Revenge is a dish best served cold.
In front of 20,855 fans bundled up against the wind, the Houston Cougars handed Associated Press No. 25 Tulsa its second loss on the season as they upset the Golden Hurricane 70-30 at Robertson Stadium.
"It’s another step in clinching the West," sophomore quarterback Case Keenum said.
Tulsa (8-2, 5-1 C-USA) handed Houston a 56-7 loss in Oklahoma last year and beat Rice two weeks later to clinch the C-USA West title. This time, however, the Cougars completely turned the tables to move into a three-way tie with Rice and Tulsa for first place in the West.
The Cougars (6-4, 5-1 C-USA) exploded for four touchdowns in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 42-17 lead and barely slowed down in the second half, amassing 641 total yards on their way to a 40-point win over the Golden Hurricane.
Keenum completed 12-of-19 passes in the first half for five touchdowns, tying his career record for touchdown passes in a half. He ended the night with 402 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions on 24-of-37 passing.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Tyron Carrier led the Cougars with 127 yards on six catches and two touchdowns, both in the first half. He also returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown with nine seconds left before halftime, tying the record for the sixth-longest kickoff return in University history.
The defense was not to be outdone, with sophomore cornerback Loyce Means grabbing three interceptions against Tulsa, including one that he returned 69 yards to put the Cougars up 63-24 with 4:33 left in the third quarter.
"Our defense stepped up tremendously tonight," Keenum said.
Tulsa was held scoreless in the first and fourth quarters and didn’t put any points on the board until senior kicker Jarod Tracy completed a 35-yard field goal with 10:33 left in the second quarter.
Tulsa senior quarterback Davis Johnson contributed 271 yards and four touchdowns on 18-of-29 passing, but also threw an interception and was sacked once by senior defensive tackle Tate Stewart.
The Cougars look to extend their Conference win-streak to three against Texas-El Paso at 4 p.m. Saturday at Robertson Stadium.
