Rice Owls vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Match Player Stats On Nov 29, 2014

Louisiana Tech 76, Rice 31: Cody Sokol threw for 387 yards and four touchdowns as the host Bulldogs rode a 48-point second half to advance to next week's Conference USA championship game.

Kenneth Dixon rushed for 137 yards and scored one of his three touchdowns during a 28-point third-quarter blitz as Louisiana Tech (8-4, 7-1 C-USA) clinched the conference's West Division title and avenged a 52-14 loss to Rice last season. Trent Taylor had seven receptions for 120 yards and two TDs while Paul Turner and Carlos Henderson each went over 100 yards receiving and caught a TD pass from Sokol (20-of-32) to send the Bulldogs into a title-game matchup with Marshall on Dec. 6.

Driphus Jackson threw for 337 yards and four touchdowns but was also intercepted three times, including twice during the decisive third quarter, as the Owls (7-5, 5-3) surrendered the third-most points in school history. Mario Hull hauled in a pair of touchdown passes and Jordan Taylor had 10 catches for 136 yards and a score but Rice was limited to only 34 yards rushing after amassing 415 on the ground in last season's rout of Louisiana Tech.

The Bulldogs spotted Rice an early 3-0 before ripping off 21 points in the final 6:12 of the opening quarter on Dixon's 1-yard run and two TD passes by Sokol of 72 yards to Anderson and 35 to Turner. The Owls responded with a pair of long scoring drives culminating in scoring passes from Jackson to Hull and Zach Wright before Dixon's 10-yard TD run sent Louisiana Tech to the half with a 28-17 edge.

Jackson's 35-yard strike to Hull in the opening minute of the third quarter shaved the deficit to four, but Dixon rumbled 31 yards on the ensuing possession to ignite a string of 41 unanswered points. Jarred Craft broke off a 58-yard TD run and Henderson recovered Dixon's fumble in the end zone before Sokol found Taylor from 35 yards out to make it 56-24 with 1:49 still to play in the third.