Photo: mphillips007 / E+ / Getty Images
UTSA tied the school record for sacks and tackles for loss and Owen McCown set a new program standard for passing yards in a game, but Tulsa rallied for a 46-45 win over the Roadrunners in American Athletic Conference action on Saturday afternoon at H.A. Chapman Stadium.
The Roadrunners (3-5, 1-3 AAC) built a 35-7 halftime lead only to see the Golden Hurricane (3-5, 1-3 AAC) complete the comeback with a touchdown pass and extra point in the final minutes.
UTSA held a 45-32 advantage after Tate Sandell connected on a 37-yard field with 5:21 left to play, but Tulsa scored two touchdowns down the stretch, including a 4-yard pass from Cooper Legas to Kamdyn Benjamin with 1:01 on the clock to knot the score at 45-all. Seth Morgan drilled the PAT to give the home team its first lead of the day.
The Roadrunners got the ball to midfield on their last possession after McCown hit Houston Thomas on a 25-yard pass. However, the Golden Hurricane forced four incompletions from there to seal the victory.
McCown threw for a school-record 434 yards and a career-high four touchdowns on 30-of-50 passing, as UTSA piled up a season-high 546 yards of offense.
Thomas led all players with a career-best 132 receiving yards on six catches, while Chris Carpenter notched his first 100-yard game with 115 on a team-high seven receptions. Willie McCoy grabbed four balls for 76 yards, while Robert Henry Jr. paced the ground game with 67 yards on 20 carries.
UTSA registered 14 tackles for loss, including seven sacks for the second straight contest. Ronald Triplette led the way with a pair of sacks while Jimmori Robinson had a team-high 2.5 TFLs.
Martavius French paced the defense with eight tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, while Brevin Randle added six stops with a pair for loss, including a sack. Jamal Ligon also had a sack and a fumble recovery as part of a four-tackle day.
After the UTSA defense opened the day with a three-and-out, Oscar Cardenas took a short screen pass from McCown and rumbled into the end zone for the first points of the day. The senior tight end’s ninth career touchdown reception capped a nine-play, 46-yard drive that was keyed by Henry’s 27 rushing yards.
The Roadrunners padded their lead with touchdowns on three consecutive possessions later in the first half.
McCown found Carpenter wide open down the left sideline for a 69-yard TD pass to help push the lead to 14-0 late in the opening quarter.
Ligon recovered a fumble off a strip sack by Triplette at the Tulsa 34-yard line. Two plays later, McCown connected with Dan Dishman for a 23-yard TD pass. The PAT missed wide right, leaving the score at 20-0 with 13:54 left until halftime.
The Golden Hurricane got on the board on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Legas to Bill Jackson, but the Roadrunners responded with a seven-play, 75-yard march that ended on a 9-yard TD dash by Henry.
Late in the second quarter, Daemian Wimberly scooped up a loose ball after a Ligon sack of the Tulsa quarterback and raced 28 yards to paydirt to help push the lead to 35-7 at the break.
Tulsa scored 10 unanswered points to start the third quarter. Amieh Williams had a 35-yard fumble return for a touchdown after a sack by Vontroy Malone and Morgan split the uprights from 37 yards to make it 35-17.
UTSA stretched the lead to 42-17 on Willie McCoy’s 5-yard TD catch with 5:30 left in the third quarter, only to see Tulsa climb back to within 10 after a pair of touchdowns, the second one followed by a two-point conversion that made it 42-32 with 14:21 left.
Legas passed for 333 yards and five TDs while Benjamin caught seven balls for 125 yards and three scores to lead Tulsa’s offense, which exploded for 333 of its 433 yards in the second half.
The Roadrunners will return home to host Memphis (7-1, 3-1) for the Lights Out game on Saturday, Nov. 2. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at the Alamodome and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Fans can purchase tickets online or by calling the UTSA Ticket Office at 210-458-UTSA (8872) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday excluding holidays.