Fights breaks out between Mississippi State, Tulsa players after final whistle of 2020 Armed Forces Bowl

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (December 31, 2020) The Mississippi State Bulldogs downed No. 24 Tulsa Golden Hurricane by the score of 28-26 at the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on Thursday. However, the action after the game garnered more attention and more media coverage than the actual game.

After the final whistle, the fans at TCU's Amon G. Carter Stadium saw a massive brawl break pout between players, managers and team support staff of both teams. While it is not clear what led to the incident, a number of players and coaches could be seen involved in the ugly scene along the sidelines. Tensions had been high during the entire game with both teams taunting each other before kickoff. It was not apparent what started the incident, but punches began flying and at that point, things got out of hands. 

A video clip (courtesy of CBS Sports)of the incident is posted above. Numerous players were invoo;led in the  melee and those involved surely will be identified. Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach was interviewed, and questioned about the fight, after the game. He stated, 

"It's dumb. The root of it's dumb, no matter what the root of it is. The root of it's dumb and the continuation of it's dumb. I would have that solidly in the category of dumb. Now where the dumb started, I'm not entirely sure."

Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery stated he did not know what started the fight either, but did say his players were supporting each other. 

"The one thing I'll say is our program, our guys, we're a team that is going to stand up for each other and we're going to battle. We talked about faith, family, football and family is going to take care of family. We're a team that has battled all year long. We battled again today and from that standpoint our guys are going to continue to protect each other and go from there." 

Look for further details to emerge regatding this incident in the coming days. 

Houston downs Tulsa 64-61 in mid-week basketball action

Photo by Robert H Kelly

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2017 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 4, 2016) The Houston Cougars, without the services of Rob Gray, downed the Tulsa Golden Hurricane by the score of 64-61 at Hofheinz Pavilion on Wednesday, January 4, 2016. The win moved the Cougars to 3-0 in American Athletic Conference action sand sets up a Saturday, January 7 meeting with No. 22 Cincinnati. Houston was paced by Wes VanBeck, who was pressed into service in the starting lineup due to Gray’s illness scored a career-high 16 points along with going 10-for-10 from the free throw line. Tulsa dropped to 7-7 overall and 1-1 in American play with the loss. Damyean Dotson led the Cougars with 18 points, with Danrad Knowles and Galen Robinson Jr. adding 10 points each. Corey Henderson led Tulsa with 16 points.

Houston Cougars stop Tulsa on last-second play to down the Golden Hurricane 38-31

Dillon Birden (25) scored three touchdowns in
Houston's 38-31 win over Tulsa.
Photo by Darla S Tamulitis,
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 15, 2016) With the Houston Cougars leading 38-31 and only seven seconds remaining in the game, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane had the ball on the Houston two-yard line on a second-and-goal play. All they needed to was punch the ball into the end zone and kick an extra point to send the game into overtime. However, as it is in so many sporting events, Houston had another idea and stopped Tulsa on the one-yard line to secure their sixth win of the season and move them to 3-1 in American Athletic Conference play. The 38,221 fans in attendance at Houston’s TDECU Stadium on Saturday, October 15, 2016 saw a classic struggle of two very good football teams that both desired a win, with only one walking away victorious.

Houston did not take long to begin their new winning streak, scoring after 2:23 of play when Dillon Birden carried the ball the final 17 yards of a 76-yard drive for the first touchdown of the game. Ty Cummings added the extra point to put the Cougars up 7-0. Tulsa responded five minutes later with a Redford Jones 32-yard field goal to cut Houston’s lead to 7-3. Cumming added a 33-yard field goal with 1:54 remaining in the first quarter to give Houston a 10-3 lead after 15 minutes of play.

In the second quarter, the Cougars added seven more points on a six-yard carry by Mulbar Car and another Cummings extra point. The Golden Hurricane scored two touchdowns in the final 2:55 of the first half to tie the score at 17. Corey Taylor scored on a two-yard run while Dane Evans rushed for a one-yard touchdown. Jones added both extra points to cap the scoring after 30 minutes of play.

Mulbar Car (34) scored the Cougars'
scored third TD in Houston's
38-31 win over Tulsa.
Photo by Darla S Tamulitis,
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

In the third quarter, both teams battled back-and-forth with neither team able to get an advantage until Houston marched down the field and took back the lead 24-17. Birden scored his second TD of the game on a six-yard run with 13 seconds to go in the quarter. Cummings added the extra point to close out the quarter. The Cougars extended their lead to 14 when Birden scored his third touchdown of the game; an eight-yard rush, and another kick by Cummings at the 8:29 mark in the fourth quarter. It took only 1:26 for the Golden Hurricane to again cut the Houston lead to seven on a 38-yard pass from Evans to Justin Hobbs and Jones’ extra point. With 3:31 left in the game, Tulsa tied the score at 31 on a three-yard run by James Flanders and another Jones conversion. Houston came right back and sealed the win with a 24-yard fumble recovery Emeke Egbule returning it for the score. Evans was sacked for a eight-yard loss on a first and ten play from their own 33-yard line. Houston now leads the series 23-18. Last year, Houston downed Tulsa by the score of 28-24 on October 3 in Tulsa.

Houston head coach Tom Herman discussed the defense's performance with the press after the game. 

On the confidence of the defensive after the last two games “They ran for under 100 yards and we’re built to stop the run. We’ve got to get better against the pass. Last week, from a defensive standpoint, we flushed that. Your defense is so different defending the triple option that we’ll worry about that the next time we play a triple-option team. It has no bearing on the way our defense played tonight because the alignment, assignments and techniques are all different. I didn’t sense any doubt from our defense. It’s apparent we’ve got to get better in our pass defense and coverage. Again, as statistics go, we dodged a statistic tonight. Which is, win or lose against Navy the last three or four years, teams’ winning percentages are awful the week after Navy. In 2014, teams were 1-11 the weeks after they played Navy, win or lose. I don’t know what the stat is this year, but I’m proud of our defense after getting so banged up in that game against Navy, then having to re-adjust the entire defensive scheme in such a short week. (Tulsa) is a really good offense and really tough to defend because of their scheme and the way they spread the field. We know we have to improve, there’s no doubt about that. To do it the week after playing Navy was very good.” 

The Cougars will hit the road next weekend to face instate rival SMU. The game is scheduled for a 6   p.m. kickoff at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Houston is 20-10-1 lifetime against the Mustangs. In 2015, the Cougars downed SMU 49-28 in front of 25,204 fans at Houston’s TDECU Stadium. After the win, Houston broke into the national rankings, debuting at No. 24 in the AP poll. 

Readers can view a slide show of photos from the game by Darla S Tamulitis of La Vita Loca Photography by clicking here.

Houston HC Tom Herman Press Conference: Houston Cougars 38, Tulsa Golden Hurricane 31

Houston Cougars become bowl eligible with 38-28 win over Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Greg Ward Jr. (1) caiired the ball eight times for
37 yards and was 17-of-22 for 225 yards in the
air for the Houston Cougars.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved
 

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2014 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (November 22, 2014) The Houston Cougars survived a late comeback by the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and held on for their fourth conference win of the season with a 38-28 win at TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas on Saturday, November 22, 2014. With the win, the Cougars become bowl-eligible heading into their final two games against SMU and Cincinnati.

Houston jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on a pair of one-yard runs by running back Kenneth Farrow. Kicker Kyle Bullard, as always, added the extra points for the Cougars to close out the first 15 minutes.

Tulsa cut the Cougar lead to seven when quarterback Dane Evans rushed the final three yards of a 41-yard drive for their first touchdown of the game. Carl Salazar added the kicking conversion to close out the first half.

In the third quarter, the scoring blitz began with both teams scoring 14 points to take the score to 28-21 with 15 minutes to play. Tulsa scored on a two-yard Zack Langer run at the 6:53 mark. They added an addition touchdown when Evans connected with wide receiver Keyarris Garrett on a 17-yard pass. Salazar again added the conversion kicks.

The Cougars scored on a 45-yard Farrow run with 5:28 left in the quarter. They added an additional six points when quarterback Greg Ward Jr. hit Markeith Ambles with a 25-yard pass for the score. Bullard split the uprights on both scores for the conversion points.

Former Houston Cougar swimmer and H-Association member
Kristine Kelly and her  daughter, enjoy their game and throw
their support behind the Cougars.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved

Houston went into the fourth quarter with a 28-21 lead; however the Golden Hurricane quickly cut that lead with an Evans one-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Zach Epps. The score capped a 10 play, 77 yard drive that lasted 4:19. With the touchdown and Salazar’s extra point, a new game emerged with 7:10 remaining in the game.
Houston took the ball at their 11 yard line and began a drive to break the tie and eat up the clock. The 89 yard drive resulted in Farrow carrying the ball the final two yards for the touchdown. Bullard added the extra point to give the Cougars a seven point lead with 3:06 left in the game.

Tulsa began a final drive in an attempt to tie the score, but with 1:42 left in the game, the Cougars picked off an Evans pass on a fourth-and-one play. Houston ran three plays before opting for a 35-yard field goal by Bullard. With the three points, the Cougars secured the win and sixth victory of the season.

Offensive, Farrow rushed for 116 yards on 14 carries and four touchdowns. His four rushing touchdowns ranks his second on the all-time list for a single game. Ryan Jackson rushed for 95 yards on 15 carries with one romp of 56 yards.

Ward, who threw for one touchdown and was sacked twice, connected on 17-of-22 passes for 225 yards. He also rushed for 37 yards.

On defense, middle linebacker Efrem Oliphant continued his stellar senior year, accounted for 16 tackles for the Cougars; four of the unassisted. Cornerback Howard Wilson tallied 15 tackles, seven solo, while linebacker Steven Taylor added 13.

For Tulsa, Evans was 28-of-40 for 258 yards passing, with three interceptions with Lucas catching 14 passes for 97 yards.

Houston Cougars Fall to Tulsa Golden Hurricane 28-25

(Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loco Photography, Copyright 2010, All Rights Reserved)

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2010 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (November 14, 2010) The Houston Cougars (5-5, 4-3 C-USA) could not catch a break on Saturday night as they dropped their next-to-last conference game of the season 28-25 to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (7-3, 4-2 C-USA).

I guess “catch a break” may not be the right phrase. When you give up 413 yards and 28 points on defense, you should not expect anyone to give you a break.

Defense, or a lack of it on Houston’s part, was the determining factor in the game. Many have said it in the past and continue to say it to this day.

A team cannot win game after game by trying to simply outscore their opponents. Defense must be a key to their game plan.

Before Case Keenum went down in the UCLA game, Houston could usually muscle enough yards and points on offense to win.

That cannot be and is not the plan that needs to be followed when a team has experienced the setbacks the Cougars have in 2010.

If Cotton Turner had not also again down in the UCLA game, would Houston have won a few more games this season? Possibly!

No one can really know for certain. What I do know is that freshman quarterback David Piland has done a remarkable job so far this season, only being six months out of high school.

Defense is where the Cougars are lacking and when this season is over and done, Cougar fans will have their own opinions of what went wrong.

Head Coach Kevin Sumlin and his staff will come up with their own ideas of what went wrong and will set out to fix it for the 2011 season.

But no matter what any of the fans or naysayers postulate, a sub-par defense was the reason for Houston’s fall from grace.

Defense is needed in every football game, no matter what level. The one team that lives by that rule is the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steel Curtain defense, along with a potent offense attack propelled Pittsburgh to six Super Bowl titles. They would not have been so successful with a lack of skill on either side of the line.

The Cougars have that skill (at their playing level) on the offensive side of the ball. However they are serious lacking on the defensive side.

Houston needs to shore up their defensive line and deep secondary in their recruiting for 2011. They have the offensive punch to score touchdowns but they must, and I repeat that word, MUST focus on their defense if they want to return to the success of the past years and possibly move to the next level of college football.

Next Saturday, the Cougars will play Mississippi State in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It will be their final Conference USA of the 2010 season.

A win would give them a 6-5 record going into their last regular season game against Texas Tech on Nov. 27.

The Cougars need six wins to become bowl eligible. With the loss to Tulsa, the Cougars may have virtually eliminated themselves from the bowl picture.

Yes, with wins over Mississippi State and Texas Tech, they would have a chance to be selected to a bowl game. The question is “Who wants to invite a team to a bowl game if they played like the Cougars did this season?

The honest truth is that no I or anyone else I know can answer that question. The bowls election committees will make that determination.

I would like to see the Cougars in their sixth straight bowl game. The fans would also like to see it. The players and coaches would love to experience it.

The sad thing is I just do not see it happening.

Either way, the Cougars will be back in 2011, with our without Case Keenum at quarterback.

That story (Case Keenum’s appeal for a 6th year of college football) will be the basis of a story in the near future.