University of Houston freshman running back Alton McCaskill rushed for three touchdowns to lead the Cougars to a 45-10 win over American Athletic Conference rival Tulsa at H.A. Chapman Stadium on Friday night.

McCaskill, who finished with 77 rushing yards on 17 carries, posted a pair of 1-yard scoring runs and added a 27-yard strike to lift the Cougars to their fourth straight wins. It was the third time in the last four games that McCaskill posted multiple rushing touchdowns.

The Conroe, Texas, native tied the program's single-game freshman record for rushing touchdowns, last set by Bryce Beall at SMU on Oct. 18, 2008. McCaskill also moved into a tie for the league lead with seven rushing touchdowns in 2021.

The Cougars jumped out to a 28-0 lead through the first 25 minutes and never looked back in winning its third straight game against Tulsa and for the sixth time in the last seven outings.

McCaskill was one of numerous stars for the Cougars against the Golden Hurricane. Junior quarterback Clayton Tune threw for 241 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 17-of-24 passing, while sophomore wide receiver Nathaniel Dell hauled in six catches for 72 yards.

Meanwhile, the Houston defense forced Tulsa into three turnovers leading to 13 points and blocked a punt with four sacks. The Golden Hurricane managed only 10 points off 289 yards of total offense, including 31 rushing yards.

With the win, Houston improved to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in American play. Tulsa fell to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in league action.

After trading punts their first drives of the game, the Cougars took over on their own 19 midway through the opening period. Misfiring on his first attempt of the drive, Tune complete each of his next four passes to move Houston to the Tulsa 1, and McCaskill took over from there with a 1-yard plunge into the end zone for a 7-0 Houston lead.

Following a Tulsa punt, Tune hit junior running back Ta'Zhawn Henry on a 10-yard pass, and Henry broke off 11- and 17-yard rushes during the next two plays to move the Cougars into Tulsa territory. Tune then hit junior wide receiver Jeremy Singleton on a 47-yard touchdown five for a 14-0 Houston lead with 1:14 remaining in the first period.

On the ensuing drive, Tulsa moved into Houston territory and faced a fourth-and-1, but the Golden Hurricane mishandled the snap and the Cougars took over near midfield.

The Cougars wasted little time in extending their lead to 21-0. After completions to McCaskill and wide receiver Nathaniel Dell, McCaskill took the handoff and broke through the middle with 13:01 left in the first half.

With Tulsa facing third-and-10, senior cornerback Damaron Williams stepped in front of a Davis Brin pass to give the Cougars good field position in Tulsa territory.

After a pair of McCaskill rushes and Dell receptions, McCaskill handed the Cougars a 28-0 lead with a 1-yard touchdown rush with 9:33 left.

Tulsa put its first points on the scoreboard late in the first half on Zack Long's 33-yard field with 82 seconds left in the first half.

The Golden Hurricane received the opening kickoff in the second half, but didn't hold the ball for long. Junior safety Gervarrius Owens hauled in the Cougars' third pickoff of the night and raced 45 yards to the end zone for a 35-3 Houston lead less than a minute into the second half.

The score remained that way until early in the fourth quarter when tight end Seth Green hauled in an 8-yard touchdown pass from Tune for a 42-3 Houston lead with 14:55 left in the game.

After Tulsa scored on a Brin 41-yard touchdown pass to Ezra Naylor II midway through the final period, senior kicker Dalton Witherspoon booted a 48-yard field goal for the final margin of victory.

Brin led Tulsa with 258 passing yards on 20-of-39 passing. Sam Crawford Jr. hauled in five catches for 101 yards, while Anthony Watkins led the way with 39 rushing yards on eight carries.

UP NEXT
The Cougars continue their road swing as they take on Tulane at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans. That game can be seen on ESPN and can be heard on 950 AM KPRC and Varsity Network.

Following their bye weekend, Houston returns to the friendly confines of TDECU Stadium to play host to East Carolina for Homecoming on Oct. 23. Kickoff time for that game will be announced soon.