Smooth Pancakes' Coaching Carousel Career

Printable View

Show 40 post(s) from this thread on one page

01-08-2013, 10:52 PM
SmoothPancakes

Time for another look around the nation, a very short and sweet one this week. Including our game against Texas State, a grand total of three games were played in week one across the nation. In the only top 25 game, #11 Auburn beat Kentucky 24-7. In the game of the week, North Carolina knocked off Louisville 45-26, and we pulled a 23-17 win out of our ass over Texas State.

Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll, with only three games, no movement at all. Alabama (34 first place votes) remains #1, Texas (22 votes) #2, Clemson (2 votes) #3, LSU (1 vote) #4 and Nebraska (1 vote) #5. Notre Dame (1 vote) is #6, Washington #7, Georgia #8, Oklahoma #9 and TCU #10. Auburn (despite playing and winning in week one) remains #11, Michigan #12, Texas A&M #13, Iowa #14 and Michigan State #15. Virginia Tech is #16, USC #17, Houston #18, Oregon #19 and Wisconsin #20. The rest, Ohio State is #21, Miami (FL) #22, Georgia Tech #23, Wake Forest #24 and NC State #25. Nobody dropped out. Looking at Others Receiving Votes, South Carolina (160 votes) is #26, Tulsa (127 votes) is #27, followed by Fresno State (96), Northwestern (67) and Kansas State (39) to round out the Top 30.

Despite being a beast in one of only three games in week one, Price couldn't use the 200+ yard rushing day to propel him into an early Heisman candidate. Senior HB Matt Blount from Georgia is on top, looking for his second straight Heisman. Others on the list include Texas A&M QB David Williams (Senior (RS), Nebraska HB Riley Thompson (Senior), Notre Dame HB Joey Owens (Senior) and Wyoming(!) QB Jon Davis (Senior).
01-09-2013, 01:13 AM
SmoothPancakes

So I think they need to tweak Herbstreit a little bit. In his "predictions" when you look in-depth at a game matchup and scrolling on the bottom line, for the Tulsa at #21 Ohio State game, me coming away from pulling a 6 point win out of my ass over Texas State (who went 1-11 last season) and Ohio State starting their season with Tulsa, Herbstreit is picking Tulsa to win the game. Who in the hell would pick Tulsa to win at #21 Ohio State?
01-09-2013, 02:28 AM
SmoothPancakes

So this Ohio State game is both going how I expected it to, and not a damn way I expected it to. If you had told me that three straight turnovers would give me the ball either at midfield or inside Ohio State territory on three straight drives, and I only had 3 points to show for all that, I would have laughed. If you had told me that with 3 minutes left in the third quarter, Ohio State would have only 189 yards of total offense and I'd have 182 yards of total offense, I would have laughed. If you would have told me that I would multiple times get down inside the Ohio State 15 yard line, and as close as the OSU 1 yard line, and only have three field goal to show for all of it, I would have smacked you.

Game Two

:Tulsa: :@: #21 :Ohio_State:

Game Notes

--- Here it was. The toughest game of the our season. A road trip to Columbus, Ohio to face off with the #21 Ohio State Buckeyes. We already knew from the day the series was agreed to, that we were going to face a massive challenge with Ohio State. Unfortunately the challenge would be even bigger than anticipated. During our surprisingly tough and challenging victory over Texas State, starting QB Casey Bishop was lost for three weeks with a pulled hamstring, which would keep him sideline through the Fresno State game. Already falling over the cliff from the stud QB that Brandon Booth was to what Casey Bishop is, that cliff became even higher, as backup QB and freshman Brad Stephens in his very first game of his college career. For an encore he’d have to take on the highly rated Ohio State defense. Being thrown to the wolves so early and so violently will definitely help to shape him up into a starting QB for his remaining three years after this season, but at what cost to our season? Ohio State won the coin toss and elected to kick.

No return on the opening kickoff got our offense on the field at our 25 yard line to start. Brandon Price got us started with a pair of rushes, picking up four yards before being stopped for only a one yard gain to leave third and 5. Brad Stephens showed signs of brilliance, leading a 16 yard pass to Hayden just out of reach of the linebacker’s outstretched arms for a first down at the 46 yard line. Price took the ball up the middle for a 9 yard gain on the first down carry, followed by a hard fought 6 yards and a new set of downs at the Ohio State 40 yard, our offense managing to find a smooth rhythm early on despite the deafening roaring of the Buckeye faithful. Another run by Price picked up four yards, before an attempt to bounce outside the left tackle went for no gain to leave us third and 6. Despite getting open over the middle, Stephens’ pass to Chad Fisher was behind him, Fisher having to come to a dead stop to haul in the pass to his back, enabling the linebacker to immediately tackle him for only a one yard gain. Left with fourth and 5 at the Buckeyes 35 yard line, the field goal unit came out. Pratt proved successful on his first boot of the game, splitting the uprights on his 52 yard boot to give us a 3-0 lead with 4:23 left in the first quarter. It wasn’t the early victory that we wanted, but it was an early victory nonetheless.

A touchback on the following kickoff got Ohio State started from their 25 yard line. Corey Sutton took the ball on first down, rushing ahead for 11 yards and an immediate first down at the 36. After an incomplete pass on first down, Jon Mason got to intimately know our defense, as he was sacked for a 7 yard loss to leave the shocked Buckeyes staring at third and 17 from their own 29. The entire stadium went quiet as Mason was helped off the field, suffering from hip bursitis. While he would return after a little while, it was enough to force Ohio State’s backup QB, redshirt freshman Ryan Fraser into the game. Fraser’s first pass of his college career fell incomplete over the middle, and a stunned Ohio State crowd watched as their offense was forced to punt away on fourth and 17.

A fair catch on the 44 yard punt got our offense back out at our 27 yard line. Price continued to be as dangerous as ever, taking it up the middle for a gain of 8 yards, followed be a second straight 8 yard rush to give us a first down at our 43, Ohio State’s defense scrambling for a way to shut Price down. Price continued to bend the Buckeye defense over, as a pair of blocks by the tight end allowed him to rush forward for a pickup of 11 yards and a first down at the OSU 46. Roy Smith came in to give Price a breather, but was quickly tackled for no gain, wasting that down. Hayden hauled in his second pass of the day on a slant route, as the pass from Stephens fell right into his hands for a 13 yard gain and the chains moved to the Buckeye 32 yard line. Taking a shot deep to the end zone, the pass intended for Hayden was broken up at the goal line, leaving us with second down. Going back to the air on the next play, we got some huge luck breaking our way, as the pass from Stephens to Fisher was woefully underthrown, a lame duck waiting to be picked off by the safety. The safety instead batted it down, down right into the hands of a passing Price, who snagged out of mid-air for a stupidly impossible 13 yard gain and a first down at the 19 yard line. Going back to the ground, Price never had a chance on first down, tackled for a loss of one yard. Taking the pitch on the next play, Price was able to find a gap between the left tackle and guard, fighting his way forward for a 9 yard gain to set up third and two at the 11 yard line. That was where the first quarter would come to an end, the final three seconds ticking off with our lead at 3-0 and driving for more points against a stunned Ohio State squad.

Opening up the second quarter, the Ohio State defense was more than ready for us, as Price was brought down for no gain. It was all or nothing here. A field goal here would only let us be losing by one point instead of four when Ohio State scored their first touchdown. A field goal was for quitters. We wanted blood. Price got the job done on his second try, plowing into the mass of bodies for a hard fought two yards and first and goal from the Ohio State 8 yard line. Price took it up the middle on first down, picking up 5 yards to leave second and goal from the three. Price tried to pound it ahead gain, but could only manage one yard to leave third and goal at the two. Living and dying by the run game, Smith was tackled at the two for no gain, and the drive was squandered as Pratt kicked a 19 yard field goal to make our lead 6-0 with 6:33 left in the second quarter, a sour taste in our mouths, and this time, NOT a victory.

A 20 yard kickoff return got Ohio State started at their 18 yard line. Mason, back under center for the Bucks, found Tommy Sherman through the air for a four yard gain, before Randall Day took it up the middle for a pickup of 8 yards and a first down at the 30 yard line. A two yard rush by Day was followed with a 25 yard deep strike to Rogers and Ohio State was suddenly at our 44 yard line with a new set of downs. After a two yard rush by Mason, he struck again, throwing deep to Jason Fountain for a gain of 26 yards to set Ohio State up at our 16 yard line. After a 7 yard rush by Day, Mason went right back to the air, connecting with Kyle White for the 9 yard touchdown pass to give Ohio State a 7-6 lead, driving 82 yards down the field in a mere two minutes. This could get ugly.

Fisher returned the kickoff out 25 yards to our 24 yard line for our next drive, 4:36 left in the half. Breaking off a pair of tackles, Price was able to fight his way forward for a gain of 6 yards on first down. Tackled forward by both the middle and outside linebacker, Price was able to fall forward enough to pick up three yards and leave us with third and inches from the 34. Price was just barely able to pick up the first down, fighting forward for one yard to the 35 yard line. Stephens put his speed to work on the next play, the halfback, fullback and pulling guard all able to seal in the entire right side, allowing Stephens to sprint towards the sideline and turn up the field for a gain of 14 yards before being run out of bounds at our 49 yard line. A strong toss to the left proved nothing but disaster, as Ohio State brought a blitz right through the rushing lane, leaving Price trapped for a loss of four yards. The second down pass from Stephens fell incomplete, leaving us third and 14. Another woeful pass by Stephens brought out our punt team.

A 5 yard return on the 45 yard punt left Ohio State starting from their 14 yard line with 2:28 to go. It would be a short drive, as three straight incomplete passes by Mason left the Buckeyes punting the ball right back. A 9 yard return by Price on the 49 yard punt got us back in action from our 46 yard line, like nothing ever happened, 2:09 remaining. A quick strike over the middle to Hayden went for a gain of 9 yards to get us into OSU territory. Max Thompson had to dive for it, but was able to haul in a wide thrown pass from Stephens for 8 yards and a first down at the 37. Price was able to get wide open running at the sideline on a smash route, but the pass from Stephens sailed way too high and way too long, the incomplete pass leaving us second down with 1:18 left. A pass intended for Nicholas Roberts again sailed too high and too long, leaving us looking at third down. Any hope we might have had for a long field goal attempt went down in flames when Stephens was sacked for a 12 yard loss, pushing us all the way back out to the Ohio State 49 and left with fourth and 22.

A failed fake punt resulted in a loss of two yards and Ohio State took over at midfield with 53 seconds still to go and all three timeouts. The Buckeyes wasted no time in moving the ball, as Mason hit Sutton for a 19 yard gain to our 31, their first timeout stopping the clock at 50 seconds. After an incomplete pass, Day rushed forward for a 10 yard gain, leaving Ohio State with third and inches at the 21 yard line, their second timeout stopping play with 41 seconds to go. Mason picked up the first down with a two yard rush, before bombing one through the air to Jermaine Davis for a 19 yard strike, giving Ohio State first and goal at our one yard line, 23 seconds to go. Mason would spike the ball to stop the clock at 12 seconds, and leave them a couple options to get a touchdown. They would choose the air it out option, as Mason threw to White in the corner of the end zone for the one yard touchdown pass and a 14-6 lead with 8 seconds left in the half. A 20 yard kickoff return would wipe out the remaining time on the clock, and we headed to halftime with Ohio State leading 14-6 and getting the ball back to open the third quarter.

The Buckeyes wouldn’t get such a short field this time, as the kickoff to open the third quarter went out for a touchback, leaving Ohio State at their 25 yard line. It wouldn’t make too much difference, as after an incomplete pass on first down, Mason hit Day over the middle for a gain 18 yards and a first down at the 43 yard line. Our defense would bite back with a vengeance, as Sutton was tackled for a loss of one yard, followed by a three yard loss by Day to leave third and 14. Mason would find Davis over the middle for an 8 yard gain, but the ball was stripped loose, Andy Malone diving on the fumble to recover it and give us possession at the 50 yard line.

A quick pass to Fisher on first down went for a gain of 7 yards to leave second and three. Going back to the ground, Price was only able to manage one yard on the ground, leaving third and two. A diving attempt to bat the ball away by the linebacker allowed Smith to haul in the pass on third down along the right sideline, breaking loose from a tackle attempt with a spin move away from the cornerback, and picking up 11 yards before being brought down at the 31 yard line by the safety. Hayden hauled in a pass from Stephens on the next play, taking advantage of a frozen middle linebacker to turn up field and turn what would have only been maybe a 5 yard gain into a 13 yard pickup and a first down at the 19 yard line. A quick strike to Smith on the next play sailed incomplete, leaving second down. Roberts briefly hauled in the 14 yard strike from Stephens on the smash route, but was unable to hold on as he fell to the turf, leaving us looking at third and 10. Lofting up a prayer, Stephens was able to complete a pass to Thompson, but he was driven out of bounds for only a 9 yard gain, leaving us fourth and one at the 9 yard line. Going for it all on the ground, Price never had a chance, tackled immediately for a loss of one yard, and we turned the ball over on downs at the Ohio State 11 yard line.

It wouldn’t get any better for the Buckeyes. Two straight dropped passes left Ohio State with third down, before a pass to Rogers seemingly picked up 5 yards, but the defense was able to jar the ball loose for a second time, and also for a second time, the defense recovered, Jonathan Chambers smothering the ball at the Ohio State 18 yard line to give our offense back possession. Price took the handoff on first down, picking up three yards after a diving tackled by the outside linebacker. The second down pass intended for Thompson was nearly picked off, thankfully not as it would have been an 85+ yard pick six. A pass to Smith coming out of the backfield left enough of a gap between the coverage for Smith to turn up the sideline and race the linebacker to the 7 yard line, an 8 yard gain to set up first and goal at the 7, a generous spot by the ref also helping to get the first down. The first down pass intended for Fisher was knocked incomplete, as the corner and safety closed between Fisher and the ball to completely block off any chance of making a play. Keeping the ball himself on second down, Stephens had hope, meeting both the middle linebacker and right outside linebacker in the backfield for a two yard loss to leave third and goal at the 9. As if that wasn’t already bad enough, Stephens was taken out of the game with bruised ribs, sidelined for at least the rest of this drive, forcing our third string QB, also a freshman, Erik Wallace into the game under center. Wallace was able to complete the first pass of his career, throwing to and connecting with Hayden. Unfortunately it only went for a one yard gain to leave fourth and goal at the 8. The 25 yard field goal by Pratt closed the gap to 14-9 with 3:56 left in the third quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff again left Ohio State starting from their 25 yard line. After throwing the ball away on first down, Mason found Fountain open for a 5 yard gain, followed by a 7 yard rush by Day to give the Buckeyes the first down. The third quarter would continue to bitchslap the Ohio State offense, as for the third straight drive, the Buckeyes turned the ball over, Mason getting intercepted by Allen Moore to give our offense the ball at the Ohio State 43 yard line. Going to the air on first down, Stephens was unable to find any open receivers, instead taking advantage of a gap along the right hash mark, tucking the ball and running for a four yard gain to the 38 yard line. Keeping the ball on the ground, Price used the momentum of the tackle by the middle linebacker to roll forward and fall ahead for a 6 yard pickup and a first down at the 32. The defense was more than ready on the next play, as Price was cracked instantly for only a two yard gain. Taking a shot through the air, Price made the defense pay through the air instead of on the ground, hauling in a pass from Stephens for an 18 yard gain to give us a first down at the 13 yard line. A pass to Hayden went for a gain of only four yards, leaving us second and 6 from the 10. A second down rush by Price wouldn’t be enough, only gaining one yard to leave third and 5, the clock ticking under a minute. The drive would end in complete and total disaster, as the blitz broke through, taking Stephens down, while simultaneously knocking the ball loose from his grip. Surrounded by nothing but red, Stephens never had a chance as the middle linebacker Cole Johnson dove on the loose ball, the Buckeyes recovering the fumble at their 21 yard line.

A pair of 7 yard rushes by Day out to the 34 yard line would bring the third quarter to an end, Ohio State leading 14-9 and our hopes of scoring a touchdown from inside the Ohio State 15 yard line once again dashed for the umpteenth time today.

Ohio State opened the fourth quarter with a one yard dump pass to White to leave second and 9. After throwing the ball way on second down, Mason found Sutton open over the middle for a 14 yard gain and a first down at midfield. Our defense wouldn’t make it easy, tackling Day for a one yard loss, before managing to sack Mason for a loss of 5 yards to leave third and 16. Mason’s third down pass sailed incomplete and the Buckeyes were forced to punt. A 7 yard return on the 46 yard punt got us back on offense at our 17 yard line and looking for answers.

We would find some answers, as Price rumbled ahead up the middle for a gain of 11 yards to the 28 yard line. Price continued to find space on the ground, rushing forward for a 17 yard pickup out to our 45 yard line. Despite fighting forward for a gain of three or four yards, the rush by Price would be wiped out as a penalty flag came out for holding, leaving us staring down the barrel on first and 20. The first down pass was nearly intercepted, leaving us second and very long. Thompson was able to haul in a pass from Stephens for a 13 yard gain along the left sideline, leaving third and 7. Hayden would keep our drive alive, hauling in the 9 yard pass on a slant route to get the first down at the Ohio State 44 yard line. Turning back to the ground, Price fought forward for a gain of 7 yards to the 37. Price would have no chance at the first down on the next play, gobbled up in the backfield by the blitzing cornerback for a loss of two yards to leave us with third and 5. Going into the air, Price was able to slip out of the backfield undetected, hauling in a pass from Stephens for a 17 yard pick up, giving us a first down at the 22 yard line and extending the life of the drive. Smith took the handoff on first down, finding a gap up the middle past the center and following it all the way down to the 8 yard line for a 13 yard gain to leave first and goal. It was nothing going on first down as Price was quickly swallowed up for a loss of one yard, the clock down to 3:18 and ticking. Price was able to fight forward through a small gap on second down, getting four yards up the middle to leave third and goal at the 5. The third down pass to Antoine Banks was very nearly intercepted, knocked down by the safety to leave fourth and goal. We decided to take a gamble, attempting the field goal and relying on our defense. The 22 yard kick by Pratt was good, cutting the score to 14-12 with 2:37 to play, and three timeouts to stop the clock.

No return left Ohio State starting from their 25 yard line, 2:29 showing. Day rushed ahead for a two yard gain, followed by a 5 yard pickup by Mason to leave third and two. Ohio State would get the first down as Mason rushed ahead for a four yard gain to the 37 yard line, our first timeout stopping the clock with 1:43. Day was quickly brought down for a loss of one yard on the next play, our second timeout stopping the clock at 1:39. Day would fight forward for a four yard rush, leaving Ohio State with third and 7 at the 40 yard line, our third and final timeout stopping the clock with 1:33 to go. The Buckeyes would give us some help, Mason trying to throw for the first down, but his pass sailing high out of bounds and incomplete, stopping the clock on fourth and 7 with 1:28 remaining. A 10 yard return by Price on the 50 yard punt gave our offense back the ball at our 19 yard line, 1:21 left in the game.

A first down pass to Banks was nearly as disastrous as turning the ball over, the pass only going for a 5 yard gain, the clock ticking down under a minute before we could get the next snap off. The second down pass intended for Fisher sailed high and out of bounds, stopping play with 54 seconds left and leaving us with third and 5. It would Thompson coming through huge for us, hauling in the pass from Stephens on an out route along the left sideline, breaking loose from the linebacker covering him, sprinting downfield, breaking loose from a tackle attempt by the cornerback, and picking up even more yards, before finally be brought down by the safety at the Ohio State 37 yard line for a 38 yard gain in total. Stephens quickly spiked the ball to stop the clock with 46 seconds remaining. The second down pass to Smith was batted incomplete, leaving us third down. The worst possible thing that could have happened, the offensive line collapsed fast on the following play, Stephens sacked for a two yard loss to leave us with fourth and 12 at the 40 yard line, our hopes resting in a 57 yard goal attempt by Pratt. The offensive line would fuck us, as the tackle was flagged for a false start, pushing up out to the 45 yard line and leaving fourth and 17, a field goal attempt now not even possible. Our only option to go through the air, the fourth down pass intended for Price was broken up by the safety and with that ended any hopes we had. Mason only needed but to take one knee and the game was over, Ohio State holds on for the 14-12 victory.

With the loss, we fall to 1-1. With the win, #21 Ohio State opens up their season at 1-0. Up next, it’s back on the road as our slaughterhouse road trip continues with a visit to Fresno State.

Final Score
#21 :Ohio_State: 14, :Tulsa: 12

Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense – Ended up being a fairly decent day for Stephens. Went 18-32 with 211 yards passing, through he did get sacked three times and was responsible for our only turnover of the game. Wallace tasted his first action of college football, going 1-1 with a 1 yard pass for his game. Price had a fair day, ending with 121 yards on 31 carries, though a huge letdown after his previous performance. 6 receivers caught a ball today, Thompson (67 yards on four receptions) and Hayden (65 yards on 7 catches) leading the way.

Tulsa Defense – Defense had a pretty outstanding day considering the team they were up against. Held an offense like that of Ohio State's to only 14 points and only 229 yards of offense. Unfortunately our own offense couldn't get the job done. Also had a huge day in the turnover department, intercepting one pass and forcing two fumbles, all on three consecutive drives in the third quarter.

Tulsa Kicking – Another perfect day for Pratt, going 4-4 in field goals with a long of 52. If only all those times we went for it on fourth down inside the Ohio State red zone, we had settled for even a single field goal attempt, Pratt might have had a chance to solely win the game for us. Just one more field goal would have potentially resulting in a 15-14 win rather than a 14-12 loss. Those decisions to go for it rather than kick the field goal would chew on the minds of the coaching staff for weeks.

Scoring Summary

Team 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Final Score

:Tulsa: 3 3 3 3 12

:Ohio_State: 0 14 0 0 14

Time Team Result Play Score

First Quarter

4:23 :Tulsa: Field Goal A. Pratt, 52 yard field goal :Tulsa: 3-0

Second Quarter

6:44 :Tulsa: Field Goal A. Pratt, 19 yard field goal :Tulsa: 6-0

4:48 :Ohio_State: Touchdown K. White, 9 yard pass from J. Mason (W. Marquardt kick) :Ohio_State: 7-6

0:08 :Ohio_State: Touchdown K. White, 1 yard pass from J. Mason (W. Marquardt kick) :Ohio_State: 14-6

Third Quarter

3:59 :Tulsa: Field Goal A. Pratt, 25 yard field goal :Ohio_State: 14-9

Fourth Quarter

2:40 :Tulsa: Field Goal A. Pratt, 22 yard field goal :Ohio_State: 14-12

Game Stats

Tulsa Stat Ohio State

12 Score 14

21 First Downs 17

335 Total Offense 229

41 - 123 - 0 Rushes - Yards - TD 20 - 77 - 0

19 - 33 - 0 Comp - Att - TD 12 - 27 - 2

212 Passing Yards 152

3 Times Sacked 2

7 - 17 (41%) 3rd Down Conversion 4 - 10 (40%)

1 - 4 (25%) 4th Down Conversion 0 - 0 (0%)

0 - 0 (0%) 2-Point Conv 0 - 1 (0%)

6 - 0 - 3 (50%) Red Zone - TD - FG 4 - 2 - 0 (50%)

1 Turnovers 3

1 Fumbles Lost 2

0 Intercepted 1

26 Punt Return Yards 5

45 Kick Return Yards 20

406 Total Yards 254

1 – 46.0 Punts - Average 4 - 48.0

2 - 15 Penalties 0 - 0

21:55 Time of Possession 14:05

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact Goal Progress Pass Impact

:6redarrow: 21+ points per game in each season 17 :6greenarrow:

Win 10 games in one season 1 :6greenarrow:

3300+ passing yards each season 337 :5greenarrow:

:6redarrow: 65% pass completions over the entire contract 54% :5greenarrow:

:5redarrow: Win 6 games in one season 1 :5greenarrow:

:6redarrow: 15+ rushing TD in each season 1 :5greenarrow:

:4redarrow: 3200+ total offensive yards each season 702 :3greenarrow:

:5redarrow: 3400+ total offensive yards each season 702 :2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

46%

01-09-2013, 03:33 AM
SmoothPancakes
That third quarter makes me sick. :sick:

Three straight Ohio State drives end in turnovers.
1. Fumble - Recovered at 50 yard line, our drive would end on turnover on downs at the Ohio State 11 yard line.
2. Fumble - Recovered at the Ohio State 18 yard line, our drive would end with a 25 yard field goal.
3. Interception - Picked off at the Ohio State 43 yard line, our drive would end with Stephens fumbling the ball on a sack, Ohio State recovered at their 21 yard line.
Three straight drives starting fresh off of turnovers, beginning at midfield, the OSU 18 yard line and the OSU 43 yard line, and ALL we had to show for it was one goddamn field goal. :sick: :smh: :fp:

Absolutely damn pathetic. Our offensive failures on those three drives were almost as pathetic, if not MORE pathetic than Ohio State committing turnovers on three straight drives. :fp:

I don't know how the hell I'm gonna complete my contract goals, much less even win 6 games this year. With this offense, we wouldn't be able to even score a touchdown against a goddamn team full of nuns.
01-09-2013, 04:08 AM
SmoothPancakes

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, Bowling Green nearly left the sports world speechless, going down to #4 LSU, rushing out to a 21-7 first quarter lead and taking the Tigers all the way to overtime before falling 42-35. It didn't take long for our first massive upset of the 2016 season, as unranked Boise State defends the smurf turf, knocking off #5 Nebraska with ease, 40-21. Right behind the Cornhuskers, #7 Washington runs face first into a speed bump, falling 28-24 on the road at Pittsburgh to put any title hopes they might have had in jeopardy. The Panthers outscored Washington 15-0 in the fourth quarter to pull out the win.

#6 Notre Dame got all that they could handle from Navy, the Irish pulling out a 35-28 win over the Middies. #8 Georgia may have already just lost their chance at a title bid, as Arizona comes to play between the hedges and slaps around the Bulldogs 42-28. #11 Auburn holds off Marshall 31-24. #14 Iowa had to fight off a comeback by Maryland, the Hawkeyes holding on 24-19. #16 Virginia Tech had a field day against #18 Houston, smacking the Cougars 41-20. #17 USC had their hands full with unranked Wyoming, the Trojans scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter to pull out a 27-20 victory. And Kent State put up a heck of a fight, but #22 Miami ultimate prevailed 34-19.

For our readers, souljahbill,Southern Miss starts their year with a 45-20 win over FCS East to open the season 1-0. Jaymo, Arizona State starts their year 0-1 following a 49-28 ass whooping from Kansas. Looks like another year at home for Sparky. Mors, unfortunately I think you can kiss any hope of a bowl game goodbye already. Florida International roughs up West Virginia 38-27 to open the Mountaineers season at 0-1. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State opens up the season at 1-0 with a 38-14 dismantling of USF.

On a C-USA note, a little fun fact, C-USA teams went 7-3 in week 2 of the 2016 season. Florida International, MTSU, North Texas, Rice, Southern Miss, UTEP and UTSA all won. Granted, UTEP, MTSU, North Texas, Rice and Southern Miss all won against FCS teams, UTSA beat Eastern Michigan, only FIU had an impressive win with their victory over West Virginia. Of the losses, Tulsa lost 14-12 to #21 Ohio State, Marshall lost 31-24 to #11 Auburn, and Florida Atlantic got whipped 45-17 by San Diego State. Rice nearly had the "my god we suck" loss of the week, scoring a touchdown (but missing the PAT) with 9:38 left in the game to just barely eek out a 23-17 win over FCS Southeast. FCS SE was winning 14-3 at halftime, proving that Rice may be sucking the bottom of the conference standings this year.

Other notes, shit, Toledo might be a hard one after all. The Rockets open their year 1-0 with a 38-27 win over UCLA. Granted, Toledo did have to outscore UCLA a ridiculous 24-0 in the fourth quarter to pull the win out of their ass, but a win is a win, and an 11 point win over a team that finished 9-5 AND played in the Pac-12 championship game last season is still impressive.

Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll, the top four remain the same, Alabama (38 first place votes) #1, Texas (22 votes) #2, Clemson (1 vote) #3 and LSU #4. Notre Dame moves up one to #5, Oklahoma leaps three to #6 (despite having yet to play a single game), TCU jumps three to #7, Auburn, Michigan and Texas A&M also all climb three to #8, #9 and #10. Iowa, Michigan State, Virginia Tech and USC all jump up three spots to #11, #12, #13 and #14. Nebraska falls ten spots to #15. Oregon, Wisconsin and Ohio State all jump three ranks to #16, #17 and #18. Georgia drops eleven spots to #19, Miami jumps two to #20, Washington plummets fourteen spots to #21. Georgia Tech climbs one to #22, Wake Forest moves up one to #23, Boise State enters the poll for the first time this season at #24 and NC State remains stuck at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week was Houston (from #18). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Houston (259 votes) is #26, followed by South Carolina (218), Fresno State (129), Northwestern (85) and Arizona (63) to round out the Top 30.
01-09-2013, 04:38 AM
SmoothPancakes

Here's a video of the pass I described near the end of the first quarter, when Stephens threw an underpowered pass that was nearly intercepted by the linebacker, but instead batted up in the air and grabbed by Price for a stupid impossible 13 yard gain instead of either an incomplete pass or an INT.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxfR5MmVBps
01-09-2013, 04:55 AM
morsdraconis

Wow man. Talk about going from building on the insane success you had last season to being TOTALLY fucked the next season because of an injury to one of your most important players at the worst time in the season. :(
01-09-2013, 05:07 AM
SmoothPancakes

Quote:

Originally Posted by morsdraconis

Wow man. Talk about going from building on the insane success you had last season to being TOTALLY fucked the next season because of an injury to one of your most important players at the worst time in the season. :(

Yep. Forced to pull a 6 point win out of my ass against the 123rd ranked team in the 2016 season, and then not even able to score a single touchdown against Ohio State. :smh: Fresno State I have a feeling isn't going to be any prettier. I might start to have better success and put up better stats once I hit C-USA play and well as get Casey Bishop back at QB, but still, I would not be surprised to see me end up with 3 or 4 loss minimum by the time this season ends. While I'll still be playing for the win, I'm already pre-marking Fresno State as a loss, especially with Casey Bishop still injured. Toledo I'm no longer convinced I can be considered a favorite against, considering how bad my offense is right now, and they just knocked off UCLA in their first game. Southern Miss also looks to be a bitch to beat this year.
01-09-2013, 06:51 PM
JeffHCross

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmoothPancakes

#21 :Ohio_State: 14, :Tulsa: 12

I both feel absolutely horrible for you, and yet not at all.
01-09-2013, 07:44 PM
SmoothPancakes

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeffHCross

I both feel absolutely horrible for you, and yet not at all.

:D Yeah, I figured you wouldn't be too upset with Ohio State winning.

I'm still not sure how I feel about that game, besides disgusted with my performance in that third quarter.

I mean the defense did the impossible, somehow holding a superior Ohio State offense to only 14 points, which is a huge victory by itself and gives me hope for the season when it comes to the defense. The defense may end up being an asset this season instead of the liability that it was the last two seasons. But offensively, to spend that much time, make that many trips inside the Ohio State red zone, and have only four field goals, 12 whole points, to show for it all, goddamn that rips it right out of you.

Now I just have to find some way to get the offense actually moving to have a chance against Fresno State.
01-09-2013, 10:16 PM
SmoothPancakes

Well if this Fresno State game ain't the goddamn tale of two halves. :fp:

Game Three

:Tulsa: :@: :Fresno_State:

Game Notes

--- Coming off of our loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes, there was no chance to settle down, as a second straight road trip, this time to Fresno State, loomed on the horizon. The Bulldogs entered the game with a 1-0 record and an offense that ranked in the top 50 in all three aspects. Our offense meanwhile, was rated in the 80s and 90s with the sole exception of our rushing offense, good enough to rate #59. We would have to hope our #20 defense would be able to keep putting up strong numbers and hope our offense would actually find a groove. All the analysts were pegging us as the underdogs going in, picking Fresno State to walk out with a win. It would be up to our offense to find the answers to prove them wrong. Fresno State won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball.

No return on the kickoff got Fresno State started at their 25 yard line to start. It was a very fast start for the Bulldogs, as Jim Bentley took the handoff on first down for a 5 yard gain, before Cedric Chavez launched a deep pass to Demetrius Howard for 28 yards and very fast first down at our 43 yard line. A 5 yard rush by Chavez was followed up with a loss of three yards on the ground by Bentley, leaving the Bulldogs with third and 8. What initially looked to be a quick scoring drive turned into nothing, as Bentley dropped the third down pass from Chavez, leaving Fresno State punting on fourth and 8 from our 41. The punt sailed out of the back of the end zone for a touchback and our offense was in action at our 20 yard line.

Brandon Price got our running game quickly established, breaking up the middle on the first down carry for a 14 yard gain to the 34 yard line. Rushing off the right tackle on the next play, Price was able to fight ahead for a 5 yard gain, before breaking loose from a tackle attempt in the backfield, pushing ahead and getting tackled forward across the line for a 6 yard gain and a first down at the 45. Brad Stephens kept the ball himself on the next play, rushing for the right sideline and picking up 7 yards before being pushed out of bounds. The pitch left to Price was blown up by the defense, as Price was tackled for a loss of two yards, leaving us with third and 5 at midfield. Chad Fisher would keep the drive alive, hauling in a pass over the middle from Stephens for a 15 yard gain and a first down at the 35 yard line. A hitch route allowed Antoine Banks to get separation from the cornerback on the next play, hauling in the deep pass from Stephens along the sideline and running towards the end zone, eventually getting pushed out by the safety at the 6 yard line for a 28 yard gain, setting up first and goal. It was no go on the ground on first down, as Price was quickly swallowed up for no gain, leaving second and goal. A pass to Randy Newman was even worse, as Newman was quickly overtaken by the cornerback and linebacker for a loss of three yards, leaving us with third and goal at the 9 yard line. Fisher was able to get the third down pass into his hands, but the safety made a timely hit, jarring the ball loose for an incomplete pass. We ultimately settled for a disappointing three points as Alphonso Pratt kicked the 26 yard field goal, giving us a 3-0 lead with 2:26 left in the first quarter.

The following kickoff went unreturned, and Fresno State was back on the field at their 25. Bentley got the drive off to a promising start with a 7 yard rush, but two straight dropped passes by Quentin Seymour left the stunned Bulldogs punting away on fourth and three. A 7 yard return by Price on the 43 yard punt got us back in action from our 31 yard line. Avoiding the blitzing linebacker, Price was able to skirt his way up the middle, picking up 7 yards before getting tackled by the safety. Stephens kept the ball for himself once again, turning it up the field just beyond the right tackle, managing to get 8 yards before being swarmed by the defense. Taking a shot on first down, the pass from Stephens intended for Nicholas Roberts was broken up by the middle linebacker, nearly intercepted, leaving us second down at the 46. Stephens was forced out of the pocket on second down, scrambling towards the far sideline, his pass intended for Roberts sailing way off target and out of bounds, leaving us facing third down. Fisher again nearly came through, again getting the ball into his hands, before a hit by the safety knocked the ball loose and incomplete, leaving us punting on fourth down. The punt sailed 55 yards and into the end zone for a touchback.

Starting at the 20 yard line, Bentley got Fresno State moving on first down with a 5 yard rush. After an incomplete pass on the next play, the Bulldogs managed to convert third down as Chavez hit Seymour over the middle for a 21 yard gain to the 46 yard line. A 6 yard rush by Bentley would get the Bulldogs into our territory, as the final seconds came off the clock. The first quarter was in the books, our lead sitting at 3-0, but Fresno State in position to make a drive.

Opening up the second quarter, Evan Johnson took the ball on the ground for Fresno State, fighting forward for three yards to leave third and one. Our defense would stop the Bulldogs cold on the next play, as Chavez was sacked for a 9 yard loss, leaving Fresno State punting on fourth and 10 from their 46. No return on the 43 yard punt got us underway on offense from our 10 yard line.

Price took the ball up the middle, fighting his way ahead for a 6 yard gain. Taking the ball on second down, Price was able to hit and turn the corner past the right tackle, spinning his way out of a diving tackle attempt by the cornerback and rumbling ahead for a 16 yard gain before being brought down by the safety at the 32 yard line. Roy Smith got his first action of the day, giving Price a breather, and it was a rough start, as the blitzing defense quickly overtook him for only a two yard gain. Despite being able to turn the corner, Price was only able to pick up four yards on second down, the defensive end disengaging from his battle with the left tackle to trip up Price and bring him down. Max Thompson was able to keep the drive breathing, hauling in a third down pass from 14 yard pass from Stephens to give us a new set of downs at the Fresno State 48. The success was short lived, as a blitzing linebacker left Price laying on the ground for no gain and a wasted down. Taking the ball on second down, despite being hit at the line of scrimmage, Price was able to stumble and fall forward for a 5 yard gain, leaving us third and 5. Fresno State picked the worse possible moment to blitz the entire secondary. Smith came out of the backfield and angled around over the middle. With all three linebackers blitzing, no one was there to interrupt the pass. Juking past one safety, Smith was able to sprint his way up the middle of the field for a 32 yard gain before being chased down from behind by the other safety at the 11 yard line. Taking the ball on first down, Price took it straight up the gut, picking up 9 yards to leave second and one at the two yard line. Price would get us inside the end zone on the next play, taking the pitch right from Stephens, racing towards the sideline and diving inside the pylon for the two yard touchdown, giving us a 10-0 lead with 2:56 left in the half.

A 16 yard kickoff return started Fresno State on their 17 yard line. Chevez started the drive with a 5 yard rush, but the defense was able to break through on second down and tackle Bentley for a loss of two yards, leaving the Bulldogs with third and 6. An incomplete pass would continue the offensive woes for the Bulldogs. An 8 yard return by Price on the 42 yard punt gave our offense the ball at our 46 yard line, 2:04 left in the half. Trying to go for the interception, the cornerback took himself out of the play, the ball sailing over his head and right into the outstretched arms of Fisher, who took the ball and raced 39 yards up the field before being tripped up at the 15 yard line, 1:55 on the clock. Price took the handoff, fighting ahead for 7 yards to leave second and three at the 8 yard line, the clock ticking towards one minute. Rushing the ball again on second down, Price drove into the pile in front of him, picking up three yards before ending up buried under a sea of red jerseys. The measurement left us short of the first down. We called our first timeout with 57 seconds left on the clock, sizing up the third and inches situation. Price would find the end zone a second time today, fighting loose of a tackle attempt at the line of scrimmage before stumbling his way forward and falling across the goal line for the 5 yard touchdown, extending the score to 17-0 with 53 seconds to go.

A touchback left Fresno State at their 25 yard line, just 46 seconds to work with but still all three timeouts. It would be a wasted drive. Chavez picked up four yards on a first down scramble, the Bulldogs calling their first timeout with 41 seconds to go. After an incomplete pass on second down, Bentley was wrapped up in the backfield for a loss of two yards, leaving fourth and 8 at the 27 yard line with 30 seconds to go and ticking. Price returned the 50 yard punt for 7 yards to our 30 yard line. A four yard rush by Price would be the final play, the remaining 12 seconds ticking off the clock as we headed into halftime with a 17-0 lead.

Opening up the third quarter, Price received the kickoff and return it for 17 yards, getting our offense on the field at our 16 yard line to start. The defense was ready and waiting for Price, as he was overrun in the backfield for a three yard loss, leaving second and 13. Keeping the pressure on our offense, Stephens was forced to scramble from the pass rush, only managing to pick up three yards before being wrapped up to leave third and 10. The defense would make it strike three on the next play, as the defense end broke through his blocker, sacking Stephens for a 7 yard loss to leave us punting on fourth and 17. It would only get worse. The Fresno State punt return team was able to break through and blocked the punt on fourth down, Bo Sherman recovering the fumble in the end zone to get Fresno State their first points of the game. The extra point made it 17-7, nothing but domination from the Bulldogs thus far.

No return on the kickoff left our offense at our 25 yard line looking for a response. A pitch right on first down went nowhere, as Price quickly found any escape routes blocked, forced to juke away from a defender and fight up-field just to get back to the line of scrimmage for no gain. It would even worse, as the blitzing outside linebacker came storming through untouched, knocking the ball loose as Stephens tried to throw it away. Marco Holmes was there to dive on the ball for the Bulldogs, giving Fresno State a first down at our 16 yard line. Bentley got the offense moving with an 8 yard rush on first down. The Bulldogs however would seemingly piss away their best opportunity of the game, as two incomplete passes by Chavez left the Bulldogs with fourth and two at our 8 yard line. Saying hell no to the field goal, the Bulldogs elected to go for it on fourth down, Chavez connecting with Seymour in the back of the end zone for the 8 yard touchdown for the successful conversion, and our lead was cut to 17-14 a mere three minutes into the second half.

Fisher returned the following kickoff 21 yards out to the 20 yard line for our next drive. A first down pass to Smith went backwards, as Smith was tackled for a loss of one yard. A pass on second down, intended for Eric Hayden was woefully overthrown, passing way out of the reach of Hayden and incomplete to leave third down, the crowd roaring now. The third down pass intended for Fisher was jumped on by the cornerback, nearly intercepted but thankfully dropped, and we were forced to punt on fourth and 11, our offense that was impossible to stop in the first half, now suddenly inept in the second half. A 17 yard punt return on the 45 yard boot gave Fresno State the ball at our 47 yard line. Bentley took the ball on first down, breaking loose up the middle for a 13 yard gain to our 34. After being tackled for a loss of two yards on first down, Bentley came back to break our defense through the air on second down, hauling in a 15 yard pass from Chavez to set up first and 10 at the 21 yard line. After a dropped pass on first down, Seymour caught a ball from Chavez for a 5 yard gain, leaving Fresno State with third and 5. Bentley would convert the third down, taking the ball around the right side for a 6 yard gain and first down at our 10 yard line. A pair of 5 yards passes from Chavez to Alvin Hodges and to Seymour left Fresno State with third and inches from our one yard line. Bentley would plunge into the end zone on the next play for the one yard touchdown rush and a 21-17 Fresno State lead with 3:10 left in the third quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff got us underway at our 25 yard line, desperately searching for answers after seeing our 17 point halftime lead disappear into a four point deficit in less than a quarter. Our offense finally remembered out to throw and catch a ball this drive, as Fisher caught a pass on first down for a 13 yard gain to get us to the 38. A 16 yard toss to Thompson gave us another first down at the Fresno State 46, finally rebuilding the momentum we had in the first half. Despite being intended for Hayden, Fisher cut Hayden off and dove for the ball, falling to the ground for a gain of 12 yards and another first down at the 35. The pass intended for Price on the smash route sailed out of bounds, leaving second down. Hayden finally managed to haul in his first catch of the game, breaking loose from the cornerback and turning up field for a 29 yard gain, brought down at the 5 yard line to set up first and goal. Taking the ball on first down, Price was unable to find much, wrapped up by the middle linebacker for a one yard gain. Going off the left tackle on second and goal, Price was able to drive into the end zone for his third time today, falling forward through a tackle for the four yard touchdown and a 24-21 lead with 54 seconds left in the third quarter.

No return left Fresno State starting at their 25 yard line. It was a drive much ado about nothing for the Bulldogs, as Bentley was tackled for a loss of three yards on first down. Chavez kept the ball on the next play for a gain of four yards to leave third and 9, before a pass to Howard only gain two yards, the punt team coming out on fourth down. A 9 yard return by Price on the 43 yard punt set our offense up at our 37 yard line as the third quarter came to an end, a late touchdown partially helping to recover from 6 minutes of utter disaster, a 24-21 lead heading into the final quarter.

Opening up the fourth quarter from our 37 yard line, it was nearly nothing going for Price on the ground, managing only gains of two and three yards to set up third and 5. Smith was able to haul in the third down pass from Stephens along the right sideline, but the linebacker was right there to push Smith out of bounds for only a four yard gain, leaving us with fourth and inches and the punt team coming out. The punt bounced into the end zone for a touchback and Fresno state began their drive from the 20. Chavez started off the drive with a 5 yard rush, but trying to keep the ball himself would end up in a setback, as Chavez was tackled for a loss of four yards on the next play, leaving Fresno State facing third and 9. Chavez threw up a deep pass to Bentley near midfield that landed in his hands, but trying to turn up field, Bentley lost control of the ball, dropping it incomplete and forcing a Fresno State punt.

Price called for a fair catch on the 43 yard punt and our offense was back out at our 35 yard line, just 6:39 away from victory. It would be a one play drive, as Price was met by the linebacker at the line of scrimmage, the ball knocked loose and recovered by Holmes, his second fumble recovery of the game, to give Fresno State possession at our 27 yard line. After a 5 yard pass to Seymour to get to our 22 yard line, our defense became a brick wall, forcing a pair of incomplete passes that left Fresno State stuck on fourth and 5. The Bulldogs would opt to go for it on fourth down, Chavez launching a pass into the end zone, but Andy Malone was there to jump the route and intercept the pass, returning it 25 yards out to our 20 yard line and keep our lead intact. A pitch to Price on first down ended in disaster, as the blitzing linebacker drove Price backwards for a loss of 6 yards, leaving us staring down the barrel of second and 16 at our 14 yard line. A second down pass from Stephens to Smith was damn near intercepted, the cornerback stepping up in front of Smith and simply standing there as the ball flew into his hands, but butterfingers would drop it, leaving third and very long. Trying to scramble from the pressure, Stephens wasn’t able to run fast enough, the defensive end diving at his feet, tripping him up for the four yard sack and forcing us to punt on fourth and 20 from our 10 yard line.

Our punt team managed to actually get the punt off this time, Howard returning the 49 yard punt 9 yards to midfield with 5 minutes left in the game. Howard would be the go to guy on first down, hauling a 22 yard pass from Chavez to get the Bulldogs to our 29 yard line. An 18 yard pass to Bentley gave Fresno State another first down, now at our 11. Chavez would try to pick up yards on the ground, but our defensive line was there to meet him, taking him down for no gain. A one yard rush by Hodges left the Fresno State offense in a bit of a rut, facing third and 9 from our 10 yard line. The defense would step up on the next play, forcing Chavez to throw the ball away to avoid the sack, leaving fourth down. This time the Bulldogs would kick the field goal, the 27 yard boot by Shaun Gschwend good to tie the game up at 24-all with 3:56 remaining.

A 23 yard kickoff return by Price advanced the ball to the 24 yard line, our offense searching for some success to at least get into field goal range. Spinning away from the defensive end, Price was able to fall forward for a 5 yard gain to get the drive started. Met at the 31 yard line, Price was rolled forward during the tackle by the middle linebacker, enough for 6 yards and a first down at the 34. Keeping it driving on the ground, Smith fought ahead for a pickup of 8 yards, leaving second and two at the 42 yard line. Breaking loose from the blitzing middle linebacker in the backfield, Price was able to find some way to drive forward enough and get pushed ahead by a tackler for a two yard gain and a first down at the 44 yard line, the clock closing in on two minutes. Taking the handoff on first down, the defense gave Price nowhere to go, tackled for only a one yard gain at the 46, the clock down to 1:46 and ticking. Taking a pitch to the right, Price was again unable to find any space, barely picking up one yard before being tripped up, our first timeout stopping the clock with 1:19 to play, facing third and 8 from our 47 yard line. Fisher was able to get just enough separation from the cornerback to haul in a 9 yard pass from Stephens, just getting the first down and keeping the drive breathing as we closed in on field goal range at the 44 yard line. Price never had a chance on the first down rush, tackled at the line of scrimmage for no gain, our second timeout stopping the clock with 54 seconds to go. A pass to Smith pushed us backwards, Smith barely avoiding a tackle before being pushed out of bounds for a one yard loss. While it stopped the clock for us, so we didn’t have to waste our final timeout, it did leave us with third and 11 at the 46. Facing a blitzing pass rush, Stephens was forced to dump the ball off to Newman, who was quickly tripped up by the outside linebacker for only a two yard gain, leaving fourth and 9 from the 43 yard line, Fresno State using their first timeout to stop the clock.

Unfortunately outside of field goal range, we were forced to punt it away with 46 seconds to play. The punt bounced into the end zone for a touchback, Fresno State starting from the 20 yard line with just 40 seconds to work with. Chavez found Howard for a 5 yard pass on first down, Fresno State’s second timeout of the half stopping the clock with 34 seconds to go. An encroachment penalty on our defense gave Fresno State a new set of downs at the 31 yard line, 30 seconds remaining. Our defense stood firm, sacking Chavez for a one yard loss, leaving the Bulldogs with second and 11, 24 seconds to go and ticking. Bombing it deep, the pass from Chavez intended for Howard was broken up by the cornerback and safety at our 25 yard line, the incomplete pass leaving third and 11 and only 12 seconds to go. Fresno State decided to take their chances in overtime, Bentley rushing forward for a 6 yard gain on third down, leaving fourth and 5 as the final 5 seconds ticked off the clock. That was the end of regulation, we headed to overtime tied 24-24.

We won the coin toss at the beginning of overtime and elected to go on defense first. Fresno State started their drive with an 8 yard pass to Howard, leaving second and two at the 17. Two dropped passes would leave the Bulldogs stranded. Even worse for Fresno State, the 34 yard field goal by Gschwend was wide left, and our offense took over needing only a field goal to win. A pair of rushes by Price left us moving nowhere but backwards, as Price was tackled for losses of one and four yards to leave us pushed out to the 30 yard line and facing third and 15. It would end up even worse, as multiple blitzing defenders broke through the line, sacking Stephens for a 9 yard loss, leaving us with fourth and 24 at the 39 yard line. Now out of field goal range, we had no choice but to go for it on fourth down. Throwing deep down the left sideline intended for Hayden, the pass from Stephens sailed long and out of bounds. With that, we headed for a second overtime, still tied at 24-all.

Opening up the second overtime on offense, we had to find some points here. Stephens was finally able to get a pass off on first down, but the completion to Fisher was only able to pick up two yards, leaving second and 8. Newman hauled in a pass from Stephens, just barely getting it off before getting hit, picking up only three yards to leave third and 5 at the 20 yard line, the Fresno State defense refusing to give up anything. Taking a long shot on third down with Price, he was only able to gain one yard on the ground, leaving fourth and four. The 36 yard field goal by Pratt was good, and we at least had a lead, up 27-24. Bentley got Fresno State moving quickly, with rushes of two, three and 5 yards to leave second and two at the 14 yard line. The defense would push back, tackling Chavez for a loss of three yards to leave the Bulldogs with third and four. Our defense would seal the victory on the next play, as Spencer Jones intercepted Chavez’s pass in the end zone to end the game in double overtime, a 27-24 victory.

With the much unexpected win, we improve to 2-1. With the loss, Fresno State drops to 1-1. Up next, it’s the start of conference action in 2016, as we head home to take on North Texas. The Mean Green enter the season 1-1, opening up the year with a 41-10 win over FCS Midwest, before losing 37-16 at #13 Nebraska.

Final Score
:Tulsa: 27, :Fresno_State: 24 – 2 OT

Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense – First half, great, second half, sucked ass. Passing, Stephens did pretty good, going 17-26 for 214 yards, though no touchdowns, and he fumbled the ball once that screwed us during that third quarter. Looking at rushing, Price led the way with 99 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries, but he also fumbled once that, again, screwed us during that third quarter. Receiving, 6 people caught a ball, Fisher led the way with 90 yards receiving on 6 catches.

Tulsa Defense – Defense had their work cut out for them, left with short field situations, but did enough to keep Fresno State in check and outside of the that third quarter, held the Bulldogs virtually scoreless.

Tulsa Kicking – A perfect day by Pratt. Went 2-2 in field goals, kicking 26 and 36 yard field goal, including the game winner in overtime, to go along with 3-3 in PATs.

Scoring Summary

Team 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Overtime Final Score

:Tulsa: 3 14 7 0 3 27

:Fresno_State: 0 0 21 3 0 24

Time Team Result Play Score

First Quarter

2:26 :Tulsa: Field Goal A. Pratt, 26 yard field goal :Tulsa: 3-0

Second Quarter

2:56 :Tulsa: Touchdown B. Price, 2 yard run (A. Pratt kick) :Tulsa: 10-0

0:53 :Tulsa: Touchdown B. Price, 5 yard run (A. Pratt kick) :Tulsa: 17-0

Third Quarter

7:24 :Fresno_State: Touchdown B. Sherman, fumble recovery in end zone (S. Gschwend kick) :Tulsa: 17-7

6:04 :Fresno_State: Touchdown Q. Seymour, 7 yard pass from C. Chavez (S. Gschwend kick) :Tulsa: 17-14

3:10 :Fresno_State: Touchdown J. Bentley, 1 yard run (S. Gschwend kick) :Fresno_State: 21-17

0:54 :Tulsa: Touchdown B. Price, 4 yard run (A. Pratt kick) :Tulsa: 24-21

Fourth Quarter

3:56 :Fresno_State: Field Goal S. Gschwend, 27 yard field goal TIED 24-24

Overtime

--- --- --- ---- TIED 24-24

Second Overtime

--- :Tulsa: Field Goal A. Pratt, 36 yard field goal :Tulsa: 27-24

Game Stats

Tulsa Stat Fresno State

27 Score 24

16 First Downs 10

310 Total Offense 220

43 - 96 - 3 Rushes - Yards - TD 25 - 73 - 1

17 - 26 - 0 Comp - Att - TD 13 - 31 - 1

214 Passing Yards 147

4 Times Sacked 2

5 - 14 (35%) 3rd Down Conversion 3 - 16 (18%)

0 - 1 (0%) 4th Down Conversion 1 - 2 (50%)

0 - 0 (0%) 2-Point Conv 0 - 1 (0%)

6 - 3 - 2 (83%) Red Zone - TD - FG 6 - 2 - 1 (50%)

3 Turnovers 2

3 Fumbles Lost 0

0 Intercepted 2

31 Punt Return Yards 26

61 Kick Return Yards 16

402 Total Yards 262

5 – 48.8 Punts - Average 7 - 44.0

2 - 7 Penalties 0 - 0

22:17 Time of Possession 13:43

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact Goal Progress Pass Impact

:6redarrow: 21+ points per game in each season 20 :6greenarrow:

Win 10 games in one season 2 :6greenarrow:

3300+ passing yards each season 551 :5greenarrow:

:6redarrow: 65% pass completions over the entire contract 58% :5greenarrow:

:5redarrow: Win 6 games in one season 2 :5greenarrow:

:6redarrow: 15+ rushing TD in each season 4 :5greenarrow:

:4redarrow: 3200+ total offensive yards each season 1012 :3greenarrow:

:5redarrow: 3400+ total offensive yards each season 1012 :2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

46%

01-10-2013, 12:13 AM
SmoothPancakes

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, #7 TCU had a fight on their hands all day against Louisiana Tech. LTU led 14-6 at halftime, a 20-0 third quarter for TCU put the Horned Frogs up 26-14. LTU scored 13 points (missing a two-point try) to take a 27-16 lead, before two TCU touchdowns (and a two-point conversion) put 15 points up in the fourth quarter to give the purple faithful a 41-27 win. #9 Michigan had to do a little magic work to pull out a 27-20 win over BYU. Rutgers gets the upsets rolling, knocking off #12 Michigan State 52-31. This one was ugly, MSU putting up 15 points in the fourth quarter just to make it get within 21 at the final whistle. Arkansas State is proving a force to be reckoned with this year, as the Red Wolves improve to 2-0 with a 35-17 upset at #13 Virginia Tech.

#14 USC managed to hold on for a 31-21 win over Pittsburgh. #18 Ohio State had some trouble yet again this week, needing a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to put away UCLA late, 28-17. #19 Georgia had a tough fight with Arkansas, eventually beating the Razorbacks 38-28. #20 Miami survived a hell of a scare from Louisville, the Hurricanes scoring the game winning touchdown with 10 seconds left to win 27-20. #21 Washington will officially not be making a return trip to the BCS title game, falling to 0-2 on the year with a 38-14 loss to Stanford. Arizona improves to 2-0 for the season with a 38-21 win over #23 Wake Forest. And it was a rough start for the Broncos, but a 24-0 fourth quarter advantage puts #24 Boise State over the top, 52-21, against SMU.

For our readers, souljahbill, that undefeated season for Southern Miss didn't last long, USM falls 30-27 at Air Force. Southern Miss had a 20-16 lead after three quarters and a 27-23 lead with 6 minutes to go, but an Air Force touchdown with 12 seconds to play put the Falcons on top. Jaymo, Arizona State gets their first win and improves to 1-1 with a 27-23 win over UCF. Mors, shockingly, West Virginia improves to 1-1 (1-0 Big 12) with a 31-30 win over Oklahoma State, though it did take a 21-3 fourth quarter advantage to pull it out. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State, as mentioned in the Top 25 rundown, improves to 2-0, knocking off #13 Virginia Tech 35-17.

On a C-USA note, MTSU is now 2-0, knocking off Minnesota 27-21. One week after storming the ramparts against West Virginia, Florida International gets their asses handed to them, 45-14 by Navy.

Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll, the top 11 remain the same, Alabama (33 first place votes) #1, Texas (22 votes) #2, Clemson (2 votes) #3, LSU (2 votes) #4, Notre Dame (1 vote) #5, Oklahoma (1 vote) #6, TCU #7, Auburn #8, Michigan #9, Texas A&M #10 and Iowa #11. USC, Nebraska and Oregon all jump two to #12, #13 and #14. Wisconsin and Ohio State jump two to #15 and #16, as does Georgia and Miami, both up two to #17 and #18. Michigan State falls seven to #19, Georgia Tech climbs two to #20, Rutgers enters the poll this week at #21. Boise State and NC State both jump two to #22 and #23, Virginia Tech plummets eleven to #24 and Arizona enters the poll at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Washington (from #21) and Wake Forest (from #23). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Houston (155 votes) is #26, followed by Stanford (143), South Carolina (143), Northwestern (63) and Ole Miss (32) to round out the Top 30.
01-10-2013, 11:40 PM
SmoothPancakes

Currently nearing the end of the third quarter, myself and North Texas, we either are setting the mark the best damn defenses, or for the most god awful impersonations of an offense. I'm not sure which one yet.

Game Four

:North_Texas: :@: :Tulsa:

Game Notes

--- Coming off our miraculous win over the Fresno State Bulldogs, it was back to the friendly confines of home and the start of C-USA play against North Texas. We were coming into the game ranked very poorly. #103 in points per game, #104 in total offense, #97 in pass offense and #77 in rush offense, we were going to once again be forced to rely on our defense to keep the Mean Green at bay while our offense continued to work out the early season kinks. We unfortunately would still be without the services of Casey Bishop. While no longer being held out of action by the team doctors, Bishop was still listed on the injured list as questionable, leading to Bishop being benched for the week and give him a chance to fully heal back to 100% before putting him back under center. With that, it was once again the show of Brad Stephens on offense. North Texas won the coin toss and elected to kick as the rain poured from the sky like a waterfall.

A 20 yard kickoff return by Chad Fisher and our offense was out to start the game at our 21 yard line. Brandon Price took the ball on first down, but the North Texas defense was more than ready for our running game, tackling Price for no gain. Keeping the ball on second down, Price was only able to pick up three yards, our running game unable to find its footing early on. Going to the air on third down, Stephens chucked up a quick one to Fisher, completing the pass for a gain of 9 yards and keeping the drive moving at the 34 yard line. Price was able to fall forward through a tackle and gain four yards on the first down carry, before Stephens called his own number, shook off the blitzing linebacker and was able to get outside, the wide receiver sealing off the cornerback, rushing ahead for an 18 yard gain to the 44 yard line. Throwing a quick pass to Eric Hayden on the out route went for a gain of 11 yards, and we had a new set of downs at the 33. Passing to Hayden a second time, the completion only picked up two yards before Hayden was tackled. Taking the handoff up the middle, Price fought his way forward for a four yard gain, leaving third and three. An incomplete pass left us with fourth down, the 43 yard field goal attempt by Pratt no good.

Starting at their 26 yard line, the North Texas offense got the drive off and running with a three yard rush by Josh Waters, followed by a two yard gain to leave third and 5. The pass from Ryan George ended up overthrown, sailing out of bounds and leaving the Mean Green punting the ball. A 13 yard return by Price on the 47 yard punt got our offense on the field at our 35. Price took the ball on first down, rushing ahead for a 5 yard gain. Price received the handoff again, fighting forward for another 5 yard gain, leaving us with third and inches at the 44. The defense was more than ready for us, as Price was met at the line of scrimmage for no gain, leaving us punting away on fourth and one.

A fair catch on the 45 yard punt left North Texas to begin from their 10 yard line. It was a rough start, as Waters was tackled for a two yard loss, before George scrambled for two yards to set up third and 12. The drive would end on the next play as George was sacked for a loss of one yard, forcing North Texas to punt on fourth and 13 from their 8 yard line. A fair catch by Price on the 44 yard punt gave us the ball at our 48 yard line. Price took the ball on first down, tackled for only a four yard gain, until the penalty flag came out, a facemask penalty the call, and the 15 free yards moving the chains clear down to the North Texas 33 yard line. Price was only able to gain two yards, if that, as the Mean Green plowed through the line and took him down quickly. The running game would continue to see failure, as a pitch right to Price resulted in a loss of one yard, leaving third and 9 at the 32. That would be where the first quarter would come to a close, still a scoreless contest.

Opening up the second quarter, the North Texas defense brought the house, Stephens unable to get rid of the ball before being swarmed by three defenders, sacked for a loss of 8 yards and pushing us clear back to the 40 yard line. Taking a long shot, the 57 yard field goal by Pratt was no good, and North Texas was left in great field position. George got things started, rushing for a 5 yard gain, before throwing up a pass to Deshawn Banks, complete for a gain of 16 yards and a first down at our 40 yard line. Receiving the handoff, Waters rumbled his way for an 8 yard gain, before Brandon Carroll picked up the first down with a 3 yard pickup. Running the play action, George completed a pass to Bobby Booth for a one yard gain, followed by a rush by Waters for four yards to leave third and 5. The North Texas offense would take a massive blow, as Josh Waters was carted off the field after the play, a strained pectoral muscle the diagnosis, leaving him sidelined for the remainder of the game. George was forced to throw away the ball on the next play, leaving fourth and 5 from our 24 yard line. North Texas decided to roll the dice and went for it on fourth down, George’s pass intended for Mark Coleman falling incomplete.

Our offense took over at our 24 yard line off the turnover on downs, both teams still looking for that first punch. A pair of rushes by Price for gains of four and two yards left us looking at third and four. Fisher was able to haul in a pass from Stephens, just getting across the line for a 6 yard gain to get the first down. Getting some blocks in front from the pulling linemen, Price was able to get outside and broke loose for a 21 yard gain, our first actual success on the ground, and a first down at the North Texas 44 yard line. That success was short lived as the blitzing defense took Price down for a one yard loss, leaving second and 11. It would only get worse as Stephens was forced to scramble, but couldn’t get far, the defensive end sacking him for a loss of 5 yards, leaving third and 16 at midfield. The defense would once again get to Stephens, sacking him for a second play in a row, this time for a 11 yard loss, as the entire right side of the defensive line broke through untouched, leaving Stephens no chance but to try and escape. Left with fourth and 27 from our 39 yard line, we punted away, the 49 yard punt caught on a fair catch call, North Texas starting at their 11 yard line. It was a quick start for the Mean Green, as George connected with Coleman for 13 yards to get to the 24. The defense would hit back, sacking George for a four yard loss to leave second and 14. George would find Andrew Cooper on the next play, but only picking up one yard to leave third and 13. A third down pass to Carroll went for a 10 yard gain, but not far enough, as North Texas punted away once again on fourth and three from their 31 yard line.

Price called for the fair catch on the 44 yard punt, our offense taking over at our 25 yard line, 2:09 left in the half. The defense was once again waiting for Price, who only managed to get two yards on the first down carry. With the run game essentially useless and time running short, it was into the air. The second down pass from Stephens to Hayden was complete over the middle, Hayden managing to sprint out to the 41 yard line for a 14 yard gain before being brought down. Stephens was just barely able to avoid another sack, getting the pass off to Max Thompson, who was promptly run out of bounds for a 12 yard gain, moving the chains to the North Texas 47 yard line, 1:23 left on the clock. A quick dump off to Fisher gained 9 yards, leaving second and one at the 38. Price took the ball up the gut, busting open a 10 yard gain to give us first down at the 28 yard line, our first timeout stopping the clock with 50 seconds to go. A pair of passes to Randy Newman were only able to pick up gains of 5 and one yards, leaving third and four at the 22 yard line, our second timeout stopping the clock with 29 seconds. Stephens was able to find Fisher for a 9 yard gain on the third down play, advancing to the ball to the 13 yard line. Rushing to the line, Stephens hit Newman out of the backfield for four yards, rushing back to the line and spiking the ball with 9 seconds left to set up third and 6. A quick pass to Roy Smith along the left sideline was thrown with too much air, forcing Smith to reach up to grab it, the momentum of the ball and catch forcing him to step out of bounds for only a one yard gain, leaving fourth and 5 at the 8 yard line and 5 seconds on the clock. As if we had pissed off karma at some point today, Pratt completely shanked the 25 yard field goal from the left hash, overcompensating and kicking it wide right, giving North Texas the ball at their 8 yard line with two seconds left. Cooper would run the ball up the middle for a three yard gain, and that would bring the second quarter to an end, the game still deadlocked and both teams searching for some points, ANY points.

The kickoff to open up the third quarter was returned for 16 yards out to the 18 yard line, as the North Texas offense came out. Carroll got the drive started with a two yard rush, followed by a three yard pickup by George. George then passed the ball to Carroll on third down, but only picking up two yards on the completion, North Texas was left punting away almost immediately on fourth and three. Price called fair catch on the 40 yard punt and we began our first drive of the second half from our 35 yard line. It was still nearly no-go on the ground game, Price only able to pick up three yards on the first down carry. Stephens kept the ball himself on second down, which ended in disaster as the defense blew through the line, tackling him for a loss of two yards to leave us with third and 9. The third down pass to Hayden wouldn’t be enough, Hayden only able to pick up 7 yards before being brought down, leaving fourth and two and punting away from the 43 yard line.

A 47 yard punt and a fair catch call left North Texas once again buried deep in their territory, starting from their 10 yard line. It was a backwards start for the Mean Green, as Cooper was tackled for a loss of two yards on first down, before George connected with Carroll for a 5 yard gain to leave third and 7. The drive would come to a quick end as Cooper was tackled once again for a loss of yards, this time for a negative three, and North Texas punted away on fourth and 10. A 12 yard punt return by Price on the 39 yard punt gave us our best positioning of the game, starting our drive at the North Texas 36 yard line, almost no way we could walk away without points this time. The offensive line did their jobs on first down, opening up a huge gap for Price to gain 9 yards. A first down would not be in the books, as Price was met for no gain, leaving third and one. Despite getting an advantage on the outside on the pitch right play, Price was driven clear to the sideline by the fast closing safety, ultimately pushed out of bounds for a loss of one yard, leaving the field goal unit coming out on fourth and two. Pratt again proved himself worthless, shanking the 46 yard field goal attempt wide right, and we would walk off the field again without points.

With the missed field goal, North Texas came out to start at their 29 yard line, 4:03 left in the third quarter. This time the Mean Green found some success, as Cooper took the ball on first down for a 9 yard gain, a 5 yard rush by Carroll picking up the first down at the 43 yard line. After a dropped pass by Carroll, George found Banks for a 16 yard pickup and a new set of downs at our 42. Throwing the ball away on first down, the offense got tagged with illegal hands to the face, leaving North Texas backed up with third and 16 at our 48 yard line. An incomplete pass, intended for Banks, would leave a promising drive stuck in the mud. No return on the 41 yard punt gave the ball to our offense at our 6 yard line. Taking the ball on first down, Price was able to break loose from a tackle and rumble ahead for 12 yards and a first down at the 22. The defense would be ready this time, as the middle linebacker blew through and tackled Price for no gain, leaving second and 10. The second down pass from Stephens, intended for Fisher was broken up by the cornerback, very nearly intercepted, leaving third down. Thompson would keep our drive alive, hauling in a pass from Stephens for a 19 yard gain and a first down at the 41 yard line. Breaking a pair of tackles, Price was able to fight his way clear down to the North Texas 46 yard line for a 13 yard gain, as our offense started to pick up steam. Bouncing outside, Price was able to fight ahead for three yards, leaving third and 7 at the 43 yard line, as the final couple seconds ticked off the clock. After three quarters, it was still an all defensive deadlock, both teams still unable to strike first blood, or any blood for that matter.

Opening up the fourth quarter, facing second and 7, Price took a pitch to the left, but never had a chance as the safety was coming on a blitz, meeting Price behind the left tackle for a four yard loss to set up third and 12 at the 48 yard line. Stephens was forced out of the pocket on the third down pass, driven towards the sideline before being forced to throw it away to avoid the sack, or his only other option, stepping out of bounds for a loss of yards. Left with fourth and 12, we punted away, the 49 yard booted ball bouncing into the end zone for a touchback, and North Texas taking over at their 20 yard line. Cooper got the drive started, picking up gains of two and 5 yards to leave third and two at the 28 yard line. It was then that the Mean Green would strike, and strike hard, as George launched up a deep bomb to Carroll, who had managed to get behind the coverage, hauling in the pass and taking it to the house for a 72 yard touchdown, giving North Texas a 7-0 lead with 7:24 left in the game.

Looking for an answer, our offense started our next drive at the 14 yard line after a 17 yard kickoff return by Fisher. Price finally started to find success on the ground, breaking up the middle for an 11 yard gain. The play would end horribly however, as Price didn’t get up after the play, laying on his back and holding his right arm. The diagnosis on the sidelines was a bruised elbow that would keep him out for at least a couple plays, a huge relief when hearing it was only a minor injury. Taking over in Price’s place, Smith took the ball on first down, picking up three yards. Fisher would get us the first down, hauling in a pass for 13 yards out to the 41 yard line. Despite being hit as he threw, Stephens was able to get off a rainbow floater, Thompson collecting the ball and turning up field for a 14 yard gain and a first down at the North Texas 45 yard line, the clock ticking under 6 minutes to play. Fisher was able to leave his cornerback cross footed, cutting back on a comeback route, juking away from the safety and was off to the races for a 41 yard gain before being driven out of bounds at the four yard line to leave first and goal. The defense was sure as hell not about to let our run game, nor our offense, strike on them now, as Price, finally back in the game, was tackled for no gain, leaving second down. Trying a pitch left, it was once again a disastrous result, the outside linebacker beating the block and tripping Price up for a four yard loss, leaving third and goal at the 8 yard line. The third down pass from Stephens to Donny Jordan wasn’t enough, Jordan wrapped up at the 5 yard line for only a three yard gain, leaving fourth and goal. Despite needing a touchdown, we settled for a field goal try, hoping to parlay the three points into a potential 10-7 win if we got the ball back and could score on the next drive. Pratt finally managed to kick the ball through the uprights for a change, booting the 22 yard kick down the middle and making the score 7-3 with 4:16 left in the game.

An 18 yard kickoff return gave North Texas the ball at their 17 yard line to start the drive. A pair of rushes by George went for gains of four and 5 yards, leaving third and one. Our defense would make a stand on the next play, forcing George to throw the ball away to leave fourth and one at the 26 yard line. The Mean Green would punt the ball, relying on their defense. Price returned the 38 yard punt for 9 yards to the 44 yard line, leaving 2:47 on the clock.

The first down pass to Fisher was knocked incomplete as he was hit, leaving second down. Threading the needle, Stephens was able to find Hayden over the middle, Hayden securing the ball just before being hit for a 12 yard gain to the 44 yard line. Catching the defense cheating, Stephens handed the ball off to Price, who broke up the gut for a 12 yard gain, giving us a first down at the 32 yard line. Stephens found Smith over the middle for a 5 yard pass to the 27, as the clock ticked below two minutes. The second down pass intended for Hayden was off the mark, sailing into open space incomplete, leaving third and 5. Stephens again threw off target, this time intended for Thompson, and our game was on the line as we lined up for fourth and 5 at the 27. Thompson kept us alive, grabbing the pass from Stephens, breaking off a tackle and fighting down to the 8 yard line for a 19 yard gain and first and goal. Both trying to find the end zone and play the clock, which had 1:28 left, Price took the ball on first down, but found nothing as the middle linebacker blew through the line and tackled Price for a one yard loss. Stephens was able to connect with Smith through the air for a 6 yard gain, leaving third and goal at the three yard line, the clock ticking at 42 seconds. Taking a shot in the end zone, the pass intended for Hayden was knocked incomplete, leaving fourth and goal with 31 seconds remaining. Stephens found Smith out nearly the right sideline, only one defender between him and the end zone. The pass was caught by Smith, who turned up the field and tried to juke by the linebacker, however the linebacker, who dove as he feet and was sliding past, was able to reach back with his right arm and trip Smith up, Smith falling to the turf at the two yard line, officially for a one yard gain, and short of the end zone. With that, we turned the ball over on downs, North Texas taking over on their two yard line with 26 seconds to go, our defense still with three timeouts left in a last ditch effort.

Our prayers would be answered, as Cooper tried to plow through the middle of the line on first down, getting as far as the 7 yard line before Keith Battle stripped the ball from his arms and then jumped on top of the fumble he had just caused. The turnover gave us the ball, first and goal at the 8 yard line, 21 seconds left in the game. Unable to find anyone open on first down, Stephens was forced to scramble. He tried to throw up a lob to Hayden, but it was batted out of the back of the end zone, leaving second and goal, 15 seconds to go. Calling a timeout to regroup, we came out on second down, Stephens completed a dump pass to Newman, only managing to pick up three yards to the 5 yard line, our second timeout stopping the clock with 10 seconds, facing third and goal. The defense brought all three linebackers on the play, Stephens forced to instantly scramble for his life, just barely able to chuck up a free for all in the end zone before being sacked. Newman dove for the ball and tried to haul it in, but it fell incomplete, leaving our hopes and prayers on one final play, as we lined up for fourth and goal from the 5 yard line, 5 seconds left to play. Stephens, unable to find anyone open, tried to make the play himself, taking off scrambling, juking past one defender, before the safety stepped up and met him at the goal line, Stephens going down one foot short of the goal line and the clock hit zeroes.

With the loss, we drop to 2-2, 0-1 in C-USA action, our 21 game home winning streak, as well as our 18 game C-USA winning streak, snapped in an excruciating manner. With the win, North Texas improves to 2-1, 1-0 in C-USA play. Up next, it's back on the road to take on Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs enter the game 1-1 on the season, opening with a 41-27 loss at #7 TCU, before picking up a 31-6 victory on the road at Nevada.

Final Score
:North_Texas: 7, :Tulsa: 3

Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – A fair day for Stephens, throwing 24-33 for 226 yards, but incompletions at the end killed us when we twice had first and goal and a touchdown needed to win. Price was the leading rusher, getting 121 yards on 31 carries. Six receivers caught a ball today, Fisher the leading go-to guy, ending with 87 yards on 6 catches.

- Tulsa Defense – Pretty much nothing but shutdown for the entire game. A 99% perfect day. That 1% being the 72 yard touchdown pass that put us behind.

- Tulsa Kicking – Easily the worst kicking day I have ever seen. Pratt ended 1-5 in field goals, the 22 yard kick near the end his only successful one. Shanked, shanked and more shanked, missing kicks from 43, 57, 25 and 46 yards, having absolutely no problem kicking the left or right, just completely impossible to kick them down the damn middle. If Pratt makes that 25 yard field goal just before halftime, we're kicking for a 9-7 win instead of forced to go for a touchdown at the end of the game.

Scoring Summary

Team 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Final Score

:North_Texas: 0 0 0 7 7

:Tulsa: 0 0 0 3 3

Time Team Result Play Score

First Quarter

--- --- --- --- ---

Second Quarter

--- --- --- --- ---

Third Quarter

--- --- --- --- ---

Fourth Quarter

7:24 :North_Texas: Touchdown B. Carroll, 72 yard pass from R. George (R. Woods kick) :North_Texas: 7-0

4:19 :Tulsa: Field Goal A. Pratt, 22 yard field goal :North_Texas: 7-3

Game Stats

North Texas Stat Tulsa

7 Score 3

9 First Downs 20

198 Total Offense 346

20 - 62 - 0 Rushes - Yards - TD 38 - 120 - 0

9 - 17 - 1 Comp - Att - TD 24 - 33 - 0

136 Passing Yards 226

2 Times Sacked 3

1 - 9 (11%) 3rd Down Conversion 4 - 16 (25%)

0 - 1 (0%) 4th Down Conversion 1 - 3 (33%)

0 - 0 (0%) 2-Point Conv 0 - 0 (0%)

1 - 0 - 0 (0%) Red Zone - TD - FG 7 - 0 - 1 (14%)

1 Turnovers 0

1 Fumbles Lost 0

0 Intercepted 0

0 Punt Return Yards 34

34 Kick Return Yards 37

232 Total Yards 417

7 – 42.1 Punts - Average 4 - 48.0

2 - 21 Penalties 0 - 0

14:56 Time of Possession 21:04

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact Goal Progress Pass Impact

:6redarrow: 21+ points per game in each season 16 :6greenarrow:

Win 10 games in one season 2 :6greenarrow:

3300+ passing yards each season 777 :5greenarrow:

:6redarrow: 65% pass completions over the entire contract 62% :5greenarrow:

:5redarrow: Win 6 games in one season 2 :5greenarrow:

:6redarrow: 15+ rushing TD in each season 4 :5greenarrow:

:4redarrow: 3200+ total offensive yards each season 1358 :3greenarrow:

:5redarrow: 3400+ total offensive yards each season 1358 :2greenarrow:

Penalty

:2redarrow: Lost to a lower ranked team

Job Security Status

43%

01-11-2013, 01:28 AM
SmoothPancakes

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, in the upset of the week, 2-1 Arkansas took down the mighty Tide, handing #1 Alabama their first loss, 21-16. Arkansas had a 21-10 lead before a touchdown and failed two-point conversion in the fourth quarter closed it to the 5-point final. #4 LSU had a hell of a time with UAB, the game tied 14-14 at halftime, and LSU only leading 28-21 after three quarters, but a 17-0 fourth quarter gave LSU the 45-21 win. In the game of the week, it was a 21-19 battle at halftime, but #5 Notre Dame pulled away in the second half to beat #19 Michigan State 44-29.

#6 Oklahoma, trailing 20-19 late, had to score 10 points in the fourth quarter to pull out a 29-20 win over Utah. South Carolina stayed perfect on the year, and handed #10 Texas A&M their first loss of the season in impressive fashion,demolishing the Aggies 59-35. #14 Oregon picked a 38-22 win over North Carolina, handing the Tar Heels their first loss. #15 Wisconsin had to use a 13-0 second half advantage to come back and beat Maryland 23-17. #16 Ohio State improved to 3-0 with their third straight close battle, holding on to beat UCF 38-31. #17 Georgia had to score 14 unanswered points to come back and beat Mississippi State 21-17.

#21 Rutgers continued their demolition drive in the Big Ten, beating Penn State 48-34, knocking yet another conference foe from the ranks of the unbeaten. #22 Boise State ended up with a fight, scoring late to pull away from Northern Illinois 31-24. #23 NC State used a 14-point fourth quarter to comeback and hold off Louisville 28-24.Oh how the mighty have fallen. After going 13-0 in the regular season and losing in the national title game last year, Washington falls to 0-3 this season, losing 26-7 to #24 Virginia Tech. Unlike Alabama, LSU and the rest of the perennial title contenders, looks like Washington was a one-hit wonder.

For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss improves to 2-1, picking up a 35-14 win over USF. Jaymo, Arizona State falls back below .500, dropping to 1-2 on the season with a 45-38 loss to Ohio, the Bobcats scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter to come back. Mors, victory is short lived, as West Virginia drops to 1-2 (1-1 Big 12) with a 41-38 overtime loss to Baylor. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State, looses their first of the year, dropping 28-16 to San Diego State to fall to 2-1.

Taking a look at the new Top 25 polls, in the Coaches Poll, your new #1 is Texas (34 first place votes) moving up one. Clemson (22 votes) moves up one to #2, LSU (4 votes) climbs one to #3, Notre Dame (1 vote) climbs one to #4 and Oklahoma jumps one to #5. TCU, Auburn and Michigan all climbed one to #6, #7 and #8. Iowa jumped two to #9, while Alabama fell nine to #10. USC climbed one to #11, Oregon jumped two #12, Nebraska stayed stuck at #13, Wisconsin and Ohio State both climbed one to #14 and #15. Georgia and Miami both climbed one to #16 and #17, Texas A&M fell eight to #18, Arkansas entered the poll this week at #19 and Georgia Tech remained at #20. Rutgers, Boise State and NC State all remained stuck at #21, #22 and #23. South Carolina entered the poll at #24, and despite winning last week over Washington, Virginia Tech drops one to #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Michigan State (from #19) and Arizona (from #25). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Arizona (231 votes) is #26, followed by Michigan State (214), Houston (171), Northwestern (110) and Ole Miss (94) to round out the Top 30.

In the first Media Poll of the year, Texas (37 first place votes) is #1, LSU (21 votes) #2, Clemson (4 votes) #3, Oklahoma (2 votes) #4 and Notre Dame (1 vote) #5. TCU is #6, Michigan #7, Auburn #8, Iowa #9, Alabama #10. Wisconsin #11, USC #12, Ohio State #13, Oregon #14, Nebraska #15, South Carolina #16, Miami #17, Arkansas #18, Texas A&M #19 and Georgia #20. Georgia Tech is #21, Rutgers #22, NC State #23, Boise State #24, and Michigan State #25. Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Virginia Tech (223 votes) is #26, followed by Houston (164), Arizona (155), Northwestern (155) and Ole Miss (105) to round out the Top 30.
01-11-2013, 04:30 AM
morsdraconis

Holy shit man. A lose to North Texas?! Looks like it's gonna be a LONG season.
01-11-2013, 05:00 AM
SmoothPancakes

Quote:

Originally Posted by morsdraconis

Holy shit man. A lose to North Texas?! Looks like it's gonna be a LONG season.

Yeah. :(

North Texas always plays me tough as hell, so the fact that the game was tight the entire way was no surprise. But to lose at the end like that, god that rips it out of you. I'm gonna second guess myself for a long ass time about that fourth quarter. Sitting on the 5 yard line, took the gamble and went with a field goal, just to get something on the board and set up for the chance to win. And then having first and goal twice, only to go four and out both times, Jesus that's just pathetic. :smh:

Unfortunately, I still have another week of Brad Stephens at the helm. I've already advanced to the next week and have recruiting all knocked out ready to jump right into Louisiana Tech, sometime probably Saturday night. I looked at the injury list, Casey Bishop is still listed as questionable. As much as I want to throw him in and try and get the offense un-fucked, I don't want to risk him immediately getting re-injured and knocked out for even longer, so unfortunately, another week of Stephens. I guess there's a semi-positive out of it all, since after Bishop graduates this year, it's gonna be Stephens as my starter.

Game Five

:Tulsa: :@: :Louisiana_Tech:

Game Notes

--- Coming off of our first conference loss to North Texas, we were sitting at a cliff. At 2-2 on the season, another loss would leave us halfway to being ineligible for a bowl game. Sitting 0-1 in C-USA action, another conference loss would leave us with a massive uphill climb just to hope to reach the C-USA Championship game with two conference losses. A loss to the Bulldogs would be disastrous for the outcome of the remaining season. We would be in a for a battle as Louisiana Tech entered the game with the #10 passing offense in the nation, averaging 342.5 yards a game through the air. They also ranked #4 in the nation in passing defense, only giving up an average of 111 yards passing each week. It would be a battle to beat the Bulldogs, and we would no doubt have to rely on our running game to help us win. We won the coin toss and elected to kick.

No return on the opening kickoff got the game underway as Louisiana Tech started at their 25 yard line. Austin James took the ball on first down for the Bulldogs, picking up 6 yards on the ground, followed by a one yard rush by Paul Kelly to leave third and three. The defense would force the first punt of the day on the next play, as James was tacked for a four yard loss, leaving the Bulldogs punting away on fourth and 7. A fair catch by Brandon Price on the 45 yard punt gave our offense the ball at our 26 yard line.

Shaking off a tackle on first down, Price took the ball up the middle and fought for a gain of 5 yards. Another rush, for 8 yards, gave us a first down at the 39 yard line as the drive found momentum. The defense proved ready for us on the next play, as the off-tackle rush was quickly blown up, Price only managing a two yard gain. Brad Stephens tried to keep the ball himself on second down, but could only get one yard before being swarmed by multiple defenders. Going to the air on third down, Stephens was able to connect with Chad Fisher for a 12 yard pickup and a first down at the 46 yard line to keep the drive alive. Price took the ball again on first down, weaving his way through a couple developing holes for an 8 yard gain, before picking up the first down with a 9 yard dive up the gut. Taking it to the defense, Stephens threw deep to Nicholas Roberts on a smash route, completed for 20 yards downs to the 9 yard line. A facemask penalty on cornerback Adrian Johnson advanced the ball half the distance to the goal, giving us a first and goal at the 5 yard line. The pass from Stephens intended for Eric Hayden on first down sailed incomplete. Price tried to take the ball up the middle on second down, but was blown up for no gain, leaving third and goal. Throwing into the corner of the end zone, Hayden hauled in the 5 yard touchdown pass from Stephens, just getting his feet down before momentum carried him out of the back of the end zone. The extra point gave us a 7-0 lead with 2:54 left in the first quarter.

A 17 yard kickoff return started Louisiana Tech from their 19 yard line. Kelly went to the air on first down, finding Chaz Humphrey for a 9 yard gain. James tried to pick up the first down on the next play, but the defense took him down in the backfield for a loss of three yards, leaving third and 5. Kelly would advance the chains himself, rushing ahead for a 6 yard gain to the 31 yard line. After a pair of dropped passes that left third down, Kelly found Calvin Livingston downfield for a 16 yard pickup and a first down at the 46 yard line. A two yard pass to Livingston, followed by another incomplete pass, left LTU with third and 8. The air attack would keep the drive moving, as Kelly connected with James for a 17 yard gain down to our 35 yard line. The Louisiana Tech offense would experience its first setback of the day, as they were flagged for holding, moving them back to our 45 and left with first and 20. An 8 yard rush by James would cut out a massive chunk of the penalty, followed by a 7 yard pass to Humphrey to leave third and 5. The defense was able to get some pressure on the third down play, forcing Kelly to scramble, only managing two yards before being brought down to leave fourth and three. The Bulldogs apparently had never heard of a field goal, going for it on fourth down, Kelly completing a pass to Humphrey for 5 yards and the first down at our 22 yard line. A 7 yard rush by James would leave second and three at our 15 yard line as the final seconds ticked off the clock, the first quarter at a conclusion and our lead 7-0.

Opening up the second quarter, Kelly threw short to Chad Brown for a two yard gain, leaving third and one. The Bulldogs would find the end zone on the next play, as Kelly connected with Brett Pearson on the 13 yard touchdown pass to tie the game up at 7-all with 8:41 left in the quarter. A 21 yard kickoff return by Fisher got us started at our 25.

Price took the first down handoff up the middle, getting about 5 yards deep before being hit in the mid-section. The hit blasted the ball loose, bouncing backwards, where Stephens ran up and slid over top of the ball to recover the fumble, but leaving us with second and 12. Even worse, Price was injured on the play, diagnosed with bruised ribs that would keep him on the bench until at least halftime. Going to the air, Fisher hauled in a pass from Stephens 8 yards downfield, breaking loose from the tackle attempt by the cornerback, juking past the outside linebacker and getting the outside angle, before racing the safety up the sideline to the LTU 39 yard line, a 38 yard gain in all. A pass over the middle to a wide open Max Thompson sailed long, a perfect opportunity for at least 15-20 free and easy yards left wasted. Thompson would come through on the next play, hauling in a pass from Stephens on an out route along the edge of the sideline, picking up 16 yards as he was instantly shoved out of bounds. Going back to the ground game, Roy Smith found a hole outside the left guard, racing through the hole for a 12 yard gain down to just outside the 10 yard line. A three yard rush left second and 7. Trying to go off-tackle on second down, Smith never had a chance, the blitzing linebacker pulling him down from behind for no gain. Fisher was able to get a pass from Stephens into his hands, but a hit by the safety jarred the ball loose, leaving us with fourth down and a field goal attempt upcoming. The 24 yard field goal by Alphonso Pratt was good, and we took a 10-7 lead with 4:55 left in the second quarter.

A 17 yard kickoff return got the Bulldogs set up at their 21 yard line. Going to the air on first down, a dropped pass by James left second down, before our defense got flagged for pass interference, the 15 free yards giving the Bulldogs first down at the 36 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Kelly rushed for a 5 yard gain, followed by an 8 yard pass to Lorenzo Bolden for the first down at midfield. Another holding penalty pushed the offense back again, this time leaving first and 20 from their 40 yard line. An incomplete pass and a two yard dump pass to James left the Bulldogs stuck with third and 18. An incomplete pass intended for Pearson brought about the second LTU punt of the game. The punt would end in disaster for Louisiana Tech, as the punt was blocked by outside linebacker Graham Minor, knocked backwards before finally recovered by Minor to give our offense possession at the LTU 18 yard line. Taking a shot at the end zone, the first down pass was nearly intercepted at the two yard line, batted incomplete. This time the defense would hold onto the ball, the safety Andrew Yates jumping in front of the pass intended for Fisher, intercepting it and returning it 14 yards out to the 24 yard line.

Kelly started off the new drive for the Bulldogs with a two yard rush, before finding Bolden through the air for a 5 yard gain to leave third and three. The defense would rise to the occasion, forcing Kelly to throw the ball away and bring the punt team back out on fourth down. The Bulldogs this time would get the punt off, Fisher returning the 46 yard punt for 9 yards to give us the ball at our 32 yard line, 2:44 left in the quarter. Smith never had a chance on the ground, tackled almost instantly for a one yard gain. With the clock ticking, the air would have to be our savior this drive. Fisher was able to haul in the pass from Stephens on second down, but a diving tackle by the linebacker knocked the ball loose and incomplete. Stephens was able to connect with Thompson on the third down pass, but put too much zip on it, forcing Thompson to dive to catch the pass, falling to the ground one yard short, a gain of only 8 yards. The punt team came out on fourth and one, coach Ludwig opting not to take the fourth down risk at our 41 yard line.

A booming punt that went unreturned left Louisiana Tech starting at their 8 yard line with only 1:55 to play, only two timeouts left to use after calling one after our third down play. That would potentially end up not mattering as Kelly hit Pearson on first down for a 21 yard gain out to the 28 yard line. After throwing the ball away and having a pass intended for Tremaine Goddard fall incomplete, Kelly converted third down with a 26 yard strike to Bolden, advancing the ball to our 46 yard line, 1:25 left to play. Going on the ground, James was tackled for a three yard loss to leave second and 13, the clock continuing to tick. After throwing the ball away on second down, Kelly again converted third down through the air, finding Ray Hoffman deep for a 32 yard gain, setting up first down at our 17 yard line, a timeout stopping the clock with 53 seconds to go. The defense refused to give Kelly anything on the next two plays, forcing him to throw the ball away both times, leaving third down. A 6 yard pass to James left the Bulldogs with fourth and four from our 10 yard line, 42 seconds to go. The Bulldogs went for the 27 yard field goal, the kicking sailed wide and was no good, and our offense took over at our 20 yard line with 24 seconds to go.

With 24 seconds and all three timeouts, instead of kneeling down the ball, we decided to take a couple shots before half. The first shot immediately paid off, as Smith was able to take advantage of a blitz, hauling in a pass from Stephens and racing the safety to the LTU 30 yard line for a 50 yard gain. Our first timeout stopped the clock with 17 seconds to go, as we turned our thoughts from trying for a field goal to trying for a touchdown. The first down pass intended for Roberts was batted incomplete, leaving 14 seconds. The second down pass intended for Thompson sailed too long and incomplete, leaving 11 seconds. We would find the end zone on our third try, as Hayden hauled in a pass from Stephens on a slant route, getting behind the safety on the catch and with nothing but green in front of him, sprinting 30 yards for the touchdown reception, giving us a 17-7 lead with 6 seconds left before halftime. A touchback on the kickoff brought the first half to an end, as we headed into halftime with a 17-7 lead.

Opening up the second half, Fisher returned the kickoff 25 yards out to our 31 yard line, as the offense got ready to go again. Back from his injury in the first half, Price took the handoff up the middle for a four yard gain. Stevens kept the ball himself on second down, but never had a chance, as the blitzing middle and outside linebackers brought him down before he could even take three steps, tackling him for a three yard loss. Going into the air, Fisher was able to haul in a pass from Stephens for a 14 yard gain, giving us first down at the 46 yard line. A comeback route pass to Hayden picked up 22 yards and we found ourselves with first down at the LTU 32 yard line. A pass to Smith went for a gain of 11 yards, giving us first down at the 22. Price took the ball on the ground on the next play, gaining 6 yards to the 16. Another rush by Price picked up 6 yards and the first down at the 10 yard line, setting up first and goal. Continuing to pound it up the middle, Price took the ball again, gaining rushing forward for 7 yards to leave second and goal at the three yard line. Price would find the end zone on the next play, bouncing outside after finding the entire middle clogged up with blue jerseys and scoring the three yard touchdown to open our lead to 24-7 with 4:24 left in the third quarter.

A 15 yard kickoff return left Louisiana Tech started at their 12 yard line and looking for a response. They would find none, as two incomplete passes and a two yard toss to James left the Bulldogs punting on fourth and 8 at their 14 yard line. We were flagged for offside, leaving LTU with fourth and three from the 19. The 41 yard punt was returned for 11 yards by Fisher to give our offense the ball at the LTU 44 yard line. Price took the handoff up the middle, only able to gain two yards. Going to the air on second down, Fisher was able to get the pass in his hands, but the hit by the cornerback forced the ball loose and incomplete to leave third and 8. The pass to Roberts was caught momentarily, but he lost possession as he went to turn upfield, dropping the ball incomplete and leaving us punting on fourth down. The ensuing punt bounced into the end zone for a touchback.

Starting on the 25 yard line, Kelly got the Bulldogs moving with a 17 yard pass to Pearson. That would be all they would manage, as three straight incomplete passes left the punt team coming back out. A 7 yard return by Price on the 47 yard punt gave us the ball at our 22 yard line. Price was able to fight his way up the middle for a 6 yard gain. Stretching out the defense, the delayed handoff to Price worked like a charm, as Price was able to weave himself through the line of scrimmage and into the secondary for a 14 yard gain and a first down at the 43 yard line. Running play action on first down, the defense bit perfectly, as Smith ran a wheel route out of the backfield and was completely uncovered along the right sideline, but the pass from Stephens carried too far and sailed out of bounds incomplete. The second down pass intended for Fisher was batted incomplete, leaving our drive in danger of stalling. The third down pass to Randy Newman was completed, but only for a 7 yard gain, leaving us punting on fourth and three from midfield.

The 44 yard punt went unreturned, leaving Louisiana Tech starting from their 7 yard line. Three straight incomplete passes again left the Bulldogs offense sputtering and going nowhere. An 8 yard return by Price on the 47 yard punt gave us first down at the LTU 46 yard line, 18 seconds left in the quarter. Price took the first down carry up the middle for a 9 yard gain, leaving second and one as the final second ticked off and the third quarter came to an end, our lead sitting at 24-7.

Opening up the fourth quarter, Price picked up the first down with a 6 yard rush, getting us down to the 31 yard line. Taking the ball on first down, a blitz left nothing but green in front, but Price was unable to take advantage of the situation, as a defender laying on the ground grabbed onto his ankle, slowing him up until the rest of the defense was able to him down for only a 5 yard gain. The next play, nobody was going to get to Price’s ankles, as he took the toss around the right end and broke open for a 12 yard gain down to the 13 yard line. Another rush by Price went for a 6 yard gain, leaving second and four at the 7 yard line. Price plowed into the pile on second down, managing three yards to leave third and one. Refusing to give up now, Price took the handoff, swerving to the left to avoid the blitzing linebacker and instead hit the open hole, using the momentum of his body and that of a defender tackling him from behind to carry and drive him into the end zone for the 5 yard touchdown rush and a 31-7 lead with 6:07 left in the game.

A 20 yard kickoff return left Louisiana Tech starting from their 21 yard line, just about all hopes of a comeback now squashed. Those hopes would officially die as three straight incomplete passes doomed another drive in its infancy. A three yard return on a 43 yard punt gave us the ball at our 38 yard line, just 5:34 separating us from victory. A first down carry by Price picked two yards, leaving the clock ticking. Busting loose up the middle, Price was able to pick up 10 yards for the first down at midfield, keeping the clock moving, now under 5 minutes. Another rush by Price went for a 6 yard gain, keeping the clock in action and keeping us inching down the field towards another first down. Smith came in to give Price a rest, but the second down carry would go nowhere, as Smith was tackled for no gain by the blitzing middle linebacker, the clock falling below three minutes. Price took the third down handoff, seemingly destined to get the first down with a wide open gap of green in front, but a diving tackle by the middle linebacker pushed him to the side, stopping him short for only a three yard gain and leaving us punting on fourth and one.

The punt sailed out of the back of the end zone for a touchback, giving Louisiana Tech the ball at the 20 with 2:32 left to play. After an incomplete pass on first down, Kelly finally started to resemble a QB again, completing a pass to Goddard for a 21 yard gain, out to the 41 yard line. A pass to Brown went for a 7 yard gain, before our defense was flagged for pass interference, giving the Bulldogs a first down at our 36 yard line, 1:59 left in the game. After being forced to throw the ball away on first down, Kelly found Pearson deep up the left sideline for a 25 yard gain, down to our 11 yard line. The Bulldogs would find the end zone on the next play, as Kelly hit Brown for the 11 yard touchdown pass. Louisiana Tech went for the two-point conversion, but it was no good as the rush by Nick Jenkins was stopped short of the goal line, leaving the score 31-13 with 1:41 to play.

The Bulldogs attempted an onside kick, but our hands team recovered, giving us the ball at the LTU 40 yard line, just 1:36 remaining. Stephens and the offense came out, kneeling the ball down three times to run out the remaining time on the clock, and sealing our 31-13 victory over Louisiana Tech.

With the win, we improve to 3-2, 1-1 in C-USA action. With the loss, Louisiana Tech drops to 1-2, 0-1 in C-USA play. Up next, it’s back home to take on a new opponent, the Blazers of UAB. UAB enters with a record of 1-2, 1-0 in C-USA action. The Blazers opened the year with a 52-30 loss to North Carolina and lost 45-21 at #3 LSU, before picking up a 23-14 win over MTSU.

Final Score
:Tulsa: 31, :Louisiana_Tech: 13

Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense – A pretty good day by Stephens, in quite possibly his last game starting. 233 yards and two touchdowns, but did throw the one interception. Price was the main man on the ground, rushing for 149 yards and touchdowns on 26 carries. Six receivers caught a ball today, Fisher leading the way with 64 yards on three receptions. Hayden was right behind with 57 yards and two touchdowns on three receptions.

Tulsa Defense – A decent day by the defense. Other than that scoring drive by LTU that spanned the first and second quarters, and the touchdown right at the very end, the defense held the Bulldogs essentially scoreless. They also recorded a blocked punt that gave us the ball at the 18 yard line (though the INT thrown by Stephens would ruin the pristine field position that blocked punt gave us).

Tulsa Kicking – A perfect day by Pratt. 1-1 in field goals with the 24 yard kick, and 4-4 in PATs.

Scoring Summary

Team 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Final Score

:Tulsa: 7 10 7 7 31

:Louisiana_Tech: 0 7 0 6 13

Time Team Result Play Score

First Quarter

2:54 :Tulsa: Touchdown E. Hayden, 5 yard pass from B. Stephens (A. Pratt kick) :Tulsa: 7-0

Second Quarter

8:41 :Louisiana_Tech: Touchdown B. Pearson, 13 yard pass from P. Kelly (R. Moore kick) TIED 7-7

4:55 :Tulsa: Field Goal A. Pratt, 24 yard field goal :Tulsa: 10-7

0:06 :Tulsa: Touchdown E. Hayden, 30 yard pass from B. Stephens (A. Pratt kick) :Tulsa: 17-7

Third Quarter

4:24 :Tulsa: Touchdown B. Price, 3 yard run (A. Pratt kick) :Tulsa: 24-7

Fourth Quarter

6:07 :Tulsa: Touchdown B. Price, 5 yard run (A. Pratt kick) :Tulsa: 31-7

1:41 :Louisiana_Tech: Touchdown C. Brown, 11 yard pass from P. Kelly (2-pt conversion failed) :Tulsa: 31-13

Game Stats

Tulsa Stat Louisiana Tech

31 Score 13

17 First Downs 13

390 Total Offense 282

36 - 157 - 2 Rushes - Yards - TD 11 - 28 - 0

12 - 24 - 2 Comp - Att - TD 21 - 47 - 2

233 Passing Yards 254

0 Times Sacked 0

5 - 11 (45%) 3rd Down Conversion 7 - 16 (43%)

0 - 0 (0%) 4th Down Conversion 1 - 1 (100%)

0 - 0 (0%) 2-Point Conv 0 - 1 (0%)

7 - 3 - 1 (57%) Red Zone - TD - FG 4 - 2 - 0 (50%)

1 Turnovers 1

0 Fumbles Lost 1

1 Intercepted 0

27 Punt Return Yards 0

46 Kick Return Yards 69

463 Total Yards 351

4 – 44.5 Punts - Average 6 - 45.2

4 - 43 Penalties 4 - 40

19:41 Time of Possession 16:19

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact Goal Progress Pass Impact

:6redarrow: 21+ points per game in each season 19 :6greenarrow:

Win 10 games in one season 3 :6greenarrow:

3300+ passing yards each season 1010 :5greenarrow:

:6redarrow: 65% pass completions over the entire contract 60% :5greenarrow:

:5redarrow: Win 6 games in one season 3 :5greenarrow:

:6redarrow: 15+ rushing TD in each season 6 :5greenarrow:

:4redarrow: 3200+ total offensive yards each season 1748 :3greenarrow:

:5redarrow: 3400+ total offensive yards each season 1748 :2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

43%

Show 40 post(s) from this thread on one page

Team	1st Quarter	2nd Quarter	3rd Quarter	4th Quarter	Final Score
:Tulsa:	3	3	3	3	12
:Ohio_State:	0	14	0	0	14

Time	Team	Result	Play	Score
First Quarter
4:23	:Tulsa:	Field Goal	A. Pratt, 52 yard field goal	:Tulsa: 3-0

Second Quarter
6:44	:Tulsa:	Field Goal	A. Pratt, 19 yard field goal	:Tulsa: 6-0
4:48	:Ohio_State:	Touchdown	K. White, 9 yard pass from J. Mason (W. Marquardt kick)	:Ohio_State: 7-6
0:08	:Ohio_State:	Touchdown	K. White, 1 yard pass from J. Mason (W. Marquardt kick)	:Ohio_State: 14-6

Third Quarter
3:59	:Tulsa:	Field Goal	A. Pratt, 25 yard field goal	:Ohio_State: 14-9

Fourth Quarter
2:40	:Tulsa:	Field Goal	A. Pratt, 22 yard field goal	:Ohio_State: 14-12

Tulsa	Stat	Ohio State
12	Score	14
21	First Downs	17
335	Total Offense	229
41 - 123 - 0	Rushes - Yards - TD	20 - 77 - 0
19 - 33 - 0	Comp - Att - TD	12 - 27 - 2
212	Passing Yards	152
3	Times Sacked	2
7 - 17 (41%)	3rd Down Conversion	4 - 10 (40%)
1 - 4 (25%)	4th Down Conversion	0 - 0 (0%)
0 - 0 (0%)	2-Point Conv	0 - 1 (0%)
6 - 0 - 3 (50%)	Red Zone - TD - FG	4 - 2 - 0 (50%)
1	Turnovers	3
1	Fumbles Lost	2
0	Intercepted	1
26	Punt Return Yards	5
45	Kick Return Yards	20
406	Total Yards	254
1 – 46.0	Punts - Average	4 - 48.0
2 - 15	Penalties	0 - 0
21:55	Time of Possession	14:05

Fail Impact	Goal	Progress	Pass Impact
:6redarrow:	21+ points per game in each season	17	:6greenarrow:
	Win 10 games in one season	1	:6greenarrow:
	3300+ passing yards each season	337	:5greenarrow:
:6redarrow:	65% pass completions over the entire contract	54%	:5greenarrow:
:5redarrow:	Win 6 games in one season	1	:5greenarrow:
:6redarrow:	15+ rushing TD in each season	1	:5greenarrow:
:4redarrow:	3200+ total offensive yards each season	702	:3greenarrow:
:5redarrow:	3400+ total offensive yards each season	702	:2greenarrow:

Tulsa	Stat	Fresno State
27	Score	24
16	First Downs	10
310	Total Offense	220
43 - 96 - 3	Rushes - Yards - TD	25 - 73 - 1
17 - 26 - 0	Comp - Att - TD	13 - 31 - 1
214	Passing Yards	147
4	Times Sacked	2
5 - 14 (35%)	3rd Down Conversion	3 - 16 (18%)
0 - 1 (0%)	4th Down Conversion	1 - 2 (50%)
0 - 0 (0%)	2-Point Conv	0 - 1 (0%)
6 - 3 - 2 (83%)	Red Zone - TD - FG	6 - 2 - 1 (50%)
3	Turnovers	2
3	Fumbles Lost	0
0	Intercepted	2
31	Punt Return Yards	26
61	Kick Return Yards	16
402	Total Yards	262
5 – 48.8	Punts - Average	7 - 44.0
2 - 7	Penalties	0 - 0
22:17	Time of Possession	13:43

North Texas	Stat	Tulsa
7	Score	3
9	First Downs	20
198	Total Offense	346
20 - 62 - 0	Rushes - Yards - TD	38 - 120 - 0
9 - 17 - 1	Comp - Att - TD	24 - 33 - 0
136	Passing Yards	226
2	Times Sacked	3
1 - 9 (11%)	3rd Down Conversion	4 - 16 (25%)
0 - 1 (0%)	4th Down Conversion	1 - 3 (33%)
0 - 0 (0%)	2-Point Conv	0 - 0 (0%)
1 - 0 - 0 (0%)	Red Zone - TD - FG	7 - 0 - 1 (14%)
1	Turnovers	0
1	Fumbles Lost	0
0	Intercepted	0
0	Punt Return Yards	34
34	Kick Return Yards	37
232	Total Yards	417
7 – 42.1	Punts - Average	4 - 48.0
2 - 21	Penalties	0 - 0
14:56	Time of Possession	21:04

Tulsa	Stat	Louisiana Tech
31	Score	13
17	First Downs	13
390	Total Offense	282
36 - 157 - 2	Rushes - Yards - TD	11 - 28 - 0
12 - 24 - 2	Comp - Att - TD	21 - 47 - 2
233	Passing Yards	254
0	Times Sacked	0
5 - 11 (45%)	3rd Down Conversion	7 - 16 (43%)
0 - 0 (0%)	4th Down Conversion	1 - 1 (100%)
0 - 0 (0%)	2-Point Conv	0 - 1 (0%)
7 - 3 - 1 (57%)	Red Zone - TD - FG	4 - 2 - 0 (50%)
1	Turnovers	1
0	Fumbles Lost	1
1	Intercepted	0
27	Punt Return Yards	0
46	Kick Return Yards	69
463	Total Yards	351
4 – 44.5	Punts - Average	6 - 45.2
4 - 43	Penalties	4 - 40
19:41	Time of Possession	16:19