Tulsa Takes Down Huskies 22-14

Saturday, September 23

DeKalb, Ill.

11:00 AM (CT)

Tulsa

2-2 , 0-0

Northern Illinois

1-3 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Tulsa

NIU

Tulsa Takes Down Huskies 22-14

9/23/2023 3:54:00 PM | Football

Box Score

GAME STATS I POSTGAME NOTES

DEKALB, Ill. –– Tulsa took control in the final quarter and overcame a five-point deficit for a 22-14 win over the Northern Illinois Huskies Saturday afternoon in front of 10,321 fans at Huskie Stadium

It was total team effort from the Hurricane and in the final quarter it was the offense, defense and special teams that each made significant plays contributing to the victory. First, the offense went 76 yards in nine plays to score on a Tahj Gary 17-yard run at the 8:33 mark to retake the lead at 19-14. The special teams responded with a forced fumble and recovery on the subsequent kickoff that led to three points and a 22-14 lead, and the defensive unit held NIU scoreless while Kendarin Ray's interception in with 0:26 on the game clock preserved the Tulsa victory.

The win put Tulsa at 2-2 on the season heading into American Athletic Conference play next week against Temple. The victory snapped a two-game losing streak that came against two of the nation's top-20 teams, #8 Washington and #19 Oklahoma.

Tulsa ended the game with 281 total yards with 179 on the ground and 102 through the air, while NIU totaled 295 total yards. Both teams had three takeaways. Tulsa's Anthony Watkins led all ballcarriers with 91 yards and had one TD, while Gary added 51 yards and his one score.

NIU took its only lead of the game in the third quarter by capitalizing on Tulsa's third turnover. A 29-yard Jordan Lynch touchdown capped a 33-yard, two-play drive to give the Huskies a 14-9 lead with 5:34 remaining in the period. The NIU drive was set-up by a Muhammad Jammeh 17-yard interception return to the Hurricane 33-yard line.

ON NIU's next possession, the Tulsa defense came up with a huge 4^th down-and-one stop at the NIU 28-yard line as Julien Simon made the first contact and was joined by multiple teammates to give the Hurricane offense possession in NIU territory. The Hurricane had to settle for a 36-yard Chase Meyer field goal to cut NIU's lead to 14-12 as time expired in the third period.

On Tulsa's first fourth period possession, Tahj Gary raced the final 17 yards to put the Hurricane ahead 19-14 with 8:33 remaining in the contest. The run capped a nine-play, 76-yard drive in taking 3:01 off the clock.

On the subsequent kickoff, the Tulsa special teams came through when Jehlen Cannady forced the fumble and Cam Crooks recovered at the NIU 34-yard line. The Hurricane traveled to the NIU 4-yard line and Chase Meyer converted a 22-yard field goal for the eight-point Tulsa advantage.

It was a relatively even first half as the Hurricane was on top 9-7 heading into intermission. Tulsa had a 118 to 115-yard edge in total offense. Tulsa's longest drive of the first half went 74 yards but ended in a turnover. The Huskies had its longest drive cover 75 yards with a touchdown in the first 30 minutes.

Tulsa's first points came on a safety late in the first quarter. The Hurricane took the subsequent kick 50 yards in eight plays for a 9-0 lead when Anthony Watkins ran in from one yard out for the score.

NIU responded with an 11-minute, 3-second scoring drive that covered 75 yards in 20 plays, making the score 9-7 with 2:59 remaining before halftime.

Tulsa opens American Athletic Conference play on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. with a home game against the Temple Owls. Tailgating on Chapman Commons begins at 3:30 p.m., while King Cabbage takes the stage at 4:30 p.m.

1^st Quarter Breakdown
•         NIU took its first two possessions into Tulsa territory, but the Hurricane defense stopped the Huskies from scoring, stopping a 4^th-and-2 from the Tulsa 43, and the second drive resulting in a 22-yard missed field goal.
•         Tulsa got to the NIU 6-yard line on a Jordan Ford run, but a fumble gave the ball back to the Huskies.
•         Tulsa got its first points on a 2-point safety at the 2:04 mark as NIU's Rocky Lombardi fumbled and fell on the ball in the end zone.
•         The 1^st quarter ended with Tulsa driving from the 50-yard line and taking it to the 20-yard line.

2^nd Quarter Breakdown
•         On Tulsa's third play of the quarter, Anthony Watkins ran in from one-yard out to cap a 50-yard, 8-play scoring drive to give the Hurricane a 9-0 lead at the 14:05 mark of the quarter.
•         NIU replaced QB Rocky Lombardi and backup Ethan Hampton led the Huskies on a 75-yard, 20-play scoring drive in taking 11:03 off the clock to make the score 9-7.
•         After Tulsa went 3-and-out Dayne Hodge intercepted a Huskie pass at the NIU 37-yard line.
•         The first half ended with Tulsa ahead 9-7.

3^rd Quarter Breakdown
•         NIU capitalized on Tulsa's third turnover of the game, an interception, that put the Huskies at the Tulsa 33-yard line and two plays later scored to take a 14-9 lead.
•        Tulsa's defense made a huge stand on NIU's next possession at Tulsa's 28-yard line. The Hurricane converted on a 36-yard field goal to make the score 14-12 as time expired in the quarter.

4^th Quarter Breakdown
•         Tulsa took control of the quarter in all facets of the contest. The offense totaled 120 yards on 21 attempts with 93 of those yards coming on the ground.
•        The Hurricane outscored NIU in the quarter 10-0, as the special teams unit forced a turnover and the defense ended the game with a Kendarin Ray interception.