Tulsa
1-4 , 0-1
Houston
4-1 , 2-0
Tulsa Drops AAC Opener to Houston
10/1/2021 11:42:00 PM | Football
GAME BOOK I POST-GAME NOTES I POST-GAME QUOTES I PHOTO GALLERY
TULSA, Okla. –– The Houston Cougars jumped out to a quick start with 14 first quarter points en route to a 45-10 victory over Tulsa Friday night at H.A. Chapman Stadium. The Cougars improved to 4-1 and 2-0 in AAC play, while Tulsa dropped to 1-4 and 0-1 in league action.
Houston came in with the league's top defense and it showed as the Cougars held Tulsa to 289 yards of total offense and had three interceptions, including one returned 45 yards for a touchdown.
The Cougars gained 405 yards with 261 passing yards and 148 on the ground. Tulsa threw for 258 yards but was held to just 31 yards on the ground.
Sam Crawford Jr. had his second straight 100-yard receiving game with 101 yards on five receptions. Brin ended the day completing 20 of 39 passes for 258 yards and one touchdown. Houston's Clayton Tune completed 17-of-24 passes for 241 yards and two scores.
Tulsa received the second-half kickoff but on the third play from scrimmage the Cougars added to its first half 28-3 lead with a pick-6 for a 35-3 advantage with just 0:54 ticked off the clock.
The Cougars went ahead 42-3 just seconds into the fourth quarter when Tune threw eight yards to Seth Green. Tulsa's Brin connect on a 41-yard pass to Ezra Naylor for the graduate transfers first career touchdown to make the score 42-10 with 9:26 left in the contest. UH added a field goal to close out its 45-10 victory
It looked as the visitors would waste no time in scoring when Nathaniel Dell took the opening kickoff back 99 yards, but a holding penalty brought the ball back to the Houston 10-yard line and the Tulsa defense forced the Cougars to punt.
On their second possession, the Cougars put the first points on the board for a 7-0 lead at the 4:23 mark of the first quarter on an 81-yard, 8-play drive that took 4:29 off the clock.
Houston put together another scoring drive on their next possession, going 85 yards in just four plays as Jeremy Singleton took a pass from Clayton Tune 47 yards for a 14-0 Cougars lead.
The Cougars extended their lead to 21-0 on Alton McCaskill's 27-yard run, capping a 56-yard, three-play drive. After an interception that put Houston at the Tulsa 32-yard line, the Cougars took a 28-0 lead at the 9:33 mark when McCaskill's one-yard run capped a 32-yard, 5-play drive.
The Hurricane put its first points on the scoreboard with a 33-yard Zack Long field goal with 1:22 left on the first-half clock, capping a 65-play, 11-yard drive.
At halftime, Houston held a 284 to 106-yard edge in total offense, averaging 9.8 yards per play to Tulsa's 2.1 yards. Tulsa gained 65 yards on 11 plays for its scoring drive, after compiling just 41 yards on its first six drives of the half.
Tulsa concludes its 3-game homestand next Saturday on Homecoming when the Golden Hurricane hosts the Memphis Tigers. Game time is set for 8:00 pm at H.A. Chapman Stadium on ESPN2. For tickets, go online at TulsaHurricane.com or call 918.631.4688.
Team Stats
HOU 7, TUL 0
HOU - McCaskill,Alton 1 yd run (Witherspoon,Dalton kick), 8 plays, 81 yards, TOP 04:29
HOU 14, TUL 0
HOU - Singleton,Jeremy 47 yd pass from Tune,Clayton (Witherspoon,Dalton kick) 4 plays, 85 yards, TOP 01:21
HOU 21, TUL 0
HOU - McCaskill,Alton 27 yd run (Witherspoon,Dalton kick), 3 plays, 56 yards, TOP 01:10
HOU 28, TUL 0
HOU - McCaskill,Alton 1 yd run (Witherspoon,Dalton kick), 5 plays, 32 yards, TOP 02:01
HOU 28, TUL 3
TUL - Long,Zack 33 yd field goal 11 plays, 65 yards, TOP 02:58
HOU 35, TUL 3
HOU - Owens,Gervarrius 45 yd interception (Witherspoon,Dalton kick)
HOU 42, TUL 3
HOU - Green,Seth 8 yd pass from Tune,Clayton (Witherspoon,Dalton kick) 9 plays, 57 yards, TOP 04:32
HOU 42, TUL 10
TUL - Naylor II,Ezra 41 yd pass from Brin,Davis (Long,Zack kick) 6 plays, 72 yards, TOP 01:46
HOU 45, TUL 10
HOU - Witherspoon,Dalton 48 yd field goal 9 plays, 44 yards, TOP 05:07
