HOUSTON — Dean Connors rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns against his former team as Houston beat Rice 35-9 on Saturday night at Rice Stadium to retain the Bayou Bucket.

The win moved Houston to 2-0 for the first time since 2018, when the Cougars also beat Rice in Week 2.

Connors, who transferred from Rice in the offseason, gave Houston the lead late in the first half on a 54-yard run. He added a 42-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to close the scoring. His total was the most rushing yards by a Cougar in the Bayou Bucket since 2012.

“He does a good job running behind his pads,” coach Willie Fritz said. “He’s got good speed. He’s bigger than you think. We call it running through the smoke. He did that three or four times today.”

Quarterback Conner Weigman threw for 188 yards and a touchdown, connecting with Stephon Johnson on a 74-yard strike in the fourth quarter. Weigman also ran for a 9-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Defensively, Houston held Rice to 51 passing yards and forced two turnovers. Cornerback Will James intercepted a pass deflected by Latreveon McCutchin and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Senior defensive back Latrell McCutchin Sr. led the Cougars with 11 tackles, while Carlos Allen added nine.

Rice led briefly on a 42-yard field goal by Enock Gota before Connors’ long run gave Houston a 7-3 edge just before halftime. The Cougars then controlled the second half, scoring 28 points in the final 30 minutes.

The Cougars finished with 392 yards of offense while limiting Rice to 228. Houston converted 9 of 16 third downs compared to 4 of 15 for the Owls.

Houston now turns to Big 12 play, hosting Colorado on Friday. Rice, 1-1, will continue nonconference action next week.