The Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team opened conference play this Saturday, as they finally returned home to play the Houston Cougars at H.A. Chapman Stadium. Unfortunately, the game didn’t go Tulsa’s way, as Tulsa lost 38–24.
Entering this game, both Houston and Tulsa were among the top ten teams in the country in offensive yards per game, at seventh and fourth, respectively.
Houston was sixth in points per game, while Tulsa came in at 16th.
Quarterback Dane Evans, with 1,172 passing yards, is among the top fifteen quarterbacks in passing yards. Additionally, wide receivers Keyarris Garrett and Keevan Lucas are among the top thirty in receiving yards.
Houston quarterback Greg Ward, Jr. stole the show, passing for 273 yards and rushing for a whopping 182 yards, breaking Houston’s single-game rushing record for a quarterback.
Ward rushed for three of the five total touchdowns, while running back Kenneth Farrow was responsible for the other two, rushing for 159 yards.
Tulsa struggled on offense, rushing for only 130 yards and converting only seven of 19 third down attempts, leading to six punts. These are in addition to the shortcomings on defense and special teams, giving up 638 yards while also committing 10 penalties for 71 yards.
There were still a few bright spots for the Hurricane. Dane Evans passed for 326 yards, Zack Langer had three touchdowns and linebacker Matt Linscott collected 1.5 sacks.
Tulsa began the game with a smooth drive, ending in a 46-yard field goal by kicker Redford Jones. Ward showed off his running prowess early, breaking off a 27-yard run on the fourth play from scrimmage.
Ward then scored the first of his three touchdowns with a 3-yard rush. Tulsa answered with a 7-yard rush by Zack Langer. A missed field goal by Jones ended the scoring attempts in the first quarter.
Ward rushed for his second touchdown early in the second quarter, running for 32 yards. The next scoring attempt didn’t occur until there was only 1:05 left in the half, as Jones missed his second field goal of the day, from 39 yards. Ward rushed for his third and final touchdown to close the half, with Houston leading 21–10.
The only two scores of the third quarter were a 21-yard field goal from Houston’s Kyle Bullard and a touchdown rush by Langer. Kenneth Farrow showed his running talent in the fourth quarter, however, rushing for two touchdowns of five and 44 yards, respectively.
The only answer by Tulsa was Langer’s final touchdown, bringing the final score to 38–24 Houston.
Houston has a short week, hosting SMU on Thursday night. Tulsa stays home to play the 1–3 Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks.
