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Tulsa sets NCAA season record in Miami Beach Bowl rout of Central Michigan

Tulsa defeated Central Michigan easily in the Miami Beach Bowl (AP)
Tulsa defeated Central Michigan easily in the Miami Beach Bowl (AP)

During the course of Tulsa’s 55-10 romp over Central Michigan in the Miami Beach Bowl, the Golden Hurricane made NCAA history.

Tulsa became the first NCAA program to boast a 3,000-yard passer (Dane Evans), two 1,000-yard receivers (Keevan Lucas and Josh Atkinson) and two 1,000-yard running backs (James Flanders and D’Angelo Brewer) in a single season. Atkinson’s 11 first-half catches gave the Golden Hurricane the record.

Tulsa and Central Michigan were in a tussle in the first quarter, but the Golden Hurricane broke the game open with a 17-point second quarter to go into the half up 27-3. From there, Tulsa never looked back. Overall, Tulsa scored on its first eight possessions. The only possession on which it didn’t score was late in the fourth quarter when the starters were out and the backups were running out the clock.

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Evans completed 28 of 38 passes for 304 yards and five touchdowns. He ends his career as the school leader in completions, attempts, passing yards, total yards and passing touchdowns with 84. Flanders notched his sixth 100-yard rushing game in Tulsa’s past seven contests, and star receiver Lucas had a game-high three touchdowns. Atkinson, who was playing in his final game in a Tulsa uniform, had 131 yards, his second-highest performance of the season.

Tulsa’s scored at least 30 points in 11 consecutive games, which is tied for the second-longest streak in the FBS (Western Kentucky).

Central Michigan’s only touchdown came in the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach. Quarterback Cooper Rush, a senior, completed 49.8 percent of his passes for 242 yards and matched a season-high three interceptions, including a pick-six that resulted in the Golden Hurricane’s final score of the game.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!