SMU Mustangs vs Houston Cougars Match Player Stats On Nov 29, 2013

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 29, 2013

Houston 34, Southern Methodist 0: John O'Korn threw two touchdown passes as the host Cougars rolled at home in an American Athletic Conference matchup to wrap up their regular season.

O'Korn was 25-of-41 for 245 yards and two interceptions for Houston (8-4, 5-3), which is projected to play in the Belk Bowl on Dec. 28 in Charlotte, N.C. Daniel Spencer had seven catches for 100 yards and a touchdown for the Cougars, who snapped a three-game skid.

Neal Burcham, in place of injured starter Garrett Gilbert, completed 27-of-52 passes for 212 yards and three interceptions for Southern Methodist (5-6, 4-3), which visits Central Florida in its season finale Dec. 7. Prescott Line had a game-high 81 rushing yards on 17 carries for the Mustangs, who entered Saturday's tilt allowing an AAC-worst 34.9 points per game.

O'Korn's 67-yard touchdown pass to Spencer gave Houston a 7-0 lead just 88 seconds into the game. After Kyle Bullard's 27-yard field goal gave the Cougars a 10-point edge, O'Korn connected with Greg Ward Jr. on a 19-yard scoring strike to make it 17-0 with 13:05 left in the first half.

After Eric Eiland recovered a fumble and returned it 62 yards to the SMU 1-yard line, Kent Brooks scored his first career rushing touchdown on the next play to put the Cougars up 24-0 with 34 seconds in the half. Ryan Jackson's 37-yard touchdown run, his longest rush of the year, extended Houston's lead to 31-0 with 8:07 left in the third quarter.

GAME NOTEBOOK: O'Korn's 26 passing touchdowns this season are a record for a Houston freshman, eclipsing Kevin Kolb's 25 in 2003. ... It was the first shutout loss for SMU's June Jones, who has been an NFL and NCAA head coach since 1994. ... With his first-half receiving touchdown, Ward became first Cougar since Anthony Alridge in 2007 to catch, throw and rush for a touchdown in the same season.

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