The third quarter of the Armed Forces Bowl between 24 Tulsa and the state of Mississippi featured one of the strangest punts you have ever seen.
Mississippi State was holding a 21-13 lead, but was hitting Tulsa with less than a minute to go before the third. That was when the generally trusted Tucker Day suffered a brutal accident.
Day, who averaged 45 yards per punt during the regular season, somehow kicked the ball from the tip of the boot. He started a low lining that went straight to Trevor Reh of Tulsa, who was standing just three feet from the scrimmage line.
Reh, surprised to see the ball coming his way, somehow managed to catch the kick before being quickly approached by one of the Mississippi state blockers.
This entered the books as a zero yard throw with zero yard return. You don’t see this every day.
The gaffe gave Tulsa the ball on the MSU 32-yard line. Nine games later, the Golden Hurricane scored to reduce the score to 21-19. That was as close as Tulsa could get, however.
The team’s attempt to convert a two-point equalizer was unsuccessful. This move had consequences, as the State of Mississippi won 28-26. The key move in MSU’s victory was a six-yard pick from freshman Emmanuel Forbes, when it looked like Tulsa would take the lead at the end of the third quarter. This defensive score increased the MSU’s advantage from 14-13 to 21-13.
Another interception thrown by Zach Smith near the goal line at the end of the fourth time took another golden opportunity for Tulsa. Smith would make a touchdown pass with 1:23 remaining, but the attempted shot on the left side that followed was recovered by the Bulldogs.
All things considered, it was a difficult way for Tulsa to end what was an excellent season.
Golden Hurricane, who played Thursday’s game without national defensive player of the year, Zaven Collins, lost his debut to Oklahoma State before going undefeated at the conference during the regular season. Tulsa then fell to undefeated Cincinnati in a field goal in the last second in the game for the AAC title. With the loss of the bowl, Tulsa ends his season with a 6-3 record.
Mississippi State, in its first season under Mike Leach, ends 4-7.
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