A game-by-game review of the University of Tulsa's 2012 football season:
Sept. 1 Ames, Iowa
Iowa State 38, Tulsa 23
Through one quarter, the Golden Hurricane led 16-7 and Cody Green was 10-of-13 passing for 95 yards. After that, the TU offense was dysfunctional. After the first quarter, Green was 13-of-36 passing. Hurricane wide receiver Bryan Burnham was excellent (nine catches for 90 yards), but sustained a season-ending knee injury during the third quarter.
Sept. 8 H.A. Chapman Stadium
Tulsa 45, Tulane 10
TU rolled to a 35-3 halftime lead and wound up with a final total of 651 offensive yards (while limiting Tulane to 177). The Hurricane got significant production from the tailback position as Alex Singleton scored three TDs and rushed for 102 yards, while Trey Watts had 92 yards and Ja'Terian Douglas ran for 85. However, this game will forever be remembered as having been tragic. During the final play of the first half, Green Wave safety Devon Walker sustained a spinal injury.
Sept. 15 H.A. Chapman Stadium
Tulsa 66, Nicholls St. 16
Against the FCS Colonels, Douglas rushed for 163 yards on only five carries. On the third play from scrimmage, he scored on a 67-yard dash. From its ground game, Tulsa got 333 yards and seven touchdowns - two by Douglas, two by Singleton, two by Zack Langer and one by Watts. Safety Dexter McCoil became TU's all-time leader in interceptions with 14.
Sept. 22 H.A. Chapman Stadium
Tulsa 27, Fresno State 26
Against Colorado one week earlier, Fresno State totaled 665 yards and 69 points. Against Tulsa's defense, the Bulldogs mustered only two offensive TDs and 364 total yards. After trailing 20-7 during the first period, TU finally took the lead late in the third quarter when Watts launched a 26-yard, trick-play pass caught by Thomas Roberson for a touchdown.
Sept. 29 Birmingham, Ala.
Tulsa 49, UAB 42
TU had advantages of 478-338 in total yards and 241-1 in rushing yards, but the Hurricane needed big fourth-quarter plays to vanquish the Blazers. During the final eight minutes, Hurricane linebackers were heroic. DeAundre Brown intercepted a pass and Mitchell Osborne forced and recovered a fumble.
Oct. 6 Huntington, W.Va.
Tulsa 45, Marshall 38
Marshall outgained Tulsa by 232 yards in total offense and 313 yards in passing. Thundering Herd QB Rakeem Cato completed 70 percent of his passes. Marshall was 13-of-19 on third-down conversions. TU was penalized 10 times for 101 yards. Still, the Hurricane prevailed as Green converted on a third-down pass - a 47-yard connection with Keyarris Garrett - that led to Singleton's game-winning TD. During the final minute, TU safety Marco Nelson knocked down a Marshall pass at the goal line.
Oct. 11 H.A. Chapman Stadium
Tulsa 33, UTEP 11
Within a third-quarter span of slightly more than seven minutes, TU scored three touchdowns - a 1-yard run by Singleton, an 81-yard sprint by Douglas and a 17-yard fumble return by linebacker Shawn Jackson. The Hurricane rushed for 281 yards (5.2 per attempt) and had 479 total yards. Playing only five days after sustaining a shoulder injury at Marshall, Green passed for 198 yards.
Oct. 20 H.A. Chapman Stadium
Tulsa 28, Rice 24
With less than three minutes left and Rice holding a 24-21 lead, Douglas popped a 75-yard run to the Owls 5. Two plays later, Singleton scored on a 1-yard run. With 91 seconds remaining, Tulsa had its first lead of the day. The Hurricane was favored by three touchdowns. Green did not play because of his sore shoulder. Watts was sidelined due to a sore ankle.
Nov. 3 Fayetteville, Ark.
Arkansas 19, Tulsa 15
Attempting to end a 17-game losing streak against the Razorbacks - a streak that dates to 1976 - the Golden Hurricane was undone by offensive failures in the red zone and an inability to capitalize on scoring chances. In a four-point defeat, freshman kicker Daniel Schwarz missed on a 42-yard field-goal attempt and failed to convert on two extra-point kicks.
Nov. 10 Houston
Tulsa 41, Houston 7
In their final meeting as Conference USA opponents, TU dominated the Cougars. For the Hurricane, Green and Singleton each scored two rushing touchdowns, while defensive end Cory Dorris scored on a 22-yard interception return. Houston was No. 6 in passing and No. 13 in total offense, but against TU did not score until the 7:08 mark of the fourth quarter. Next year, Houston joins the Big East Conference.
Nov. 17 H.A. Chapman Stadium
Tulsa 23, UCF 21
UCF entered as the Conference USA leader in total defense, but Tulsa rushed for 209 yards and finished with 461 total yards. Green was 21-of-34 passing for 252 yards. Garrett had three touchdown receptions. The Knights had scored at least 30 points in each of their previous six games. At TU, they had second-half totals of 85 yards and seven points.
Nov. 24 Dallas
SMU 35, Tulsa 27
During the first half, TU had a punt blocked, lost a fumble and threw an interception. Each mistake led to an SMU touchdown and a 28-6 Mustang halftime lead. SMU led 35-6 late in the third quarter. Tulsa's fourth-quarter rally came up 1 yard short. Green established career-high totals for pass attempts (64), completions (36) and passing yards (413). Tulsa had 591 total yards and a program-record total of 103 offensive plays.
C-USA championship H.A. Chapman Stadium
Tulsa 33, UCF 27 (OT)
With 5:06 left in the fourth quarter and Central Florida leading 27-21, Watts scored on a 54-yard punt return. The score remained tied, however, as TU failed on the extra-point kick. In overtime, Dorris blocked a 38-yard field-goal attempt by UCF's Shawn Moffitt. On a day when he became Tulsa's career leader in touchdowns, Singleton leaped into the end zone from 1 yard out - ending the game and securing the Hurricane's first C-USA title since 2005.
