Keenum's last-minute TD helps Houston escape with win

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• Keenum Tosses 5 TDs In Shootout Win

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Top 25 Overview

It was over when... Houston's Case Keenum threw a 46-yard pass to break a 43-43 tie with 21 seconds to go. Gameball goes to... Case Keenum. The QB's 559 passing yards is a career high. Oh, and he threw 5 TDs, too. Stat of the game... 1,358. The total yards for the game -- 750 for Houston, 608 for Southern Miss. Complete Top 25 Overview

Team Stat Comparison
1st Downs	28	39
Total Yards	608	750
Passing	360	559
Rushing	248	191
Penalties	4-40	4-55
3rd Down Conversions	5-12	6-11
4th Down Conversions	0-0	1-1
Turnovers	1	3
Possession	32:59	27:01

Air/Ground Leaders
Southern Miss Passing   C/ATT YDS TD INT Young 20/34 334 3 0 Harrison 1/1 26 0 0	Houston Passing   C/ATT YDS TD INT Keenum 44/54 559 5 1
Southern Miss Rushing   CAR YDS TD LG Fletcher 26 136 1 12 Young 10 70 1 36	Houston Rushing   CAR YDS TD LG Sims 14 95 1 31 Carrier 2 47 0 36
Southern Miss Receiving   REC YDS TD LG Baptiste 8 186 3 70 Parham 2 69 0 35	Houston Receiving   REC YDS TD LG Cleveland 13 190 2 34 Carrier 10 88 0 18

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER				USM	HOU
	TD	13:38	Damion Fletcher 6 Yd Run (Pat Blocked)	6	0
	TD	06:29	Charles Sims 31 Yd Run (Matt Hogan Kick)	6	7
	TD	01:00	Gerald Baptiste 70 Yd Pass From Martevious Young (Daniel Hrapmann Kick)	13	7
SECOND QUARTER				USM	HOU
	TD	14:10	A.J. Dugat 33 Yd Pass From Case Keenum (Matt Hogan Kick)	13	14
	TD	11:41	Tim Monroe 55 Yd Pass From Case Keenum (Matt Hogan Kick)	13	21
	TD	07:49	Martevious Young 1 Yd Run (Pat Blocked)	19	21
	DC	07:49	Nick Saenz 0 Yd Off A Blocked Extra Point	19	23
	FG	02:28	Daniel Hrapmann 29 Yd	22	23
	TD	00:37	James Cleveland 14 Yd Pass From Case Keenum (Matt Hogan Kick)	22	30
THIRD QUARTER				USM	HOU
	FG	04:03	Matt Hogan 34 Yd	22	33
FOURTH QUARTER				USM	HOU
	TD	12:25	James Cleveland 17 Yd Pass From Case Keenum (Matt Hogan Kick)	22	40
	TD	08:54	Tory Harrison 1 Yd Run (Daniel Hrapmann Kick)	29	40
	FG	06:41	Matt Hogan 23 Yd	29	43
	TD	05:25	Gerald Baptiste 5 Yd Pass From Martevious Young (Daniel Hrapmann Kick)	36	43
	TD	00:57	Gerald Baptiste 13 Yd Pass From Martevious Young (Daniel Hrapmann Kick)	43	43
	TD	00:21	Patrick Edwards 28 Yd Pass From Case Keenum (Matt Hogan Kick)	43	50

HOUSTON -- Case Keenum and Houston (No. 18 BCS, No. 15 AP) had 57 seconds to score and avoid overtime with Southern Mississippi on Saturday.

The nation's most potent offense needed just 36.

Keenum Just Passing By

Houston QB Case Keenum has the two highest single-game passing yard games in the FBS this season.

Most Passing Yards in Single Game FBS This Season

Case Keenum, HOU	559	Oct. 31 vs. Southern Miss
Case Keenum, HOU	536	Oct. 3 vs. UTEP
Tyler Sheehan, BGSU	505	Oct. 10 vs. Kent State
Steven Sheffield, TTU	490	Oct. 10 vs. Kansas State
Greg Alexander, HAW	477	Sept. 19 vs. UNLV

Keenum threw for a career-high 559 yards and had five touchdowns, his last coming with 21 seconds remaining, and the Cougars escaped with a 50-43 win.

Keenum broke the tie with a 28-yard pass to Patrick Edwards.

Houston didn't even have to hurry to get it done.

"That's just how we are, we're prepared for that," coach Kevin Sumlin said. "Our two-minute is really our offense. We have to work on slowing the ball down."

Sumlin said the team trusts Keenum so much that there was never a doubt they'd win during Houston's final drive.

Fast Facts

• Case Keenum threw for 559 yards and the winning touchdown with 23 seconds left to lead the Cougars. Keenum came into the game leading the nation in passing yards per game (390.6). He's also thrown for at least 360 yards in seven of his eight games.

• Houston is 7-1 and off to its best start since 1990 (finished 10-1).

• Martevious Young threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns for Southern Miss. The two teams combined for 1,358 yards of offense, 750 of them by the Cougars.

• Houston has won three straight games vs. Southern Miss at home.

-- ESPN Stats & Information

"I think more than just him playing and his level of play, I think he creates an attitude for our whole team that if we're behind we're going to win the game, and if it's close we're going to win the game," Sumlin said.

The Golden Eagles had a chance to tie it, but Martevious Young's heave from midfield was knocked down in the end zone as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

Keenum's other TD passes went for 33, 55, 14 and 17 yards as Houston won its fourth straight game. James Cleveland finished with 13 catches for 190 yards, and Charles Sims ran 95 yards as the two teams combined 1,358 yards and 66 first downs.

"Coming away with those close ones says a lot about doing the little things right," Keenum said. "Like coach said: 'It's not how you do it, but how many [wins] and as long as you win.' "

The Cougars (7-1, 3-1 Conference USA) led by seven and were driving to put the game away when Korey Williams forced a fumble by Bryce Beall, which Southern Miss recovered on its own 23.

The Golden Eagles (5-4, 3-2) marched downfield and tied it 43-all on a 13-yard reception by Gerald Baptiste with 57 seconds left.

Southern Miss had cut the lead to 43-36 on a 5-yard touchdown reception by Baptiste with 5 1/2 minutes left. That score was helped by a 36-yard quarterback draw by Young moments earlier.

Baptiste finished with 186 yards receiving and three scores, while Young was 20 of 34 for 334 yards and ran for another 70.

"I'm my worst critic," Baptiste said. "I may have scored three times but I feel like I should have had four or five ... and I'd give them all back for a win."

Keenum had already thrown for more yards than the season-low 233 yards he had last week with 11 1/2 minutes left before halftime. He had 244 yards passing after a 55-yard catch and run score by Tim Monroe that made it 21-13.

Southern Miss answered with a 1-yard run by Young, but Daniel Hrapmann's extra point attempt was blocked and Nick Saenz returned it to push Houston's lead to 23-19. After a field goal by Southern Miss, Keenum threw his third TD of the half to make it 30-22 at the break.

Matt Hogan added a 34-yard field goal early in the third quarter, and Keenum's second touchdown pass to Cleveland made it 40-22 early in the fourth.

The back-and-forth game continued when Southern Miss finished off a 70-yard drive with Tory Harrison's 1-yard run with about 9 minutes remaining. Hogan then answered with a 23-yard field goal that extended the lead to 43-29.

"Craziness is probably a good word for it," Keenum said about the second half.

Southern Miss was in the game the entire way, mostly because it took advantage of mistakes. The Golden Eagles scored nine points off two first-half turnovers, including Williams' fumble recovery on the first play of the game that set up Fletcher's 6-yard TD run.

The extra point was blocked, but an interception in the end zone by Eddie Hicks led to a 29-yard field goal by Hrapmann that got Southern Miss within 23-22 about 3 minutes before halftime.

Hrapmann missed a 32-yarder in the third quarter.

The Golden Eagles were encouraged by their performance and hope for a rematch with the Cougars in the C-USA title game.

"We're down, but we know that if we win out we'll still win [the West division] of the conference," Williams said.