Tulsa Falls Short 38-31 Against East Carolina

Thursday, November 14

H.A. Chapman Stadium

6:30 p.m. (CT)

Tulsa

3-7 , 1-5

East Carolina

6-4 , 4-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

East Carolina

Tulsa

Photo by: BRETT ROJO, For the University o

Tulsa Falls Short 38-31 Against East Carolina

11/14/2024 11:17:00 PM | Football

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TULSA, Okla. –– East Carolina scored the final 14 points in the last six minutes to overtake Tulsa 38-31 Thursday night in front of 17,979 fans at H.A. Chapman Stadium. The win clinched a bowl berth for the Pirates and ended Tulsa's bowl aspirations.

Tulsa fell to 3-7 overall and 2-5 in American Athletic Conference play, while East Carolina improved to 6-4 and 4-2 in the AAC standings.

The Hurricane trailed 14-3 early in the second quarter before taking a 17-14 lead and settling for a 17-17 tie at halftime. Tulsa scored consecutive second-half touchdowns to take a 31-24 lead with 12:14 remaining in the game before East Carolina's two scores secured victory for the visitors.

It was a game that saw the two teams combine for six of nine scoring plays of more than 15 yards and a combined six turnovers. Tulsa's defense had a season-high four takeaways, including interceptions by junior Keaun Parker and true freshmen Elijah Green and Buddha Garrett, while Garrett also had a fumble recovery.

East Carolina outgained Tulsa 536 to 399 yards, including 222 to 106 yards on the ground and 314 to 292 passing yards.

Tulsa's Cooper Legas completed 20-of-32 passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns, all of which went to true freshman Joseph Williams, who ended the game with five receptions for a season-high 158 yards and the three TDs. ECU's Katin Houser completed 24-of-37 passes for 314 yards, while Rahjai Harris gained 114 yards and two TDs on 18 carries.

In the first half, the two teams combined for 17 points in the first 23 minutes and before the half ended exploded for 17 points in the final two minutes. First-half turnovers erased what most likely would have been two more scores. A Tulsa fumble at the four-yard line in the first quarter and an East Carolina interception by Tulsa's Green at the seven-yard line in the second quarter ended scoring opportunities.

Trailing 14-3 at the 2-minute timeout, Tulsa scored 14 points in 0:19 to take a 17-14 lead with 1:32 to play. Tulsa's first score in that stretch came on a Legus 39-yard strike in the end zone to Williams to make it a 14-10 game at the 1:51 mark. On ECU's subsequent possession, Parker picked off a Houser pass and returned it 30 yards for a 17-14 lead with 1:32 on the first-half clock. The Pirates closed the first 30 minutes with a 38-yard drive to set-up a 52-yard field goal to tie the game at 17 going into halftime.

Tulsa took the game's opening kickoff 42 yards in nine plays for a 3-0 lead, while the Pirates went 80 yards on its second possession for a 7-3 lead with 5:37 remaining on the first-half clock. ECU took its 14-3 lead with seven minutes left in the first 30 minutes.

At halftime, ECU held a 257 to 226-yard edge in total offense. The Pirates threw for 193 yards, while the Hurricane gained 91 yards on the ground and 135 through the air.

Tulsa will be in Tampa, Florida, next Saturday to close out its road season against the South Florida Bulls. The Hurricane will close out the regular season a week later when the Florida Atlantic Owls visit Chapman Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 30.

1^st Quarter Breakdown
•       Tulsa took the opening kickoff 42 yards in nine plays and settled on a 47-yard Seth Morgan field goal.
•     It was just the second time on the season that Tulsa scored on its first possession (the other was second game vs. Arkansas State).
•    After the defense stopped ECU on 3-and-out, the Hurricane offense took the ball to the 5-yard line but fumbled into the end zone on 2nd-and-4.
•    ECU responded on its second possession with an 80-yard drive for a 7-3 lead at the 5:37 mark.
•    Despite trailing after one period, Tulsa ended the quarter holding a 134 to 79-yard edge in total offense.

2^nd Quarter Breakdown
•       True freshman Elijah Green's first career interception ended an East Carolina drive at the Tulsa 7-yard line.
•       ECU took a 14-3 lead on a one-yard Marlon Gunn run at the 7-minute mark.
•       The Hurricane responded with two touchdowns in just 0:19 with a 38-yard pass play and a pick-6 to take a 17-14 lead with 1:38 remaining in the quarter.
•       Cooper Legas threw 39 yards to Joseph Williams followed by a pick-6 by Keaun Parker for Tulsa's two first-half TDs.
•       The Pirates tied the game 17-17 on a 52-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
•       ECU held a 171 to 92-yard advantage in the quarter.

3^rd Quarter Breakdown
•       ECU scored on its second possession with a 16-yard London Montgomery run, capping a 52-yard, four-play drive for a 24-17 lead.
•       A Buddha Garrett interception at the 6:12 mark gave Tulsa possession at the ECU 15-yard line, but the Hurricane failed to put points on the board, missing a 47-yard field goal attempt.
•       A personal foul penalty negated an ECU 71-yard touchdown run by Rahjai Harris.
•       Cooper Legas hit the true freshman Joseph Williams on a 14-yard score for his second TD catch of the game to make it a 24-24 score.

4^th Quarter Breakdown
•       Tulsa took a 31-24 lead when Legas hit Williams for their third TD connection of the game on a 50-yard toss on the sideline at the 12:14 mark.
•       ECU's Rahjai Harris had touchdown runs of 23 and 24 yards in the final six minutes to retake the lead and the eventual victory at 38-31.
•       Harri's 23-yard TD run made it a one-point game, 31-30, capping a 65-yard, 10-play drive with 5:30 remaining in the contest, but the Andrew Conrad PAT hit the upright leaving Tulsa with the one-point lead.
•     Harris scored his second TD with 2:07 left on the game clock.
•       Looking to force overtime, Tulsa took possession with just over two minutes remaining and marched 74 yards in six plays but failed to punch in the score on two tries from the ECU 2-yard line.