Tulsa sputters in second half, falling 41-14 to Memphis
When Tulsa fails to pick up a first down during the entire third quarter against a wobbly defense, things are likely to get ugly.
After a competitive start, Tulsa got beaten up in the second half by No. 22 Memphis on Friday night in front of 17,383 fans at H.A. Chapman Stadium, which resulted in a discouraging 41-14 Tulsa loss.
Tulsa (2-8, 1-5 AAC) stood toe-to-toe with Memphis (8-1, 5-1) for most of the first half, and was tied 14-14 midway through the second quarter.
But a 18-yard diving touchdown catch by star Memphis receiver Anthony Miller put the Tigers up for good at 21-14 with 6:42 left in the second quarter - a score that carried into halftime.
With the Tigers getting the ball to start the second half, they put together a methodical 17-play, 90-yard drive to increase the lead to 28-14 midway through the third quarter. After a spirited goal-line stand, Patrick Taylor scored on a 1-yard run on fourth-and-goal.
From that point on, fans could feel the life drained out of the Golden Hurricane.
“We had opportunities in there to do some things that we didn’t take advantage of,” said TU coach Philip Montgomery. “We’ve got to step up and make plays. I’ve got to do a better job coaching. We’ve got to come out and do a better job in the second half.”
Tulsa had responded much earlier after falling down 7-0 midway through the first quarter by driving 86 yards on seven plays, capped by a 10-yard touchdown run by quarterback Luke Skipper.
After a 59-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Riley Ferguson to Tony Pollard (where Pollard appeared to step out of bounds) put the Tigers up 14-7 late in the first quarter, the Golden Hurricane responded again.
Quarterback Chad President, subbing for Skipper in the red zone, darted through the left side for a 7-yard touchdown run to even the score at 14-14 with 12:40 left in the second quarter.
After that score, however, Tulsa’s offense appeared to run out of gas.
Skipper played a solid first half, completing 13 of 16 passes for 130 yards. But in the second half, he connected on just 5 of 15 throws for 27 yards and an interception, finishing 18 of 31 for 157 yards. His receivers didn’t give him much help, dropping some passes and struggling to get open.
It didn’t help not having freshman Josh Stewart available due to an injury. Stewart had caught 13 passes for 169 yards this season.
D’Angelo Brewer gained 119 yards on 21 carries as he virtually carried the entire load at running back with Shamari Brooks out for the season. But he had 76 of those yards after the first quarter.
“We ran the ball kind of well in the first half. We got the tempo going kind of good in the first half,” Brewer said. “But we’ve got to find a way to put a complete game together. Until we do that, it’s going to be hard for us.”
The Memphis offense was known to be a juggernaut coming into the game, averaging 42.5 points per game.
But the most disappointing aspect of the game was that the Memphis defense, which has struggled while giving up 33.4 points per game, held TU in check after the game was tied 14-14. The least points the Tigers had given up all year was 26 points against Tulane last week.
In the decisive third quarter, where Memphis upped the lead to 31-14, the Tigers outgained the Golden Hurricane 156-18. In the first half, the yardage was relatively equal, with Memphis holding a 267-243 advantage. Tulsa’ 18 third quarter yards came on 10 plays and resulted in zero first downs.
It smarts when your offense can’t move the ball against a bad defense. But that is exactly what happened as the game pressed on. Tulsa finished with two first downs and 59 yards in the second half.
“It’s many things. You can’t pinpoint a reason,” Brewer said. “As an offense, we’ve just got to be better. That’s really it. Just being on the same page and working at a high level.”