LOUISIANA TECH 76, RICE 31
RUSTON, La. -- Cody Sokol threw four touchdown passes, Kenneth Dixon rushed for 137 yards with three touchdowns and Louisiana Tech clinched the Conference USA West Division title with a 76-31 victory over Rice on Saturday.
Louisiana Tech (8-4, 7-1 Conference USA) turned a tight contest into a rout in the second half, reeling off 41 straight points. Dixon (Strong) and Jarred Craft each scored on long runs and Sokol threw two touchdowns to Trent Taylor. The Bulldogs also recovered two Rice (7-5, 5-3) fumbles for touchdowns, including one of their own as Carlos Henderson recovered Dixon's fumble in the end zone.
Sokol threw for 387 yards, including touchdown passes to Henderson and Paul Turner in the first quarter.
Driphus Jackson had 337-yards passing with four touchdowns for Rice. He threw two of his three interceptions in the decisive third quarter.
In other games Saturday involving Conference USA teams, Taylor Heinicke threw for three touchdowns and Satchel Ziffer kicked the game-winning field goal to lift Old Dominion (6-6, 4-4) over Florida Atlantic University (3-9, 2-6) 31-28 in Boca Raton, Fla. Ray Lawry ran 68 yards for a score and gained 201 yards on 23 carries for the Monarchs. ... Brandon Armstrong ran 21 yards for a go-ahead touchdown with 4:18 remaining and Texas-San Antonio (4-8, 3-5) edged past North Texas (4-8, 2-6) 34-27 in San Antonio. ... Jordan Howard set a school record with 262 yards rushing as Alabama-Birmingham (6-6, 4-4) beat Southern Miss (3-9, 1-7) 45-24 in Hattiesburg, Miss. … Aaron Jones ran for 147 yards and a touchdown and had a 72-yard receiving touchdown and Texas-El Paso (7-5, 5-3) intercepted two passes in the final 90 seconds to preserve the Miners’ 24-21 victory over Middle Tennessee (6-6, 5-3) in El Paso, Texas.
AMERICAN ATHLETIC
Memphis gets share
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Paxton Lynch threw for 194 yards and four touchdowns as Memphis clinched at least a share of the American Athletic Conference championship with a 41-10 rout of Connecticut.
Lynch connected twice with Keiwone Malone for scores, the first giving Memphis (9-3, 7-1) a 13-0 lead.
Lynch broke open the game with three touchdowns in the third quarter, including a 12-yard pass to Tevin Jones and a 21-yarder to Phil Mayhue.
Jarvis Cooper scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter to fuel the rout. Jake Elliot made two first-quarter field goals for the Tigers.
Tim Boyle had 160 yards passing for the Huskies (2-9, 1-6).
Memphis earned its first conference title since 1971. Cincinnati and UCF each sit at 6-1 in the conference standings and remain in the hunt for a share of the title with one game remaining.
In another game Saturday involving teams from the American Athletic Conference, Gunner Kiel passed for one touchdown and Mike Boone ran for another as Cincinnati (8-3, 6-1) edged Temple (5-6, 3-4) 14-6 in Philadelphia to hang onto a three-way tie for a conference championship.
ATLANTIC COAST
Wolfpack run wild
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Jacoby Brissett and Shadrach Thornton each ran for touchdowns in huge rushing performances while North Carolina State’s defense overwhelmed rival North Carolina in a 35-7 victory Saturday.
Brissett ran for a career-best 167 yards while Thornton ran for 161 more for the Wolfpack (7-5, 3-5 ACC), part of a 388-yard ground game that set a physical tone from the outset.
Meanwhile, the Wolfpack’s defensive front mauled the Tar Heels (6-6, 4-4) in a surprisingly one-sided performance against an offense that had been rolling coming into the game.
In another game Saturday involving ACC teams, Tyler Murphy set the ACC single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback and threw a TD pass to lead Boston College (7-5, 4-4) to a 28-7 victory over Syracuse (3-9, 1-7) in Boston. Tyler Rouse added a 42-yard scoring run and Jon Hilliman had a 7-yarder for the Eagles. … Anthony Boone ran for one touchdown and threw for another, as Duke (9-3, 5-3) beat Wake Forest (3-9, 1-7) 41-21 in Durham, N.C. Boone was 19 of 31 for 275 yards with a 7-yard touchdown run and a 52-yard scoring pass to Jamison Crowder. … James Conner ran for two touchdowns and broke three of Tony Dorsett’s records as Pittsburgh (6-6, 4-4) secured bowl eligibility by beating Miami (6-6, 3-5) 35-23 in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Sports on 11/30/2014