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HOUSTON — Despite getting more than 400 yards in total offense from quarterback Martevious Young, Southern Miss was one-upped by Houston on Saturday.
Quarterback Case Keenum for a career-high 559 yards and had five touchdowns, his last coming with 21 seconds remaining, and the No. 15 Cougars escaped with a 50-43 win over the Golden Eagles at Robertson Stadium.
Keenum broke a 43-43 tie with a 28-yard pass to Patrick Edwards, erasing a 21-3 Golden Eagles fourth-quarter comeback.
Houston didn’t even have to hurry to get it done.
“That’s just how we are, we’re prepared for that,” Cougars coach Kevin Sumlin said. “Our two-minute is really our offense. We have to work on slowing the ball down. “I think Case 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.’’
The Golden Eagles had a chance to tie it, but 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.
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 43-42 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 run on a 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.
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