Rice Hands No. 20 Utah 51-10 Loss

Michael Perry had two touchdowns, one on a 67-yard punt return, and Spencer George ran 76 yards for another as Rice overwhelmed No. 20 Utah, 51-10, Saturday in a Western Athletic Conference game at Houston.

The Owls, 5-3 overall and 4-1 in the WAC, won their fourth straight game with a punishing rushing attack that gained 496 yards. It was the fourth straight game Rice has rushed for more than 400 yards.

The Utes (7-2, 5-1), who had won seven consecutive games, couldn’t match the Owls, who defeated a ranked team for the first time since a 19-17 victory over No. 12 Texas Oct. 16, 1994, and scored the most points ever in a conference game.

The scoring didn’t stop when Rice Coach Ken Hatfield pulled the regulars midway in the third quarter.

Backup quarterback Chad Richardson completed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gingrich with 2:39 to go in the third quarter and defensive tackle Jason Winship returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown with 7:11 left in the game.

No. 13 Brigham Young 40, Texas El Paso 18--After BYU led only 12-3 in the first half, James Dye returned the second-half kickoff 100 yards to spark a 21-point third quarter as the Cougars (9-1, 5-0) beat the Miners (2-6, 0-5) at Provo, Utah.

BYU Coach Lavell Edwards said, “I had told the team at halftime that we needed to take that first drive down and score. Somebody walked by me and asked me if that was quick enough.”

BYU’s Steve Sarkisian, shaking off a slow start, had two touchdown passes while completing 22 of 30 for 235 yards.

No. 17 Wyoming 59, Southern Methodist 17--The Cowboys (9-0, 6-0) intercepted five SMU passes in a WAC game at Laramie, Wyo., on their way to their 12th consecutive victory.

SMU (3-6, 2-4) was able to limit Wyoming’s air game early, holding the Cowboys to 166 yards in the first half, but Wyoming countered by turning to its running backs, especially Len Sexton, who rushed for a career-high 152 yards.

Leading Wyoming’s defense was Ryan Lee, whose three interceptions tied the school record.

Wyoming quarterback Josh Wallwork passed for 306 yards and two touchdowns.

Texas Christian 42, Nevada Las Vegas 34--Backup running back John Williams’ 69-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave TCU some breathing room as the Horned Frogs (3-5, 2-3) beat the Rebels (0-10, 0-6) in a WAC game at Fort Worth, Texas.

The scoring run was one of two touchdowns for Williams, who carried 11 times for 111 yards.

New Mexico 34, Tulsa 23--Reginal Johnson, a redshirt freshman, rushed for 232 yards and all five New Mexico touchdowns in 41 carries as the Lobos (5-4, 2-4) rallied to erase a 23-12 deficit and beat the Golden Hurricane (3-5, 1-4) at Tulsa, Okla.