Game 5 | Tulsa hands UH low blow

Oct. 4 at Tulsa, Okla. • Tulsa 27, UH 16

Advertiser Staff

TULSA, Okla. — It was one of those nights for the University of Hawai'i football team, a double-aspirin headache in which the offense was defused and the defense confused.

It was a night when host Tulsa, predicted by reporters to finish last in the Western Athletic Conference, overcame a 13-point deficit against the league's preseason favorite for an astonishing 27-16 victory at Skelly Stadium.

It was the sort of night that ended with the Hurricane players dancing to the boom-boom-boom beat of the Tulsa Marching Band while in the opposing locker room, the Warriors buried their faces in towels, with the showers providing the only sounds.

In a declaration of independence from consecutive one-victory seasons, Tulsa quarterback James Kilian, who scored a touchdown and led a 24-0 surge, pronounced, "This is huge."

Meanwhile, UH strong safety Hyrum Peters, his eyes reddened with frustration, implored teammates to forget "all of the bull and get ready for next week."

UH linebacker Ikaika Curnan, unrolling a blood-stained sock, said: "Our trip back home is going to seem even longer. It's going to (be tough) making the trip after this loss."

Kilian completed 12 of 26 passes for 106 yards. He also ran 18 times for 115 yards, and caught two passes for 35 yards. On those plays, Kilian hands off to a receiver running a reverse, then races downfield.

"It's called a 'Rainbow' pass," Kilian said. "We were down and didn't want to save everything until the end, so we opened up the playbook."

HAWAI'I 13 3 0 0 — 16

TULSA 3 7 3 14 — 27

First Quarter

UH—West Keliikipi 1 run (kick blocked)

Tulsa—FG Brad DeVault 37

UH—Keliikipi 10 run (Justin Ayat kick)

Second Quarter

UH—FG Ayat 25

Tulsa—Richard McQuillar 22 pass from James Kilian (DeVault kick)

Third Quarter

Tulsa—FG DeVault 49

Fourth Quarter

Tulsa—Jermaine Landrum 15 run (DeVault kick)

Tulsa—Uril Parrish 9 run (DeVault kick)

Attendance—17,342

RUSHING: Hawai'i—Keliikipi 6-37, Bass 7-32, Dickerson 2-23, West 3-18, Chang 5-8, Poumele 1-6, Whieldon 3-(minus 2). Tulsa—Kilian 18-115, Parrish 15-94, Landrum 5-40, Richardson 11-36.

PASSING: Hawai'i—Chang 21-35-1—240, Whieldon 1-6-1—9. Tulsa—Kilian 12-26-0—106, Nichols 1-1-0—14, Landrum 1-1-0—21.

RECEIVING: Hawai'i—Rivers 5-72, Komine 5-64, Brewster 3-34, Stennis 2-21, Welch 2-13, Bass 1-27, Dickerson 1-8, Kamakawiwoole 1-6, Keliikipi 1-4, West 1-0. Tulsa—Blankenship 3-28, Bryant 3-23, Kilian 2-35, Mills 2-19, Landrum 2-11, McQuillar 1-22, Culton 1-3.