SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 26, 2013
Houston 49, Rutgers 14: John O'Korn threw for 364 yards and five touchdowns as the visiting Cougars scored the game's last 35 points to stay unbeaten in the American Athletic Conference.
Deontay Greenberry had eight catches for 168 yards and three touchdowns for Houston (6-1, 3-0 AAC). Daniel Spencer added 117 yards on six receptions and Greg Ward Jr. had 91 yards on 11 carries for the Cougars, lost to BYU 47-46 last week.
Justin Goodwin, starting in place of the AAC's leading rusher Paul James - who missed the game with a leg injury - rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns for Rutgers (4-3, 1-2). Scarlet Knights quarterback Gary Nova was just 7-of-15 passing for 138 yards and three interceptions.
Rutgers took a 7-0 lead on Goodwin's 5-yard touchdown with 3:22 left in the first quarter. After Houston tied the score on O'Korn's 10-yard TD pass to Greenberry with 46 seconds left in the period, the Cougars took the lead on Kenneth Farrow's 40-yard scoring run with 11:59 left in the first half.
The Scarlet Knights tied it at 14 on another Goodwin touchdown run - this one from 14 yards out with 7:03 left in the half. But Houston took the lead for good on an 83-yard scoring strike from O'Korn to Greenberry just 17 seconds later before pulling away with four more touchdowns.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Houston outgained Rutgers, 611-420, in the first ever meeting between the schools. ... Houston hosts South Florida on Halloween night. ... After starting the season 4-1 - including a 55-52 overtime loss at Fresno State - Rutgers has lost two straight.