HOUSTON -- No. 13 Houston was coming off of its first loss and the Cougars were close to making it two in a row with Tulsa driving in a tie game late in the fourth quarter on Saturday night.It was then that Houstons defense responded with two huge plays to give the Cougars a 38-31 victory .The game was tied at 31-31 when Emeke Egbule returned a fumble 24 yards for a touchdown with 1:21 remaining. Garrett Davis knocked the ball out of the hands of quarterback Dane Evans. Egbule scooped it up and dashed into the end zone for the score.I just knew I had to do something with it to keep us in the game, Egbule said.Tulsa (4-2, 1-1 American) had a chance to tie it, but Jesse Brubaker was stopped just short of the goal line after a reception on the last play of the game to seal Houstons victory. The play was reviewed and upheld.He was really close ... I dont think you can get any closer than what it was, Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery said.It was a close call for the Cougars (6-1, 3-1) a week after Navy beat them 46-40 after a 5-0 start.We got the taste out of our mouth, Houston coach Tom Herman said.Tulsa never led, but had twice rallied from 14-point deficits to tie the game. The second time came when James Flanders scored on a 3-yard run with 3:31 left.This is one of those games thats tough to swallow, Montgomery said. It really didnt feel like we lost the football game, it felt like we just ran out of time.The Golden Hurricane forced a punt after that, but the fumble by Evans came two plays later.Houstons Dillon Birden ran for 82 yards and three touchdowns playing in place of starter Duke Catalon, who missed his third straight game with a concussion.Herman thought this game was another good reminder for his players that they cant take any team lightly.Youre going to get their best shot. Youve earned that, he said. Everybody on your schedule is going to play you with their `A game. Weve got to understand that and understand that even when were up 17-3 we cant take our foot off the gas.THE TAKEAWAYTULSA: The Golden Hurricane ran out of late-game magic after overcoming a 31-point deficit, which was the largest in school history, to beat Fresno State 48-41 in double overtime two weeks ago before getting a 43-40 win over SMU in overtime last week.HOUSTON: The Cougars need to start playing more like the team that beat Oklahoma instead of the mistake-prone team that lost to Navy last week and struggled this week to get into the conference title game.POLL IMPLICATIONSHOUSTON: The Cougars could move up a couple of spots after No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 9 Tennessee and 12th-ranked Mississippi all lost on Saturday. However, some poll voters might penalize Houston for struggling against an unranked team.EDS EFFORT: Freshman defensive tackle Ed Oliver had another big game for the Cougars, piling up a season-high 12 tackles after finishing with 11 last week. He also batted down two passes to give him five for the season, had two tackles for losses and a quarterback hit.UP NEXTTULSA: The Golden Hurricane host Tulane next Saturday.HOUSTON: The Cougars visit SMU next Saturday.---More AP college football: http://collegefootball.ap.orgCheap Seattle Mariners Jerseys . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic .C. United of Major League Soccer. United chose the defender in the second round of the 2013 MLS re-entry draft. http://www.cheapmarinersjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-guillermo-heredia-jersey . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. Denard Span Jersey . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. Lativas Tomass Dukurs was third, 1.41 seconds off the pace. Jon Montgomery of Eckville, Alta. Felix Hernandez Jersey . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot.EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Before Ohio State could move on to next weekends showdown with Michigan, the Buckeyes had to deal with a different nemesis.As usual, Michigan State gave Urban Meyers team all it could handle.Mike Weber ran for 111 yards and a touchdown, and No. 2 Ohio State held off Michigan State 17-16 on Saturday after the upset-minded Spartans missed a 2-point conversion with 4:41 remaining.Tough day at the office right there, Meyer said. Well take the win against a team that we know very well and on the road in November. Were 10-1 and getting ready for rivalry week.Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten, No. 2 AP) can now focus on Michigan, but only after withstanding a spirited challenge from a Michigan State team that derailed the Buckeyes national title bids in two of the previous three seasons. The Spartans (3-8, 1-7) were down 17-10 when LJ Scott scored on a 1-yard run with 4:41 to play. Michigan State went for the lead, but Tyler OConnors pass on the 2-point conversion attempt was intercepted in the end zone.All week long Id said that, hey, if we get close at the end of the game, were going for 2, and were going to take an aggressive approach and play to win the football game rather than to tie, Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. They had us covered up on that particular play, so good job by them.The Spartans got the ball back one more time, at their own 20 with 2:04 remaining. Tyquan Lewis sacked OConnor on the first play, and then Gareon Conley intercepted him on the second.Scott ran for 160 yards and also scored on a 64-yard catch-and-run in the first minute of the game, but the Ohio State defense didnt allow much more after that. J.T. Barrett threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel in the first quarter, and the game was tied at 10 at halftime.Webers 4-yard TD run in the third gave the Buckeyes the lead for good.THE TAKEAWAYOhio State: The Buckeyes had to claw their way to this win, but it was still a sweet one against the team that has given them more trouble than any in recent seasons. Michigan State beat Ohio State in the 2013 Big Ten title game and again late in the regular season last year.ddddddddddddOhio States stellar pass defense was the difference. OConnor and Damion Terry were a combined 8 of 21 with two interceptions for the Spartans.Michigan State: Dantonios team threw everything it had at Ohio State, executing a successful fake punt in the fourth quarter and later going for 2 when an extra point would have tied it. The Spartans fell just short in the end, unable to establish any consistent offensive threats aside from Scott.The 2-point conversion may be second-guessed in the days to come, but OConnor said the team was on board with it.We dont play for second place, obviously, OConnor said. Everybody was all in on going for it.POLL IMPLICATIONSOhio State: The Buckeyes trailed only top-ranked Alabama coming into this weekend, but the bigger concern for them is their playoff position. Even if Ohio State beats Michigan, it could lose a head-to-head tiebreaker with Penn State for the division title.TOUGH SLEDDINGMichigan State managed only 127 yards passing, over half of it on one play. Ohio State wasnt very productive through the air either. Barrett went 10 of 22 for 86 yards on a windy day that included sporadic snow flurries. The Spartans, who had only seven sacks coming into the game, had three against Ohio State.MILESTONEWeber became the third Ohio State freshman to reach 1,000 yards rushing. Robert Smith (1990) and Maurice Clarett (2002) were the other two.It means a lot, he said. It was a goal that I had set at the beginning of the year. My offensive line executed and made it happen.GREAT SCOTTScott had 236 total yards, including a highlight-reel play in the third quarter when he hurdled an Ohio State defender near the sideline.UP NEXTOhio State: The Buckeyes have lost only once in their last 12 meetings with Michigan. Ohio State will be at home next weekend, where it has not lost to Michigan since 2000.Michigan State: The Spartans play at Penn State next weekend, meaning they could have another chance to play spoiler in the Big Ten title race. ' ' '