Tulsa Falls at Navy, 42-40

Saturday, November 12

Annapolis, Md.

11:00 a.m. (CT)

Tulsa

7-3 , 4-2

Navy

7-2 , 5-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Tulsa

Navy

Photo by: Erik Campos

Tulsa Falls at Navy, 42-40

11/12/2016 4:04:00 PM | Football

Box Score

By: Don Tomkalski

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Annapolis, Md. –– In a game with first-place in the American Athletic Conference West Division up for grabs, Navy outlasted Tulsa for a 42-40 victory in front of 36,397 fans at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Navy improved to 5-1 to take over sole possession of first place in the AAC West Division and 7-2 overall, while Tulsa fell to 7-3 and 4-2 in conference action.

It was one of those games that whoever had the ball last was most likely going to come out on top, and that is exactly what occurred.

With less then two minutes on the game clock and Navy with possession and a two-point lead, the game came down to 4^th-and-1 from the Midshipmen 49-yard line. Tulsa needed a stop to regain possession, and Navy needed to convert to clinch the win. The Tulsa defense appeared to have stopped and stripped the Midshipmen of the ball, but Navy was awarded the first down and thus earned the victory.

The two teams combined for 1,077 yards as Tulsa amassed 576 and Navy totaled 501 yards. The Hurricane put up 369 passing yards, as Dane Evans became the school's all-time passing leader, moving ahead of Paul Smith (2003-07). Evans, who now has 10,945 career passing yards, found four different receivers for scores, as Justin Hobbs caught five passes for 123 yards and Josh Atkinson totaled 102 yards and one TD on five receptions.

Tulsa rushed for 207 yards, while D'Angelo Brewer went over 1,000 yards for the season with a 22-yard run in the first half. With Brewer and James Flanders, the Hurricane now has two 1,000-yard rushers in a season for the second time in school history, and the first time since 1982. Flanders led the ground game with 89 yards, while Brewer had 81 rushing yards.

Navy's option attack grounded out 390 yards on 64 carries, while quarterback Will Worth had 122 yards and three TDs on the ground.

39009

Trailing 28-20 at halftime, Tulsa took the opening possession of the second half to the Navy 26-yard line before an Evans pass was intercepted in the end zone. Navy went to the Tulsa 36-yard line when the Tulsa defense came up with a big defensive stop as Myles Mouton and Petera Wilson dropped Worth on a 4^th-and-1 for a two-yard loss.

Tulsa took possession at their own 38-yard line and six plays later, true freshman Keenen Johnson caught his first career touchdown, covering 31 yards from Evans. The touchdown capped a 62-yard, 5-play drive taking 2:19 off the clock, and made the score Navy 28, Tulsa 27.

The Midshipmen went 73 yards in nine plays to take a 35-27 lead as Worth ran the final 15 yards for the score.

On Tulsa's subsequent possession, the Hurricane got to the Navy 45-yard line, and on a 4^th-and-8 play, Evans connected with Hobbs on a 44-yard pass to the one-yard line. On third down, Evans ran the final one yard to make the score 35-33, but his two-point conversion run fell just short of the goal line.

Navy responded with a 69-yard, 5-play drive that saw Worth's 44-yard run put the Midshipmen ahead 42-33 with 7:58 remaining in the game. It took Tulsa only eight plays and 2:28 to cut the Middies lead to two points at 42-40 when a 22-yard pass from Evans to Chris Minter capped the 72-yard drive. It was Minter's first career touchdown reception.

After taking the game's opening kickoff 48 yards to the Tulsa 43-yard line, Navy wasted little time in putting the first points on the board, going just three plays for a 7-0 lead. Tulsa responded on its first play from scrimmage as Evans found Lucas down the left sideline for a 74-yard touchdown for a 7-7 tie.

After the Hurricane defense forced a Navy punt – the Middies first punt in their last 13 possessions – Tulsa went 61 yards in nine plays, but had to settle for a 29-yard Redford Jones field goal that gave the Hurricane a 10-7 lead.

Again, Navy wasted little time taking just 1:18 off the clock as Dishan Romine put the Middies ahead 14-10 on a 41-yard run, capping a 75-yard, three-play drive.

The Midshipmen took a 21-10 lead as Will Worth's one-yard run capped a 69-yard, 10-play drive, but the Hurricane took only 1:29 off the clock to make it a 4-point game, 21-17, as Evans connected with Atkinson for a 56 yard touchdown toss.

Navy took the ball down the field again, covering 78 yards in 13 plays, while taking 7:08 off the clock as Worth connected on an 11-yard pass to Tyler Carmona with 3:01 left before halftime, giving the Midshipmen a 28-17 lead. Tulsa took the subsequent possession 66 yards in 11 plays, but again had to settle for a Jones field goal, this time coming from 26 yards away, cutting the Navy lead to eight points at 28-20.

At halftime, the two teams combined for 601 yards, as Tulsa gained 320 yards and Navy 281, but the Midshipmen held an 18:54 to 11:06 advantage in possession time.

The Golden Hurricane will be back on the road next Saturday in Orlando, Florida, to face the UCF Knights. The game time has yet to be announced.