After a rocky start to the season, UH football (1-2) looks to get back on track against cross-town rival Rice (2-1) on Saturday night at TDECU Stadium.
Follow along for live scoring updated below:
Final: Houston 34, Rice 27
UH returned to .500 on Saturday night and won the Bayou Bucket for the seventh straight time matching up head-to-head with Rice.
Senior running back Ta’Zhawn Henry rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown while junior wide receiver Nathaniel Dell led the way in receiving for UH with seven catches, 134 yards and a touchdown.
Despite the win, the Cougars will have much to improve before next Friday’s matchup at TDECU Stadium against Tulane. Notably, UH’s penalty struggles continued as the Cougars racked up 10 penalties totaling 110 yards, including several offensive holding calls and defensive pass interference penalties.
Fourth quarter (3:34): Houston 34, Rice 27
A big second down forced sack-fumble by senior defensive end D’Anthony Jones left the Rice offense with a long third down where Jones once again reached McMahon and forced another fumble. The third down fumble was recovered by sophomore defensive end Nelson Ceaser, who returned it for a UH touchdown to give the lead back to the Cougars.
Fourth quarter (5:18): Rice 27, Houston 27
The Cougars regained the ball down by three, moving down the field in what became a 12-play drive. Several more penalties on the UH offense stifled the drive and forced the Cougars to settle for a 32-yard field goal, tying the game at 27-27.
Fourth quarter (11:44): Rice 27, Houston 24
After a crucial fourth down stop, Rice regained possession in UH territory. After a solid 13-yard run by Luke McCaffrey and a pass interference call on the Cougars, Rice was situated well in field goal range.
A sack by junior linebacker Trimarcus Cheeks on third down forced Rice to settle for another field goal – this one 43-yards – that gave the Owls the lead once again.
Third quarter (2:38): Houston 24, Rice 24
Rice regained possession and moved into UH territory with success in the passing game. The Owls got help via another defensive pass interference call on the Cougars.
The Rice offense stalled before reaching the red zone and settled for a 42-yard field goal to tie the game 24-24.
Third quarter (6:19): UH 24, Rice 21
A series of big plays – including a 36-yard connection between Tune and Dell and a 28-yard rush from senior running back Ta’Zhawn Henry – set UH up for another score, coming from a 4-yard rush by Henry to put the Cougars back in front.
Third quarter (9:08): Rice 21, UH 17
Rice was quick to answer the UH touchdown with its own deep pass connection as junior quarterback TJ McMahon found redshirt sophomore wide receiver Luke McCaffery for a 52-yard touchdown, putting Rice back up 21-17.
Third quarter (13:14): Houston 17, Rice 14
The Cougars entered the second half with a noticeably different energy than the first. A deep, 40-yard connection from Tune to Dell completed the brief 4-play drive and gave the lead back to UH.
Second quarter (0:58): Rice 14, Houston 10
The UH offense got back on track as the first half dwindled to its end, helped by a defensive pass interference call on Rice that extended the drive. The drive came to an end on an overthrown pass intended for junior wide receiver Nathaniel Dell.
The Cougars settled for a 37-yard field goal from senior kicker Bubba Baxa.
Second quarter (5:13): Rice 14, Houston 7
Rice continued its dominating stretch of play on both sides of the ball, pinning the UH offense back deep in their own territory to set up a 5-play scoring drive highlighted by a 34-yard rush and capped off by a short two-yard touchdown run from Broussard to take the lead.
Second quarter (10:19): Houston 7, Rice 7
Following an interception on a Tune pass that was intended for senior receiver KeSean Carter, Rice took advantage of the short field.
The Owls drove the ball down the field on a series of big plays – aided by several crucial defensive penalties on the Cougars – and capped off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown rush by running back Ari Broussard.
First quarter (0:00): Houston 7, Rice 0
UH finally got in a rhythm offensively on the tail end of the first quarter, putting together an 8-play, 67-yard drive capped off by senior quarterback Clayton Tune’s pass to freshman wide receiver Matthew Golden for a 19-yard touchdown.