Tulsa 23, Rice 16- Burns gets first win at TU
<B>TULSA (1-2) AT RICE (1-2)</B><br><br>HOUSTON (AP) _ Donald Shoals returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown and Tulsa capitalized on three Rice fumbles as the Golden Hurricane defeated the Owls 23-16Thursday, September 14th 2000, 12:00 am
By:
News On 6
TULSA (1-2) AT RICE (1-2)
HOUSTON (AP) _ Donald Shoals returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown and Tulsa capitalized on three Rice fumbles as the Golden Hurricane defeated the Owls 23-16 on Saturday.
Tulsa (1-2) converted three fumble recoveries into Chris Earnest field goals, two in the second half, and held off a fourth quarter Rice charge to win its first game under first year head coach Keith Burns.
After leading 17-6 at the half, Ashton Farley recovered a Corey Evans fumble at the Rice 18 to set up a 25 yard Earnest field goal with 8:21 remaining in the third quarter to give Tulsa a 20-6 advantage.
On Rice's next possession Keithan McCory recovered a fumble by Gilbert Okoronkwo at the Rice 45 and Earnest kicked a 42-yard field goal to give Tulsa a 23-6 lead with 5:42 left in the period.
The Owls (1-2) managed 10 fourth quarter points on a 33-yard field goal by Derek Crabtree with 13:06 left and a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ben Wulf to Okoronkwo with 1:06 remaining
A pass from Wulf intended for Matt Webber was intercepted at the Tulsa goal line by Corey Brown as the game ended.
A scoreless first quarter ended with Rice failing on a fourth down and two situation at the Tulsa five. The Owls drove 60 yards before fullback Robbie Beck was stopped inches short of a first down.
Rice took a 3-0 lead with 9:16 left in the second quarter on a 27-yard field goal by Crabtree. The Owls drove 56 yards in nine plays for the score.
Tulsa tied the score, 3-3, on a 32-yard field goal by Earnest with 6;17 left in the second quarter. The field goal was set up by a fumble recovery by Keith Carey at the Rice 30 after Sean White fumbled on a punt return.
Tulsa took a 10-3 lead on its next possession, when Donte Hart scored on a three-yard run with 4:13 remaining in the second period. A 44-yard pass from quarterback Josh Blakenship to Brown moved the ball to the Rice 10 to set up the touchdown.
Tulsa increased its lead to 17-3 with 1:05 left in the half, when Shoals return a punt 71 yards for a touchdown.
Rice cut its deficit to 17-6 at the half on a 25-yard field goal by Crabtree.
| Quarter | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tulsa | 0 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 23 |
| Rice | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 16 |
| Final |
| Team | Score Time | Summary | Running Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | 9:16 2ndQ | Derrick Crabtree 27 yd FG | Rice 3-0 |
| Tulsa | 6:17 2ndQ | Chris Earnest 32 yd FG | Tied 3-3 |
| Tulsa | 4:13 2ndQ | Dontae Hart 2 yd run(kick good) | Tulsa 10-3 |
| Tulsa | 1:05 2ndQ | Donald Shoals 72 yd punt return(kick good) | Tulsa 17-3 |
| Rice | :00 2ndQ | Crabtree 23 yd FG | Tulsa 17-6 |
| Tulsa | 8:21 3rdQ | Earnest 26 yd FG | Tulsa 20-6 |
| Tulsa | 5:43 3rdQ | Earnest 42 yd FG | Tulsa 23-6 |
| Rice | 13:06 4thQ | Crabtree 33 yd FG | Tulsa 23-9 |
| Rice | 1:06 4thQ | Owkalengo 12 yd rec from Ben Wulf | Tulsa 23-16 |
