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Tulsa tames Bulldogs in
Liberty Bowl
FINAL ROUNDUP OF C-USA BOWLS New Orleans Bowl
[Preview]
Tuesday, December 20
Southern Miss 31, Arkansas State 19
Cajun Stadium, Lafayette, LA
Payout Per Team: $750,000
Time: 8 PM; TV: ESPN
GMAC Bowl [Preview]
Wednesday, December 21
Toledo 45, Texas-El Paso 13
Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, AL
Payout Per Team: $750,000
Time: 8 PM; TV: ESPN
Fort Worth Bowl [Preview]
Friday, December 23
Kansas 42, Houston 13
Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX
Payout Per Team: $750,000
Time: 8 PM; TV: ESPN
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl [Preview]
Saturday, December 24
Nevada 49, Central Florida 48 (OT)
Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI
Payout Per Team: $750,000
Time: 8:30 PM; TV: ESPN
Motor City Bowl [Preview]
Monday, December 26
Memphis
38, Akron 31
Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Payout Per Team: $750,000
Time: 4 PM; TV: ESPN
AutoZone Liberty Bowl [Preview]
Saturday, December 31
Tulsa
31, Fresno State 24
Liberty Bowl Stadium, Memphis, TN
Payout Per Team: $1,500,000
Time: 1 PM; TV: ESPN
View schedule and final results of all bowl games involving C-USA teams... |
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View Liberty
Bowl Box Score...
By JOEDY McCREARY
AP Sports Writer
MEMPHIS
Paul Smith ran 4 yards for the winning touchdown with 2:55 remaining,
and Tulsa's defense had two key fourth-quarter interceptions in a 31-24
victory over Fresno State in the Liberty Bowl on Saturday.
The triumph, before 54,894
fans, capped off Conference USA's postseason record at 3 wins and 3
losses. Southern Mississippi defeated Arkansas State 31-19 in the New
Orleans Bowl; Texas-El Paso was routed by Toledo 45-13 in the GMAC Bowl;
Houston was hammered by Kansas 42-13 in the Fort Worth Bowl; Central
Florida lost in overtime to Nevada 49-48 in the Hawaii Bowl; and Memphis
beat Akron 38-31 in the Motor City Bowl.
Smith, the game's MVP,
finished 18-of-27 passing for 234 yards with a 54-yard touchdown pass to
Ashlan Davis, but made his biggest play oxn the ground when he scrambled
around three Fresno State defenders and into the end zone to secure
Tulsa's first bowl victory since 1991.
Defensive back Anthony
Germany set up that play by picking off Paul Pinegar's pass with just
under 7 minutes remaining. Smith then led Tulsa on the decisive
eight-play, 52-yard drive.
Fresno State had one final
chance to force overtime and Pinegar drove the Bulldogs to the Tulsa 42
before his pass toward the sideline was picked off by linebacker Nelson
Coleman.
The Golden Hurricane (9-4)
then ran out the clock and celebrated their first bowl victory since
they beat San Diego State in the Freedom Bowl in 1991.
The victory capped a
remarkable turnaround under new coach Steve Kragthorpe, who took over a
Tulsa program in 2003 that was coming off 11 straight losing seasons and
led it to two bowls in three years.
The Golden Hurricane
overcame low expectations this season to claim an unlikely Conference
USA championship in their first year in the league, then beat a Fresno
State team that gave top-ranked Southern California fits and once was
ranked 16th in the nation before sliding into a late-season slump.
Tulsa had to come from
behind to beat its former WAC rival, scoring two touchdowns in the
fourth quarter. Fresno State took a 24-17 lead on Pinegar's 21-yard
touchdown pass to Joe Fernandez on the second play of the quarter.
The Golden Hurricane tied
it at 24 two possessions later when Smith found Davis streaking behind
the secondary for a 54-yard TD pass.
Tarrion Adams led Tulsa
with 102 yards rushing, but most of that came on a 63-yard touchdown
burst in the second quarter. That scoring run gave Tulsa its first lead
at 14-7 and came about 4 minutes after teammate Uril Parrish tied it by
running 22 yards for the Golden Hurricane's first touchdown.
Pinegar finished 19-of-30
passing for 213 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, while
Wendell Mathis had 117 yards rushing and his WAC-best 15th rushing
touchdown of the season for Fresno State (8-5), which closed a
once-promising year with four straight losses.
Pinegar also was denied in
his attempt to become the first quarterback to go 4-0 as a starter in
bowl games.
The teams traded field
goals in the second and third quarters, with Brad DeVault kicking a
41-yarder on the final play of the first half to give Tulsa a 17-14
halftime lead. Fresno State tied it at 17 on Kyle Zimmerman's 27-yard
field goal early in the third.
Fresno State backup Bryson
Sumlin had a 25-yard TD run late in the first half.
The game is sponsored by
AutoZone.
LIBERTY
BOWL BOX SCORE
Tulsa 31, Fresno State 24
Fresno
State 7 7 3 7 24
Tulsa 0 17 0
14 31
First
Quarter:
Fre Mathis 6 run (Zimmerman kick), 1:00.
Second
Quarter:
Tul Parrish 22 run (DeVault kick), 12:33.
Tul T. Adams 63 run (DeVault kick), 8:15.
Fre Sumlin 25 run (Zimmerman kick), 1:13.
Tul FG DeVault 41, :00.
Third
Quarter:
Fre FG Zimmerman 27, 11:51.
Fourth
Quarter:
Fre Fernandez 21 pass from Pinegar (Zimmerman kick), 14:12.
Tul A. Davis 54 pass from P.Smith (DeVault kick), 10:35.
Tul P. Smith 4 run (DeVault kick), :55.
Attendance: 54,894.
TEAM
STATS Fresno
Tulsa
First downs
22 20
Rushes-yards 47-208
28-196
Passing
213 234
Comp-Att-Int 19-30-2
18-27-0
Return Yards
-6 1
Punts-Avg.
3-34.3 4-40.3
Fumbles-Lost
1-0 1-1
Penalties-Yards 5-35
2-10
Time of Possession 38:20 21:40
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Rushing:
Fresno State Mathis 31-117, Sumlin 11-57, Pinegar 3-27, Rivera 2-7;
Tulsa T. Adams 11-102, Parrish 9-51, P. Smith 7-45, Team 1-(minus 2).
Passing:
Fresno State Pinegar 19-30-2-213; Tulsa P.Smith 18-27-0-234.
Receiving:
Fresno State Fairman 6-73, Williams 3-47, Fernandez 2-25, Jennings
2-20, Pascoe 2-10, Rivera 1-19, Mathis 1-13, Tapia 1-6, Jamison 1-0;
Tulsa A. Davis 8-128, Mills 4-52, Parrish 3-19, T. Adams 2-29, Keopple
1-6.
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02/23/07 10:42 AM
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