Matt Hogan's career-best 51-yard field goal as
time expired capped a dramatic comeback and lifted 13th-ranked Houston over
Tulsa, 46-45, at Chapman Stadium.
Charles Clay's one-yard plunge with 3:28 left in regulation provided Tulsa a
45-37 cushion, but Houston mounted one last charge, getting to the Tulsa two
with 1:24 left after Bryce Beall's 13-yard run.
Beall gained one yard on two consecutive rushes, then Keenum found James
Cleveland for a one-yard TD pass to make it 45-43 with 21 seconds left. The
conversion failed, however, when Keenum was sacked as he tried to roll out to
the right.
Tim Monroe was able to come up with the onsides kick after a Tulsa player
mishandled the ball, and Houston was set up on its own 39.
Keenum connected with Cleveland for 14 yards on the second play of the drive,
then hit Tyron Carrier for 13 yards with three seconds to go. Hogan lined up
for the 51-yard attempt and was true to end the contest.
"As long as there is time on the clock, you have to try and win the game,"
Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin said. "You can't panic. Our coaching staff did
a great job of not panicking and our kids did a good job of handling the
situation."
Keenum finished 40-of-60 for 522 yards and three touchdowns for the Cougars
(8-1, 4-1 C-USA), who won their fifth straight contest. Cleveland ended up
with 12 receptions for 167 yards and three scores, while Beall gained 82 yards
on 17 carries and Charles Sims added a rushing score.
G.J. Kinne completed 19-of-25 passes for 334 yards, three touchdowns and two
interceptions for the Golden Hurricane (4-5, 2-3), who suffered their fourth
straight defeat.
Kinne also rushed for 100 yards and a TD on 16 carries, Clay added two rushing
and two receiving scores and Damaris Johnson hauled in 10 balls for 144 yards
in defeat.
The teams combined for a whopping 1,229 yards of total offense, with Houston
compiling 695 to 534 for Tulsa.
"I'm really proud of our guys," Tulsa head coach Todd Graham said. "I don't
think I've ever had a group play as hard as our guys tonight. I'm really proud
of our players and our coaching staff. Our guys were very, very deserving of
the win."
Tulsa kicked off the torrent of points on Clay's three-yard scoring run, but
Houston countered on Keenum's four-yard connection with Cleveland. Kinne then
found Clay for a 60-yard touchdown pass and Sims broke off an 18-yard scoring
run and it was 14-14 after one quarter.
Hogan drilled a 32-yard field goal to give Houston the lead once again, and it
was 24-14 for the Cougars after Keenum and Cleveland hooked up for a 36-yard
TD.
Kinne and the Golden Hurricane finished the half behind by three on Ricky
Johnson's 15-yard touchdown grab.
Clay hauled in an eight-yard pass for a score and Tulsa took a 28-24 lead,
then Hogan was good from 24 yards out to close Houston's gap to one.
Kevin Fitzpatrick boosted Tulsa to a four-point lead on a 25-yard make, and
the Golden Hurricane strengthened their advantage when Kinne took it into the
end zone from five yards out.
Carrier stunned the home crowd seconds later when he returned the kickoff 98
yards to bring the Cougars within 38-34, and Hogan made a 26-yarder with 8:08
to play for a one-point contest.
Game Notes
Houston has won 19 of 35 all-time meetings, and four of the last five...The
Cougars play at UCF next Saturday and the Golden Hurricane host East Carolina
next Sunday.
©2009 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
