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Tulsa returns to C-USA play against Houston

Nov 15, 2008 - 11:30 AM (24) Tulsa (8-1) at Houston (5-4), 8:00 pm EST

HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Still stinging from its first loss of the season, 24th-ranked Tulsa returns to Conference USA play Saturday night when it visits Houston.

The Golden Hurricane (8-1, 5-0 C-USA West) won their first eight games this season thanks to a high-powered offense that eclipsed the 40-point plateau seven times.

But Tulsa's surprising run toward an unlikely BCS bowl berth ended in disappointing fashion on November 1, when the Golden Hurricane stalled offensively in a 30-23 loss at Arkansas.

Despite rallying from an early 17-0 deficit to tie the score twice, the Golden Hurricane managed just three second-half points against the Razorbacks, who sealed the victory when Tulsa's David Johnson threw an incomplete pass on fourth down from the Arkansas 7-yard line.

"Arkansas' defense did a great job up front, especially early," Johnson said. "They did some things that confused us a little bit, and came at us hard from the get-go."

Arkansas took the lead for good when Dennis Johnson scored on a 96-yard kickoff return in the third quarter to provide the final margin.

Tulsa head coach Todd Graham blamed himself for the loss, claiming that the Golden Hurricane's coaching staff had second- and third-string players on the field for Johnson's TD return.

"We let our players down as a coaching staff," Graham told the Tulsa World. "We didn't have our best players in there, which was inexcusable."

Thanks to a bye week, Graham and the Golden Hurricane have had plenty of time to prepare for their return to league play.

Tulsa has won 11 of its last 14 Conference USA games, including the first five this season.

The Golden Hurricane have been led by the dynamic Johnson, the highest-rated passer in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Johnson has completed just under 67 percent of his attempts for 2,983 yards and 33 TDs. But the senior struggled against Arkansas, finishing just 17-of-31 for 322 yards, a TD and an interception.

Johnson and Tulsa figure to get back on track offensively against Houston (5-4, 4-1), which has yielded an average of 29.7 points over its last three games.

The Cougars rebounded from their first C-USA loss of the season with last Saturday's 42-14 victory over Tulane.

Houston's Case Keenum threw for 384 yards and four touchdowns, recording his 10th consecutive 300-yard passing effort.

The Golden Hurricane crushed Houston, 56-7, last season in Tulsa and own a 16-17 all-time record in this series.