Tulsa
Central Arkansas
Tulsa Tames Bears 41-14
9/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 25, 2010
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TULSA, Okla.--Tulsa scored 24 first-half points and cruised to a 41-14 victory against the Central Arkansas Bears on Saturday night in front of 21,928 fans at H.A. Chapman Stadium.
Tulsa improved to 2-2 on the season, while the Bears suffered its first loss for a 3-1 record.
"It was good to get a win," Tulsa Head Coach Todd Graham said. "I'm really proud of our guys. I feel like we came out and dominated a team we should dominate. I'm really pleased with how our guys played defensively. I thought they really stepped up. I'm pleased with the overall effort. It was exactly what we needed, to come out and get a win going into conference play."
Tulsa had its fourth straight game of 400 total yards and third time in four games that the Hurricane has had 500+ yards. The balanced Hurricane attack totaled 539 total yards, including 257 through the air and 282 on the ground.
G.J. Kinne completed 22-of-33 passes for 232 yards and three TDs, and connected with 10 different receivers in the game. Alex Singleton gained 93 yards on 12 carries to lead the Hurricane rushing attack.
The Hurricane defense applied pressure to the UCA quarterback all game long.
"Some of the guys that play up front - Tyrunn Walker and Odrick Ray - were really standout for us," Graham said. "I really think our special teams right now is a strength of our program. I'm really pleased with our kicker and our punter and how they're kicking the football. Alex Singleton is a guy that stood out to me tonight. He really played hard and did some great things."
In the second half, a UCA false start at the 9:40 mark of the third quarter nullified a Tulsa safety as Brian Moore sacked UCA's Wynrick Smothers in the end zone, but the Tulsa defense held the Bears on fourth-and-one at the UCA 21-yard line.
However, the Hurricane offense only managed seven yards and had to settle for a 31-yard Kevin Fitzpatrick field goal to take a 27-7 lead at the 5:57 mark of the third period.
Tulsa's defense came through again as Brian Moore forced a fumble by Terrence Bobo at the Tulsa five yard line as Justin Skillens recovered it for the Hurricane. The Tulsa offense took the ball for a season-long 96 yards in 13 plays as Kinne threw the final five yards to Jameel Owens to take a 34-7 lead at the 12:39 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Hurricane made it 41-7 with 6:04 remaining in the contest as Ja'Terian Douglas' 20-yard touchdown run capped a two-play, 23-yard drive following a Dexter McCoil 37-yard interception return.
UCA scored its' second touchdown, making it 41-14, at the 2:50 mark of the game on an eight-play, 80-yard drive against a Tulsa defense playing with backups in the lineup.
To start the game, Tulsa took its opening possession 62 yards in eight plays, as Damaris Johnson took the pitch on a double reverse 20 yards for the touchdown. It was the first time in four games that Tulsa scored on its first possession.
The Hurricane scored on its third possession, going 80 yards in 12 plays, taking 5:42 off the clock as Kinne threw 19 yards to Charles Clay at the 14:09 mark of the second quarter.
UCA put its first points on the board at the 9:10 mark of the second quarter as Terrance Bobo scored from one yard out to make the score 14-7. The Bears' scoring drive went 80 yards in 11 plays.
With 2:11 left in the first half, Kinne connected with Trey Watts out of the backfield for a 28-yard touchdown pass. Kinne was hit as he threw and looked right at the last second, tossing the ball up in the air, and Watts caught the toss and scampered through the defense for the score. TU led, 21-7, after the three-play, 42-yard drive.
Tulsa held UCA on the subsequent possession and went 25 yards in five plays, but had to settle for a 47-yard Fitzpatrick field goal with 50 seconds remaining in the first half to make the score 24-7.
At halftime, the Hurricane amassed 293 yards of total offense, including 162 passing yards and 131 yards on the ground. The Tulsa defense held UCA to 128 yards in the first half, and was credited with four stops for -19 yards.
Tulsa returns to Conference USA action next week at Memphis for a 6 p.m. kickoff at Liberty Bowl Stadium.
SCORING SUMMARY Qtr. Time Team Play Score 1 11:10 Tulsa Damaris Johnson 20 run (Fitzpatrick PAT) 7-0 2 14:09 Tulsa G.J. Kinne 19 pass to Charles Clay (Fitzpatrick PAT) 14-0 2 9:10 UCA Terrence Bobo 1 run (Carmona PAT) 14-7 2 2:11 Tulsa Kinne 28 pass to Trey Watts (Fitzpatrick PAT) 21-7 2 0:50 Tulsa Kevin Fitzpatrick 47 FG 24-7 3 5:47 Tulsa Kevin Fitzpatrick 31 FG 27-7 4 12:39 Tulsa G.J. Kinne 6 pass to Jameel Owens (Fitzpatrick PAT) 34-7 4 6:04 Tulsa Ja'Terian Douglas 20 run (Fitzpatrick PAT) 41-7 4 2:50 UCA Wynrick Sothers 11 pass to Isaiah Jackson (Carmona PAT) 41-14
