UCF gives up late TD, loses to Tulsa

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Central Florida thought it made a lot of progress last week when it snapped a two-game losing streak with a rout of Memphis. It turns out there's still a lot of work left if the Knights have any hope of getting back to the Conference USA championship game. The Knights put together one of their best halves of football of the season Thursday night against Tulsa, only to watch it slip away late in a 24-17 loss. G.J. Kinne threw for a go-ahead touchdown and Kevin Fitzpatrick added three field goals as Tulsa hung on for the win. It was the Golden Hurricane's first victory this season after trailing at halftime and came despite settling for field goals on three trips inside the red zone. The Knights (4-5, 2-3) lost at home for the first time this season, while Tulsa (6-3, 5-0) remained unbeaten in the league. "It was a game of big plays, and we didn't make enough of them," Knights coach George O'Leary said. "I told the players the effort was good. It's just that when you have the opportunity to make plays, you've got to make them. We didn't do that." UCF, the defending conference champion, controlled the game early, but failed on a fourth-down pass late in the fourth quarter that allowed Tulsa to run out the clock. Tulsa coach Bill Blankenship said he was proud of the mettle his team showed in the second half, but said UCF -- which the Golden Hurricane have played twice in the C-USA title game since 2005 -- could have easily walked away with the victory. "We did not underestimate UCF," Blankenship said. "Road wins in this conference are tough and I count this as a big one. ... They made it tough on us." Kinne finished 15 of 28 for 203 yards and he led the Golden Hurricane in rushing with 92 yards on 14 carries. Tulsa finished with 251 yards rushing against a UCF defense that came in allowing a league-low 85 yards per game. It was just enough to outduel Knights' quarterback Jeff Godfrey, who had one of his best games throwing for 226 yards and one touchdown. "It was a big win," Kinne said. "It wasn't pretty at times. But in the fourth quarter we got the job done when we needed to. That was really our first close game of the year. ... So this was a good one for our team. We're going to need that down the road." Blankenship gave a lot of the credit to his quarterback, who he said "willed us down the field" with his scrambling and throwing ability in the fourth quarter. Tulsa entered Thursday's game injury-free, but played part of the second half without running back Trey Watts, who left the game after taking a blow to the head. Cornerback Milton Howell, who tied a school record with three interceptions last week, was shaken up several times in the game. The Golden Hurricane came in having outscored their opponents 154-71 in the last four wins, but the Knights dominated time of possession and used a field goal to briefly take a 17-16 lead early in the fourth quarter. Tulsa needed just over three minutes to drive 72 yards to take a 24-17 lead on a 16-yard pass from Kinne to Clay Sears with 8:23 to play. UCF responded quickly, using a 41-yard pass from Godfrey to J.J. Worton to set up a first-and-goal. But a fourth-down pass by Godfrey into the end zone was incomplete. Tulsa took over on downs and was able to run out the clock. O'Leary said getting called for six penalties for 60 yards, compared to none for Tulsa, was also costly. "Those are things you have to overcome as an offense and those are things that get you beat, along with missed tackles and missed opportunities," he said. The Knights put their pregame strategy of controlling time of possession into action in the first half, holding the ball for more than 19 minutes. UCF went to work quickly on its opening drive, though, needing only seven plays to take a 7-0 lead on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Godfrey to Worton. Tulsa tied it two series later following a 19-yard run by Willie Carter -- the first offensive score the Knights have given up at home this season. But that momentum was short-lived with the Golden Hurricane having to settle for field goals on two subsequent trips inside the red zone later in the half. With more than five minutes to go before halftime, the Knights were able to add their second touchdown -- a 6-yard run by Ronnie Weaver -- to take a 1-point halftime lead.