The Basics
--Score: Tulsa 34, ULM 24
--Records: ULM (1-4, 0-1 SBC), Tulsa (3-2, 0-1 AAC)
--Location: Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium – Tulsa, Okla.
--Attendance: 17,490
How It Happened
--Tulsa struck first with a 34-yard field goal from Redford Jones. It ended a 13-play, 47-yard drive that included a fourth-and-short conversion from the ULM 43.
--ULM countered with nearly the exact same march, albeit a different fate. Craig Ford missed his first career field goal, a 44-yard boot that ended the 12-play, 47-yard sequence.
--Tulsa got their first touchdown on a one-yard Zack Langer keeper with 31 seconds to play in the first quarter.
--A Kaylon Watson fumble gave Tulsa the ball back in ULM territory, and on the first play of the second quarter, Ben Banogu whipped around the offensive line and sacked Langer as he tried scrambling on fourth down.
--ULM responded in a big way with a methodical 10-play, 69-yard touchdown drive. Garrett Smith was efficient on his downfield passing, hitting Jared Mapps for back-to-back 17- and 18-yard strikes. The Warhawks recovered a fumbled snap on the next play, and a 15-yard pass to Ajalen Holley and roughing-the-passer penalty followed. Smith ended the drive with a three-yard rush into the endzone.
--The ULM defense had arguably its best stand of the season with their backs against the wall at their own 3. The Warhawks forced an incomplete pass and two rushes for no yards that ended with a missed field goal to keep it a three-point deficit with five minutes to go in the first half.
--Chris Qualls had a 51-yard punt, the longest of his career, but Conner Floyd brought it 23 yards back to the ULM 48. The Golden Hurricane again threatened deep within the red zone, but ULM again forced a field goal. That kick was good from 28 yards out, pushing the Tulsa lead to 13-7 with one minute and 48 seconds to go before the break.
--Tulsa upped its lead to 20-7 with a half-minute before the break. A 36-yard catch-and-run from Justin Hobbs completed the five-play, 66-yard sequence.
--The Warhawks did not back down coming out of the locker room at intermission. Harley Scioneaux pulled down a 26-yard reception to begin the drive, where he hugged the Tulsa defender from behind and ran another few yards after the catch despite a defensive pass interference call. The next four ULM plays went for nine, 10, 11, and 10 yards. On fourth-and-goal inside the one, a false start forced Craig Ford out for the 22-yard kick, making it a 20-10 ULM deficit.
--ULM really turned the tables on Tulsa's ensuing possession. Ben Banogu continued his recent tear with a sack on third-and-goal from the 21. The field goal was blocked by Lorenzo Jackson and picked up by Roland Jenkins, who then lateraled it to Lenzy Pipkins as he was going down for a 54-yard scoring run. An illegal forward pass was called and kept the ball at the Tulsa 43.
--The offense picked it up yet again on the ensuing possession, despite the touchdown being taken off the board. Facing a fourth-and-six, Smith found Holley over the middle for a one-handed 13-yard reception. Three plays later, Smith scrambled in and around the pocket on third-and-long before finding No. 21 all by himself in front of the goal post for the 26-yard touchdown pass. That connection made it a 20-17 game with six minutes to play in the third quarter.
--Tre' Hunter provided one of the biggest tackles of the game on the next Tulsa possession. Ramadi Warren's 36-yard run up the middle was untouched until Hunter caught him from behind. Redford Jones' 40-yard field goal would be wide right.
--ULM continued its trend of taking advantage of a pivotal moment by the defense and special teams, as Smith found Holley and Green for 16 and 15 yards, respectively. DeVontae McNeal saved his longest run of the season for the most opportune time, reeling off a 43-yard dash that gave ULM its first lead of the game, 24-20 with three minutes, 16 seconds to go in the third.
--Matt Linscott's diving interception of Smith gave Tulsa the ball at the 29, and two plays later Brewer had a 15-yard catch-and-run to just beat the ULM secondary's tackle attempt at the goal line. Tulsa regained the 27-24 lead with just under nine minutes to play.
--Trey Caldwell fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Tulsa fell on it at the ULM 34. The Warhawk defense held tight on back-to-back stuffs at the goal line before Tulsa got it across to expand the lead to 34-24 that concluded the night.
Inside (and Beyond) The Box Score
--ULM captains: Frank Sutton, Jr. (offense), Trey Caldwell (defense) and David Griffith (special teams).
--Tulsa captains: Connor Floyd (offense), Derrick Luetjen (defense), Rey Higuera (special teams).
--The game was a homecoming for head coach Todd Berry, a quarterback for the Golden Hurricane from 1979-81. Brayle Brown, Will Collins, Colby Mitchell and Keaton Baggs also hail from the Sooner State. Berry attended Miami High School there as well.
--The contest marked ULM's first against an American Athletic Conference foe. Its previous game against anyone currently in the league was in 2013 versus Tulane.
--The matchup was the final installation of a home-and-home series that began in 2007, when Tulsa came to Malone Stadium.
--ULM ran 77 plays from scrimmage. Its previous season-high was 66 against Nicholls State. It marked the most since having 78 in the 2013 Wake Forest win.
--McNeal's 43-yard dash was his longest since unleashing a 77-yarder for a score at UL Lafayette in the 2013 finale. He missed the 2014 season due to injury.
--Holley's 11 catches for 113 yards gives him 36 for 472 in his last four games.
--The Golden Hurricane's 16-play drive in the middle of the second quarter was the longest against the Warhawks on the year.
--Smith finished with 48 pass attempts, the most in his young career.
--ULM's field goal to open the second half was its third time scoring to begin that half in five games on the year.
--Banogu's had a pair of sacks among four tackles-for-loss. That gives him seven TFL in his last two games.
--Mapps had career-highs of four catches for 47 yards.
--Kaylon Watson's 37-yard run early in the fourth quarter and 73 total ground tally marked career-bests.
--Chris Qualls had his first 50+ yard punt of his career in the second quarter.
--Marcus Green and Xavier Brown had their first collegiate starts.
Up Next
--The Warhawks will return home to face Appalachian State next Saturday night. The contest is set to begin at 6 p.m. and will air on ESPN3.
For updates on the football squad, be sure to follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
