Conference USA Conference Championship Game

#14



Game Notes

--- And so the rematch had arrived, 10-2 (7-1) Florida International at 11-1 (8-0) Tulsa for all the C-USA marbles. Despite already celebrating Senior Day three weeks ago, our seniors would get a second sendoff in front of the home fans, as our top conference record meant we were hosting FIU and the C-USA CCG on our home field. This was gonna be a hell of a battle, as FIU entered the game ranked #1 in the nation in total defense (giving up 266.4 yards a game), #3 in the nation in rush defense (giving up 112.4 yards/game) and #10 in the nation in pass defense (giving up only 154.0 yards/game). It was going to be a slugfest. Florida International won the coin toss and elected to kick.

The opening kickoff went for a touchback and we were underway from our 25 yard line. It was a huge start for our drive, as Roy Smith took the handoff up the middle, fighting forward for an 8 yard gain, before FIU committed their first mistake of the day, as middle linebacker Roy Hunter brought Smith down by his facemask. The 15 yard penalty tacked on to the end of the run, and we had a first down at our 48 yard line. Some great blocking by the o-line and Smith was able to fight for a 7 yard gain on the next play. Smith kept us moving forward, spinning off of a tackle attempt and falling forward for 6 yards and a first down at the FIU 39. Going to the play action on first down, Brandon Booth hit Sean Parks on a comeback route for a 19 yard gain and we had first down at the 20 yard line. Keeping through the air, Booth found Parks again for a 10 yard gain and we had first and goal at the 10 yard line. Bouncing outside on the rush, Smith was able to pick up 6 yards to get us down to the FIU 4. Ryan Strong would attempt to take it up the middle, but the linebackers blitzed through and took him down for a one yard loss, setting us up with third and goal at the 5 yard line. Booth’s third down pass to John Andrews was only good for three yards as Andrews was brought down by the safety, and with fourth and goal from the two, we were forced to settle for a 20 yard field goal with 5:35 remaining in the quarter.

A 24 yard kickoff return got FIU started at their 31. Chris Rankin went to the air on first down, hitting Joe Haynes for a 5 yard gain, followed by an incomplete pass. A 7 yard rush by Dominic Pittman and FIU had a first down at their 43. Rankin went back to the air and found Scott Murray for a gain of 16 and first down at our 41. After a four yard rush by Pittman, Rankin was brought down for a loss of two yards, leaving the Golden Panthers with third and 8. They would convert the first down as Rankin found Martin Blanks for a 14 yard strike and first down at our 25 yard line. Following an incomplete pass, Pittman rumbled ahead for a 5 yard gain, following that up with a 9 yard rush and first down at our 11. After an incomplete pass, Pittman fought forward for a four yard pickup and FIU had third and 6 from our 7 yard line. Pittman would get the Golden Panthers on the board on the next play, rushing in the touchdown from 7 yards out to give FIU a 7-3 lead with 2:56 remaining. A 26 yard kickoff return by Parks and we were starting from our 28. Smith got our drive moving forward, as two broken tackles allowed him to fight on, picking up 14 yards before finally being brought down at the 42. A huge hole up the middle, and Smith had another 8 yards to leave us second and two at midfield. Fighting through the mass of bodies, Smith was able to fall and roll forward, getting a gain of four yards and a first down at the FIU 46. After an incomplete pass on first down, Booth came back and found Carlos Anderson on the out route for a 13 yard gain and we had a first down at the FIU 33. Strong was able to bounce out to the right tackle, fighting forward for a four yard gain on the first down rush. A 5 yard rush by Smith, and we were facing third and one from the 24. Strong would pick up that one yard and then some thanks to great downfield blocking, rushing forward for a 12 yard gain and first down at the FIU 12. Smith took the rock on first down, picking up 6 yards before being brought down at the 7 yard line. The final seconds ticked off the clock and the first quarter came to an end, FIU leading 7-3.

Opening up the second quarter, facing second and four, we kept our fate in the hands of our halfbacks. It was the smart move, as Smith rushed up the middle, juking away from a tackle and scoring the 7 yard touchdown to retake the lead 10-7 with 8:58 to go in the half. After a 15 yard return out to the 22 yard line, FIU would be forced to punt for the first time today, as three straight incomplete passes would bring their drive to an early close. The 49 yard punt was called for a fair catch by Parks, and we returned to the field at our 29 yard line. An incomplete pass opened our drive, as Booth’s pass for Andrews was batted down. Coming out of the backfield on second down, Smith hauled in a pass along the left hash for a 9 yard gain to leave us third and one. The third down rush attempt failed as Smith was brought down for a loss of one yard and we were forced to punt from our 37. A fair catch on the 43 yard punt and FIU was back in action from their 19 yard line. It would be another short drive for the Golden Panthers. After two incomplete passes, Rankin finally hit Donald Porter, but it only went for a gain of 7 and FIU was left punting on fourth and three. A 13 yard return by Parks on the 48 yard punt got us started at our 39 yard line. Heading back to the ground game, a two yard run by Smith was followed with a gain of 6 and we faced third and two. Taking our chances once again on the ground, it was no go, as the defensive tackle broke through his block, pushing Smith off balance and allowing the defense end to break around the end and bring Smith down for no gain, leaving us with fourth and two from our 47 and punting away.

A bad snap on the punt left our defense screwed, as Carlos Wilcox was tackled for a two yard loss after scrambling on the failed punt, giving FIU the ball at our 45 yard line. Pittman got the Golden Panthers started with a 7 yard rush to our 37, but two incomplete passes from Rankin and FIU was left facing fourth down. A third straight incomplete pass and FIU turned it over on downs at the 37 yard line. Smith started the drive with a pair of rushes, going for gains of two and 5 yards to leave us with third and three from our 44. An incomplete pass intended for Chad Fisher and we were forced to punt with 3:58 left in the first half. Wilcox’s 46 yard punt went unreturned and FIU was buried on their 9 yard line. Pittman started the drive breaking a 9 yard run, followed by a gain of 6 and first down at the 25. Pittman took it in the ground again, but the defense got to him for a loss of two yards. A holding penalty only added to the pain and FIU was left with second and 22 from the 13 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Rankin found Andy Oliver for a 5 yard gain and FIU was left with fourth and 17 from their 18 yard line. The punt sailed 46 yards, Parks returning it for 10 yards to begin our drive at our 46.

After an incomplete pass on first down, Booth found Parks on the slant for a gain of 18 yards and we had first down at the FIU 28, 2:32 left to play. A first down rush by Smith went for only a gain of one yard. Strong hauled in a 6 yard pass from Booth and we were left with third and four at the 22. A quick pass to Anderson left the defense flat footed and went for an 11 yard gain, giving us first down at the 11 yard line. Our first timeout of the half stopped the clock with 44 seconds. After a three yard rush by Smith on first down, an incomplete pass in the end zone, intended for Donny Jordan, and we were left with third and 7 from the 9 yard line, 25 seconds left to play. The pass intended for Andrews was batted away, nearly intercepted, and we were forced to bring out the field goal unit. The 26 yard field goal was good and our lead was 13-7 with 19 seconds to play. A 20 yard kickoff return to the 23 yard line left FIU just 9 seconds to work with. Pittman would gain four yards on the ground and FIU would let the final four second run out. We headed into halftime, a battle of wills on defense, with a 13-7 lead over FIU. A look at the halftime stats, we had 190 yards of total offense on 36 plays, FIU had 111 yards of total offense on 30 plays.

A 62 yard kickoff got the second half underway, a 21 yard return by Pittman to set FIU up at their 29 yard line. A pair of rushes by Pittman for gains of 6 and 5 gave FIU first down at their 40 yard line. Another rush for four yards was followed with a 9 yard pass from Rankin to Porter for a first down at our 47. A two yard rush by Jason Thomas was followed with a 26 yard pass to Haynes for a first down at our 18 yard line. After a 5 yard rush by Thomas, Rankin found Will O’Conner for a gain of 8 yard and the Golden Panthers had first and goal at our 5. Rankin would pick up four yards on a first down rush, before finishing the job himself, diving across the goal line on the QB sneak for the one yard touchdown. An extra point later, and FIU had retaken the lead, 14-13 with 6:38 left in the third quarter. We began our drive on the 23 yard line after an 18 yard return by Fisher. The first down rush by Smith was doomed from the beginning, as three different defenders broke through, swarming Smith for a loss of one yard. After an incomplete pass, Booth found Anderson along the right sideline, who fought forward for a 17 yard gain and a first down at the 38. Going back to the air, a mismatch against the defense allowed Parks to get behind the corner, catching a pass from the Booth was needled between the corner and the right linebacker, before outracing the safety 62 yard for the touchdown. The PAT made it 20-14 with 5:22 left in the third quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff got FIU started at their 25. Pittman was brought down on first down for a loss of three yards, but recovered on the next play, picking up 8 yards to leave FIU with third and 5. An 11 yard pass from Rankin to Haynes and FIU had a first down at the 41. A pass interference penalty gave FIU a free set of downs at our 44 yard line. Rankin then hit Blanks for a 25 yard strike and FIU was down to our 19. A 7 yard rush by Pittman was followed by a rush for no gain, and FIU was left looking at third and three. The offense got hit with a penalty for 6 yards and a loss of down on the third down play, and left with fourth and 9 form 18 yard line, FIU settled for a 35 yard field goal to make it 20-17 with 3:40 left in the third quarter. A 32 yard return on the kickoff and we were on the field at our 33 yard line. Smith started us off with a 6 yard rush, followed by a gain of one to leave third and two. A 6 yard pass from Booth to Jason Hall and we were back in business at the 47 yard line. Smith proved himself a beast on the next play, as he broke a pair of tackles, rumbling, bumbling and stumbling ahead for a 25 yard gain to the FIU 28 yard line. A three yard gain by Strong was followed with a rush of 14 by Smith and we had a first down at the 11 yard line. A four yard rush by Smith would bring the third quarter to a close, our lead holding at 20-17 as we enter the final 9 minutes of the game.

Opening up the final quarter with second and 6 from the 7 yard line, these were the do or die plays for us with only a three point lead. Smith would pick up four yards on the rush and we were left with third and one from the three yard line. We would get the first down and then some, as Andrews took the ball up the middle for the three yard touchdown and we opened our lead to 27-17 with 8:33 to play. After a touchback on the kickoff, three straight incomplete passes spelled doom for FIU’s drive. A fair catch on the 49 yard punt and we were back on offense at our 25 yard line with 8:01 left in the game.

Despite spinning off of a tackle attempt, Smith was only able to pick up one yard on the first down rush. It was backwards on the next play, as the outside linebacker blitz through untouched to tackle Smith for a loss of one yard, leaving us third and 10. Booth would keep us alive through the air, hitting Parks for a 13 yard gain and a first down at the 38 yard line. A pair of rushes for 6 and 7 yards by Strong, and we had a new set of downs at midfield, 5:32 left on the clock. Two more rushes by Strong for gains of three and 6 yards and we were left facing third and one at the 41 yard line. Andrews fought forward for a three yard gain, and we kept the drive moving with a first down at the FIU 38, 3:44 left in the game. The Golden Panthers defense starting to tire out, Strong took it up the gut, busting a 10 yard rush to set up second and inches at the 28. Strong fought forward for a 5 yard pickup, and we had first down at the 23 yard line. Strong was able to get another 5 yards on the ground, and FIU called their first timeout to stop the clock with 2:04 to play. The second down rush went for no gain, FIU’s second timeout leaving 2:01 to play. The third down rush attempt by Strong only managed one yard, leaving us with fourth and four at the 17 yard line, FIU’s final timeout stopping the clock with 1:58 remaining. The 34 yard field goal was good, making our lead 30-17 with 1:54 left in the game. A 17 yard kickoff return left FIU starting on their 21 yard line. On first down, Rankin hit Haynes for a 20 yard gain to get FIU to the 41 yard line, 1:40 left. After an incomplete pass, Rankin found Oliver for a gain of 5 yards, 1:25 and ticking. An incomplete pass left FIU’s game on the line with fourth and 5 from their 46 yard line, 1:14 left to play. The fourth down pass from Rankin to James Weber, what would have been a 25 yard gain, was dropped, and the turnover on downs sealed the victory. With 1:09 left to go, our second team offense came out to kneel down twice and run out the clock. Two kneels later by Casey Bishop and the clock read all zeroes, our 30-17 win and the 2014 C-USA Championship secured.

With the win, we truly send out seniors out in style in their final home game, and improve our record on the year to 12-1, 9-0 in C-USA action. With the loss, Florida International drops to 10-3, 7-2 in C-USA play. Next up, who knows. Latest bowl projections show up playing Louisville (9-3, 6-2 Big East) in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. I guess we'll have to wait and see where the official bowl announcements place us.



Final Score
#14 30, 17



Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – It was slow going as the first half was a full on defensive donnybrook. In the end, Booth managed 187 yards passing and a touchdown for the day. Rushing, it was Smith the star of the show, picking up 141 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. A solid 61 yard showing by Strong to compliment Smith. Receiving, not much to talk about. 6 receivers caught at least one pass, only Parks and Anderson made it into double digits. Parks ended the day with 122 yards and a touchdown on 5 receptions, aided by the 62 yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.

- Tulsa Defense – A killer performance today. Held FIU to only 111 yards in the first half, only gave us 248 yards in offense for the game, allowing our slow starting offense to stay in the game and then build a lead late. No fumbles or INTs, but that was fine as our offense didn't commit any turnovers either.

- Tulsa Kicking – A perfect day by Pratt. 3-3 in field goal, longest being 34 yards. 3-3 in PATs.



Scoring Summary

Team 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Final Score
7 0 10 0 17
3 10 7 10 30


Time Team Result Play Score
First Quarter
5:38 Field Goal A. Pratt, 19 yard field goal 3-0
2:56 Touchdown D. Pittman, 6 yard run (J. Moore kick) 7-3
Second Quarter
8:58 Touchdown R. Smith, 7 yard run (A. Pratt kick) 10-7
0:22 Touchdown A. Pratt, 25 yard field goal 13-7
Third Quarter
6:38 Touchdown C. Rankin, 1 yard run (J. Moore kick) 14-13
5:22 Touchdown S. Parks, 62 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick) 20-14
3:43 Field Goal J. Moore, 34 yard field goal 20-17
Fourth Quarter
8:33 Touchdown J. Andrews, 3 yard run (A. Pratt kick) 27-17
1:54 Field Goal A. Pratt, 34 yard field goal 30-17




Game Stats

FIU Stat Tulsa
17 Score 30
13 First Downs 19
248 Total Offense 389
23 - 97 - 2 Rushes - Yards - TD 45 - 202 - 2
12 - 31 - 0 Comp - Att - TD 12 - 19 - 1
151 Passing Yards 187
0 Times Sacked 0
5 - 12 (41%) 3rd Down Conversion 7 - 13 (53%)
0 - 2 (0%) 4th Down Conversion 0 - 1 (0%)
0 - 0 (0%) 2-Point Conv 0 - 0 (0%)
3 - 2 - 1 (100%) Red Zone - TD - FG 7 - 2 - 3 (71%)
0 Turnovers 0
0 Fumbles Lost 0
0 Intercepted 0
0 Punt Return Yards 13
97 Kick Return Yards 76
345 Total Yards 478
4 – 47.5 Punts - Average 2 - 45.0
4 - 46 Penalties 1 - 15
12:42 Time of Possession 23:18




Tulsa Contract Goals Update

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 42
7+ rushing TD in one season
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
2400+ total offensive yards in each season 1/2 Passed
Win 4 games in one season
2000+ total offensive yards in one season



Job Security Status

94%