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The Houston Cougars were relentless in their Bayou City matchup with the Rice Owls Sunday and took a 35-14 victory. Houston led, 14-0, at halftime, and applied even more pressure in the second half.
Eventually, Rice put points on the board, but only after the Cougars had already gone up by 28. Quarterback David Piland threw for a pair of touchdowns in the first half, then running back Charles Sims carried the weight in the second half with back-to-back scores in the third quarter.
Sims' first came on an 88-yard drive that took just five plays. Then, Sims broke loose for a 47-yard touchdown run up the middle of the field.
The Cougars responded to the Owls' first touchdown with another score by Sims, this time for 16 yards. Driphus Jackson and Sam McGuffie hooked up for an 88-yard touchdown pass, but it was too little, too late for Rice.
Box Score Hero: Charles Sims had 24 carries for 158 yards and three touchdowns for the Houston Cougars.
But Did They Cover? The Cougars were 9½ favorites in this game, and won by 21 points.
Next Week's Schedule: Houston vs. North Texas / Rice at Memphis
