Central Michigan Chippewas vs Tulsa Golden Hurricane Match Player Stats On Dec 19, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Dec 19, 2016

MIAMI -- Senior Dane Evans passed for five touchdowns to lead Tulsa to a 55-10 victory over Central Michigan in the third Miami Beach Bowl on Monday afternoon at Marlins Park.

Evans was named the game's MVP.

The 55 points tied the third-highest total by Tulsa (10-3) in a bowl game. Tulsa, which was a 13-point favorite, also locked up its first 10-win season since 2011.

This was the most points ever allowed in a bowl game by Central Michigan (6-7). The previous record was 52 points the Chippewas gave up to UNLV in the 1994 Las Vegas Bowl.

The Chippewas, who upset Oklahoma State this season, closed out the year by dropping five of their final six games.

Evans' fifth TD pass, to Keevan Lucas, set the Tulsa career record with 84. He riddled the Central Michigan defense by completing 28 of 38 passes for 304 yards. He was not intercepted.

Lucas had three touchdown catches -- a 13-yarder in the first quarter, a 28-yarder in the third quarter and an 11-yarder also in the third.

The last grab tied a prestigious school record with 32 career touchdown receptions, matching the number accomplished by two former NFL receivers -- Steve Largent and Howard Twilley.

Tulsa, which entered the game averaging 41.4 points this season, showed that its numbers were not a fluke.

The Golden Hurricane have two running backs -- James Flanders and D'Angelo Brewer -- who have combined for more than 3,000 yards rushing and exactly 25 touchdowns this season.

Flanders rushed 17 times for 100 yards and one touchdown against Central Michigan. Brewer ran 17 times for 105 yards and no scores.

In addition, Tulsa wide receiver Josh Atkinson caught 12 passes for 131 yards and one touchdown. He also topped 1,000 yards receiving for the season.

Once Atkinson did that, Tulsa became the first school in NCAA FBS history to have a 3,000-yard passer (Evans), two 1,000-yard rushers (Flanders and Brewer) and two 1,000-yard receivers (Lucas and Atkinson).

Tulsa never trailed in the game. On its first possession, the Golden Hurricane put together a massive 17-play, 93-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 5-yard pass from Hall to Atkinson. It was the longest Tulsa drive of the season in terms of yards and plays.

That drive was indicative of what was to come in every facet of the game. Tulsa's Redford Jones had a big game with two field goals -- 46 and 42 yards -- and six extra points. And Tulsa defensive end Jesse Brubaker also scored, running 66 yards with an interception.

Central Michigan got a 26-yard field goal in the first quarter from Brian Eavey and a 13-yard touchdown run by Jahray Hayes in the fourth.

NOTES: Tulsa DL Kolton Shindelar was ejected in the second quarter after hitting Central Michigan QB Cooper Rush in the head area. ... Two coaches in the game had local ties. Tulsa defensive coordinator Bill Young served in the same role for the Miami Hurricanes in 2008. John Bonamego, who is in his second-year as Central Michigan's head coach, was a special teams coordinator for the Miami Dolphins from 2008 to 2010. Bonamego was a wide receiver/quarterback for Central Michigan in the 1980s. ... Both teams left cold weather behind -- 18 degrees in Tulsa on Monday and 12 degrees in Mount Pleasant, Mich. At kickoff at Marlins Park, it was 82 degrees and sunny. ... The first two Miami Beach Bowls featured a lot of offense. Memphis beat Brigham Young 55-48 in 2014 and Western Kentucky defeated South Florida 45-35 last year.