Tulsa Hangs Tough Against No. 6 Boise State

Originally Published: Oct 14, 2009 11:57 PM CDT

Oklahoma Sports Staff

TULSA, Oklahoma -- The Tulsa Golden Hurricane hung tough against No. 6 Boise State, dropping a close game 28-21. Even though TU fell short, the Golden Hurricane gave the Broncos just about all they could handle.

There were several statistics working against Tulsa on Wednesday night. TU has never beaten a top-five team (Boise State is ranked fifth in the APpoll, sixth in the coaches'), Tulsaentered the game0-4 all-time against the Broncos, and Boise State has won 17 consecutive regular season games. Still, when the Golden Hurricane spoke about this game last week, they insisted that they intended to win. The win did not quite happen, but Tulsa definitelyplayed Boise State closer than any other team thisseason, including Oregon, which lost 19-8 in the season opener.

After the close 28-21 loss,Tulsa playerswere not satisfied with any type of moral victory. They still spoke as if they felt they should have won thegame.

"A loss is a loss, no matter the margin," wide receiver Damaris Johnson said. "In the Oklahoma game, we came in and shot ourselves in the foot, and tonight, we did the same thing. We just left a lot of plays out there."

When Boise State took a 28-14 lead in the third quarter, the game appeared to be slipping away. However, after a 55-yard touchdown from G.J. Kinne to Slick Shelley, Tulsa had new life. Boise State suddenly had trouble moving the ball, and Tulsa would get the ball back with a chance to tie. However, when a fourth-down pass with under two minutes to play fell incomplete, the last glimmer of hope for an upset faded away.

"We let one slip away. That's the bottom line," Kinne said.

The defense played well, as it held the high-powered Boise State offense to 28 points. Kellen Moore, the nation's second-rated passer, managed jsut 187 yards, but did throw three touchdowns.

"I think we played okay,"linebacker Mike Bryan said."We could do a lot of things a lot better."

After playing within a touchdown of the nation's sixth-ranked team, Tulsa can now refocus as it re-enters conference play against UTEP next Wednesday night.