Sept. 26, 2009

Case Keenum led Houston on a 95-yard scoring drive late in the fourth quarter to guide the Cougars to a 29-28 victory over Texas Tech. Keenum passed for 435 yards and one touchdown, while rushing four yards for the game-winning score with 55 seconds remaining. Darius Marshall rushed for a career-high 203 yards and scored three touchdowns as Marshall won at Memphis, 27-16. Dwayne Harris caught 10 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for a score to lead East Carolina to a 19-14 win over UCF. Tulane posted its first win of the season, downing McNeese State, 42-32.

(17) HOUSTON 29, TEXAS TECH 28
HOUSTON -- Case Keenum ran 4 yards with a quarterback keeper for a touchdown with 49 seconds left to give No. 17 Houston a 29-28 comeback win over Texas Tech on Saturday night.

The Cougars trailed 21-10 in the first half, but held Tech's high-powered offense to one second half score.

Houston was playing as a ranked team for the first time in 18 years after knocking off then No. 5 Oklahoma State two weeks ago. A record crowd of 32,114, including Phi Slama Jama stars Hakeem Olajuwon Clyde Drexler showed up to cheer them on.

Less than a month into the season, the Cougars (3-0) from Conference USA have a couple of impressive wins against Big 12 teams to bolster their chances of breaking into the BCS.

Keenum kept the game-winning, 95-yard drive going with a 7-yard pass to Patrick Edwards on fourth-and-3.

The Red Raiders (2-2) led 28-23 midway through the fourth quarter before Will Ford's interception stopped a Cougar drive. But Tech couldn't convert and had to punt back to Houston with about six minutes remaining.

Tech had a last chance for the win but Taylor Potts' desperation throw on the last play of the game was broken up by the Cougars, sending thousands of Houston fans onto the field.

Keenum was 38 of 58 for 435 yards and had a touchdown pass and an interception in the first meeting between these two teams since 1995 when both were in the Southwest Conference.

It was the shootout most expected with the two teams combining for 1,063 yards of offense.

But the pass-happy Red Raiders relied more heavily than normal on their running game. Tech had gained 86 yards rushing in its first three games but had 163 Saturday.

Of course the Red Raiders still passed plenty, with Potts finishing with 321 yards and Tech's only second half score.

A hands to the face penalty by Tyrell Graham erased an interception with less than a minute left in the third quarter. But the Red Raiders weren't able to take advantage of the blunder and came away empty after Potts was stuffed for no gain on fourth down from the 1.

David Hunter forced his second fumble of the night when he made Tech freshman Eric Stephens cough it up late in the third quarter. C.J. Cavness recovered it for the Cougars.

They drove to the 4, but came away with only a field goal after three consecutive incomplete passes. That left the Red Raiders ahead 28-23.

Potts connected on a 24-yard TD with Tramain Swindall with about four minutes left in the third quarter. Swindall shed three Houston defenders, the last near the goal line, on the score that stretched Tech's lead to 28-20.

Bryce Beall's 1-yard run got Houston within 21-20 midway through the third quarter. A nifty 45-yard reception by Tyron Carrier got the Cougars in scoring position.

Harrison Jeffers pushed Tech's lead to 21-10 with a 13-yard run less than a minute before halftime. It was Tech's third rushing TD of the half after scoring three on the ground in the previous three games combined.

Mannisto hit a career-long 50-yard field goal at the end of the second quarter to make it 21-13 at halftime.

The Red Raiders relied on the run on a 69-yard drive capped by an 11-yard run by Baron Batch to take a 14-10 lead in the second quarter.

Keenum put the Cougars up early with a 6-yard touchdown pass to James Cleveland in the first quarter. It was his school-record 19th straight game with a touchdown throw, surpassing Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware.

A 6-yard run by Batch evened it up at 7-all later in the first quarter.

MARSHALL 27, MEMPHIS 16
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -Darius Marshall ran for three touchdowns to help Marshall hold off Memphis 27-16 in the Conference USA opener for both teams on Saturday.

Marshall had 25 carries for 203 yards for the Thundering Herd (3-1, 1-0), and also completed a pass for 27 yards.

With the Tigers (1-3, 0-1) leading 7-3 after the opening quarter, Marshall ran for touchdowns of 2 and 69 yards to take a 17-7 lead late in the second.

Matt Reagan kicked a 20-yard field goal to end the first half, then started the second with a 22-yarder to bring Memphis back within 17-13. Marshall ran it in from 5 yards out to give the Herd a 24-13 advantage to start the fourth. Craig Ratanamorn kicked an 18-yard field goal to seal the win for Marshall.

Tyler Bass was 17-for-34 passing for 232 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions for the Tigers. He also rushed for 64 yards on 14 carries.

EAST CAROLINA 19, UCF 14
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP)--Dwayne Harris scored two touchdowns, including a 3-yard catch midway through the fourth quarter, to help East Carolina defeat Central Florida 19-14 on Saturday.

Harris was a threat all over the field for the Pirates (2-2, 1-0 Conference USA), who defeated the Knights for the fourth consecutive season. The wide receiver made 10 catches for 121 yards and rushed the ball three times on direct snaps for 27 yards and a touchdown.

Brett Hodges, who threw one touchdown pass and four interceptions, was 21-for-34 for 266 yards for Central Florida (2-2, 0-2). The Knights went scoreless for more than 53 minutes after taking a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

Patrick Pinkney was 27-for-40 for 293 yards and an interception for the Pirates, who amassed a season-high 408 yards of total offense.

Both teams entered the game among the nation's worst in total offense, with UCF ranking No. 116 and ECU ranking No. 113 out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams. But the Knights and Pirates punted just once each in the first half, moving the ball at will until they stopped themselves with turnovers.

East Carolina running back Jonathan Williams lost a fumble inside UCF's 15-yard line that led to the game's first touchdown, a 19-yard run by the Knights' Brynn Harvey midway through the first quarter.

UCF had plenty of other opportunities to score, but couldn't convert until Hodges found Kamar Aiken in the end zone with 1:06 remaining to cut East Carolina's lead to 19-14. The Knights recovered the onside kick, but Van Eskridge intercepted Hodges' first pass of the ensuing possession to seal the game for the Pirates.

Trailing 10-7 late in the first half, UCF missed an opportunity when Hodges threw an interception on third-and-goal from the East Carolina 4. Flushed from the pocket by linebacker Nick Johnson, Hodges threw a short pass over the middle that was picked off by defensive tackle Jay Ross.

UCF also had a field goal blocked in the second quarter, and kicker Nick Cattoi came up short on a 45-yard attempt early in the fourth. The Pirates also weren't perfect in the red zone, coming up with a total of 12 points on five trips inside the UCF 20. But Harris' 25-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter allowed them to bypass that troublesome territory and take a 10-7 halftime lead they never relinquished.

TULANE 42, McNEESE STATE 32
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -Andre Anderson rushed for four touchdowns and Tulane beat McNeese State 42-32 on Saturday.

Anderson carried 28 times for 199 yards and scored on runs of 2, 11, 63 and 2 yards for the Green Wave (1-2). Joe Kemp was 10-for-13 passing for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Kemp connected with Jeremy Williams for touchdown passes of 34 and 40 yards. Williams had 10 catches for 222 yards.

Todd Penland ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, while Derrick Fourroux gained 102 yards on 20 carries for the Cowboys (3-1). Fourroux also was 16-for-25 passing for 221 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown pass to Richard Conner.

With Tulane leading 28-25 late in the third quarter, Anderson scored on runs of 63 and 2 yards to give the Green Wave a 42-25 cushion in the fourth quarter.

(19) KANSAS 35, SOUTHERN MISS 28
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - Todd Reesing threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 20 Kansas held off Southern Mississippi 35-28 on Saturday.

Kansas (4-0) had no trouble moving the ball in rolling up 433 total yards. The Jayhawks weren't so good on defense, allowing Southern Miss quarterback Austin Davis to throw for 331 yards and three touchdowns.

Southern Miss (3-1) knocked off one BCS school last week, upsetting Virginia 37-34 at home to extend the nation's second-longest winning streak to eight games. The Golden Eagles marched through Kansas' defense (395 total yards), but couldn't stop Reesing when they needed to.

Reesing, despite spending most of the game dodging defenders, hit Kerry Meier on a pair of TD passes, the second a 12-yarder that put the Jayhawks up 35-28 early in the fourth quarter. Meier finished with 10 catches for 141 yards. Freshman Toben Opurum had 109 yards and a touchdown rushing, added another score through the air to help Kansas win its 20th straight nonconference home game.

Kansas had a rough week after a series of altercations between members of the football and basketball teams rocked this normally placid campus.

The offense certainly didn't seem to be bothered by the distractions.

Reesing hit Meier on 62-yard touchdown pass 80 seconds in the game, then led the Jayhawks on a 74-yard scoring drive capped by Dezmon Briscoe's 20-yard reverse on their second drive. Reesing closed out the first half by floating a pass to Opurum out of the backfield for a 12-yard score that put Kansas up 21-14.

The defense? Not so good.

A breakdown on the outside led to a 49-yard completion on a screen pass on Southern Miss' fourth play, setting up a 1-yard touchdown pass from Davis to Jonathan Massey. DeAndre Brown then slipped behind the defense and scored on a 22-yard pass up the sideline that tied the game at 14-all.

Another breakdown - an enormous hole up the middle - in the third quarter allowed Davis to scamper in for a 16-yard touchdown to cut the Jayhawks' lead to 28-21. Davis set that up with a 49-yard pass to Brown down the middle and later hit Massey on a 4-yard TD pass to tie the game at 28-all.

The Jayhawks did stop Davis on fourth-and-1 from their 16 in the second quarter and forced two turnovers, including an interception by Ryan Murphy early in the fourth.

Still, giving up nearly 400 yards to a Conference USA team isn't the best way to head into the wide-open waters of the Big 12.

Penalties were a problem, too.

Kansas was flagged for nine penalties for 77 yards in the first half, including a defensive holding call on third down before Massey's score. The Jayhawks also had an illegal substitution penalty on that drive and again had 12 men on the field later, forcing a timeout.

TULSA 56, SAM HOUSTON STATE 3
TULSA, Okla. (AP) -G.J. Kinne threw for 264 yards and four touchdowns in two quarters as Tulsa demolished Sam Houston State 56-3 on Saturday.

Tulsa (3-1) amassed 517 yards of total offense against the outmanned Bearkats (1-2) of the Southland Conference.

Kinne completed 12 of 15, including touchdown tosses of 30 yards to Slick Shelley, 63 yards to Damaris Johnson and 16 and 34 yards to Trae Johnson.

Kinne, who also led Tulsa in rushing with 58 yards on five carries, found the pickings easy compared with his struggles the previous week in a 45-0 loss at Oklahoma. He played one series in the third quarter, leading Tulsa to another score without throwing a pass. The key play was a 16-yard run by kicker Kevin Fitzpatrick on a fake field goal. Wide receiver A.J. Whitmore scored on a 5-yard run, culminated by a leap over the left pylon.

Reserve quarterback Jacob Bower rumbled 15 yards for a score, freshman tailback Willie Carter ran 39 yards for another and Charles Opeseyitan scored from 2 yards out.

Tulsa scored on five of its first six possessions in building a 35-3 halftime lead and led 56-3 with 2:57 to go in the third quarter.

Damaris Johnson led Tulsa's receivers with three catches for 103 yards. The sophomore went over the 1,000-yard mark for his career and surpassed 100 yards for the fourth time.

Tulsa, which led the nation in total offense the previous two years, surpassed 50 points and 500 yards for the first time in 2009.

It was the third impressive defensive outing in four games for Tulsa. The Hurricane has allowed 13 or fewer points to every opponent except Oklahoma. The Bearkats had averaged 38 points and 497 yards per game.

Sam Houston State moved the ball effectively early but managed just a field goal by Miguel Antonio. Quarterback Blake Joseph completed 7 of 18 passes for 87 yards. Sam Houston State managed just 241 yards of total offense and lost two fumbles.

VANDERBILT 36, RICE 17
HOUSTON (AP)--Vanderbilt ran the ball 43 times for 216 yards, scored four rushing touchdowns and beat Rice 36-17 Saturday night in Houston.

Warren Norman ran the ball 11 times for a game-high 119 yards and scored a 58-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to break the game open for the Commodores (2-2), who snapped a two-game losing streak. Kennard Reaves, John Cole and quarterback Larry Smith each scored on the ground for Vanderbilt.

Charles Ross had seven carries for 63 yards and a touchdown for Rice (0-4).

John Thomas Shepherd was one of three quarterbacks who played for the Owls, who managed just 17 first downs and converted 3 of 18 on third-down plays in their home opener. Shepherd completed 6 of 14 passes for 58 yards and a touchdown.

TEXAS A&M 56, UAB 19
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -Jerrod Johnson tied a Texas A&M quarterback record with three rushing touchdowns and threw three TD passes to lead the Aggies to a 56-19 win over UAB on Saturday night.

Johnson completed 23 of 29 passes for 290 yards against the Blazers' 118th-ranked pass defense as the Aggies improved to 3-0 for the third time in four years. A total of nine Aggies caught passes a week after leading receiver Jeff Fuller broke his right leg.

Bradley Stephens and Cyrus Gray added touchdown runs for the Aggies, who converted 14 of 17 third downs and finished with 544 yards. A&M came in leading the nation in total offense (589.5 yards per game).

Joe Webb rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown for the Blazers (1-3), who mustered 303 yards and went 3 for 14 on third-down conversions.

(2) TEXAS 64, UTEP 7
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Colt McCoy and No. 2 Texas got the fast start they had been missing in recent weeks, rolling to a 40-point lead by halftime before cruising to a 64-7 win Saturday over UTEP.

McCoy passed for 286 yards and three touchdowns, two to Danf Buckner. The Longhorns (4-0) also pressured UTEP (1-3) into five turnovers.f

Freshman D.J. Monroe's first-quarter 91-yard kickoff return broke a 7-7 tie, and Texas would lead from that point on.

This one came seconds after UTEP's Melvin Stephenson II returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown.

McCoy was sharp after the interception with TD passes of 36 and 15 yards to Buckner and 16 yards to Jordan Shipley, as Texas fbuilt a 47-7 halftime lead. McCoy left the game after Texas' first possession of the third quarter.

Vittatoe was 7 of 21 for 38 yards with four interceptions and a fumble for UTEP (1-3).

Texas held UTEP to seven first downs and 53 total yards.

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