Rice Falls To SMU
10/30/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
McCown was 18-of-25 for 197 yards as SMU (2-5 overall, 2-2 Western Athletic Conference) beat a WAC title for the second game in a row. The Mustangs beat Fresno State 24-14 two weeks ago.
Rice (5-4, 4-1), the WAC rushing leader at 274 yards per game, finished with 240 rushing yards.
McCown rolled to the right and threw back to the middle for a 12-yard TD to Damon Blueitt, capping a 12-play, 68-yard drive with 13:41 left in the second quarter.
Rice's points came when a bad punt snap sailed over the head of SMU punter Colin Vadheim and out of the end zone for a safety with eight minutes left in the half.
SMU answered with a nine-play, 60-yard drive capped by a 1-yard pass from McCown to Jeff Pennington with 2:08 left in the half.
The Mustangs went up 20-2 with 13 seconds left in the third quarter when Rodnick Phillips ran off right tackle for a 2-yard touchdown. The touchdown capped a 12-play, 57-yard drive.
SMU's Luke Johnson blocked Travis Hale's punt and Roy Coats returned it 14 yards for a TD.
Rice had three drives over 40 yards, but missed a 49-yard field goal, threw an interception and failed on fourth-and-1 at the SMU 2.
