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.