Oct. 6, 2012

Alex Singleton ran for three touchdowns in a game for the second time this season to lead Tulsa to a 45-38 road victory over Marshall. UAB rolled over Southeastern Louisiana, 52-3, posting 512 yards of total offense, while holding the Lions to 125 total yards. Memphis downed Rice, 14-10, and SMU posted its second shutout of the season with a 17-0 blanking of UTEP.

TULSA 45, MARSHALL 38
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Cody Green threw his only touchdown pass, a 4-yarder to Jordan James for the go-ahead score midway through the fourth quarter, and Tulsa stopped Marshall on downs twice in the fourth quarter to seal a 45-38 win Saturday.

The Golden Hurricane's quarterback connected with Thomas Roberson on the two-point conversion to follow up his touchdown, putting Tulsa (5-1, 3-0 Conference USA) up by seven with 8:25 remaining.

Then the Tulsa defense took over. Lowell Rose broke up a Rakeem Cato pass on Tulsa's 16-yard line on fourth-and-5 to stall a Thundering Herd (2-4, 1-1) drive with 3:32 left. Less than two minutes later, Tulsa's Marco Nelson broke up another pass by Cato on fourth-and-7 at the Golden Hurricane's 17 to stall Marshall's final possession and seal the win.

Alex Singleton rushed for three touchdowns on 94 yards for Tulsa. It was the second time this season and fifth time in his career that Singleton has scored three TDs in a game.

Cato had three TDs and 391 yards passing for Marshall.

SMU 17, UTEP 0
EL PASO, Texas -- Ja'Gared Davis stepped in front of a Nick Lamaison pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to help lead SMU to a 17-0 victory Saturday over UTEP.

Davis' touchdown came with 1:52 remaining in the first half. It was the last score of the night for SMU (2-3, 1-0 Conference USA) and was one of three forced turnovers by the Mustangs defense.

Zach Line barely missed his chance at a 17th career 100-yard rushing game as a Mustang, but was still a workhorse for SMU with 84 yards on 25 carries.

Jordan Leslie had seven catches for 80 yards in the loss for UTEP (1-5, 0-2).

MEMPHIS 14, RICE 10
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The first completed pass of Eric Mathews' career proved the game-winner Saturday night as Memphis slid by Rice 14-10 in Conference USA action.

The win was the first for rookie coach Justin Fuente.

Mathews' strike -- an 11-yarder to Alan Cross -- put the Tigers (1-4, 1-0) ahead for the first time in the game. Mathews, a transfer from Blinn College in Texas, alternated with Jacob Karam under center, and was 1-of-2 passing in the game.

Mathews' score was preceded by a 5-yard touchdown pass from Karam to Kelwone Malone.

Rice (1-5, 0-3) led 10-0 at halftime. Phillip Gaines recovered a fumble on Memphis' first offensive play and returned it 12 yards for an Owl touchdown. Then Chris Boswell's 36-yard field goal extended the lead.

Playing through heavy rain for much of the game, neither team had more than 245 yards total offense, with Memphis amassing just 81 passing yards.

UAB 52, SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 3
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- In his second collegiate start, Austin Brown bolstered UAB to a 28-point halftime lead as the Blazers earned their first win of the season -- a 52-3 trouncing of Southeastern Louisiana Saturday.

A week after amassing 337 yards and three scores through the air in a loss to Tulsa, Brown helped beat the Lions (2-4) by completing 16 of 22 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown, all before the half.

UAB (1-4) went on scoring drives of 68, 78, 59 and 56 yards in the first half, and also scored on Marvin Burdette's 36-yard interception return for a touchdown.

The Blazers' defense held Southeastern Louisiana to 125 yards of offense, including just 47 yards on the ground.

Nathan Stanley was 10-of-23 passing for 78 yards for the Lions, tossing one interception as the team totaled just nine first downs.

HOUSTON 44, NORTH TEXAS 21
HOUSTON -- Charles Sims set a career high with 210 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns, leading Houston to a 44-21 victory over North Texas on Saturday night.

Sims opened the scoring with a 5-yard run to cap the first drive of the game, then took a screen pass from David Piland 27 yards for another touchdown just before halftime. That put the Cougars (2-3) ahead 31-14.

Sims' previous career high was 207 yards rushing in last season's 73-17 victory over Tulane.

Piland, who was 31 of 41 for 321 yards, also connected with Dewayne Peace on a 16-yard score and added a rushing touchdown, as did Kenneth Farrow. Matt Hogan made all three of his field-goal attempts, including a 50-yarder, as Houston improved to 7-7 against the Mean Green (2-4).

Brandin Byrd led North Texas with 96 yards rushing, and Jeremy Brown, Antoinne Jimmerson and quarterback Derek Thompson ran for scores.

(25) BOISE STATE 40, SOUTHERN MISS 14
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Joe Southwick threw for three touchdowns and Boise State took advantage of five turnovers to breeze past Southern Mississippi 40-14 Saturday.

The Broncos (4-1) won their fourth straight by intercepting Golden Eagles quarterback Ricky Lloyd twice and recovering three of four fumbles by Southern Miss, which is 0-5 for the first time since 1976.

The 5-1 edge in turnovers came one week after coach Chris Peterson's team used three New Mexico fumbles to survive a 32-29 scare.

"I don't know how we keep getting turnovers," Peterson said. "But it sure makes things different for us. I'm not sure why we're getting them -- whether we're just in the right place at the right time or what -- but as long as they are coming like they did today, we're going to be in every game and we have a chance to win most of them."

The first interception came on Lloyd's fifth attempt of the game and set up Southwick's 11-yard scoring pass to Matt Miller that put the Broncos on top 7-0. Linebacker Tyler Gray returned his first-career interception 34 yards to the Golden Eagle 11-yard line, and Southwick and Miller connected on the ensuing play.

The lead swelled to 24-0 at the half when another Southern Miss turnover set up Southwick's second touchdown, a 33-yard strike to Chris Potter with 6 seconds left in the second quarter. That proved to be an insurmountable deficit for the Golden Eagles, who came into Saturday ranked 119th in the country in total offense.

"That was nice to get that score there," Southwick said. "We got the ball back after another turnover, and we're thinking, 'Let's just get into field goal range.' Luckily, (Potter) was able to get free and get some separation. I didn't think he had moves like that."

Southern Miss' two touchdown drives came on consecutive possessions in the third and fourth quarters after Anthony Alford replaced Lloyd at quarterback, but the Broncos answered both touchdowns with scores of their own.

Southwick connected with Kirby Moore for 27 yards and his third touchdown pass to make it 37-7, and Michael Frisina added his second field goal of the afternoon from 31 yards out with less than three minutes left to close out the game.

Southwick finished 17-of-26 passing for 201 yards with an interception.

D.J. Harper led the Broncos in rushing with 14 carries for 51 yards, including touchdown runs of 11 and 19 yards.

LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 41, TULANE 13
LAFAYETTE, La. -- Alonzo Harris ran for 123 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries and Louisiana-Lafayette piled up 294 rushing yards in a 41-13 victory over Tulane on Saturday night.

Terrance Broadway threw for two touchdowns and ran for one for the Ragin' Cajuns (4-1), who won their eighth consecutive home game.

Broadway, who split time with Blaine Gautier before Gautier suffered a broken throwing hand last week, found Javone Lawson with a 23-yard touchdown pass to make it 10-0 in the second quarter.

D.J. Ponder had passes intercepted on Tulane's next two possessions, with Justin Anderson returning the second 38 yards for a 17-0 Louisiana-Lafayette lead.

Broadway's 10-yard scoring run made it 24-7, and his 20-yard pass to Lawson in the third quarter put the Ragin' Cajuns ahead 31-10.

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