Golden Hurricane get road win over Northern Illinois

DEKALB, Ill. — Tulsa took control in the final quarter and overcame a five-point deficit for a 22-14 win over the Northern Illinois Huskies on Saturday afternoon in front of 10,321 fans at Huskie Stadium.

It was total team effort from the Hurricane, and in the final quarter it was the offense, defense and special teams that each made significant plays contributing to the victory.

First, the offense went 76 yards in nine plays to score on a Tahj Gary 17-yard run at the 8:33 mark to retake the lead at 19-14. The special teams responded with a forced fumble and recovery on the subsequent kickoff that led to three points and a 22-14 lead, and the defensive unit held NIU scoreless while Kendarin Ray’s interception with 26 seconds left in the game clock preserved the Tulsa victory.

The win put Tulsa at 2-2 on the season heading into American Athletic Conference play Thursday night against Temple. The victory snapped a two-game losing streak that came against two of the nation’s top-20 teams, No. 8 Washington and No. 19 Oklahoma.

Tulsa ended the game with 281 total yards with 179 on the ground and 102 through the air, while NIU totaled 295 total yards. Both teams had three takeaways. Tulsa’s Anthony Watkins led all ballcarriers with 91 yards and a touchdown, while Gary added 51 yards and his TD.

NIU took its only lead of the game in the third quarter by capitalizing on Tulsa’s third turnover. A 29-yard Jordan Lynch touchdown capped a 33-yard, twoplay drive to give the Huskies a 14-9 lead with 5:34 remaining in the period. The NIU drive was set-up by a Muhammad Jammeh 17-yard interception return to the Tulsa 33-yard line.

ON NIU’s next possession, the Tulsa defense came up with a huge fourth down-and-one stop at the NIU 28 as Julien Simon made the first contact and was joined by multiple teammates to give the Hurricane offense possession in NIU territory. The Hurricane had to settle for a 36-yard Chase Meyer field goal to cut NIU’s lead to 14-12 as time expired in the third period.

On Tulsa’s first fourth period possession, Gary raced the final 17 yards to put the Hurricane ahead 19-14 with 8:33 remaining in the contest. The run capped a nine-play, 76-yard drive in taking 3:01 off the clock.

On the subsequent kickoff, the Tulsa special teams came through when Jehlen Cannady forced the fumble and Cam Crooks recovered at the NIU 34. The Hurricane traveled to the NIU 4, and Chase Meyer converted a 22yard field goal for the eight-point Tulsa advantage.

It was a relatively even first half as the Hurricane was on top 9-7 heading into intermission. Tulsa had a 118 to 115-yard edge in total offense. Tulsa’s longest drive of the first half went 74 yards but ended in a turnover. The Huskies had its longest drive cover 75 yards with a touchdown in the first 30 minutes.

Tulsa’s first points came on a safety late in the first quarter. The Hurricane took the subsequent kick 50 yards in eight plays for a 9-0 lead when Anthony Watkins ran in from a yard out for the score.

NIU responded with an 11:03 scoring drive that covered 75 yards in 20 plays, making the score 9-7 with 2:59 remaining before halftime.

Tulsa opens American Athletic Conference play vs. the Temple Owls at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium.