Hayes throws three touchdowns as Tulsa erases Rice's early lead, 38-17

Jacurri Brown twice escaped Tulsa for long touchdown runs. Baylor Hayes and the Golden Hurricane kept answering, then took over the game completely. Hayes threw three touchdown passes as Tulsa scored 31 unanswered points to beat Rice 38-17 on Saturday in Houston.

The Golden Hurricane improved to 4-3 overall and earned their first American Conference win, moving to 1-2 in league play. Rice fell to 1-6 and 0-3. The Owls built a 17-7 lead in the second quarter, but their offense did not score again after Brown's 78-yard touchdown run with 10:59 left before halftime.

The American Conference's official highlights show the scoring exchanges that preceded Tulsa's comeback.

Brown had already opened the scoring with a 50-yard run on Rice's first possession. Tulsa responded by driving 89 yards, only to lose the ball on downs near the goal line. The Owls then traveled 83 yards for Tommy Bauchiero's 32-yard field goal and a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Damari Alston got Tulsa on the scoreboard with a four-yard touchdown run. Brown immediately stretched the lead again with his 78-yard burst, leaving the Golden Hurricane down 10 despite having moved the ball on both of their early scoring opportunities. Hayes supplied the response through the air, finding Javon Ross for an 11-yard touchdown with 2:48 remaining in the half.

Devin Robinson sacked Brown and forced a fumble on Rice's next possession. Hudson Ball recovered and returned it to the Owls' five-yard line, giving Tulsa the short field it needed to take the lead. Hayes threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Oran Singleton Jr. with 33 seconds left, and Tulsa went into halftime ahead 21-17. The two touchdown passes arrived a little more than two minutes apart and changed which team had to chase the game after the break.

Hayes completed 20 of 27 passes for 249 yards without an interception. Singleton caught seven passes for 87 yards, Ross had three catches for 31, and David Wells Jr. added 52 receiving yards. Tulsa also protected possession: the Golden Hurricane finished without a turnover and converted six of 11 third downs.

Owen Carey's 35-yard field goal supplied the only points of the third quarter. Tulsa then used an 11-play, 72-yard drive to build a two-score lead, with Hayes throwing six yards to Sevion Morrison for a touchdown. Trequan Jones later broke a 45-yard scoring run, and Hayes ran for the two-point conversion that completed the scoring.

Rice rushed for 289 yards, led by Brown's 154 on 11 carries. His two touchdown runs accounted for 128 of those yards. The Owls passed for only 62 yards, however, and could not sustain a scoring response once Tulsa moved ahead. Two fourth-quarter Rice possessions ended on downs as the Golden Hurricane finished with 401 yards of offense and a road conference victory.