Tulsa Gets Bowl Eligible with 59-30 Road Win at Memphis

Saturday, October 29

Memphis, Tenn.

7:00 p.m. (CT)

Tulsa

6-2 , 3-1

Memphis

5-3 , 2-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Tulsa

Memphis

Photo by: Mark Zaleski

Tulsa Gets Bowl Eligible with 59-30 Road Win at Memphis

10/30/2016 12:05:00 AM | Football

Box Score

By: Don Tomkalski

Final Stats PDF | Final Stats HTML | Postgame Notes | Postgame Quotes

James Flanders rushed for a career-high 249 yards and school record five touchdowns as Tulsa became bowl eligible with a 59-30 victory over the Memphis Tigers in front of 36,894 fans Saturday night at Liberty Bowl Stadium.

Tulsa improved to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in American Athletic Conference play, while Memphis dropped to 5-3 and 2-2 in league action.

After taking all 12 regular season games to get bowl eligible a year ago, Tulsa took only eight games to accomplish the feat this season. The Hurricane finished the game with 596 yards of total offense, including its fifth 300+ rushing game with 362 yards and 234 passing yards. As Tulsa's offense put up 50+ points for the third time this season, it was also a solid defensive effort that saw the Hurricane with four takeaways.

Flanders' touchdown runs covered 14, 52, one, 48 and seven yards. Aside from Flanders' career day, senior Raymond Taylor also had a career-best with 102 rushing yards and a 31-yard touchdown. Quarterback Dane Evans completed 20-of-33 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns, with both of his TD passes going to Keevan Lucas.

The Tulsa defense caused havoc for the Memphis offense with eight tackles for lost yards, six pass breakups, five quarterback hurries, two fumble recoveries for 44 yards and two interceptions for 29 yards. End Jesse Brubaker shared the team-lead of seven tackles with linebacker Trent Martin and safety McKinley Whitfield. Brubaker had three TFLs for -9 yards, and fellow end Jeremy Smith had four QB hurries. Safety Jordan Mitchell had four pass breakups to lead the team.

The Hurricane jumped out quickly taking a 14-0 lead within the first six minutes of the game, and took a 35-24 lead into halftime. It was a first half that saw the two teams combine for 59 points and 626 yards, and also combining to go 5-for-5 in the red zone. The Tigers came out in the second half and scored a touchdown in the first four minutes, but it was all Tulsa the rest of the way with 24 consecutive points to post the 29-point victory.

Memphis took the second-half kickoff 75 yards in 10 plays to cut Tulsa's 11-point halftime lead to five points, 35-30, as the two-point attempt was stopped by the Hurricane defense. Riley Ferguson tossed a three-yard TD pass to Anthony Miller for the score. Tulsa took the subsequent possession 59 yards in 12 plays, but had to settle for a 34-yard Redford Jones field goal that put the Hurricane ahead by eight, 38-30, with 7:12 left in the third quarter.

After holding the Tigers to -5 yards on six plays, Tulsa took possession at the Memphis 48-yard line after a punt and on the first play from scrimmage, Flanders covered all of those 48 yards to put the Hurricane ahead 45-30 at the 3:06 mark of the third quarter.

On the run, Flanders went over 200 yards for his first 200+ rushing game in his career and it was his fourth TD run, tying the school record that was first set by Ron Jackson in the 1991 Freedom Bowl. Flanders topped that mark with his fifth rushing TD from seven yards out, after Tulsa's Petera Wilson recovered a fumble and raced 44 yards to the Memphis 10-yard line.

Flanders' record-setting touchdown, a seven-yarder, gave the Hurricane a 52-30 lead following the extra point, capping a two-play, 10-yard drive.

Memphis took the subsequent possession to the Tulsa eight-yard line, as Tulsa's Hayden Carman forced a fumble in which Matt Linscott recovered at the Tulsa 11-yard line. Tulsa's offense then took 6:13 off the clock going 89 yards in 11 plays as Taylor scored on a 31-yard run for a 59-30 lead after the PAT.

Tulsa took the game's opening kickoff 75 yards in 12 plays, taking 3:18 off the clock as James Flanders, earning his first start of the season, raced the final 14 yards for the touchdown at the 11:42 mark.

After the defense stopped Memphis 3-and-out on the Tigers' first possession, Flanders scampered 52 yards at the 9:29 mark to put the Hurricane ahead 14-0, after the PAT, capping a four-play, 67-yard drive in 1:03.

Memphis took their second possession 65 yards in six plays to cut Tulsa's lead to 14-7 as Darrell Henderson scored on a six-yard run at the 7:57 mark of the first period.

The Hurricane had its second 70+ yard scoring drive of the game when Lucas caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Evans, capping a 77-yard, 12-play drive in taking 5:06 off the clock.

Memphis quickly responded with a 59-yard touchdown pass from Ferguson to Miller, capping a four-play, 68-yard drive in just one minute, making the score Tulsa 21, Memphis 14 at the 11:23 mark of the second quarter.

The Hurricane defense came up with a big play in the second quarter when Smith forced a pass that was intercepted by Martin at the Memphis 28-yard line and taken to the three-yard line. Two plays later, Flanders scored his third touchdown of the game on a one-yard run to put Tulsa ahead 28-14 with 8:03 left until halftime.

Memphis responded again, going 72 yards in seven plays and just 1:56, as Ferguson threw 12 yards to Kedarian Jones in the end zone for a touchdown, cutting its deficit to seven points at 28-21. Tulsa responded just as well, going 75 yards in 10 plays as Evans threw the final five yards to Lucas for the score, making the score 35-21.

The Tigers went right back down the field to the 23-yard line where the Tulsa defense held Memphis to a 40-yard field goal by Jake Elliot with 1:31 left in the first half, cutting the Tulsa lead to 35-24.

At the half, Tulsa gained 356 yards on 55 plays, with 183 coming on the ground and 173 yards through the air, while Memphis had 270 yards of total offense through the first 30 minutes. The Tigers gained 230 yards passing and 40 yards on the ground. Flanders had 138 first-half rushing yards, while Evans completed 15-of-24 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns.

The Golden Hurricane returns home next Saturday to face the East Carolina Pirates in a 7 p.m. game at H.A. Chapman Stadium.