UNT Loses At Tulsa 41-24
TULSA, Okla. – North Texas controlled the clock and the line of scrimmage, but a battle-tested Tulsa squad owned the air and ultimately the scoreboard in a 41-24 loss at H.A. Chapman Stadium on Saturday.
Mean Green (1-4, 0-1 Sun Belt) running back Lance Dunbar recorded his 18th career 100-yard rushing game against Tulsa (2-3, 1-0 C-USA), which helped North Texas control 40:53 of the game’s 60 minutes as it racked up 391 yards of total offense.
The senior, who ranks third in school history in career yards, piled up 127 yards on a career-high 40 carries, which are the third most in school history for a single game.
Tulsa’s G.J. Kinne, the reigning Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, powered a Golden Hurricane offense that piled up 412 total yards – 314 of which came in the air. Bryan Burnham was his main target with six catches for 101 yards and a score.
NT Quarterback Andrew McNulty earned his first career start and quickly showed why his versatility as a runner, especially when combined with the James Hamilton-led Wildcat formation, has the ability to eat up the game clock and the Tulsa defense.
After a series of McNulty runs, Hamilton took a Wildcat snap and hooked up with a wide open Drew Miller for 34 yards to put NT on the Tulsa 3-yard line. The Golden Hurricane defense held strong on the goal-line stand, but the drive took 6:30 off the clock for the second longest drive of the season.
McNulty kept that momentum going on NT’s next drive with another 12-play, six-plus minute drive. This time the drive ended in a 52-yard Zach Olen field goal, which is his longest of the season and the second longest of his career.
Despite NT’s clock-eating offense, the Mean Green’s first touchdown came on one of its
quickest drives. McNulty hit Chris Bynes for 46 yards to set up a seven-yard Dunbar scamper – the 40th touchdown of his career – in just 1:41.
Dunbar found the endzone again in the fourth on a 12-yard pass from sophomore Brent Osborn, who also found Ivan Delgado for a 26-yard touchdown with eight seconds remaining in the contest for another quick-strike NT score. The last Mean Green scoring drive lasted just 58 seconds as Osborn was 6-of-7 for 69 yards on the night.
Kinne, a three-year starter, showed his senior leadership in leading Tulsa’s high-powered offense. Kinne threw for 314 yards on 20-of-31 passes and three touchdowns. He hooked up with Burnham on a 49-yard screen pass to put the Golden Hurricane on the board with 12 minutes remaining in the first.
On top of Kinne’s touchdowns of 49, 25 and 12 yards, Tulsa also reached the endzone on a pair of interception returns. A heavy third-down blitz forced a hurried McNulty pass in the first quarter, which Tulsa’s Dwight Dobbins returned 36 yards. The Golden Hurricanes added a 74-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third.
North Texas came up with a couple of big special teams plays in the third quarter. Will Wright blocked a Tulsa punt, and 22 seconds later Tevinn Cantly blocked a Golden Hurricane extra point attempt.
Ryan Downing intercepted the first pass attempt for Tulsa backup quarterback Kalen Henderson in the fourth quarter for his second career pick.
The Mean Green returns home to face Sun Belt foe Florida Atlantic next Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
