University of Houston
1-0
Rice
1-1
Houston Rallies in Big Win over Rice
9/1/2018 3:56:00 PM | Football
Junior quarterback D’Eriq King throws for 320 yards & accounts for four TDs in fifth straight win over Rice
HOUSTON – University of Houston junior quarterback D'Eriq King threw for 320 yards and accounted for four touchdowns, while junior All-American defensive lineman Ed Oliver posted a game-high 13 tackles, including 3.5 for a loss, to lead the Cougars in a 45-27 win over Rice on Saturday afternoon inside Rice Stadium.
Trailing 27-17 midway through the third quarter, the Cougars used quick strikes to rally with 28 unanswered points on four of their next five drives. The four scoring drives used a combined total of 16 plays while covering 284 yards and took only 6:01 off the clock.
King completed 17-of-24 passes against the Owls for the second 300-yard game of his career. The Manvel, Texas, native equaled his career highs in touchdown passes (3) and touchdowns responsible for (4), both set against ECU on Nov. 4, 2017.
King also recorded the third come-from-behind win of his career, and the first since leading Houston to a 24-14 win over American Athletic Conference rival Navy on Nov. 24, 2017.
Oliver, who was named the nation's top player in the preseason by multiple national outlets, led all players with 13 total tackles and 3.5 tackles for a loss. The Houston native enjoyed the fifth double-digit tackle performance of his career and added a game-high two quarterback hurries in the win.
His tackle total fell only one shy of his career high 14 stops, set against Navy on Nov. 24, 2017.
With the win, the Cougars kept the Bayou Bucket Trophy for the fifth straight time and improved to 31-11 in the all-time series against the Owls. Houston improved to 1-0 on the season, while Rice fell to 1-1.
Sophomore wide receiver Marquez Stevenson hauled in five catches for 107 yards with a 57-yard score to give the Cougars the lead for good late in the third quarter. The Shreveport, La., native also added two rushes for 60 yards and a 36-yard kickoff return.
Junior wide receiver Courtney Lark led all players with two receiving touchdowns, while junior running back Patrick Carr added 74 rushing yards, including a 37-yard touchdown run, on eight carries to pace the Houston rushing game.
Stevenson opened the season for the Cougars with a 36-yard kickoff return. From there, King led the Cougars down the field with senior kicker Caden Novikoff capping a seven-play drive with a 45-yard field goal with 13:19 left in the opening quarter.
Rice put its first mark on the scoreboard and took its first lead late in the opening period. Taking over following a missed Houston field goal, the Owls used a 52-yard run from running back Emmanuel Esukpa before quarterback Shawn Stankavage hit Jordan Myers on a 29-yard touchdown strike with 1:17 left in the period.
The Cougars moved to within 10-9 midway through the second quarter, thanks to a long run from Stevenson. Facing third-and-3 from the Houston 43, Stevenson took the ball on a reverse and raced 57 yards through the Rice defense. However, Houston's PAT try hit the upright for a 10-9 Rice lead with 7:57 left in the first half.
Rice took advantage of a Houston turnover to push its lead to eight points. After the Cougars muffed a punt return inside their 10-yard line, Stankavage hit Jaegar Bull on a two-yard pass on third-and-goal for a 17-9 lead with 4:53 remaining in the first half.
The Cougars knotted the game on the ensuing possession when King connected with Lark on a 40-yard touchdown. King then hit redshirt freshman quarterback/wide receiver Bryson Smith on the two-point conversion to tie the game at 17-all.
Rice recaptured the lead at 24-17 when Stankavage connected with Brendan Harmon on a 1-yard touchdown with only 15 seconds remaining in in the first half.
The Owls pushed their lead to double digits, taking the second-half kickoff on a 13-play, 62-yard drive that was capped by Haden Tobola's 28-yard field goal with eight minutes left for a 27-17 lead.
From there, the Houston offense under new coordinator Kendal Briles erupted as the Cougars wasted little time on its ensuing possession. After a 46-yard reception from junior wide receiver Keith Corbin and a 25-yard rush by Carr, King worked his way into the end zone on a 4-yard quarterback keeper to move the Cougars to within 27-24 with 7:04 left.
Following a missed Rice field goal, King hit Stevenson on a 57-yard touchdown pass to give the Cougars the lead for good with 2:37 remaining.
Rice moved its way to the Houston 32 on the next possession, but the Houston defense would not allow them to go any farther, leading to Jack Fox's missed 50-yard field goal try.
Again, the Cougars capitalized on the missed Rice opportunity. Smith erupted on a 25-yard run to start the drive, and four plays later, King connected with Lark on an 18-yard touchdown for a 38-27 Houston lead with 13:04 to go.
Following another missed Rice field goal, King led the Cougars on a five-play drive that consumed 71 yards. Carr capped the drive with a 37-yard scamper into the end zone for a 45-27 lead.
Stankavage threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns on 20-of-31 passing for Rice, while wide receiver Austin Trammell hauled in seven receptions for 62 yards. Esukpa topped the Owls with 81 rushing yards on 17 carries.
UP NEXT
The Cougars return to action and open their home schedule when they kick off at 11 a.m., Saturday, against Pac-12 rival Arizona inside TDECU Stadium.
Fans can purchase tickets by calling 713-462-6647 or by visiting uhcougars.com/tickets.
Team Stats
HOU 3, RICE 0
HOU - NOVIKOFF, Caden 45 yd field goal 7 plays, 36 yards, TOP 1:41
HOU 3, RICE 7
RICE - MYERS, Jordan 29 yd pass from STANKAVAGE, S. (FOX, Jack kick) 4 plays, 80 yards, TOP 2:15
HOU 3, RICE 10
RICE - FOX, Jack 44 yd field goal 7 plays, 19 yards, TOP 4:24
HOU 9, RICE 10
HOU - STEVENSON, Marq 51 yd run (NOVIKOFF, Caden kickfailed), 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:13
HOU 9, RICE 17
RICE - BULL, Jaegar 2 yd pass from STANKAVAGE, S. (FOX, Jack kick) 3 plays, 8 yards, TOP 1:27
HOU 17, RICE 17
HOU - LARK, Courtney 40 yd pass from KING, D'Eriq (SMITH, Bryson pass) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:19
HOU 17, RICE 24
RICE - HARMON, Brendan 1 yd pass from STANKAVAGE, S. (FOX, Jack kick) 10 plays, 88 yards, TOP 1:26
HOU 17, RICE 27
RICE - TOBOLA, Haden 28 yd field goal 13 plays, 62 yards, TOP 7:00
HOU 24, RICE 27
HOU - KING, D'Eriq 4 yd run (WITHERSPOON, Da kick), 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 0:56
HOU 31, RICE 27
HOU - STEVENSON, Marq 57 yd pass from KING, D'Eriq (WITHERSPOON, Da kick) 3 plays, 70 yards, TOP 0:48
HOU 38, RICE 27
HOU - LARK, Courtney 18 yd pass from KING, D'Eriq (WITHERSPOON, Da kick) 5 plays, 68 yards, TOP 1:48
HOU 45, RICE 27
HOU - CARR, Patrick 37 yd run (WITHERSPOON, Da kick), 5 plays, 71 yards, TOP 2:29
