BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — Austin Reed threw three touchdown passes — two to Jaylen Hall, who added a 46-yard punt return for a score — and ran a 1-yard TD to help Western Kentucky beat Rice 45-10 Saturday to become bowl eligible.
Hall opened the scoring with a 25-yard touchdown reception on the game’s fifth play from scrimmage, Daewoo Davis Jr. added a 62-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown that capped an 11-play, 96-yard drive midway through the second quarter and JaQues Evans returned a fumble 14 yard for score 90 seconds later to make it 21-0.
Hall’s punt return early in the fourth quarter gave Western Kentucky (7-4, 5-2 Conference USA) 38-10 and his 2-yard TD reception with 6:16 left capped the scoring. He finished with seven receptions for 102 yards.
Rice (5-5, 3-3) had 24 first downs and converted 7-of-11 third downs but threw four interceptions and lost two fumbles.
Jumo Otoviano had 97 yards rushing on 17 carries for the Owls.
Uriah West’s 1-yard touchdown run with 32 seconds left in the second quarter trimmed Rice’s deficit to 21-7 but WKU’s Brayden Narveson kicked a 25-yard field goal as the half expired.
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