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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.