Navy Comes From Behind On Lavatai TD, Upends Tulsa 20-17

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Tai Lavatai scored a game-winning touchdown from the 1-yard enactment successful the 4th fourth and Navy defeated Tulsa 20-17 connected Friday night.

Lavatai was 0-for-3 passing but gained a career-high 64 yards connected the ground, giving him 242 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns successful six starts. The Midshipmen gained 302 yards rushing, zero passing.

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The 15-play eight-minute thrust successful Navy’s (2-6, 2-4 American Athletic Conference) come-from-behind triumph foiled a large nighttime by Tulsa’s Anthony Watkins, who scored the Golden Hurricanes archetypal kickoff instrumentality for a touchdown successful astir a decennary and compiled 178 yards successful full offense.

The triumph was Navy’s archetypal connected the roadworthy this play and broke a three-game losing streak.

Watkins scored a 97-yard kickoff instrumentality to unfastened the 2nd fractional arsenic Tulsa (3-5, 2-2) took a 10-3 lead. The past Golden Hurricane with a kickoff instrumentality for a TD was Trey Watts, 95-yards against Marshall connected Oct. 6, 2012.

Late successful the archetypal half, Zack Long kicked a 26-yard tract extremity for a 3-0 pb arsenic Tulsa salvaged points from a five-play thrust that began with a Watkins season-long 78-yard unreserved to the Navy 7-yard line.

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Watkins spun distant from a tackler astatine the enactment of scrimmage and bolted consecutive downfield earlier helium was caught. Watkins had 81 yards rushing connected 5 carries.

Bijan Nichols evened the people with a 29-yard tract extremity for Navy with 3 seconds near successful the archetypal half.

After the Watkins kickoff return, Navy scored aft 2 agelong drives to necktie and instrumentality the lead. Nichols added a 46-yard tract extremity for insurance.

Davis Brin, who completed 13 of 23 passes for 165 yards, connected with Ezra Naylor II connected a 2-yard touchdown pass, pulling Tulsa to wrong 20-17 with 2:21 to play.

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Navy recovered the onside footwear and ran retired the clock.