Houston overcomes weather and ECU in 31-24 win
Marcus Jones takes kick return 98 yards for TD
Marcus Jones races 98 yards on the punt for the Houston touchdown.
HOUSTON -- — Alton McCaskill ran 25-yards for a touchdown in overtime and Houston's defense forced a turnover in the extra session and the Cougars beat East Carolina 31-24 late Saturday.
The game, which was originally set to begin at 3 p.m. Central, was delayed 20 minutes due to lightning. At 3:20 p.m., it was delayed after a brief start and didn't resume until five hours later. It ended close to midnight in Houston.
It finally ended when JoVanni Stewart recovered Ryan Jones' fumble which was initiated on a tackle by Donavan Mutin after Jones took a short pass from Holton Ahlers.
Down 24-10, Ahlers ran it in from the 1 with 6:59 left in regulation before the Cougars (6-1, 4-0 American Athletic Conference) turned it over on their first play from scrimmage on the following drive.
Inheriting a short field, Ahlers threw a 13-yard scoring pass to Audie Omotosho with 5:43 left to force overtime. Ahlers threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns for ECU (3-4, 1-2).
Clayton Tune threw for 169 yards and two touchdowns for Houston.
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Game Information
2023 American Athletic Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| SMU | 8-0 | 11-3 |
| Tulane | 8-0 | 11-3 |
| UTSA | 7-1 | 9-4 |
| Memphis | 6-2 | 10-3 |
| South Florida | 4-4 | 7-6 |
| Rice | 4-4 | 6-7 |
| Navy | 4-4 | 5-7 |
| North Texas | 3-5 | 5-7 |
| UAB | 3-5 | 4-8 |
| Florida Atlantic | 3-5 | 4-8 |
| Charlotte | 2-6 | 3-9 |
| Tulsa | 2-6 | 4-8 |
| Temple | 1-7 | 3-9 |
| East Carolina | 1-7 | 2-10 |
2023 Big 12 Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 8-1 | 12-2 |
| Oklahoma State | 7-2 | 10-4 |
| Oklahoma | 7-2 | 10-3 |
| Iowa State | 6-3 | 7-6 |
| Kansas State | 6-3 | 9-4 |
| West Virginia | 6-3 | 9-4 |
| Texas Tech | 5-4 | 7-6 |
| Kansas | 5-4 | 9-4 |
| UCF | 3-6 | 6-7 |
| TCU | 3-6 | 5-7 |
| Houston | 2-7 | 4-8 |
| BYU | 2-7 | 5-7 |
| Baylor | 2-7 | 3-9 |
| Cincinnati | 1-8 | 3-9 |
NCAAF News