Rice Owls vs Air Force Falcons Match Player Stats On Dec 29, 2012

Rice 33, Air Force 14: Jordan Taylor reeled in three touchdown receptions and freshman Driphus Jackson replaced a concussed Taylor McHargue to throw for two scores as the Owls recorded 26 unanswered points to win the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas.

Taylor, who finished with nine catches for a career-high 153 yards, used his nine-inch size advantage over 5-8 defensive back Chris Miller on his first two touchdown receptions. Rice (7-6) posted its sixth win in seven games after limiting Air Force (6-7) to just 58 total yards and two first downs in the second half.

Jackson, who threw for 264 yards, lofted the ball to Taylor for a 22-yard touchdown to knot the contest at 14-14 in the third quarter. Charles Ross then gave the Owls the lead by rumbling up the middle for a 2-yard score just 35 seconds into the fourth.

Backup quarterback Kale Pearson rushed for a 9-yard score and Wes Cobb powered in from a yard out for the Falcons, who amassed a season-low 214 total yards and fell to 1-3 all-time in the Armed Forces Bowl.

After Air Force mustered just 56 total yards with quarterback Connor Dietz at the helm, Pearson capped a 10-play, 66-yard drive by diving inside the pylon to even the contest at 7-7. The 5-9 sophomore then guided the Falcons down the field on their next drive before Cobb took an inside handoff and just crossed the goal line.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Rice saw three of its last four first-half drives end with a fumble, including a costly one in the waning moments of the second quarter. Jackson's attempted pitch to Turner Petersen was off target, allowing Miller to alertly fall on the ball. ... Rice's Chris Boswell appeared to give his team a 10-0 lead after drilling a 52-yard field goal with nine minutes left in the second quarter, but Air Force called a timeout prior to the kick. Boswell's second attempt sailed wide right. ... Pearson's touchdown run extended Air Force's streak to 47 consecutive games with a rushing score.