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closeMatt Hogan's career-best 51-yard field goal as time expired capped a dramatic comeback and lifted 13th-ranked Houston over Tulsa, 46-45, at Chapman Stadium.
Charles Clay's one-yard plunge with 3:28 left in regulation provided Tulsa a 45-37 cushion, but Houston mounted one last charge, getting to the Tulsa two with 1:24 left after Bryce Beall's 13-yard run.
Beall gained one yard on two consecutive rushes, then Keenum found James Cleveland for a one-yard TD pass to make it 45-43 with 21 seconds left. The conversion failed, however, when Keenum was sacked as he tried to roll out to the right.
Tim Monroe was able to come up with the onsides kick after a Tulsa player mishandled the ball, and Houston was set up on its own 39.
Keenum connected with Cleveland for 14 yards on the second play of the drive, then hit Tyron Carrier for 13 yards with three seconds to go. Hogan lined up for the 51-yard attempt and was true to end the contest.
"As long as there is time on the clock, you have to try and win the game," Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin said. "You can't panic. Our coaching staff did a great job of not panicking and our kids did a good job of handling the situation."
Keenum finished 40-of-60 for 522 yards and three touchdowns for the Cougars (8-1, 4-1 C-USA), who won their fifth straight contest. Cleveland ended up with 12 receptions for 167 yards and three scores, while Beall gained 82 yards on 17 carries and Charles Sims added a rushing score.
G.J. Kinne completed 19-of-25 passes for 334 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions for the Golden Hurricane (4-5, 2-3), who suffered their fourth straight defeat.
Kinne also rushed for 100 yards and a TD on 16 carries, Clay added two rushing and two receiving scores and Damaris Johnson hauled in 10 balls for 144 yards in defeat.
The teams combined for a whopping 1,229 yards of total offense, with Houston compiling 695 to 534 for Tulsa.
"I'm really proud of our guys," Tulsa head coach Todd Graham said. "I don't think I've ever had a group play as hard as our guys tonight. I'm really proud of our players and our coaching staff. Our guys were very, very deserving of the win."
Tulsa kicked off the torrent of points on Clay's three-yard scoring run, but Houston countered on Keenum's four-yard connection with Cleveland. Kinne then found Clay for a 60-yard touchdown pass and Sims broke off an 18-yard scoring run and it was 14-14 after one quarter.
Hogan drilled a 32-yard field goal to give Houston the lead once again, and it was 24-14 for the Cougars after Keenum and Cleveland hooked up for a 36-yard TD.
Kinne and the Golden Hurricane finished the half behind by three on Ricky Johnson's 15-yard touchdown grab.
Clay hauled in an eight-yard pass for a score and Tulsa took a 28-24 lead, then Hogan was good from 24 yards out to close Houston's gap to one.
Kevin Fitzpatrick boosted Tulsa to a four-point lead on a 25-yard make, and the Golden Hurricane strengthened their advantage when Kinne took it into the end zone from five yards out.
Carrier stunned the home crowd seconds later when he returned the kickoff 98 yards to bring the Cougars within 38-34, and Hogan made a 26-yarder with 8:08 to play for a one-point contest.
Game Notes
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