne made some brilliant throws and a few head-scratchers as well. The junior fit the football into mailbox sized windows in the second half, but lofted balls that were intercepted in the first half. Because of some Miners penalties, Kinne only ended up throwing one interception, but did lose a fumble.

The offensive line lost Eric Sproal to a knee injury early in the game and wasn’t able to protect Kinne as well as it had in previous games. Kinne did a lot more scrambling than usual and was sacked twice.

DEFENSE: B
This is a tough unit to grade because of how the grade progressed. On one hand, the defense only gave up 21 points and made the biggest play of the game when facing a do-o-r-die fourth down in the final moments. On the other hand, they couldn’t stop the run.

Joseph Banyard scored on touchdown runs of 28, 66 and 5 yards against Tulsa. He finished the day with 158 yards on the ground, the second time in three games a back has rushed for 150+ against them. Banyard accounted for all of UTEP’s touchdowns.

The passing game, however, was a much different story. Trevor Vittatoe threw for just 100 total yards against TU. He finished the day 8-of-22 with no touchdowns and one crucial interception. Trailing in the fourth quarter, needing points, Vittatoe forced a pass over the middle on fourth down that landed in Dexter McCoil’s hands. The pick sealed the game.

The only game this year that Tulsa did not pick off a pass was the 64-27 win over Rice. The only reason Tulsa gets a ‘B’ against UTEP, were the long runs by Banyard. Pass defense was nearly perfect. Clutch plays didn’t hurt either.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C
Is there anyone better than Damaris Johnson? The junior moved into first place all-time on the NCAA career kickoff return yardage list with his 87 yard performance on Saturday. The guy is a blur and more humble than he is talented. The record belongs to the team’s “spark”, as he referred to himself.

Other than Johnson, special teams wasn’t sharp. Tulsa allowed a kick return for a score on an awkward looking squib-type kick in the second quarter that cost them the lead. They had just tied the game on a beautiful run by Johnson, and then Kevin Fitzpatrick hit a worm-burner up the middle of the field that only made it 43 yards. Marlon McClure scooped it up and returned it for a touchdown.

The special teams missed a field goal, allowed over 25 yards per kick return and picked up just one touchback on six total kickoffs.

OVERALL: B
This is it. The final weekend of the regular season and Tulsa has a shot at a conference title. Granted they are at the mercy of another team, but they have a shot nonetheless. The Golden Hurricane is playing better than it has all season.

The last-second loss to ECU and blowout in Stillwater have been forgotten. Hopefully, that opening day hail mary doesn’t come back to haunt them.