Watts carries TU to victory
RUSTON, La. (AP) - Trey Watts ran for a career-high 189 yards and scored three touchdowns Saturday night to help Tulsa beat Louisiana Tech 24-14.
"The offensive linemen and fullbacks - the guys who block for me - this is all about them," said Watts. "They work their tails off every single play."
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Tulsa (3-8, 2-5 Conference USA) scored first on a 6-yard run by Watts, but Louisiana Tech (4-7, 3-4) replied with a 10-yard scoring run by Blake Martin. Carl Salazar kicked a 26-yard field goal to give Tulsa a 10-7 halftime lead.
The teams traded TDs in the third quarter, an 11-yard run by Watts for Tulsa and a 4-yard pass from Ryan Higgins to Jon Greenwalt for the Bulldogs, and Watts put the game out of reach on a 5-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Tulsa linebacker Shawn Jackson had 10 tackles, three sacks and a game-changing interception. Jackson took his interception from the 49-yard line to Tech's 20-yard marker early in the third period. Two plays later, Watts scored to put the Hurricane ahead 17-7 at the 12:17 mark of the third period.
"It changed everything," said Watts. "Shawn made a big play. It's a team game for a reason. We got a big play from the defense, and then the offense gets a touchdown."
TU came up with four interceptions in the game -- one by Jackson, one by linebacker Donnell Hawkins, and two by cornerback Darnell Walker Jr.
"(Defensive coordinator Brent Guy) did a great job at halftime of emphasizing to the defense to get a turnover and get it going," said Tulsa head coach Bill Blankenship. "It seemed to definitely give us energy. As time went on, the offensive line starting imposing their will."