Tulsa’s QB goes out with a bang
Evans throws five touchdown passes for Golden Hurricane in Miami Beach Bowl.
TULSA 55 CENTRAL MICH. 10
MIAMI — Dane Evans and Tulsa put up huge numbers all season, and did it again at the Miami Beach Bowl.
Evans passed for 304 yards and five touchdowns in his final college game — three of those scoring throws going to Keevan Lucas — and Tulsa rolled past Central Michigan, 55-10, on Monday afternoon at Marlins Park.
Evans completed 28 of 38 passes for the Golden Hurricane (10-3), who finished with six wins in the season's final seven games. It capped a record-setting career for Evans, who became Tulsa’s leader with 84 touchdown throws and, as a big baseball fan, said it was a thrill to play in a major league park.
“If anyone knows me, they know I don’t go into a game hoping I get 300 and five touchdowns,” said Evans, also the school leader in passing yards. “I just want to win.”
Tulsa’s offense got points on its first eight possessions, plus another touchdown when Jesse Brubaker ran back an interception 66 yards for a score.
The Golden Hurricane — who weren’t stopped with Evans on the field — turned it over on downs in their final two drives, the second of those a merciful kneel-down with 1:44 left at the Central Michigan five-yard line.
Tulsa finished the season averaging 42.5 points and 527 yards per game. The Golden Hurricane outgained Central Michigan, 581-355.
“We’ve had a really good season and this is a really good football team,” Tulsa Coach Philip Montgomery said. “I don’t know if we’ve gotten the respect across the country that we deserve.”
Cooper Rush completed 24 of 49 passes for 241 yards for Central Michigan (6-7), throwing three interceptions in his final game with the Chippewas.
“We certainly felt like we matched up a little better than what we demonstrated today,” Central Michigan Coach John Bonamego said. “We just didn’t execute at a fundamental level.”