HOUSTON (AP) -- Jackie Battle rushed for two touchdowns in the
last eight minutes and Houston scored 20 unanswered points in the
fourth quarter to beat Central Florida 51-31 Saturday.
Battle rushed for 70 yards and three touchdowns overall, part of
a 230-yard rushing effort for Houston (6-3, 4-1 Conference USA).
Anthony Alridge led the Cougars with 133 yards on nine carries.
Kevin Smith rushed 31 times for 163 yards and three touchdowns
for Central Florida (2-6, 1-3). Five seconds into the fourth
quarter, he ran for an 11-yard touchdown to tie the score at 31.
The Cougars took about three minutes to take back the lead.
Kevin Kolb found Vincent Marshall for an 8-yard touchdown, capping
off a seven-play drive.
Battle put Houston up two touchdowns at the 7:53 mark, scoring
on a 1-yard run that capped off a nine-play, 49-yard drive. He
added a four-yard run with 1:29 left in the game.
The teams combined for 1,046 total offensive yards: 530 from
Central Florida and 516 from Houston.
The Golden Knights hurt themselves with penalties -- eight for 70
yards -- and turnovers. They threw two interceptions and lost two
fumbles, including one on the 4-yard line that led to Battle's
final touchdown.
