HOUSTON -- Two resilient and timely late-game plays offset lengthy stretches of misery and ineffectiveness for the Houston defense.

Cougars linebacker Emeke Egbule returned a fumble 24 yards for a touchdown with 81 seconds remaining and safeties Austin Robinson and Khalil Williams combined for a tackle on the final play to preserve Houston's 38-31 victory over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Saturday night at TDECU Stadium.

After Cougars safety Garrett Davis poked the ball away from Tulsa quarterback Dane Evans as he scrambled in the pocket, Egbule scooped it and followed a convoy into the end zone to give No. 12-ranked Houston (6-1, 3-1 American) the lead.

Tulsa (4-2, 1-1), which erased two-touchdown deficits in the second and fourth quarters, responded by surging to the Houston 2-yard line, needing seven plays to cover 73 yards and set up the final snap with seven seconds remaining.

Robinson and Williams then converged on Tulsa defensive end Jesse Brubaker at the 1-yard line after Brubaker caught a short pass from Evans. Officials reviewed the play and determined that Brubaker did not cross the goal line.

"Once I saw Garrett Davis strip it out I just knew I had to do something with it just to keep us in the game because I didn't want to let my team down," Egbule said.

"It was really big, especially that last stop. That's really what won the game."

Houston set season highs for number of plays (18) and time of possession (7:50) on the touchdown drive that produced a 31-17 lead with 8:29 remaining. But Tulsa, fresh off a double-overtime win at Fresno State on Sept. 24 and an overtime win against SMU last week, struck quickly to pull even just as it did late in the first half.

The Golden Hurricane covered 65 yards in four plays, with the final 38 yards coming on an Evans-to-Justin Hobbs touchdown pass with 7:03 left. That drive required just 68 seconds and, after forcing the Cougars into a three-and-out, Tulsa needed just 1:53 to pull even on James Flanders' 3-yard run with 3:31 remaining.

"Really didn't feel like we lost the game, I felt like we just ran out of time," Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery said. "I thought our guys competed extremely well."

Tulsa passed out of the "heavy" formation it lined up in on the final play for the first time. Evans finished 27 of 51 for 365 yards and a touchdown and was sacked just once. Hobbs and Keenan Johnson finished with eight receptions apiece, with Hobbs recording a game-high 129 receiving yards while Johnson added 94 yards.

Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. passed for 254 yards and added a season-high 142 rushing yards. With 396 yards of total offense, he passed David Klingler (9,327 yards from 1988-91) for third place in program history. Ward has 9,357 total yards.

Following a brisk eight-play, 76-yard scoring drive on its opening possession and an 11-play, 81-yard march that concluded with a 6-yard touchdown run from Mulbah Car early in the second quarter, Houston led 17-3 and appeared in complete control.

But with 6:38 left in the half Cougars running back Dillon Birden, who had scoring runs of 17, 6 and 8 yards, fumbled, and Tulsa quickly seized the momentum.

Tulsa mounted scoring drives of 69 and 74 yards, converted 8 of 11 third downs in the first half and, after being on the verge of falling into a three-score hole, pulled even when Evans scored on a 1-yard plunge with 13 seconds left in the first half.

The Golden Hurricane finished 14 of 20 on third downs and totaled 459 yards. But when the Cougars desperately needed a stop, they got not one but two.

"Pleased with out fight. Pleased with how we responded to adversity all night long," Houston coach Tom Herman said. "Proud of the way we did respond but knowing that we've got to do a much better job if we want to achieve the goals that we've got in front of us."

NOTES: Houston RB Duke Catalon remained sidelined with a concussion after suffering a setback last week in practice. Catalon, who practiced in a non-contact yellow jersey, remained symptomatic and has played in just three games this season. ... Tulsa freshman RB Corey Taylor scored on his first career carry, a 2-yard touchdown with 2:55 remaining in the second quarter. ... Cougars DB Terrell Williams was ejected for targeting following his hit on Tulsa WR Keenan Johnson midway through the second quarter. ... With 19 passing yards on the second drive of the game, Tulsa QB Dane Evans bypassed G.J. Kinne (9,472 yards from 2009-11) for second place in program annals.