Lightning struck twice for the Golden Hurricane, and in the process Tulsa played a typically challenging game against the Mustangs.
For the second consecutive week, a Dane Evans run in overtime pulled the game out for Tulsa after a poor start, as the Hurricane prevailed over SMU 43-40 on Friday night in front of 22,089 fans at H.A. Chapman Stadium in a game that lasted well over four hours.
Tulsa (4-1, 1-0 AAC) didn’t get down nearly as bad as the 31-0 second quarter deficit at Fresno State, but the 14-3 SMU lead late in the first quarter was sickening to TU fans. But that feeling went away with the celebration in the end.
“We kept fighting for each other, back-to-back overtime wins. I think it says a lot about our players and our leadership on our football team and those guys stepping up in big situations and making plays,” said Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery. “They’re running years off my life right now, but they’re finding ways to win.”
After holding SMU to a field goal on the first possession of overtime, Evans scored on a 14-yard run through a gaping hole in the middle of the line. The Mustangs were obviously expecting another run by D’Angelo Brewer, who had carries three times for a first down to start the series.
‘We had been setting it up. Anybody could have run though that hole, it was that wide open,” Evans said. “I was just glad I got the ball across the goal line.”
SMU (2-4, 0-2) almost won the game in regulation, as it got down to the Tulsa 8-yard-line before settling for a 25-yard field goal by Josh Williams as time expired.
The Golden Hurricane was led by two 100-yard rushers and two 100-yard receivers, as Brewer paced the ground attack with 38 carries for 182 yards, while James Flanders added 132 yards on 32 carries, including a 61-yard score in the first quarter.
Josh Atkinson caught 11 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown, while Keevan Lucas had 12 catches for 113 yards. Both made tough, drive-extending catches continually down the stretch to aid the Golden Hurricane. Evans didn’t have his best game but came through in the end, completing 25 of 44 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown.
“I thought Dane played really well tonight,” said Montgomery. “They were giving him a bunch of different looks. You got a lot of blitz stuff. I thought he threw the ball really well.”
The Golden Hurricane had overcome the early first half deficit, and finally was able to take the lead, going up 23-20 into halftime after a 2-yard score by Raymond Taylor capped off a seven play, 92-yard drive that took only 1:06 off the clock. But the feisty Mustangs just wouldn’t go away.
SMU was able to go ahead 34-30 midway through the fourth quarter after an interception by SMU combined with penalties by flag happy refs led to a 4-yard touchdown run by Braeden West.
Penalized a whopping 17 times for 149 yards, compared with six for 81 yards for SMU, Tulsa managed to come back and take the lead on its next possession when D’Angelo Brewer raced 35 yards through a gaping hole on the left side with 5:32 remaining to put Tulsa up 37-34.
“We overcame a lot of adversity in this game,” said Montgomery. “Some of it self-inflicted, some of it not. But we still had to overcome it. I’m really, really proud of our football team.”
Tulsa played most of the game without the right side of its offensive line, as right tackle Willie Wright and right guard Blake Belcher were both injured and replaced by 6-3,276-pound junior Zac Uhles at right tackle and 6-5, 320-pound senior Alex Pagonis at right guard.
“Any time you are losing guys up front it ain’t good,” said Montgomery. “It’s an area of concern. But guys stepped in tonight and did a good job.”
Also leaving in the first quarter was cornerback Kerwin Thomas, who came into the game with an injury and couldn‘t go for very long. Redshirt freshman Reggie Robinson took his place.
“Kerwin has been battling a little deal. Tried to play, and kind of affected him,” Montgomery said. “I thought Reggie stepped in and played really well tonight.”
West led SMU in rushing with 124 yards on 22 carries. Quarterback Ben Hicks completed 29 of 52 passes for 258 yards for the Mustangs. SMU coach Chad Morris, who was Tulsa’s offensive coordinator in 2010, was obviously disappointed in the outcome.
“I think the majority of our areas was the best we’ve played to this point,” Morris said. “They’ve got a senior-laden team, senior-laded quarterback that did a good job tonight.”
