Tulsa
SMU
Golden Hurricane Drops Season Finale To SMU, 24-21
11/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 23, 2002
DALLAS (AP) - Kris Briggs ran for 201 yards and scored two touchdowns as Southern Methodist held off Tulsa 24-21 Saturday.
SMU (3-9, 3-5 Western Athletic Conference) took a 24-7 lead on Keylon Kinkade's 3-yard touchdown run with 11:30 remaining.
But Tulsa (1-11, 1-7) answered two minutes later when Eric Richardson scored on a 2-yard run, then pulled to 24-21 when Tyler Gooch threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Garret Mills with 4:17 left.
The Mustangs then ran out the clock, converting two key third downs on the game's final drive. Tate Wallis completed an 11-yard pass to Johnnie Freeman on third-and-11, and Kinkade had a 34-yard run with 1:05 left on third-and-13.
SMU coach Phil Bennett finished his first year by winning three of the Mustangs' final five games. Tulsa is 2-21 over the past two season.
The Mustangs used their running game after losing starting quarterback Richard Bartel with an injured left shoulder on the game's third play. They ran the option more with Wallis and finished with a season-high 339 yards.
Tulsa scored first on Richardson's 11-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
SMU tied it when Briggs scored on a 96-yard run. It was the longest run in SMU history, breaking the mark of 95 yards set by Cobby Morrison in 1985 against Texas.
SMU grabbed a 10-7 lead just before halftime when Chris McMurtray hit a 32-yard field goal. McMurtray missed a 47-yarder earlier in the quarter.
Briggs' second touchdown came in the third quarter, giving SMU a 17-7 lead.
