McMahon leads Rice past Louisiana-Lafayette 33-21
HOUSTON -- — TJ McMahon threw for 303 yards with three touchdown passes to lead Rice over Louisiana-Lafayette 33-21 on Saturday night in a Conference USA opener.
McMahon, who threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Luke McCaffrey late in the second quarter, hit Bradley Rozner for a 12-yard score early in the third. McCaffrey added a 6-yard TD pass to McCaffrey in the fourth quarter.
Louisiana-Lafayette (2-1, 0-1) built a 14-13 halftime lead behind Caleb Anderson's pick-6 and Chandler Fields' 11-yard touchdown pass to Terrence Williams. Chris Smith broke loose for a 22-yard touchdown to pull the Ragin' Cajuns to 27-21 with 9:17 left.
But on the ensuing possession, Rice (2-1, 1-0) ate up more than six minutes with an 11-play, 70-yard drive capped by Ari Broussard's 2-yard touchdown run.
McMahon was 25-of-36 passing but was intercepted three times. McCaffrey finished with 10 catches for 105 yards.
Louisiana-Lafayette was held to 175 total yards compared to Rice's 449.
It was the sixth meeting between the teams but first since Sept. 23, 1989 when Louisiana-Lafayette won 18-3.
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Game Information
2024 Sun Belt Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Marshall | 5-1 | 7-3 |
| Georgia Southern | 4-2 | 6-4 |
| James Madison | 4-2 | 8-2 |
| Old Dominion | 3-3 | 4-6 |
| Coastal Carolina | 2-4 | 5-5 |
| App State | 2-4 | 4-5 |
| Georgia State | 0-6 | 2-8 |
| Team | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 5-1 | 8-2 |
| Texas State | 4-2 | 6-4 |
| Arkansas State | 4-2 | 6-4 |
| South Alabama | 4-2 | 5-5 |
| UL Monroe | 3-3 | 5-5 |
| Troy | 2-4 | 3-7 |
| Southern Miss | 0-6 | 1-9 |
2024 American Athletic Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Army | 7-0 | 9-0 |
| Tulane | 7-0 | 9-2 |
| Navy | 5-2 | 7-3 |
| Memphis | 5-2 | 9-2 |
| East Carolina | 4-2 | 6-4 |
| South Florida | 3-3 | 5-5 |
| UTSA | 3-3 | 5-5 |
| Charlotte | 2-4 | 3-7 |
| North Texas | 2-4 | 5-5 |
| Rice | 2-4 | 3-7 |
| Temple | 2-4 | 3-7 |
| UAB | 1-5 | 2-8 |
| Tulsa | 1-5 | 3-7 |
| Florida Atlantic | 0-6 | 2-8 |
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