Liberty Bowl: Tulsa Leads Iowa State 21-17 at Half

After a flurry of scoring in the first quarter, Tulsa scores two unanswered touchdowns in the second quarter and takes a 21-17 lead going to the half.

Sam Richardson completed 6-7 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown in that first quarter. Edwin Arceo nailed a 33-yard kick to open up the scoring. Jeremy Reeves intercepted the ball for a pick-six to give the Cyclones a 10-0 lead. Ernst Brun responded to a Tulsa touchdown by scoring his own 69-yard scamper and Iowa State had a 17-7 lead after the first period.

Richardson was just 2-9 for five yards passing in the second quarter as the Iowa State offense was completely stalled. With no Shontrelle Johnson, the running game has also faltered. Richardson leads the team with 10 carries for 46 yards, dodging the pass rush which he’s finally seeing unlike the previous two games he’s played in. James White has eight carries for 29 yards.

Tulsa has done what they needed to do on the ground, already picking up 123 yards on 23 carries. All three touchdowns were scored by the Golden Hurricanes on the ground in the red zone, something that ISU has been relatively good at preventing.

The key for Iowa State to come back in the second half is to hope that Sam Richardson can adjust to the pass rush and avoid getting sacked. Even if he has to scramble, he needs to find a way to prevent losing yards. With wet field conditions, Arceo can’t be leaned on for long field goals like he has been this season. Also, the Cyclones must find a way to prevent Tulsa to score in the red zone.