Houston vs. North Texas final: Cougars win 44-21

The University of Houston Cougars ran over the North Texas Mean Green on their way to a 44-21 victory.

The Cougars got the scoring started early, as running back Charles Sims got Houston on the board with his five-yard rushing touchdown at the 13:45 mark of the first quarter. UH went on to score two more times, one touchdown and a field goal, in the first to take a 17-0 lead.

North Texas found the end zone twice in the second quarter with a pair of rushing touchdowns. But 10 points was as close as they were able to get, as Houston also scored two touchdowns in the quarter.

The Mean Green scored again just out of the half, but the Cougars proceeded to pour it on, increasing their lead to 20 by the end of the third quarter.

Box Score Hero: Sims finished the game with 265 yards of total offense and two touchdowns, including 210 yards rushing and 55 receiving yards.

Rankings Ramifications: Both teams entered the game unranked and that won’t change following the contest.

But Did They Cover? Houston entered the game favored by 12 points, so they did manage to cover the spread.

Next Week's Schedule:

North Texas: Oct. 16 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette

Houston: Oct. 13 vs. UAB

This story was originally published on SB Nation.com.

North Texas vs. Houston score update: Cougars dominate early, lead 31-14 at half

One week after earning their first victory of the season by beating Rice, 35-14, the Houston Cougars got out to a hot start against the North Texas Mean Green and lead, 31-14, after the first half of play.

Houston had no problem driving the field against North Texas to open the game, completing plays of 26, 14 and 11 yards on a seven-play, 75-yard drive that finished with a 5-yard touchdown run by Charles Sims. That offensive success continued with another seven-play drive on their next possession, this time for 80 yards, capped off by a 16-yard touchdown pass from David Piland to Dewayne Peace.

A 12-play, 83-yard drive finished with a 21-yard Matt Hogan field goal to extend the Cougars' lead to 17-0. The Mean Green finally got on the board with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Antoinne Jimmerson, but the Cougars responded with a 48-yard Kenneth Farrow touchdown just a few plays later to keep the lead at 17.

And while the Mean Green again managed to score with a 48-yard Jeremy Brown rush, the Houston offense continuted to look unstoppable adding another Piland touchdown pass, this time to Sims from 27 yards out.

North Texas vs. Houston 2012: Game time, TV schedule, odds and more

Houston hosts North Texas of the Sun Belt in their final non-conference game.