Davis Brin and TU needed a fun, relaxing game that wasn't going to go down to the wire.
When playing against Temple lately, that is exactly what was expected. And the Golden Hurricane got it.
Tulsa scored early and often enough, getting out to a 27-0 halftime lead before finishing off the visiting Owls 44-10 on Saturday in front of 16,731 fans at H.A. Chapman Stadium.
Wearing their throwback red uniform tops along with their gold pants for the second time of the season, it was a fitting way for Golden Hurricane seniors to end their home careers on Senior Day.
"That's probably our most complete game as a team," said Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery.
Tulsa (5-6, 4-3 AAC) kept their hopes to be bowl eligible and for a .500 regular season alive going into the regular season finale at fading SMU (8-3, 4-3) next Saturday. The Mustangs have lost three of their last four games and got demolished 48-14 at Cincinnati Saturday after falling behind 48-0.
Brin was sharp, completing 15 of 23 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. He finished 18 of 30 passing for 297 yards.
"Davis was accurate and was seeing things tonight," Montgomery said.
Brin's favorite target for the game and the season, Josh Johnson, had a terrific performance, catching 9 passes for a career high 159 yards and a touchdown. A senior who has the eligibility to come back next season, Johnson caught an 8-yard TD pass from Brin to increase the TU lead to 17-0 early in the second quarter.
"He's a great receiver for us. He's a great weapon," Brin said of Johnson. "He does a great job of getting open and catching the ball and making yards after the catch. I was really proud of the way he played tonight."
Temple (3-8, 1-6) had lost the previous five games by an average score of 43-7. There really wasn't any reason to expect anything but a blowout.
Giving Tulsa credit, the Golden Hurricane took care of business and were excited to be playing their final home game of the season. TU scored on a 21 yard TD pass from Brin to JuanCarlos Santana on its opening possession.
Fittingly, senior Zack Long had a strong night, making 3 of 3 field goals, all from 44 plus yards -- 44, 47 and 48 yards. Long is 17 of 18 on field goals for the season.
"Zack's been a highlight for us," Montgomery said.
Amazingly, Temple went for it on 4th-and-1 on its own 43-yard-line late in the half, only to be stuffed with 2:33 remaining in the half. TU marched down and scored on a 2-yard plunge by Steven Anderson with 1:34 left in the half, making it 27-0.
With Tulsa's 1991 team being honored at halftime, it was great to see first team All-American Jerry Ostroski and his teammates. That 10-2 team finished the 1991 season with a Freedom Bowl win.
What made it more special was when Jerry O's son, true freshman Owen Ostroski, got into the game in the backfield along with fellow defensive lineman and All-AAC standout Jaxon Player. On the play, Brin sneaked over for a 1-yard TD, and Ostroski gave Brin a nice push over the goal line to put TU up 34-3 with 7:29 left in the third quarter.
Of the 25 seniors for TU, 18 have already received their degrees and have either been working on a second degree or a master's degree. Some of those seniors have the opportunity to come back next season because of the extra year of eligibility granted due to Covid last year.
It was the second consecutive week Tulsa has scored a TD on its opening drive. The difference this week was that against Tulane, Tulsa struggled on offense after the opening drive and let Tulane live, resulting in a heart-stopping overtime victory for TU.
There would be no suspense this week.
"I thought we handled it better than what we did last week," Mojntgomery said. "I thought we did a good job of continuing to keep our foot on the gas and keeping up that momentum."
The SMU game next Saturday is already foremost on the minds of TU players and coaches.
"For us, we feel like we control our own destiny," Montgomery said. "We've set ourselves up for the opportunity for it. Now we've got to capitalize on it."
