Sept. 29, 2012

Tulsa made it four consecutive victories with a wild, 49-42 win at UAB. Alex Singleton ran for three touchdowns and Cody Green threw two for two scores and ran for another. Houston won the Bayou Bucket, defeating Rice, 35-14 behind 158 yards and three TD runs from Charles Sims. Shane Carden ran for two TDs and threw another to lead East Carolina past UTEP, 28-18.

TULSA 49, UAB 42
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Alex Singleton scored three touchdowns, including the 6-yard game-winner, as Tulsa outlasted UAB, 49-42 Saturday.

Cody Green passed for two scores and rushed for another for the Golden Hurricane (4-1, 2-0 Conference USA), who led 42-28 going into the fourth quarter.

The Blazers (0-4, 0-1) then scored twice within two minutes to tie it with 9:26 remaining. After a Tulsa fumble, Darrin Reaves capped a 51-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run with 11:12 left. On UAB's next possession, Jamarcus Nelson caught a 50-yard pass from Austin Brown.

DeAundre Brown intercepted a Brown pass at the UAB 31 to set up the winning drive. Singleton, who rushed on five of the six plays, scored with 5:16 left.

The Blazers drove from their 19 to the 46 before Brown's fumble was recovered by Tulsa's Mitchell Osborne with 1:28 left.

Brown passed for 337 yards and three touchdowns for the Blazers.

HOUSTON 35, RICE 14
HOUSTON -- Charles Sims ran for three touchdowns as Houston defeated Rice 35-14 for its first win of the season Saturday afternoon in Reliant Stadium.

Sims scored on a 3-yard run and a 47-yard run that put the Cougars up 28-0 in the third quarter. He would later make a 16-yard run for his third touchdown. David Piland was 26 of 43 for 361 yards and two touchdowns, including a 31-yard pass to Daniel Spencer and a 25-yard pass to Larry McDuffey.

Rice scored in the third quarter when Sam McGuffie caught a 24-yard pass from Driphus Jackson. The two connected again for a touchdown on an 88-yard pass.

Houston (1-3, 1-0) opened its final season of Conference USA play before moving to the Big East.

The win keeps the Bayou Bucket with Houston.

EAST CAROLINA 28, UTEP 18
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- East Carolina quarterback Shane Carden ran for two touchdowns and threw for a score to overcome three interceptions, leading the Pirates to a 28-18 win over Texas-El Paso on Saturday night.

Carden, who was 28 of 40 for 258 yards, ran for a 6-yard score in the first quarter and threw a 3-yard scoring pass to Justin Hardy that gave the Pirates (3-2, 2-0 Conference USA) their first lead of the game at 14-10 going into halftime.

East Carolina would lead the rest of the way, as Carden's 8-yard TD trot marked the only score of the third. Vintavious Cooper's 24-yard rushing touchdown put the Pirates up 28-10 with 4:56 to play. Cooper finished with 128 yards rushing on 18 carries.

The Miners (1-4, 0-1) got their late touchdown on Autrey Golden's 96-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. Nathan Jeffery led all rushers with 134 yards for UTEP.

PURDUE 51, MARSHALL 41
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue and Marshall traded big plays all day.

Turns out, the defense was the difference in Saturday's shootout.

Caleb TerBush threw four touchdowns, the Boilermakers returned two interceptions for scores and the defense finally stopped the Thundering Herd's second-half rally late to allow Purdue to hold on for a 51-41 victory.

They combined for 179 plays and 977 yards on a record-breaking day.

TerBush was 27 of 37 for 294 yards with four TDs, three to Gary Bush, and one interception in Purdue's final non-conference tune up.

Marshall (2-3) quarterback Rakeem Cato was 45 of 68 for 439 yards and five touchdowns, three to Gator Hoskins. It was the highest number of completions and attempts ever against Purdue (3-1), breaking the marks set by Illinois' Jack Trudeau back in 1985. Receiver Tommy Shuler caught 19 passes for 200 yards, breaking the school's single-game record for receptions (15) set most recently by Josh Davis in 2004.

That much should have been expected from two high-scoring offenses.

But the surprises came on defense.

During a quick second-quarter flurry, Cato threw three picks and Purdue turned each into touchdowns including a 39-yard return from Ricardo Allen and a 76-yard return from Josh Johnson. Allen's fourth career TD off an interception gave him the school record, breaking a three-way tie with Mike Rose and Rod Woodson. And when Johnson scored five plays later, it marked the first time in school history which the Boilermakers scored twice on interception returns in the same game.

When the flurry ended, the Boilermakers led 42-14, but Marshall didn't go away.

Cato opened the second half with a 28-yard TD pass to Hoskins to make it 42-21. Then the Thundering Herd blocked Cody Webster's punt and linebacker Derek Mitchell ran it back 35 yards for a TD. That cut the lead to 42-28 with 6:09 left in the third quarter.

After Purdue regained its composure on a 16-play drive that ended with a 34-yard field goal, Cato led the Thundering Herd on a nine-play, 77-yard drive, hooking up with Hoskins for a 1-yard TD pass, Hoskins' third score of the day, to get Marshall within 45-35 with 12:53 to play.

Purdue appeared to seal the game with Bush's final score, a 7-yard TD reception, but the extra point was blocked, keeping Marshall within 16.

The Thundering Herd answered with a 15-yard TD pass to Craig Wilkins with 3:47 to go, making it 51-41, but the Purdue defense stiffened and Marshall couldn't get any closer.

MISSOURI 31, UCF 16
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Marcus Murphy returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown and James Franklin added an 80-yard touchdown pass as Missouri ground out a 21-16 win over Central Florida on Saturday.

UCF trailed 21-10 before a late score, but following a Tigers punt, Knights receiver Jeff Godfrey fumbled with 2:26 left to allow Missouri (3-2) to hang on for the win.

UCF (2-2) controlled most of the game, using five sacks and a huge advantage in time of possession to take an early lead.

But miscues on defense and special teams unraveled it all, and the Knights sputtered on offense down the stretch in their bid to defeat their first Southeastern Conference opponent at home.

Coming off a dismal passing performance last week at South Carolina, Franklin was efficient, going 19 for 30 for 257 yards.

Kendial Lawrence added 104 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Tigers.

Knights quarterback Blake Bortles kept his team in the game, connecting on 29 of his 43 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns.

Prior to Murphy's punt return, the Knights looked to be taking control of the game, leading 10-7 and coming off an interception and fourth sack of Franklin early in the third quarter.

But the slide continued with Missouri capitalizing on a short punt and needing just three plays to take its 21-10 advantage with 9:31 to play in the game.

Offense was plentiful in the first half, with both teams using big plays through the air to reach the end zone.

Missouri had several promising drives stall early before getting on the board via an 80-yard touchdown strike from Franklin to Dorial Green-Beckham. That gave the Tigers a 7-3 lead in the opening minutes of the second quarter.

UCF defensive back A.J. Bouye briefly had Green-Beckham locked up by the legs near the 50 before slipping to the turf. Green-Beckham then sprinted untouched into the end zone.

The play, the Tigers' longest from scrimmage this season, also was a career-best for Franklin.

The Knights responded on the ensuing drive, with Bortles using a 41-yard pass to Rob Calabrese to set up an 11-yard touchdown pass to Quincy McDuffie.

Following a series of punts, UCF got hot again and drove the ball from its own 12 all the way inside the Tigers 10 with less than 2 minutes to play in the half.

A pass interference call on Missouri gave the Knights first-and-goal on the 3. But after a stuffed run and an incomplete pass, the opportunity was squandered as Bortles was sacked, and time expired before the Knights could run out their field goal team.

Despite the final miscue, the Knights' offense had one of their best opening halves of the season with Bortles completing 12 straight passes at one point and 18 for 22 overall for 156 yards. Johnson also averaged nearly 8 yards per carry in racking up 84 yards rushing.

The Tigers were successful at times with their hurry-up offense, but UCF's defense also helped keep Franklin off balance, sacking him three times in the opening 30 minutes.

(14) TCU 24, SMU 16
ALLAS -- Casey Pachall threw two touchdown passes, Jason Verrett had two interceptions and No. 15 TCU extended its FBS-best winning streak to 12 games by beating SMU 24-16 on Saturday night.

TCU (4-0) has won 11 of 13 over SMU and regained the Iron Skillet trophy, which goes to the winner of the Dallas-Fort Worth rivalry. The Horned Frogs' previous loss came last season at home to the Mustangs (1-3).

The game was played in a heavy rainstorm. The rain picked up in intensity around kickoff and never relented as the game progressed.

TCU's Matthew Tucker scored two touchdowns in the first half that capped drives of less than 10 yards.

The Horned Frogs jumped out to a 21-10 halftime lead and held on despite gaining 27 yards of offense in the second half and 156 overall.

SMU quarterback Garrett Gilbert threw five interceptions, including one by Verrett on a desperation pass to end the game. The Mustangs turned the ball over six times.

Zach Line had a 21-yard touchdown run in the second quarter for the Mustangs, who lost for the second time this season to a state rival from the Big 12. Baylor beat SMU 59-24 in the season opener on Sept. 2.

The Horned Frogs committed 13 penalties for 140 yards, including seven personal foul calls. TCU also botched two snaps to the punter in the fourth quarter.

Punter Ethan Perry couldn't field a low snap, giving SMU the ball at the TCU 35. Gilbert hooked up with Der'rikk Thompson for a touchdown on the next play, cutting the deficit to 24-16 with 2:08 left.

The Mustangs had one last chance when they got the ball at their own 33 with 1:06 left. They moved the ball 9 yards before Verrett intercepted Gilbert's Hail Mary attempt.

Pachall, who came into game leading all FBS quarterbacks in passing efficiency, was 10 of 26 for 107 yards. Tucker rushed for 56 yards and Josh Boyce added 42 yards receiving for the Horned Frogs.

TCU's only points in the second half came on Jaden Oberkrom's 43-yard field goal early in the fourth.

Gilbert was of 15 of 40 for 190 yards, but his receivers dropped at least six passes.

TCU safety Chris Hackett recovered Line's fumble at the SMU 41 to set up Pachall's 10-yard touchdown pass to LaDarius Brown.

Elisha Olabode intercepted Gilbert and returned it 51 yards down to the 8. Three plays later, Pachall found a wide open Tucker on a 2-yard scoring toss.

After picking up only 4 yards of offense in the first quarter, the Mustangs put together their only substantial drive.

Gilbert hit 4 of 5 passes for 56 yards and Line finished off an 86-yard drive with his touchdown. The big back broke three TCU tackles and then skipped over another on the way to his third score of the season.

Skye Dawson returned a punt 64 yards down to the 4, and Tucker scored on the next play to extend TCU's advantage to 21-7 with 2:11 left in the first half.

Chase Hover kicked a 29-yard field goal just before halftime to bring SMU within 21-10.

The rain caused problems for both teams as TCU head coach Gary Patterson braved the elements without any kind of rain jacket or slicker.

SMU receivers had three drops on its first two possessions of the game.

Tucker slipped twice making cuts on consecutive running attempts, and TCU's holder couldn't handle a snap on a field goal attempt in the third quarter.

The Mustangs had a scoring chance early in the fourth when Perry mishandled a snap, and SMU's Austin Fuller picked up the loose ball at the 1. After Line was stuffed and Gilbert was sacked, the Mustangs threw two incompletions into the end zone to squander the opportunity.

(17) LOUISVILLE 21, SOUTHERN MISS 17
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Senorise Perry rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns, Jeremy Wright added 84 rushing yards and No. 19 Louisville rallied to beat Southern Miss 21-17 in a downpour on Saturday night.

Louisville (5-0) trailed 17-6 midway through the second quarter, but scored 15 unanswered points for the win, even though star quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was rendered nearly useless because of a driving storm that soaked the Roberts Stadium turf.

Perry scored both touchdowns during the rally. His 1-yard score pulled Louisville within 17-12 just before halftime and his 14-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter proved to be the game winner.

Louisville is off to its best start since 2006. Southern Miss (0-4) is in the midst of its worst start since 1976.

Southern Miss had a chance to win on the final drive, but a halfback pass by Desmond Johnson fell incomplete on fourth down.

Bridgewater came into the game averaging 262.2 yards passing, but was held to 9-of-13 passing for 85 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Louisville looked like it would cruise early in the first quarter. Bridgewater turned a beautiful play-action fake into a 29-yard touchdown pass to DeVante Parker and a 6-0 lead.

But then the light showers turned into a full-blown downpour, making it all but impossible to effectively pass. The field turf turned into a gigantic lake, with an inch of water covering nearly the entire playing surface.

That's when things started going south for the Cardinals -- whose short-passing offense has been so effective. Bridgewater tried a short pass to Parker later in the first quarter, but it slipped through his hands and right to Southern Miss cornerback Reggie Hunt, who returned it 23 yards for a touchdown.

Then the Golden Eagles drove the field twice in a row, scoring on a 21-yard field goal by Corey Acosta and a 1-yard run by Jalen Richard to push their lead to 17-6. Big runs by Johnson (50 yards) and Kendrick Hardy (44 yards) were instrumental on each of those drives.

The running backs for both teams had a huge advantage because the defense couldn't change directions on the waterlogged field, but only if snaps and handoffs were executed properly. Both teams fumbled several exchanges.

Louisville scored a touchdown on Perry's 1-yard run late in the second quarter as the 198-pounder sloshed forward into the end zone, but the two-point conversion failed, and the Cardinals trailed 17-12 at halftime.

Southern Miss went the entire first half without completing a pass.

Louisville's John Wallace made a 38-yard field goal late in the third quarter to pull the Cardinals within 17-15. The Golden Eagles tried to answer, but Acosta's 48-yard field goal attempt banged off the left upright and fell into the end zone.

That's when Southern Miss' mistakes started to add up.

Peter Boehme nearly whiffed on a punt deep in Southern Miss territory, and it skipped just 6 yards. Louisville took over at the Golden Eagles' 22 and six plays later scored on Perry's 14-yard touchdown run.

Southern Miss freshman Ricky Lloyd -- the third-string quarterback who made his first career start after injuries to Chris Campbell and Anthony Alford -- completed just 2 of 8 passes for 25 yards. Johnson rushed for a team-high 99 yards.

LOUISIANA-MONROE 63, TULANE 10
NEW ORLEANS -- Kolton Browning threw three first-half touchdown passes and Louisiana-Monroe cruised to a 63-10 victory over Tulane on Saturday.

The junior was 15-of-21 for 253 yards as the Warhawks (2-2) gained 553 yards and scored their most points since moving to the Football Bowl Subdivision level in 1994.

The Green Wave (0-4) lost their 14th straight and had just 151 yards total offense.

After Browning's first scoring pass, a 3-yarder to Kevin Steed, made it 14-0 in the first quarter, D.J. Ponder, the third Tulane starting quarterback in three weeks, was intercepted by R.J. Young. Young fumbled at the Tulane 6 after returning it 49 yards, but Ray Stovall recovered the ball in the end zone to score.

Browning threw for second-quarter scores of 29 yards to Je'Ron Hamm and 38 yards to Tavarese Mays, and Darius Lively's 6-yard interception return touchdown in the third quarter put the Warhawks up 56-3.

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