Golden Hurricane rally to topple Cyclones

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Tulsa made the most of its second chance.

Trey Watts rushed for 149 yards, Alex Singleton ran for three scores and Tulsa (11-3) avenged a season-opening loss to Iowa State with a 31-17 victory in the rainy Liberty Bowl on Monday.

Iowa State (6-7) rallied to beat Tulsa 38-23 on Sept. 1, but the Golden Hurricane put together the comeback in the rematch. Tulsa trailed 17-7 at the end of the first quarter.

After going 6 for 7 for 114 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter, Cyclones’ quarterback Sam Richardson was 4 of 14 for 15 yards with an interception the rest of the game. The teams combined for 38 points in the first 19 minutes of the game before settling into more of a defensive struggle.

Iowa State capitalized on big plays to take an early 17-7 lead in front of a partisan crowd. About 80 percent of the fans were dressed in Iowa State cardinal-and-gold.

The Golden Hurricane, however, took the lead for good with a pair of touchdown runs – an 8-yarder from quarterback Cody Green and a 2-yarder from Singleton – in the first four minutes of the second quarter. Tulsa extended the lead to 28-17 in the third quarter on Singleton’s 1-yard dive on fourth-and-goal.