Rice University
2-10 , 2-6
Houston
10-2 , 6-2
Owls Surrender Bayou Bucket, Fall to Houston 73-14
11/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 28, 2009
Final Stats | Notes | AP Photo Gallery 
By MOISEKAPENDA BOWER
It took all of 15 seconds for the Bayou Bucket to change addresses.
Having endured a bitter three-game losing skid at the hands of its rival, Rice celebrated with extended glee after defeating Houston in the 2008 season finale, a victory that relocated the Bayou Bucket to South Main. In their first crack to reclaim the trophy, the Cougars didn't waste time.
UH receiver/return specialist Tyron Carrier took the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, fueling the Cougars to a 73-14 Conference USA win that closed the Owls' season Saturday night at Robertson Stadium.
Whatever hopes the Owls (2-10, 2-6 C-USA) harbored of extending their two-game winning streak into the offseason were quickly extinguished when Carrier dodged a handful of tacklers before dashing down the sideline fronting the Rice bench. UH led 7-0 just 15 seconds into the contest, and after Rice punted to end its first drive, the Cougars (10-2, 6-2) scored on offense before adding another return for a touchdown, this one by Brandon Brinkley when he turned a Nick Fanuzzi interception into a 45-yard touchdown. Just six minutes, 17 seconds in, UH led 21-0.
"They start the game with a kickoff return by Carrier, an offense touchdown and an interception for a touchdown. That's not the way you would start a game against a team like Houston," Rice coach David Bailiff said. "They put us on our heels and we could never recover."
The Cougars added a Matt Hogan field goal and led 24-0 before the Owls recorded their initial first down. The lead swelled to 59-0 by the intermission and 66-0 before Rice freshman tailback Charles Ross tallied two rushing touchdowns in the third quarter. By that point the Cougars were well on their way to the West Division crown and a date opposite East Division champion East Carolina in the C-USA title game.
"I'm speechless after something like that," said Owls sophomore safety Travis Bradshaw, who produced a game-high 11 tackles. "We thought we were going to go in there and compete and it was going to be a good game, and right from the start they took it away. It's tough. Those seniors in there, we put a lot out there for them. It's disappointing."
Ross rushed for 105 yards, his first career 100-yard game. His two rushing touchdowns lifted his season total to 11, the most since Ed Bailey had 12 in 2004. Ross finished the year with a team-leading 491 rushing yards to become the first freshman to lead Rice in rushing since Trevor Cobb rushed for 545 yards in 1989. With sophomore Tyler Smith rushing for a game-high 113 yards, Ross and Smith became the first Rice tandem to rush for 100 yards in a single game since Quinton Smith, Tyler's older brother, and John Wall rushed for 143 and 156 yards, respectively, in the Owls' 42-34 win over Tulane on Nov. 12, 2005.
"The stats mean nothing without the win," Ross said.
Senior linebacker Terrance Garmon closed his career by matching his single-game career high with nine tackles, set last season at Tulsa. Bradshaw posted his sixth consecutive double-digit tackle game, increasing his season total to 121, a figure that ties Larry Izzo's 1995 performance for the eight-best single-season total in program history.
Team Stats
RICE 0, HOU 7
HOU - CARRIER, Tyron 99 yd kickoff return (HOGAN, Matt kick)
RICE 0, HOU 14
HOU - KEENUM, Case 1 yd run (HOGAN, Matt kick), 10 plays, 56 yards, TOP 3:31
RICE 0, HOU 21
HOU - BRINKLEY, B. 45 yd interception (HOGAN, Matt kick)
RICE 0, HOU 24
HOU - HOGAN, Matt 22 yd field goal 9 plays, 63 yards, TOP 3:05
RICE 0, HOU 31
HOU - SIMS, Charles 5 yd run (HOGAN, Matt kick), 7 plays, 88 yards, TOP 1:55
RICE 0, HOU 38
HOU - EDWARDS, P. 39 yd pass from KEENUM, Case (HOGAN, Matt kick) 6 plays, 76 yards, TOP 1:29
RICE 0, HOU 45
HOU - CARRIER, Tyron 37 yd run (HOGAN, Matt kick), 5 plays, 59 yards, TOP 1:22
RICE 0, HOU 52
HOU - SIMS, Charles 18 yd run (HOGAN, Matt kick), 7 plays, 47 yards, TOP 1:51
RICE 0, HOU 59
HOU - CASTILE, L.J. 5 yd pass from KEENUM, Case (HOGAN, Matt kick) 5 plays, 66 yards, TOP 1:10
RICE 0, HOU 66
HOU - JOHNSON, K. 19 yd pass from TURNER, Cotton (HOGAN, Matt kick) 5 plays, 57 yards, TOP 1:41
RICE 7, HOU 66
RICE - ROSS, Charles 11 yd run (FANGMEIER, Clar kick), 8 plays, 63 yards, TOP 2:54
RICE 14, HOU 66
RICE - ROSS, Charles 4 yd run (FANGMEIER, Clar kick), 9 plays, 54 yards, TOP 3:32
RICE 14, HOU 73
HOU - BEALL, Bryce 1 yd run (BELL, Ben kick), 5 plays, 67 yards, TOP 1:50
