TU football notebook: DeShane injured

BY BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
Sunday, November 25, 2012
11/25/12 at 6:05 AM

During last week's Senior Day ceremony that preceded the Central Florida-Tulsa showdown at H.A. Chapman Stadium, University of Tulsa right offensive tackle Brian DeShane proposed to his girlfriend. She accepted. TU went on to win the game 23-21, clinching the Conference USA West Division title.

Saturday's game at SMU was a joyless experience for DeShane, a senior who sustained an apparently serious injury to his left leg during the first half. Doctors fitted him with an inflatable cast before he was carted from the field.

"It looks like we probably lost him," Hurricane coach Bill Blankenship said. "What is unconfirmed with DeShane is that (doctors) believe he has a fracture."

DeShane had been on the field for every meaningful snap this season.

Tulsa senior linebacker DeAundre Brown, a candidate for the Conference USA defensive player of the year award, sustained a leg injury in the second half that did not appear to be serious. His status is uncertain for next week's Conference USA championship rematch with UCF.

Singleton record: With two touchdowns against SMU - on a 9-yard pass play and a 1-yard, fourth-quarter run - Tulsa senior tailback Alex Singleton tied Tarrion Adams' program record for career touchdowns.

In 2005-08, Adams scored 39 touchdowns for the Golden Hurricane.

The receiving touchdown was the first of Singleton's career.

With 20 this season, Singleton has TU's single-season record for touchdowns. And with 120 points, he is within striking distance of Howard Twilley's 1965 single-season scoring record of 127 points.

Tulsa response: Through the first 44 minutes of Saturday's game, the TU offense mustered only six points. SMU led 35-6.

During an eight-minute span, however, the Hurricane responded with three touchdowns - Willie Carter's 31-yard reception of a Cody Green pass, Garrett's 10-yard catch and Singleton's 1-yard surge.

"We didn't start fast today, but we knew it was important to finish this game," said Hurricane junior wide receiver Jordan James, who finished with nine catches for a career-high total of 145 yards.

"Coach Blankenship told us at halftime that all it takes is one score, and then watch the scores roll in. That was the truth."

Odds and ends: SMU took a 28-6 lead to the locker room at halftime. It was the highest first-half scoring total by a TU opponent this season.

Tulsa set a new program record with 103 offensive plays on Saturday. The previous high was 99 (against Memphis in 1968 and against Houston in 1988).

For the second consecutive season, Tulsa entered its final regular-season game with a 7-0 record in Conference USA. And for the second consecutive season, the Hurricane fell short of 8-0. Last season, Houston won 48-16 in Tulsa.

SMU now is 15-1 in its last 16 Conference USA home games.

Before last week's UCF game, Green had never passed for three touchdowns in a college game. He had three TD passes against the Knights and three more on Saturday at SMU.

SMU has become bowl eligible for a school-record fourth consecutive season.

Entering the Tulsa game, the Mustangs were No. 4 nationally in takeaways with 30. On Saturday, as TU threw an interception and lost two fumbles, SMU was plus-3 on turnovers.