Rice vs. Southern Miss final: Owls win 44-17

Southern Mississippi is still waiting on their first win of the year, and on Saturday they were no match to the Rice Owls, they lost 44-17. Rice went on a 24-0 run spanning the second and third quarters, which pretty much wrapped up the game for the Owls.

The Rice defense played a huge role in the win, forcing Southern Miss to turn the ball over five times. One of those turnovers led to a touchdown; Owls safety Paul Porras picked off Eagles quarterback Arsenio Favor, and returned it 75 yards for a score.

Rice scored only 14 points off those five turnovers, but their defense during their 24-0 stretch was able to hold Southern Miss from mounting any sort of drive.

As for the Rice offense, starting running back Turner Petersen had the big offensive day, as he rushed for 136 yards and had a touchdown.

The Owls deployed two quarterbacks in Driphus Jackson and Taylor McHargue, both of whom combined to complete 10-of-18 passes for 172 yards and three touchdowns. The two also are fairly mobile and combined for another 50 yards on the ground.

Box Score Hero: Rice running back Turner Petersen, who rushed for 136 yards, averaged 7.2 yards per carry and had a touchdown.

Rankings Ramifications: Neither team will have an impact in the rankings.

But Did They Cover? Southern Miss was a 3-point favorite, so they did not cover.

Next Week's Schedule: Southern Miss will host UAB on Nov. 3, and Rice hits the road to face Tulane, also on Nov. 3.

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This story originally appeared on SB Nation.com.