by By Don Tomkalski
Tulsa handed East Carolina a 45-24 loss in front of 17,557 fans Saturday night at H.A. Chapman Stadium.
The win puts Tulsa (7-2, 4-1 AAC) into a first-place tie in the American Athletic Conference’s West Division with next Saturday’s opponent, the Navy Midshipmen (6-2, 4-1 AAC).
Tulsa gained 616 yards of total offense, including its sixth 300+ rushing game with 342 yards and added 274 yards through the air. The Hurricane defense also had an outstanding performance with a season-high seven sacks for -68 yards, while holding the Pirates to 38 yards rushing, the lowest rushing output for a Tulsa opponent since limiting UTEP to 31 rushing yards in 2012.
Dane Evans (Wichita & Affiliated Tribes) completed 22-of-38 passes for 274 yards and three TDs, while Josh Atkinson was on the receiving end of 10 of those passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Matt Linscott, Jeremy Smith and Jesse Brubaker each had two TFLs to lead the Hurricane defense.
East Carolina (3-6, 1-4 AAC) was led by Gardner Minshaw’s 336 yards on 29 completions, while Zay Johnson caught 13 passes for 306 yards and one TD.
Tulsa opened the game with an 84-yard drive that saw Flanders break through the line and go 22 yards for a 7-0 lead at the 11:57 mark. After holding the Pirates to 19 yards on five plays, the Tulsa offense took over at its own 24-yard line and went 76 yards in 10 plays for a 14-0 lead, as Evans threw the final 14 yards to Lucas.
On the subsequent possession, East Carolina responded with a five-play, 69-yard drive in 1:55 for their first score, cutting the Tulsa lead to 14-7 at the 4:41 mark of the first quarter.
The Hurricane added three points on a 41-yard Redford Jones field goal, capping a 54-yard, 10-play drive, to put the home team ahead 17-7 with 6:10 left before halftime. Tulsa added seven points with 0:24 remaining to take a 24-7 lead into halftime, as the Hurricane marched 80 yards in 13 plays for the score. Evans threw the final three yards of the possession to Atkinson for the touchdown.
At the intermission, Tulsa had 300 total yards on 58 plays, while holding the Pirates to 120 yards on 33 plays. Flanders gained 112 first-half yards on the ground, while surpassing the 1,000-yard mark for the season. Evans completed 15-of-27 passes for 133 yards and two TDs in the first half.
The Golden Hurricane travels to Annapolis, Maryland next Saturday to face the Navy Midshipmen at 12 noon (ET)/11 am (CT). The game will be aired on CBS Sports Network
