North Texas Survives Tulsa in Overtime, 45-44
Tulsa scored in overtime, went for two to win it, and did not get it. That is the whole difference between 45-44 and a loss for North Texas, and it was a long way back to even get there.
The Mean Green trailed 14-3 midway through the second quarter after Baylor Hayes ran one in from four yards and found Javon Ross from 18, and it was 17-10 Tulsa at the half. Then Tayven Jackson went to work. Touchdown passes of 14 yards to Justin Stevenson and 5 yards to Kyle Koch, plus a 14-yard run from Jahiem White, put North Texas up 31-17 in the third quarter. Tulsa answered twice with David Wells Jr. touchdown catches (5 and 4 yards) to tie it at 31, Stevenson caught a 13-yarder to go back ahead, and Hayes tied it again at 38 with a 10-yard run with 31 seconds left.
Overtime took one play to matter. Jackson sneaked it in from the 1 and De Freitas kicked the point. Damari Alston scored from two yards out for Tulsa, and the Golden Hurricane tried a two-point pass instead of kicking for a second overtime. It failed.
North Texas gained 561 yards to Tulsa's 352 and still needed all of it, since the Mean Green threw two interceptions and lost a fumble while Tulsa turned it over zero times. Take away those three giveaways and this probably is not close, but that is the sort of thing I say about every game. Both teams sit at 3-2.
For fantasy, this was a shootout with three players over 30 points. Jackson led everyone, Hayes was right behind him, and White still topped 200 yards on the ground.