Brett Deering
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane defeated the UCF Knights 33-27 in OT to win the Conference USA title in a thoroughly entertaining, back and forth affair.
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane defeated the Central Florida Knights 33-27 in overtime to win the Conference USA championship. Tulsa blocked a UCF field goal on the first possession of overtime, then won the game on the next possession. As the conference champion, Tulsa will head to Memphis to play in the Liberty Bowl, while UCF will go to the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl. The game is UCF's last in Conference USA, as they'll be heading to the Big East next season.
The game was a back and forth affair from the opening whistle, with neither team able to claim more than a seven point lead. Missed extra points loomed large, with each team having one blocked in the second half. In particular, Trey Watts scored on a punt return after UCF touched the ball but failed to properly secure it to end the play, but the extra point that would have given the Golden Hurricane a 28-27 lead was blocked.
Cody Green went 14-25 for 151 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and Thomas Roberson had 68 receiving yards and a touchdown. Alex Singleton rushed for 101 yards and scored two touchdowns, including the game winner in overtime.
Blake Bortles was 14-32 for 194 yards and two touchdowns in the air, and also rushed for 60 yards. Latavius Murray led the Knights with 70 rushing yards, and Breshad Perriman had 65 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Box Score Hero: Trey Watts was huge for Tulsa. He rushed for 135 yards on 25 carries, and also returned that botched punt 54 yards for the game-tying touchdown.
Rankings Ramifications: Neither team was ranked entering the game, and it's unlikely that either will be afterwards.
But Did They Cover? Tulsa was a three point favorite, so they managed to cover the spread.
Next Week's Schedule: The regular season is over for both teams, and they'll go on to bowl games in a few weeks.



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