Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
0-2
Tulsa
1-1
CSU football loses tight battle in Tulsa
9/7/2013 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sep 7, 2013
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes
By Craig Buchanan
Athletic Media Relations
TULSA, Okla. - In a very exciting back-and-forth game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (1-1), the Colorado State Rams (0-2) came up short, losing to Tulsa 30-27.
The game started with a bang, as the Rams got on the board early with a 2-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Garrett Grayson to redshirt-senior tight end Joe McKay, the first of his career. The score was set up from spectacular play from the special teams unit.
Punting out of its own end zone, Tulsa's punt was blocked by charging redshirt-freshman Danny Nwosu. The block was Nwosu's first of his career, and the first punt block by the Rams since Sept. 17, 2011.
The Golden Hurricane would quickly recoup facing the early deficit, marching 78 yards in nine plays and capping off the drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Cody Green to Ja'Terian Douglas.
After intercepting a Grayson pass to set up a short-field situation, Tulsa capitalized with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Green to Jordan James to give the Golden Hurricane a 14-7 lead with 4:40 left in the first quarter.
Colorado State would bounce back with 13 consecutive points in the second quarter which was started off by a 25-yard field goal by Jared Roberts. On the next drive, the Rams forced a three-and-out and after a big return from freshman Tyree Simmons, CSU had the ball on the Tulsa 25 yard line.
The Rams would need only two plays before Grayson found redshirt-freshman Jordon Vaden on a crossing route for a 19-yard touchdown, the first of his career, with 11:30 left in the first half. Vaden, who also made his first collegiate start, led all Rams with three receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown. A 45-yard field goal from Roberts with 6:13 left in the second quarter gave CSU a 20-10 lead, which it would take into halftime.
The Golden Hurricane would chip into the lead with a 31-yard field goal from Carl Salazar with 9:56 left in the third quarter, but once again CSU responded. Going 57 yards in five plays, the Rams found the end zone with a 1-yard touchdown run from Chris Nwoke to put the team up 27-17 heading into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter would belong to the Golden Hurricane however, as Tulsa out-scored CSU 13-0. A 23-yard field goal by Salazar with 13:12 would cut the lead to a one-touchdown game. Just six minutes later, Tulsa got its equalizer with a 15-yard strike from Green to Derek Patterson.
With the game tied and less than a minute remaining, it looked like the game was heading for overtime. A seven-yard pass to Keyarris Garrett changed everything. Garrett sustained an injury to his left leg which caused a lengthy delay in the game as he had to be taken off on an ambulance.
Coming out of the delay, Trey Watts ripped off a 45-yard run to put Tulsa in scoring position. Three plays later, Salazar connected on a 34-yard field goal as time expired to secure the victory for the Golden Hurricane.
Grayson finished the game 12-29 for 108 yards and two touchdowns, his fourth career multi-touchdown game. The Rams got key contributions from their pair of running backs in the game. Nwoke finished the game with 97 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown, while Kapri Bibbs added a career-high 83 yards on just nine attempts.
The Rams will return home to take on Cal Poly on Sept. 14. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. MT.
Team Stats
CS 7, TLS 0
CS - MCKAY, Joe 2 yd pass from GRAYSON, Garret (ROBERTS, Jared kick) 2 plays, 2 yards, TOP 0:37
CS 7, TLS 7
TLS - DOUGLAS, J. 17 yd pass from GREEN, C. (SALAZAR, C. kick) 9 plays, 78 yards, TOP 3:19
CS 7, TLS 14
TLS - JAMES, J. 5 yd pass from GREEN, C. (SALAZAR, C. kick) 5 plays, 33 yards, TOP 1:44
CS 10, TLS 14
CS - ROBERTS, Jared 25 yd field goal 9 plays, 50 yards, TOP 3:21
CS 17, TLS 14
CS - VADEN, Jordon 19 yd pass from GRAYSON, Garret (ROBERTS, Jared kick) 2 plays, 40 yards, TOP 0:38
CS 20, TLS 14
CS - ROBERTS, Jared 45 yd field goal 7 plays, 65 yards, TOP 3:16
CS 20, TLS 17
TLS - SALAZAR, C. 31 yd field goal 7 plays, 48 yards, TOP 3:00
CS 27, TLS 17
CS - NWOKE, Chris 1 yd run (ROBERTS, Jared kick), 5 plays, 57 yards, TOP 2:27
CS 27, TLS 20
TLS - SALAZAR, C. 23 yd field goal 9 plays, 44 yards, TOP 2:38
CS 27, TLS 27
TLS - PATTERSON, D. 15 yd pass from GREEN, C. (SALAZAR, C. kick) 5 plays, 48 yards, TOP 1:46
CS 27, TLS 30
TLS - SALAZAR, C. 34 yd field goal 6 plays, 57 yards, TOP 1:24
