Tulsa Tops San Jose State, 45-10, in Season Opener

Saturday, September 3

H.A. Chapman Stadium

6:00 p.m. (CT)

Tulsa

1-0

San Jose State

0-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

San Jose State

Tulsa

Photo by: Brett Rojo

Tulsa Tops San Jose State, 45-10, in Season Opener

9/3/2016 10:51:00 PM | Football

Box Score

By: Eric Hollier

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TULSA, Okla. –– Tulsa scored on its first possession, and then ran off 38 unanswered points on its way to a 45-10 season-opening win over San Jose State in front of a crowd of 18,748 Saturday evening at H.A. Chapman Stadium.

Junior running back D'Angelo Brewer rushed for a career-high 164 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries to lead the Golden Hurricane offense, which gained 305 yards on the ground. Senior quarterback Dane Evans completed 12-of-23 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown, as TU (1-0) totaled 512 yards of offense.

The TU defense held San Jose State to 287 total yards and forced three turnovers, including an interception for a touchdown and a fumble recovered in the end zone. Tulsa allowed just 53 on the ground – the fewest rushing yards the Hurricane has allowed in a game since 2012.

Tulsa scored on its opening possession, and led 24-7 by the end of the first quarter. The lead was 38-7 at the half, and 45-7 after TU's possession of the second half. After San Jose State tied the game, 7-7, with 4:49 left in the opening period, the Hurricane put up 38 points in the next 22:00 of game time.

"I thought it was a great team win," Tulsa Head Coach Philip Montgomery said. "Obviously we've still got a lot of things to improve on, but those are a whole lot easier to correct when you get it after a win. The way our guys came out and competed, especially early, I thought we captured momentum early. The big pass to Keevan (Lucas) kind of set the tone there in the first drive, and then defensively coming out and playing as well as they did, I thought they did an outstanding job stopping the run all night."

Lucas caught six passes for 112 yards to lead Tulsa receivers, and senior linebacker Trent Martin led TU with 11 tackles. TU scored a defensive touchdown when junior defensive end Jesse Brubaker returned an interception 24 yards in the first quarter, and a special team touchdown when sophomore McKinley Whitfield covered a fumbled punt in the end zone in the second period.

SJSU quarterback Kenny Potter completed 16-of-28 passes for 234 yards and one touchdown, Rahshead Johnson recorded 75 receiving yards, and Deontae Cooper tallied 43 yards rushing on 19 carries for the Spartans.

On Tulsa's first possession, the Hurricane drove 92 yards in just four plays to take a 7-0 lead. Evans found Lucas 46 yards downfield on the first play, and Brewer scurried into the end zone from 38 yards two plays later with 12:02 to play in the first quarter.

After punting on its first three drives, San Jose State tied the score on a 64-yard pass from Potter to Johnson with 4:49 to play in the quarter. Junior Redford Jones booted a 34-yard field goal through the uprights to give Tulsa the lead again with 2:46 on the clock.

Brewer found the end zone for the second time in the opening period, on a four-yard plunge, capping a 7-play, 76-yard drive that elapsed 1:35. The Hurricane ran the lead to 24-7 in the quarter when Brubaker intercepted a tipped pass and took it 24 yards for the touchdown with 0:08 left in the period.

By the end of the quarter, Brewer had collected 116 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries. The 24 first-quarter points was the most for Tulsa since Sept. 15, 2012 when it scored 28 against Nicholls State.

Tulsa forced turnovers on consecutive Spartans possessions, recovering a fumble at its own 28 yard line. On second down from the TU 36, junior cornerback Keanu Hill knocked the ball loose from SJSU receiver Deontae Cooper, and junior defensive end Frankie Davis Jr. recovered the fumble.

The Hurricane drove 72 yards in eight plays and 2:36, as Evans found Justin Hobbs in the end zone from 11 yards out to extend the lead to 31-7 with 8:06 to play in the half.

Dalton Parks boomed a 61-yard punt on Tulsa's next possession, but SJSU returner Tim Crawley fumbled the catch at the 6, and Whitfield recovered it in the end zone for a TU touchdown. The score extended the advantage to 38-7, which held at the break.

The Hurricane outgained the Spartans, 335-166, in total yardage in the first half, including 172-11 in rushing yardage.

Tulsa received the second half kickoff, and marched 75 yards in 14 plays, as Brewer scored his third touchdown of the game with a two-yard run. TU led 45-7 with 11:20 left in the third quarter.

San Jose State added a 36-yard field goal by Bryce Crawford with 14:03 remaining in the game to cut Tulsa's lead to 45-10.

The Golden Hurricane travels to Columbus, Ohio, next Saturday to take on Ohio State at 2:30 p.m. The game will be televised on ABC.