Final
3:00 PM ET, November 18, 2006
Gerald Ford Stadium, DALLAS, TX
DALLAS (AP) -- Justin Willis threw for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead SMU to a 34-24 win over Tulsa on Saturday afternoon.
The Mustangs scored 27 consecutive second-half points to erase a 17-point halftime deficit, tying for the third-largest comeback in school history.
SMU took its first lead at 27-24 with 12:46 left in the game after Willis scored on a 6-yard touchdown run and ran in the two-point conversion. With the touchdown, Willis set a school record for touchdowns accounted for in a season with 28, the previous record had been set by Chuck Hixson in 1968.
Wide receiver Blake Warren scored on a 14-yard run with 4:31 left in the game to extend the SMU lead to 10 points. Willis threw a lateral to Warren, who broke two tackles on the way to the end zone.
The Mustangs (6-5, 4-3) became bowl eligible with the win and won at least six games for only the second time since the school received the death penalty in 1987.
Tulsa (7-4, 4-3) lost its third consecutive game.
Willis completed 11 of 18 passes for 190 yards with scoring tosses of 8 and 10 yards and led SMU with 93 yards rushing on 17 attempts. His 8-yard touchdown pass with 1:25 left in the third quarter to Reynaldo Pellerin came five plays after the Mustangs' Andrew McKinney recovered Nick Graham's fumbled kickoff return at the Tulsa 24-yard line.
Tulsa scored on all four of its first-half possessions for a 24-7 halftime lead. Paul Smith completed nine consecutive passes for 132 yards to start the game including a 12-yard touchdown pass to Idris Moss with 6:14 left in the second quarter for a 17-7 Tulsa lead. Moss led all receivers with 13 receptions for 120 yards. Smith also scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak with 36 seconds left in the first half.
Smith completed 22 of 30 passes for 230 yards and one touchdown.
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Team Stat Comparison
| TLSA | SMU | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 20 | 21 |
| Total Yards | 356 | 369 |
| Passing | 230 | 190 |
| Rushing | 126 | 179 |
| Penalties | 4-26 | 7-57 |
| 3rd Down Conversions | 5-12 | 4-10 |
| 4th Down Conversions | 0-1 | 0-0 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Possession | 34:10 | 25:50 |
Scoring Summary
| FIRST QUARTER | TLSA | SMU | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | FG | 5:37 | JAROD TRACY 21 YD FG Drive info: 15 plays, 63 yards. | 3 | 0 |
| SECOND QUARTER | TLSA | SMU | |||
![]() | TD | 12:34 | COURTNEY TENNIAL 5 YD RUN (JAROD TRACY KICK) Drive info: 11 plays, 70 yards. | 10 | 0 |
![]() | TD | 9:14 | BOBBY CHASE 10 YD PASS FROM JUSTIN WILLIS (THOMAS MORSTEAD KICK) Drive info: 8 plays, 80 yards. | 10 | 7 |
![]() | TD | 6:14 | IDRIS MOSS 12 YD PASS FROM PAUL SMITH (JAROD TRACY KICK) Drive info: 5 plays, 80 yards. | 17 | 7 |
![]() | TD | 0:36 | PAUL SMITH 1 YD RUN (JAROD TRACY KICK) Drive info: 10 plays, 54 yards. | 24 | 7 |
| THIRD QUARTER | TLSA | SMU | |||
![]() | FG | 9:06 | THOMAS MORSTEAD 35 YD FG Drive info: 5 plays, 41 yards. | 24 | 10 |
![]() | FG | 3:25 | THOMAS MORSTEAD 47 YD FG Drive info: 6 plays, 31 yards. | 24 | 13 |
![]() | TD | 1:25 | REYNALDO PELLERIN 8 YD PASS FROM JUSTIN WILLIS (FAILED 2PT PASS) Drive info: 4 plays, 24 yards. | 24 | 19 |
| FOURTH QUARTER | TLSA | SMU | |||
![]() | TD | 12:46 | JUSTIN WILLIS 6 YD RUN (JUSTIN WILLIS 2PT RUSH) Drive info: 6 plays, 74 yards. | 24 | 27 |
![]() | TD | 4:31 | BLAKE WARREN 14 YD RUN (THOMAS MORSTEAD KICK) Drive info: 12 plays, 87 yards. | 24 | 34 |






