Conference USA Week 9 Quick Game Recaps

No. 18 Houston 73 Rice 34

Case Keenum and the 18th-ranked Cougars (8-0) trailed 17-7 early, but roared back to hammer crosstown rival Rice (2-6, on Thursday night. Houston outscored the Owls 31-3 from that point and took a commanding 38-20 halftime lead. Keenum and company continued to pour it on after the break, as they quickly increased their advantage to 52-20 and led 66-34 after three quarters. The Cougars' sixth year senior quarterback threw a career-best nine touchdown passes--all of which were 18 yards or more--to set the NCAA record for career TD passes. Keenum currently sits at 139 and will have at least five more games in his career barring an injury. Patrick Edwards was on the receiving end of five of those scoring strikes and racked up 318 yards on seven catches. Keenum finished with 534 yards through the air and the Cougars amassed 656 total yards.

Marshall 59 UAB 14

The Herd thundered to a 38-0 halftime lead and cruised to an easy 59-14 home win over the Blazers (1-7, 1-4). Marshall managed to force five Blazer turnovers and scored two defensive touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback A.J. Graham passed for five touchdowns--including four in the first half. Troy Evans caught six balls for 106 yards and two scores. With the win, the Herd (4-5, 3-2) stays in the thick of the CUSA East race.

Tulsa 38 SMU 7

The Golden Hurricane managed to force five Mustang turnovers--including four J.J. McDermott interceptions--and collected an easy 38-7 victory in a critical CUSA West match-up. G.J. Kinne threw for 274 yards and Willie Carter caught 13 balls for 173 yards. Tulsa ran nearly 30 more plays than June Jones' club and limited the Ponies to just 265 yards of total offense. With the win, Tulsa (5-3, 4-0) keeps pace with Houston atop the West division. Meanwhile, the Mustangs (5-3, 3-2) dropped their second straight and have been outscored 65-10 in their last two contests.

UCF 41 Memphis 0

After suffering consecutive losses, UCF (4-4, 2-2) recorded a much-needed victory with an easy 41-0 shutout of struggling Memphis (2-7, 1-4). The Knights received nearly 300 yards of offense from sophomore quarterback Jeff Godfrey. The dual threat finished 14-of-17 for 200 yards through the air while also rushing for 97 yards on just ten carries. UCF's balanced attack totaled 505 yards with 261 on the ground. After struggling in losses against SMU and UAB, the Knights' defense limited Memphis to six first downs and 134 yards--which included a mere 33 rushing.

East Carolina 34 Tulane 13

Dominique Davis passed for 329 yards and East Carolina won its third straight. The Pirates (4-4, 3-1) led just 17-13 at halftime, but they gradually put the Green Wave (2-7, 1-4) away in the second half. ECU outgained Tulane, 461-266, and was able to overcome some inconsistent play that featured two turnovers and ten penalties. Sophomore receiver Reese Wiggins shined with five catches for 75 yards while Bodenheimer and Webster also had five catches for 59 and 56 yards, respectively. Orleans Darkwa ran for 89 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries for Tulane.

No. 25 Southern Miss 31 UTEP 13

Jamal Woodyard ran for 134 yards on just 16 carries to highlight Southern Miss' 260-yard effort on the ground and the Golden Eagles earned a 31-13 win in El Paso. It was 10-10 at halftime and USM held a slim 17-13 advantage after three quarters. However, the Golden Eagles (7-1, 3-1), winners of six straight, wore down the Miners (4-4, 1-3) and reached paydirt twice in the final quarter. The last of those scores came via a 68-yard run by Woodyard. Senior Austin Davis threw for three scores--including a 47-yard strike to Quentin Pierce. Southern Miss' defense limited UTEP to 262 yards and only 68 rushing.