Football
Cougars Fall To Louisville, 66-45

Kevin Kolb finishes 21-of-27 for 224 yards and two touchdowns against the Cardinals.

Stanford Routt tries to tackle Louisville's J.R. Russell during the first half.
 
Stanford Routt tries to tackle Louisville's J.R. Russell during the first half.
  
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Final Stats

By CHRIS DUNCAN
AP Sports Writer

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Lionel Gates rushed for a career-high 140 yards and four touchdowns and Louisville amassed a school and Conference USA record 779 yards in a 66-45 win over Houston on Saturday.

Freshman Michael Bush ran for a career-high 137 yards and two scores and Stefan LeFors threw for 334 yards as the Cardinals (8-3, 4-3 Conference USA) topped the previous record of 769 yards they gained in a 63-45 win over East Carolina in 1998.

Louisville hadn't reached 60 points since that game and piled up its highest point total since a 68-0 win over Murray State in 1990.

Anthony Evans rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown for Houston (6-5, 3-4), which allowed its highest point total since a 66-10 loss to UCLA in 1997.

Kevin Kolb went 21-of-27 for 224 yards and two touchdowns for the Cougars.

Gates and Bush had touchdown runs on Louisville's first two possessions. The Cardinals had a combined 114 rushing yards on the drives - doubling their output from a 37-7 loss to Memphis last week.

Kolb finished two Houston drives with short touchdown runs to tie the game at 14-14.

Gates' 1-yard touchdown run with 9:28 left in the first half started a wild sequence of second-quarter scoring.

Ricky Wilson took the ensuing kickoff at the goal line, weaved through Louisville's defense and sprinted down the sideline for a touchdown. The 100-yard return was the second in Houston history.

Louisville started its next possession at the 36. On first down, Robert Haskins took a pitch from Gates on a reverse and followed a convoy of blockers for a score.

Three minutes later, Kolb lofted a 42-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Middleton to tie the game at 28-28.

The Cardinals had 420 yards at halftime. They reached 40 points for the fourth time this season on a 38-yard touchdown pass from LeFors to J.R. Russell three minutes into the second half.

 

 

Louisville's Nate Smith had a 47-yard field goal with 8:56 left in the third quarter. He booted the ensuing kickoff into a Cougar and the ball ricocheted to Louisville linebacker Rod Day, setting up Gates' third touchdown run.

Gates and Bush had fourth-quarter touchdown runs to push the Cardinals past 60 points at home for the first time since a 63-34 win over Western Kentucky in 1998.

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