Rose Bowl
#4 
VS #3 
Game Notes
--- Here we were once again, the conclusion of another season. This time we had done something no Tulsa squad, nor had any C-USA team ever done. We crashed the BCS. Our prize, a showdown with #4 Nebraska, the Big Ten Champions, in the Rose Bowl. We were going to more than have our work cut out for us. Nebraska was rated higher in all three areas of the game, they had the #3 offense in the nation, #9 rushing off and #17 passing offense, resulting in their averaging 40 points per game. Their defense was just as stout, ranking #5 in college football in total defense, #3 in passing defense. Their only true weakness, a #45 ranked rushing defense. It was going to take a completely perfect game from all three areas of our team to keep up with Nebraska in this one. We were the recognized home team for the game. We won the coin toss and elected to kick, opting to first see what our defense would be made up against the Cornhuskers offensive attack.
A touchback got the game started as Nebraska came out at their 25 yard line. Tommy Allen went into the air on the first place of the game, connecting with Paul Wade for a 13 yard gain. Our defense didn’t waste any time to prove themselves overmatched, as Allen found Wade for a second straight play, this time for a 32 yard bomb on the go route and Nebraska had a first down at our 29. An 8 yard pass to Alex Jones was followed with a scramble by Allen for a gain of 6 yards and the Cornhuskers had a first down at our 16. A 9 yard rush by John Johnson left second and one from the 7. Another rush by Johnson, for 7 yards gave Nebraska first and goal from our one yard line. Johnson would punch it in on the next play for the one yard touchdown and a 7-0 Nebraska lead with 7:21 left in the first quarter.
A 25 yard kickoff return by Kiel Fletcher gave our offense the ball at our 26 yard line to start our first drive. Fletcher took the handoff on first down, fighting forward for a four yard gain, followed by a pickup of 7 yards for a first down at the 37. Fletcher a found a hole off the right side of the center, pushing his way forward for a 9 yard gain. Another rush up the middle, Fletcher was able to bust out into the secondary for a gain of 16 yards and we had a first down at the Nebraska 37 yard line. Despite being hit at the line of scrimmage, Fletcher was able to continuing driving and fall forward for a gain of four yards. Brandon Booth’s pass intended for Connor Jefferson was batted down and we were left with third and 6. Booth found Max Thompson on an out route on the third down, going for a gain of 12 yards, giving us a new set of downs at the 22 yard line. Fletcher took the ball on first down, but found nowhere to go, tackled for only a gain of one yard. Booth’s pass on second down to Roy Smith picked up only two yards to leave us looking at third and 7 from the 19. Booth found Strong over the middle for a 7 yard gain, but it wasn’t enough as we were left with fourth and one at the 12. Coming here to win, we took the gamble and went for it on fourth and short. Fletcher proved why he was second in Heisman voting this year, breaking his way loose from what would have been a tackle for a loss, and fighting forward for a two yard gain and a first down at the 11 yard line. Fletcher took the first down carry off the left tackle, fighting ahead for 5 yards. Fletcher would score the equalizer on the next play, rushing it up the middle for the 6 yard touchdown to make it 7-all with 42 seconds left in the first quarter.
No return on the kickoff gave Nebraska the ball for their second drive at the 25. Johnson carried the ball for a 9 yard gain on the initial play. After an incomplete pass, Allen found Jones on third down for a pickup of 11 yards and a first down at the 46. After throwing the ball away on first down, Johnson took the rock and gained 7 yards on the ground to leave third and three at our 47 yard line. The final seconds would tick off the clock during the play, and the first quarter was in the books, all tied up 7-7.
Johnson got the second quarter opened up for Nebraska with a 9 yard rush and a first down at our 38 as the Cornhuskers attack continued at will. Allen threw an out route pass to Chance Doty for a 6 yard gain, before our defense tackled Johnson for a loss of one yard, leaving Nebraska with third and 5 from the 34 yard line. Johnson would convert the third down on the ground, breaking loose for a 10 yard rush to our 23 yard line. Another 10 yard rush by Johnson left Nebraska with second and inches at our 14. Johnson continued to pound the ball on the ground, picking up 6 yards to set up first and goal at the 8. After a two yard pass from Allen to Jordan and a four yard rush by Johnson, Nebraska was left with third and goal at our two yard line. Johnson would score his second touchdown of the game, pounding it in from two yards out to give Nebraska a 14-7 lead with seven minutes left in the second quarter.
Jefferson returned the kickoff for 24 yards, leaving our offense the ball at our 30 yard line. Fletcher continued to find success on the ground. With the gap closing instantly on the first down rush, Fletcher bounced outside through a hole near the left tackle, juked his way out of a tackle by the corner and rushed ahead for a 16 yard gain to the 46 yard line. Thanks to multiple downfield blocks, Fletcher was able to turn the corner and sprint up the left sideline for an 18 yard gain and a first down at the Nebraska 36 yard line. Smith tried to go off tackle on the first down carry, but a blitzing linebacker cut him off, forcing him to turn back up between the center and guard, managing to pick up 5 yards before being brought down. Going to the air on second down, Booth connected with Eric Hayden for 8 yards, giving us a first down at the 24 yard line. Booth tried to go deep to Hayden on first down, but the corner broke on the ball late and nearly intercepted it, the ball falling out of his hands and to the turf incomplete. Booth was able to just barely avoid the blitz on second down, throwing the ball to Thompson as he was hit for a 14 yard gain to leave us first down at the 11 yard line. Bouncing outside to avoid the linebackers, Fletcher was able to find a hole and pick up 7 yards to leave second and three at the four yard line. Taking it up the middle, Fletcher managed to pick up maybe one yard, leaving third and three at the three yard line. Booth’s third down pass to Thompson sailed incomplete, as Thompson got slowed down by a glancing shoulder from the linebacker, and we were forced to settle for a field goal. The 20 yard kick by Alphonso Pratt made it 14-10 with 2:47 left in the half.
A 19 yard kickoff return got Nebraska started at their 21 yard line. Our defense finally made a stand this drive, sacking Allen on first down for a two yard loss. After a 5 yard rush by Allen, Nebraska was left looking at third and 7 from their 23 yard line, 2:16 remaining. Allen would get the first down himself, scrambling from the pressure and picking up 9 yards for the first down at the 32 yard line. Two straight dropped passes left Nebraska with third down, Allen finding Wade for a 32 yard bomb over them middle and a first down at our 35 yard line, 1:35 to go. After another dropped pass and an incomplete pass, Allen found Jones on a slant route for a gain of 19 yard and a first down at our 17 yard line, Nebraska’s first timeout stopping the clock with 1:14 to play. Johnson took the ball on first down for a 5 yard rush down to our 12 yard line, the second timeout by Nebraska stopping play with 1:09 to go. An incomplete pass intended for Wade left the Cornhuskers with third and 5. That gap would grow larger, as Nebraska was flagged for false start, leaving their offense facing third and 10 from our 17 yard line. Allen’s third down pass to Doty was dropped in the end zone, the Cornhuskers would kick the 34 yard field goal, extending their lead to 17-10 with 56 seconds to go.
No return on the kickoff left our offense at our 25 yard line, 47 seconds left in the clock. After an incomplete pass on first down, Booth found Thompson for an 8 yard gain, leaving us third and two, our first timeout stopping the clock at 40 seconds. We would pick up the first down as Booth found Thompson again, this time for 12 yards to get to our 45 yard line, rushing to the line with 35 seconds to go. Booth took a chance, throwing deep down the left sideline to a streaking Hayden, but the cornerback Luke Kilpatrick jumped in front of Hayden to intercept the ball, giving Nebraska possession at their 30 yard line with 30 seconds to play. A 27 yard pass to Wade on first down got Nebraska quickly to our 43 yard line, 23 seconds and ticking. Our defense decided to help out, as we were flagged for pass interference, Nebraska getting a free first down at our 28 yard line with 11 ticks left. The Cornhuskers would find the end zone on the next play, as Doty hauled in the 28 yard touchdown pass from Allen to give Nebraska a 24-10 lead with three seconds remaining. A 22 yard kickoff return by Fletcher would bring the first half to an end, our offense with its work cut out for it, trailing 24-10 headed into halftime.
Opening up the second half, Fletcher brought the kickoff out for 24 yards, giving our offense the ball at the 23 yard line to start the third quarter. Fletcher took the ball on first down for a gain of four yards, before a three yard rush off the left tackle left us looking at third and three. Going to the air on third down, Booth’s pass to Jefferson was swatted away, deflected into the Hayden of a passing Hayden, but he was unable to hold on to the sudden ball in his hands and it fell to the ground incomplete, our punt team coming out on fourth down. A fair catch on the 44 yard punt gave Nebraska the ball at their 25 yard line. Allen continued throwing to his favorite target, hitting Wade for a 28 yard gain and a first down at our 47. A 10 yard rush by Johnson left second and inches, before Riley Thompson picked up three yards on the ground for the first down at our 33. Another deep pass to Wade went for a gain of 23 yards and Nebraska had a first down at our 11 yard line. After a dropped pass by Wade, Thompson ran ahead for a gain of four yards, leaving the Cornhuskers with third and 6 from our 7 yard line. A 5 yard pass to Wade got Nebraska down to our one yard line, but it was short of the first down and they were left with fourth and one. They would get their first down on the next play as the defense was flagged for pass interference. After tackling Johnson for a loss of two yards on first and goal, Allen found William Pryor for a three yard touchdown pass and a 31-10 lead with 5:41 left in the third quarter.
A 25 yard kickoff return by Fletcher gave our offense possession at our 28 yard line. Fletcher took the ball off the left tackle on first down, but only managed to get two yards as Nebraska was ready for our run game. A pass from Booth to Smith went for only a gain of one yard, and we were left looking at third and 7 from the 31. Booth never had a chance to get rid of the ball as the Cornhuskers brought the house, sacked for a 10 yard loss and leaving us punting on fourth and 17. A fair catch on the 44 yard punt gave Nebraska the ball at their 34 yard line and looking for more. Allen found Jones over the middle on first down for a 17 yard gain and Nebraska was back in our territory once more at our 48. A pair of rushes by Johnson for gains of 9 and one yards gave Nebraska a first down at our 38. A three yard rush by Allen followed by a 6 yard gain by Johnson left the Cornhuskers looking at third and inches. Johnson would pick up the first down on the ground, fighting ahead for a three yard gain to our 26 yard line. Another rush by Johnson, this time for 5 yards, was followed with a 9 yard gain by Allen and Nebraska once again had a first down at our 11 yard line. Allen would come out of the game after the play, suffering from back spasms, Bruce Stewart taking over the signal caller duties. After a dropped pass on first down, Stewart connected with Thompson for a 7 yard gain to leave third and three at our four yard line. A dropped pass by Wade would leave the field goal unit coming out, the 21 yard boot extending Nebraska’s lead to 34-10 with 1:45 left in the third quarter.
Fletcher returned the kickoff 19 yards out to our 20 yard line, as we were left desperately searching for a way to close the gap. Despite having a wide open Jefferson sprinting down the sideline, nothing would come of it as Booth was hit as he threw, the ball landing 5 yards away incomplete. Thompson would get us a first down, hauling in a 13 yard pass from Booth to get to the 32. Booth was again hit as he threw on first down, the wounded duck nearly picked out of the air by the defensive end, and we were left with second down. Scrambling to keep the play alive, Booth threw a pass over the middle, Hayden ripping the ball out of the linebacker’s hands and turning up field for some extra yards, a 21 yard gain in all for a first down at the Nebraska 46. We would finally get back to the end zone, as Fletcher hauled in a pass from Booth on the smash route, breaking loose for the tackle by the cornerback and going 46 yards to the house. The two-point conversion pass to Fletcher was good, making the score 34-18 with 51 seconds to play in the third quarter.
No return on the kickoff left Nebraska at their 25. After an 8 yard rush by Johnson, a dropped pass left Nebraska looking at third and two. Allen would keep the ball himself, rushing for a 6 yard gain and the first down out to the 39 yard line. A 6 yard rush by Johnson would bring the third quarter to an end, Nebraska leading 34-18.
Starting the fourth quarter with second and four from their 45 yard, Nebraska picked up another quick first down thanks to a 7 yard gain by Johnson to get to our 47. A two yard rush by Johnson was followed with a 12 yard pass to Wade down to our 32 yard line. Two straight passes to Doty, for gains of 18 and 10 yards, left Nebraska with second and inches at our 5 yard line, ready to put the game away. After a dropped pass on second down, Allen took the ball himself, rushing in for the 5 yard touchdown and a 41-18 lead with 7:35 left in the game.
A 25 yard kickoff return by Jefferson got our offense started at the 29 yard line. Pulling everything out of the playbook now, Booth found Hayden down the right sideline for a 25 yard gain to the Nebraska 47, Hayden unable to keep his balance and stay in bounds after the catch. After a three yard rush by Fletcher, Booth was hit as he threw, the defensive ends coming through at will, leaving us third and 7 at the 44. Booth would manage to get the third down pass off, connecting with Fletcher for a 29 yard gain to give us first down at the 15 yard line. Booth’s pass over the middle to Thompson was batted away, leaving us second down. Booth’s second down pass was nearly intercepted, leaving our drive in danger. Thompson was able to haul in the rainbow pass from Booth, just getting to the first down line as he was tackled for a 10 yard gain and first and goal at the 5. Smith would get us in the end zone, hauling in the pass from Booth and failing over a Nebraska defender for the 5 yard touchdown. Another successful two-point conversion pass to Fletcher made the score 41-26 with 6:16 left in the game.
A touchback on the kickoff left Nebraska at their 25 yard line, and our entire sideline praying that the defense would actually make a stop. Our prayers would not be answered. Nebraska came out firing on first down, Allen finding Wade for a 21 yard gain and first down at the 46 yard line. A 6 yard rush by Johnson got Nebraska back in our territory at our 48, before Allen threw a deep bomb to a streaking Wade for a 39 yard gain and first and goal at our 9 yard line. After two straight dropped passes, Pryor would finally manage to hold onto a ball, hauling in the 9 yard touchdown pass from Allen to give Nebraska a 48-26 lead with 5:14 left to play.
A touchback on the kickoff got our offense in action from our 25 yard line, time running out. Taking a deep shot, the first down pass to Fletcher was nearly intercepted by the safety, leaving us second down. An 11 yard pass to Thompson kept the drive alive as the clock ticked under 5 minutes. Threading the needle between the linebacker and safety, Booth found Hayden deep over the middle for a 29 yard gain, giving us first down at the Nebraska 35 yard line, 4:42 left in the game. The first down pass to Hayden was batted incomplete, leaving second down. The deep pass to Jefferson was batted down, and we were left with third and 10 from the 35. Thompson was able to get separation and haul in a pass from Booth for 11 yards to keep us breathing at the 24 yard line, 4:17 left to play. A pass to Fletcher on a smash route went for a gain of 9 yards, before Booth found Smith over the middle for the 15 yard touchdown. Another successful two-point conversion pass, this time to Thompson, and we cut the gap to 48-34 with 3:41 to go.
Nebraska would recover the onside kick at our 47 yard line, and our hopes shattered. When it was looking all but over, the defense would pull a rabbit out of its hat, as linebacker Marc Patterson intercepted Allen to give our offense new hope and new life at our 39 yard line, 3:34 remaining. Rolling off of a tackle attempt, Thompson hauled in a pass from Booth for a 16 yard gain, stepping out of bounds at the Nebraska 46. A first down pass to Fletcher on a stop and go route went for a 22 yard gain, giving us a first down at the 23 yard line. Thompson would haul in a 13 yard pass from Booth, giving us a first down at the 10 yard line as the clock ticked under three minutes. A 9 yard pass to Jefferson left us with second and one from the one yard line, where Fletcher would punch it on the ground. The PAT made it 48-41 and we were back in it, 2:30 left in the game.
Taking a chance with our defense, we kicked off deep, the ball going out of the end zone for a touchback, and Nebraska took over on offense at their 25 yard line, 2:23 remaining. Our defense proved as worthless as ever, as Allen threw deep to Jones for a 25 yard gain, giving Nebraska a first down at midfield. A rush by Allen went for four yards and we called our first timeout with 1:59 to go. A 5 yard rush by Johnson left Nebraska with third and one, our second timeout stopping the clock at 1:54. It would be all she wrote for our chances of a comeback, as Allen hit Wade through the air for a 13 yard gain, our third and final timeout doing little other than to delay the inevitable, the clock stopped with 1:51 to go. Johnson was tackled on first down for a loss of four yards, leaving second and 14. Thompson took the handoff with 1:26 remaining, picking up four yards, leaving Nebraska looking at third and 10 from our 29 yard line. An 8 yard pass from Allen to Pryor went for an 8 yard gain, and the Cornhuskers were left with fourth and two, 1:07 on the clock. The 38 yard field goal would seal the victory, giving Nebraska a 51-41 lead with 49 seconds to go.
A touchback on the kickoff left us at our 25 yard line, 42 seconds to play and down by 10. Airing it out and refusing to give up on first down, Booth found Hayden deep for a 36 yard gain, getting us down to the Nebraska 39 yard line. An incomplete pass on the following play would leave second down, 33 seconds remaining. Going down the right sideline, Smith was able to somehow leap up, sandwiched between the safety and the cornerback, and snag down the pass from Booth for a 29 yard gain, leaving us first and goal at the 10 yard line. An incomplete pass to Thompson left us second down, 24 seconds to go. Fletcher would get us in the end zone on the next play, hauling in the 10 yard touchdown pass from Booth to cut the score to 51-48 with 21 seconds to go. Nebraska would recover the onside kick, and that would be all she wrote, Nebraska kneeling the ball down once to seal the 51-48 win.
With the loss, we end our 2015 season at 12-2, 9-0 in C-USA action. With the win, Nebraska’s year comes to a close at 12-2, 8-2 in Big Ten play.
Final Score
#4 51,
#3 48
Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – It was a slow first half for Booth, including his interception that screwed us just before halftime, but he ultimately turned it around and ended the game with an impressive 424 yards passing and four touchdowns. A rather non-eventful day for Fletcher, as Nebraska defense gave up very little. 109 yards rushing and two touchdowns as all for him today, though he did end with 116 yards receiving and two touchdowns on five receptions. Looking at the receiving corps for today, six players caught a ball, four of them getting at least double digit yards, three of them reaching triple digits. Thompson led the way, hauling in 120 yards receiving on 10 catches. Next was Hayden with 119 yards receiving on 5 catches. Fletcher followed with 116 yards receiving on 5 catches, followed by Smith with 53 yards receiving and two touchdown on 5 catches.
- Tulsa Defense – Defense was mostly worthless today. Other than the one interception and holding Nebraska to three field goals on various drives, the defense basically got steamrolled every drive. Nebraska never punted a single time today, every drive either scoring points, throwing the one interception, or ending the half. The defense was completely abused by Nebraska receiver Paul Wade, who ended the day with 245 yards receiving on 11 catches, though he never recorded a touchdown.
- Tulsa Kicking – Pratt ended the day perfect, 1-1 in field goals with a 20 yard boot, and 3-3 in PATs.
Scoring Summary
| Team |
1st Quarter |
2nd Quarter |
3rd Quarter |
4th Quarter |
Final Score |
|
7 |
17 |
10 |
17 |
51 |
|
7 |
3 |
8 |
30 |
48 |
| Time |
Team |
Result |
Play |
Score |
| First Quarter |
| 7:21 |
|
Touchdown |
J. Johnson, 1 yard run (J. Williams kick) |
7-0 |
| 0:42 |
|
Touchdown |
K. Fletcher, 6 yard run (A. Pratt kick) |
TIED 7-7 |
|
| Second Quarter |
| 7:00 |
|
Touchdown |
J. Johnson, 1 yard run (J. Williams kick) |
14-7 |
| 2:49 |
|
Field Goal |
A. Pratt, 20 yard field goal |
14-10 |
| 0:59 |
|
Field Goal |
J. Williams, 33 yard field goal |
17-10 |
| 0:03 |
|
Touchdown |
C. Doty, 27 yard pass from T. Allen (J. Williams kick) |
24-10 |
|
| Third Quarter |
| 5:41 |
|
Touchdown |
W. Pryor, 2 yard pass from T. Allen (J. Williams kick) |
31-10 |
| 1:48 |
|
Field Goal |
J. Williams, 20 yard field goal |
34-10 |
| 0:51 |
|
Touchdown |
K. Fletcher, 46 yard pass from B. Booth (2-point conversion good |
34-18 |
|
| Fourth Quarter |
| 7:35 |
|
Touchdown |
T. Allen, 4 yard run (J. Williams kick) |
41-18 |
| 6:16 |
|
Touchdown |
R. Smith, 5 yard pass from B. Booth (2-point conversion good) |
41-26 |
| 5:14 |
|
Touchdown |
W. Pryor, 9 yard pass from T. Allen (J. Williams kick) |
48-26 |
| 3:41 |
|
Touchdown |
R. Smith, 15 yard pass from B. Booth (2-point conversion good) |
48-34 |
| 2:30 |
|
Touchdown |
K. Fletcher, 1 yard run (A. Pratt kick) |
48-41 |
| 0:49 |
|
Field Goal |
J. Williams, 38 yard field goal |
51-41 |
| 0:21 |
|
Touchdown |
10 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick) |
51-48 |
| Nebraska |
Stat |
Tulsa |
| 51 |
Score |
48 |
| 28 |
First Downs |
22 |
| 608 |
Total Offense |
528 |
| 39 - 192 - 3 |
Rushes - Yards - TD |
20 - 104 - 2 |
| 25 - 42 - 3 |
Comp - Att - TD |
27 - 43 - 4 |
| 416 |
Passing Yards |
424 |
| 1 |
Times Sacked |
1 |
| 12 - 16 (75%) |
3rd Down Conversion |
5 - 9 (55%) |
| 0 - 1 (0%) |
4th Down Conversion |
1 - 1 (100%) |
| 0 - 0 (0%) |
2-Point Conv |
3 - 3 (100%) |
| 7 - 5 - 2 (100%) |
Red Zone - TD - FG |
6 - 5 - 1 (100%) |
| 1 |
Turnovers |
1 |
| 0 |
Fumbles Lost |
0 |
| 1 |
Intercepted |
1 |
| 0 |
Punt Return Yards |
0 |
| 19 |
Kick Return Yards |
164 |
| 627 |
Total Yards |
692 |
| 0 – 0.0 |
Punts - Average |
2 – 44.5 |
| 1 - 5 |
Penalties |
2 - 18 |
| 16:10 |
Time of Possession |
19:50 |
| Fail Impact |
Goal |
Progress |
Pass Impact |
|
Win 8 games in one season |
 |
 |
 |
13+ passing TD in one season |
|
|
|
14+ points per game in each season |
|
|
|
7+ rushing TD in one season |
|
|
 |
2400+ total offensive yards in one season |
|
|
 |
2400+ total offensive yards in each season |
|
 |
|
Win 4 games in one season |
|
|
|
2000+ total offensive yards in one season |
|
 |
100%
7-0
10-7
Originally Posted by morsdraconis
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