TULSA, Okla. — This BYU-Tulsa football game was reportedly televised by CSTV, but it should have been on ESPN Classic. It looked an awful lot like turn-back-the-clock night. There were no retro jerseys, only retro offensive performances.
In the mid-1990s, the Cougars and Golden Hurricane were both members of the Western Athletic Conference and the league had a reputation for wild, high-scoring affairs with final scores that resembled basketball contests. Ghosts of the wacky WAC showed up at Chapman Stadium as the defenses took most of the night off and the offenses reigned supreme.
The teams combined for 102 points and 1,027 passing yards and in the end, when the dust had settled and players from both teams had run out of breath Saturday night in a game that lasted nearly four hours, Tulsa ended up on top of BYU, 55-47.
Then again, this is what happened when these two teams tangled as WAC members. In 1995, 1996 and 1997, when both schools were part of the WAC, BYU won by scores of 45-35, 55-30 and 49-39.
A week ago in a 27-17 loss at UCLA — the same Bruins who were blitzed by Utah on Saturday — the Cougars had their BCS bubble burst. Now, they have to be concerned about their place in the MWC. BYU (1-2) hosts resurgent, undefeated Air Force (3-0) next Saturday.
For the second straight week, the Cougars committed too many penalties (14 for minus-138 yards) and turnovers (two interceptions, two fumbles).
Early in the fourth quarter, BYU, trailing by five, 45-40, was driving in Tulsa territory when Cougar quarterback Max Hall was hit as he was throwing and fumbled. The Golden Hurricane's Terrel Nemons recovered the ball to snuff out a Cougar drive.
Tulsa capitalized by answering with a 74-yard drive that culminated with a 37-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Paul Smith to Charles Clay to put the Golden Hurricane ahead, 52-40. The Cougars responded with a TD of their own on a 36-yard pass from Hall to Michael Reed to make it 52-47.
After a Tulsa field goal, BYU marched down into Golden Hurricane territory once again. On fourth-and-20 from the 22, Hall's pass was tipped by Anthony Germany and it fell incomplete with a little over two minutes remaining.
BYU received another chance with 49 seconds left on a drive that started on its own 16. But two plays later, tight end Andrew George made a 12-yard reception before fumbling with 27 ticks on the clock. Tulsa recovered and stuck a pitchfork in BYU.
It marked Tulsa's first win over the Cougars in a series that started in 1971, snapping a six-game losing streak to BYU.
For the game, Hall completed 34 of 57 passes for 537 yards and four touchdowns, while Smith completed 21 of 35 passes for 454 yards and five touchdowns. Golden Hurricane receiver Brennan Marion caught three passes for 171 yards, while Charles Clay caught three touchdowns for Tulsa. Three BYU receivers, meanwhile, turned in 100-plus yard performances as Reed had eight catches for 132 yards, Austin Collie had four receptions for 121 yards and Dennis Pitta had six grabs for 132 yards.
But, for BYU, it wasn't enough.
In the first half, the Golden Hurricane recorded three don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-the-score drives that lasted less than one minute, including a drive that took 10 seconds on a 75-yard touchdown pass. The two teams scored on eight consecutive drives from the end of the first quarter through the second quarter. The Cougars rolled up 27 points in the second quarter alone. BYU and Tulsa combined for 65 first-half points.
By halftime, Hall and Smith combined for 579 yards through the air and seven touchdown passes. It seemed fitting that Hall's uncle, Danny White, is the coach of the Arena Football League's Utah Blaze. Halftime score: Cougars 34, Golden Hurricane 31.
Early in the second half, the defense got into the scoring act when Tulsa defensive back Roy Roberts stepped in front of a Hall pass and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown to put the Golden Hurricane on top again, 38-31. Hall threw another interception on the following drive and Tulsa capitalized with a touchdown run by Tarrion Adams.
Things slowed down in the second half, but the Cougars still had too few answers for Smith and the Golden Hurricane's powerful attack.
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com