Tulsa rolls in GMAC Bowl, 63-7

? Paul Smith and the nation’s top-rated offense turned a little charity into a lot of history in the GMAC Bowl.

Smith had his NCAA-record 14th consecutive 300-yard passing game, and Tulsa converted four fumble recoveries into first-half touchdowns on the way to a 63-7 romp over Bowling Green on Sunday night.

With all that help, the Golden Hurricane (10-4) ran up a 35-0 halftime lead and capped coach Todd Graham’s first season by reaching 10 wins for the first time since 1991. Tulsa had never managed more than 31 points in 14 previous bowl games.

Smith passed for 312 yards and five touchdowns, the last 3:22 left in the blowout. He broke the record of 13 300-yard efforts in a row he shared with BYU’s Ty Detmer, whose streak stretched over the 1989 and 1990 seasons.

He and Tarrion Adams joined Houston’s David Klingler and Chuck Weatherspoon as the NCAA’s only 5,000-yard passing and 1,000-yard rushing tandem.

Tulsa outgained Bowling Green (8-5) 562-229 in total yards.

Adams scored touchdowns running, passing and receiving before halftime and ran for 112 yards. Trae Johnson caught two scoring passes in the most lopsided bowl game this season, with only the national championship game remaining.

Bowling Green, which had won four consecutive bowl games, lost three fumbles in its own territory in the first quarter and never recovered.

Taking matters from awful to worse, quarterback Tyler Sheehan was helped off the field due to a left ankle injury with 24 seconds left in the first half and didn’t return.