Tulsa Wins Shoot-out Over Southern Miss 56-50
11/26/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 26, 2010
Tulsa, Oklahoma - Tulsa scored 21 points in each of the first and fourth quarters and held off Southern Miss for a 56-50 victory in front of 21,901 fans at H.A Chapman Stadium on Friday night. It was a night for unexpected stars to shine for the Hurricane as sophomore Willie Carter and senior Trae Johnson made big plays down the stretch for Tulsa.
The Hurricane closed out the regular season with an overall 9-3 record and 6-2 league mark for a share of the Conference USA West Division title. However, SMU claimed a slot in the C-USA Championship game next week with an overtime victory at East Carolina. Southern Miss fell to 8-4 on the season and 5-3 in C-USA play.
Carter scored three straight touchdowns for the Hurricane in the second half, scoring on passes of 67 and 12 yards and a run of 41 yards. With Tulsa ahead by two points, Johnson made a spectacular one-handed grab for a 30-yard completion to the Southern Miss seven-yard line that kept alive a Tulsa scoring drive.
Tulsa scored three plays later on a G.J. Kinne three-yard run to take a 56-47 lead with 3:46 to play in the game. Southern Miss took just 1:26 off the clock to score again as the Golden Eagles got a Danny Hrapmann 44-yard field goal with 2:11 left in the game to make the score 56-50.
The onside kick by Southern Miss was caught in the air by Tulsa's Damaris Johnson, as Hurricane offense proceeded to run out the clock on the final three plays.
Trae Johnson finished the game with four receptions for 113 yards, but none bigger than his catch on Tulsa's last scoring drive. Carter ended with 93 receiving yards, 52 rushing yards and totaled three touchdowns. Kinne completed 23-of-37 passes for 406 yards and four touchdowns. It was his first 400+ passing game of his career.
Tulsa gained 634 total yards, including 406 passing and 228 rushing yards. Southern Miss totaled 563 yards of offense with 371 through the air and 192 on the ground. Tulsa's 228 rushing yards was the most against the Golden Eagles this year by any opponent.
Tulsa's offense was on fire early in the game, scoring 21 points in the first 7:57 of the contest. But after Tulsa made it 28-10 at the 10:51 mark of the second quarter, Southern Miss dominated for the next 18 minutes.
Southern Miss scored the next 21 points as the Golden Eagles took its first lead at the 9:16 mark of the third period, 31-28, on a 28-yard Desmond Johnson run. Tulsa re-took the lead, 35-31, on a 67-yard touchdown pass from Kinne to Carter, covering five plays and 78 yards. The Tulsa touchdown ended a 21-0 scoring run for the Golden Eagles.
USM's Hrapmann's 24-yard field goal at 2:13 of the third quarter brought the Golden Eagles to within one point, 35-34. The Tulsa defense stopped Southern Miss at the seven-yard line to force the USM field goal.
Kinne hooked up again with Carter for a touchdown reception of 12 yards to take a 42-34 lead with 14:56 remaining in the game. The drive capped a 77-yard, six-play drive. It was Southern Miss' turn to go down the field for a score as the Eagles marched 64 yards in 10 plays for seven points, cutting the Hurricane lead to 42-41.
Carter scored his third straight touchdown on a 41-yard run at the 8:34 mark of the final stanza to take a 49-41 lead, but as the case in most of the second half Southern Miss responded with a 72-yard, three-play drive that saw Davis throw 67 yards to Quentin Pierce for the TD. USM's two-point conversion attempt to tie the game failed.
Tulsa opened the game with an 80-yard, six-play drive that took just 1:43 off the clock as Kinne threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Johnson. Southern Miss' Francisco Llanos' 87-yard kickoff return knotted the score following the PAT.
It was the second straight week that Tulsa's fifth-ranked kickoff return coverage unit allowed a touchdown.
Damaris Johnson, running from the wildcat formation, raced 46 yards for Tulsa's second touchdown of the game, capping just a two-play, 0:34 drive that covered 63 yards. After a USM fumble, Tulsa traveled 41 yards in two plays for its second straight scoring drive that took less the 40 seconds as Kinne ran in from one-yard out to give Tulsa a 21-7 lead at the 7:03 mark of the first quarter.
Tulsa went 80 yards in six plays to take a 28-10 lead after Southern Miss field goal. The Hurricane scoring drive was capped by a 27-yard Kinne TD pass to Jameel Owens
A 36-yard interception return for a touchdown by Deron Wilson cut the Hurricane lead to 11 points, 28-17. After Tulsa failed to muster much offense, the Golden Eagles put together an 81-yard, nine-play drive with 1:29 left in the first half to make the score 28-24.
With 0:43 left before intermission, USM intercepted another Kinne pass at the USM 41-ayrd line, but three plays later Dexter McCoil's sixth interception of the season ended the Golden Eagles drive at the Tulsa 43-yard line.
At halftime, the two teams totaled 610 offensive yards as Tulsa had 357 yards and Southern Miss gained 253 yards.
SCORING SUMMARY Qtr. Time Team Play Score 1 13:17 Tulsa G.J. Kinne 40 pass to Ricky Johnson (Fitzpatrick kick) 7-0 1 13:05 USM Francisco Llanos 87 KO return (Fitzpatrick kick) 7-7 1 8:04 Tulsa Damaris Johnson 46 run (Fitzpatrick kick) 14-7 1 7:03 Tulsa G.J. Kinne 1 run (Fitzpatrick kick) 21-7 1 2:33 USM Danny Hrapman 31 FG 21-10 2 10:51 Tulsa G.J. Kinne 27 pass to Jameel Owens (Fitzpatrick kick) 28-10 2 6:15 USM Deron Wilson 36 INT return (Fitzpatrick kick) 28-17 2 1:29 USM Austin Davis 24 pass to Deon Hodges (Hrapman kick) 28-24 3 9:16 USM Desmond Johnson 28 run (Hrapman kick) 28-31 3 7:10 Tulsa G.J. Kinne 67 pass to Willie Carter (Fitzpatrick kick) 35-31 3 2:13 USM Dany Hrapman 24 FG 35-34 4 14:56 Tulsa G.J. Kinne 12 pass to Willie Carter (Fitzpatrick kick) 42-34 4 10:41 USM Desmond Johnson 1 run (Hrapmann kick) 42-41 4 8:34 Tulsa Willie Carter 41 run (Fitzpatrick kick) 49-41 4 7:41 USM Austin Davis 67 pass to Quentin Pierce (pass failed) 49-47 4 3:46 Tulsa G.J. Kinne 3 run (Fitzpatrick kick) 56-47 4 2:11 USM Danny Hrapmann 44 FG 56-50
