FAYETTEVILLE -- Gus Malzahn has never been one to reflect during a season.

Doing so was even more difficult for the former Springdale High coach following Arkansas’ 30-23 win over Tulsa on Saturday.

Malzahn, also the former offensive coordinator at Arkansas and currently in the same role with the Golden Hurricane, left the field to applause from the remaining Arkansas fans in the southwest corner of Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Even that couldn’t elicit much emotion from Malzahn afterward.

“Maybe tomorrow I’ll be able to think like that,” said Malzahn, who coached for 15 seasons at three different Arkansas high schools, including Shiloh Christian and Hughes. “Right now I’m just extremely disappointed.”

“I’m sure later on I’ll be able to think a little clearer as far as that goes.”

Tulsa entered the game against the Razorbacks with the top-ranked offense in the country, a category the school also led last season, Malzahn’s first with the Golden Hurricane. On Saturday, Tulsa continued to pile up yards, outgaining Arkansas 528-435 in total yardage, but managed to score only three points in the second half.

“We had a lot of stats,” Tulsa coach Todd Graham said. “That’s why those stats don’t mean nothing. I could care less about stats.

“I care about scoring points. We just weren’t able to score the points when we needed to.”

The Golden Hurricane fell behind 17-0 in the first quarter but rallied to tie the game at 20-20 late in the first half. Arkansas took a 23-20 lead right before halftime, but Tulsa had several chances to take the lead in the second half — moving the ball into Arkansas territory five times.

Tulsa only managed a field goal in the second half, however, often times stalling out after key penalties or big losses. The Razorbacks had eight tackles for losses in the game for a total of 40 yards.

“I always used to say when I’d sit in the box as a defensive coordinator, ‘When it’s third down-and-15, it’s turnover down,’” Graham said. “That’s usually what the offense will do.”

The key series for the Golden Hurricane came in the final minutes when it drove to the Arkansas 5, trailing 30-23. A pair of rushes by A.J. Whitmore were pushed back two yards, however, and quarterback David Johnson’s fourth-down pass missed its mark to seal the Razorbacks victory.

“It’s just disappointing to lose,” Malzahn said. “These are great fans, great place, all that. It’s just disappointing because we came so close. It’s tough to lose that way.”

Afterward, Graham said he understood Malzahn’s frustration in losing and how badly he wanted to win the game.

“I can tell you that Gus, the time he spent here at Arkansas, meant a lot to him,” Graham said. “I think he cares, naturally, a lot about this state. Gus spent a lot of years coaching the kids here.

“He wanted to win this bad, of course. I think he gave everything he had and did a great job. I’m very pleased with how he works, but (Saturday) they were better.”