Football

UH falls behind in C-USA race with 28-25 loss to Tulsa

As the Cougars ran out of timeouts, and Tulsa gained a first down with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, all Tulsa had to do was run out the clock.

Despite a comeback in the second half, the Cougars, led by true freshman quarterback David Piland, were unable to triumph over Tulsa in their home finale. | Gregory Bohuslav/The Daily Cougar

Then Hurricane quarterback G.J. Kinne lost the grip of the ball, and the officials signaled UH had possession.

After official review, the replay revealed the ground caused the fumble — allowing Tulsa to run out the clock and hold on for the win.

It was just that kind of night for the Cougars (5-5, 4-3 Conference USA), as they fell 28-25 at their Homecoming and last game in Robertson Stadium of the season.

Freshman quarterback David Piland threw five interceptions, much to the dismay of Cougar fans.

Fans booed the Cougars as they went into the locker rooms at the half, and chants of “we want Broadway” could be heard throughout Robertson Stadium after the fourth and fifth interceptions and also when the game was over.

No detour to Broadway planned

Despite Piland’s down performance, there will be no quarterback controversy.

“No,” head coach Kevin Sumlin said when asked if he considered making a change. “The last interception was coming down the field to win the game, so the game was over at that point.

“A quarterback gets too much credit when we win, and too much blame when we lose. That comes with the territory. There are always situations where it isn’t always one guy.”

Coulda, shoulda, woulda

The Cougars never led the game and found themselves playing from behind. When Tulsa took an opening lead, UH marched down deep in Tulsa territory. A pass to receiver James Cleveland in the end zone ricocheted off his hand causing the first interception of the game.

“That was all on me, that was my fault,” Cleveland said. “I should have attacked the ball, I waited for it to come down and the defender made a play on the ball. I should have went after the ball — caught the ball at its highest point. I’ve been taught that since I was 14-years-old.”

The Cougars have climbed back from double-digit deficits in three of their five losses, but have failed to make the necessary plays in the fourth quarter to win.

“It was a great effort,” cornerback Jamal Robinson said. “We always give one. The effort has been there, it’s the execution that’s missing.”

Challenging circumstances ahead

The Cougars are a win away from bowl eligibility.

To win the C-USA West is a little more tricky. The Cougars must win their last conference game Saturday against Southern Miss., and SMU must lose once in its next two games against Marshall and ECU. Tulsa also has to lose its next two games to UTEP and Southern Miss.

“We knew what was on the line — it was a lot — a bowl game and still in the race for a championship game,” Robinson said. “Those things are still ahead of us. We still have to win — we still have games to play. We just need to win those and let everything fall into place. We’re all upset, but we know we got to keep playing.”

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