Houston rallies, throttles Cincy

Associated Press

CINCINNATI

Greg Ward Jr. threw an interception in the end zone. Cincinnati responded by going down the field, getting a touchdown and grabbing the lead and the momentum.

For the first time this season, No. 6 Houston was on the road and feeling the pressure. How would the Cougars respond?

Ward ran for two fourth-quarter touchdowns, and the Cougars’ fabulous defense returned a couple of interceptions for touchdowns as they pulled away to a 40-16 victory over Cincinnati on Thursday night.

“The fourth quarter exemplified a veteran team that’s played in big games,” coach Tom Herman said. “They go down and score and we come back and take the lead.”

Nobody was under the spotlight more than Ward, who sat out a 42-0 victory over Lamar on Saturday because of a sore shoulder. He came through pregame warmups without an issue, and got treatment on the sideline between series.

“They were keeping my shoulder warm on the sideline,” Ward said. “It tends to get tight. I was thankful to be out there.”

The Cougars (3-0, 1-0 American Athletic) trailed 16-12 early in the fourth quarter before Ward and the defense took over.

Ward dispelled any worries about his arm with a 39-yard touchdown pass on the Cougars’ second series. He was 24 of 36 for 326 yards with two interceptions, and he ran 26 times for 73 yards.

“We put in a defense just for him, some guys that were faster,” Cincinnati coach Tommy Tuberville said. “We did a good job in pass coverage and he’d just pull it down and run. That’s hard to defend.”

Houston’s defense took away any semblance of a running game from Cincinnati (2-1, 0-1) and accounted for 16 points on its own — a safety and the two interception returns by Steven Taylor and Howard Wilson.

The Cougars haven’t allowed any of their last five opponents to rush for 100 yards. Cincinnati managed only 30 yards rushing, putting too much pressure on redshirt sophomore Hayden Moore, whose two fourth-quarter interceptions allowed the Cougars to pull away.

Moore had never faced a defense so good. He made an impact early with a 61-yard touchdown pass , but the lack of a running game was tough to overcome. Moore finished 21 of 37 for 275 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions and three sacks.

“You can’t beat any good team if you can’t run the football,” Tuberville said. “They put all the pressure on our quarterback and receivers and they dictated the game to us.”