Tulsa World: TU beats Tulane 37-13 in season opener

MAKE US YOUR HOMEPAGE | Tuesday, February 09, 2010 | WIRELESS

Home > News > Article

Comment

RSS

Bookmark

TU beats Tulane 37-13 in season opener

Tulsa quarterback G.J. Kinne throws against Tulane on Friday night. AP

By ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer
Published: 9/4/2009 7:59 PM
Last Modified: 9/5/2009 1:05 AM

NEW ORLEANS — G.J. Kinne had waited three long years for this moment.

Tulsa’s new quarterback made plays through the air and with his feet to guide the Golden Hurricane to a 37-13 win over Tulane in its Conference USA and season opener on Friday night.

“I was a little nervous,” Kinne said, showcasing a big smile. “I’m not going to lie.”

He was named TU’s starter one day earlier, and showed a national television audience and an announced Louisiana Superdome crowd of 27,638 why the coaches chose the sophomore transfer from Texas. Kinne completed 15-of-20 passes for 211 yards and added a team-high 77 rushing yards. Included in his runs was a 15-yard TD and a 45-yarder on the first play after halftime.

“I was very impressed with how G.J. Kinne managed the game, took care of the football, and ran,” said Tulsa coach Todd Graham, whose team won its third straight season opener. “We have a quarterback who can run now.”

Kinne wasn’t Tulsa’s only star on Friday night.

Damaris Johnson’s last game in the Superdome came when he celebrated a state championship victory for nearby Destrehan High school in 2007. Two years later, he gouged Tulane for 252 all-purpose yards, including a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown.

“It was a great homecoming,” Johnson said. “I had a lot of family here and it was a great motivation for me. The last time I played in this place, I left with good memories. I tried to do the same this time.”

Johnson’s punt return pushed Tulsa’s lead to 30-10 in the fourth quarter, and sent the Green Wave’s fans rushing for the exits.

“I probably did 10 percent of the work,” Johnson said. “The guys up front did a really good job. I made two people miss and, other than that, it was all good.”

Tulsa threatened to make the game a rout in the first quarter.

The Hurricane raced to a 17-0 lead before Tulane had its initial first down. Tulsa had three sacks and an interception by linebacker Mike Bryan in the Green Wave’s first 10 plays from scrimmage.

“We came out and were focused,” said Bryan. “We’ve been practicing against our offense all fall and we were ready to come out and hit someone else. That’s what we did.”

“We came out, put our hats on people and put on a show.”

TU, though, did leave room for improvement. While Tulane was limited to 39 rushing yards, the Green Wave had 325 passing.

“It was a good night for the defense, but there’s a lot of things we can correct,” Bryan said. “But for the first game of the season, it was a great win.”

Kinne was asked before the game just to manage Tulsa’s offense. He wasn’t expected to have a superstar effort similar to his 2006 days at Gilmer (Texas) High School.

He took advantage of a short field in the Hurricane’s opening possession, guiding the offense into the red zone. Tulsa took a 3-0 lead when Kevin Fitzpatrick connected on the first of his three field goals, a 22 yarder.

On Tulsa’s second possession, Kinne raced 15 yards for his first collegiate touchdown on a zone read play around the right side with 6:20 remaining in the first quarter.

“It was special,” Kinne said. “Going into the game, I didn’t think (his first score) was going to be a rushing touchdown. I just did what is best for the team, and that is just the way it happened.”

On Tulane’s next offensive snap, Odrick Ray deflected Joe Kemp’s pass and Bryan grabbed his first career interception. He returned it to the Green Wave 5-yard line, and Charles Clay raced in on the next play to give Tulsa a 17-0 lead with 6 minutes left.

TU finished with 412 total yards. Tulane managed 364 yards.

Tulsa returns to action next Saturday night with a road trip to New Mexico. Game time is 7 p.m.

By ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer

Comment

RSS

Bookmark

Reader Comments

Reader comments for this story have been moved to the most updated version of the story, now under the headline "Worth the wait: Kinne helps Tulsa to big win in first start," which was published on 9/5/2009. So far, 15 comments have been made.