10-09-2006, 05:30 PM
Jerry Babb's 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kevin Belton with 1:02 remaining lifted Louisiana-Lafayette to a 31-28 victory against Houston on Saturday night.
The Cajuns (3-2), who fell behind 21-0 early in the second quarter, went 85 yards on 18 plays in a drive that consumed 6:46, and Babb capped the deciding score with a two-point conversion pass to receiver Derrick Smith.
The Cougars (4-2) dropped their second in a row despite 367 passing yards from Kevin Kolb. They lost to Miami 14-13 last week.
"I feel like we beat a Top 25 team," Lafayette coach Rickey Bustle said. "I think Houston is that good."
Lafayette controlled the second half with an effective rushing attack. Tyrell Fenroy had 88 of his 110 after halftime as the Cajuns outgained Houston 269-38 on the ground. Fenroy's 18-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter cut Lafayette's deficit to 28-23.
Kolb continued to break records at the school that produced prolific passers Andre Ware and David Klingler. His 14th game of 300 or more passing yards moved him one ahead of Klinger, and his 58-yard pass to Jeron Harvey in the first quarter set a school completions record and led to Jackie Battle's 2-yard run for a 7-0 lead.
Lafayette linebacker Mack Fair appeared to answer that score with a 39-yard fumble return, but Houston challenged the ruling. The call was overturned, and subsequent confusion on the placement of the first-down markers led to a 10-minute delay.
The first two plays after the long break also didn't go Lafayette's way. Kolb threw a 56-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline to Donnie Avery, and Houston's Trent Allen intercepted a pass after the kickoff and returned it to the Cajuns' 23. Four plays later, Kolb scored on a 4-yard run.
"I felt we took their best shots early, and we hung in there," Bustle said.
Babb answered with a 15-yard touchdown run on the next drive, and a 23-yard field goal by Drew Edmiston closed the margin to 21-10 at the half.
The Cajuns (3-2), who fell behind 21-0 early in the second quarter, went 85 yards on 18 plays in a drive that consumed 6:46, and Babb capped the deciding score with a two-point conversion pass to receiver Derrick Smith.
The Cougars (4-2) dropped their second in a row despite 367 passing yards from Kevin Kolb. They lost to Miami 14-13 last week.
"I feel like we beat a Top 25 team," Lafayette coach Rickey Bustle said. "I think Houston is that good."
Lafayette controlled the second half with an effective rushing attack. Tyrell Fenroy had 88 of his 110 after halftime as the Cajuns outgained Houston 269-38 on the ground. Fenroy's 18-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter cut Lafayette's deficit to 28-23.
Kolb continued to break records at the school that produced prolific passers Andre Ware and David Klingler. His 14th game of 300 or more passing yards moved him one ahead of Klinger, and his 58-yard pass to Jeron Harvey in the first quarter set a school completions record and led to Jackie Battle's 2-yard run for a 7-0 lead.
Lafayette linebacker Mack Fair appeared to answer that score with a 39-yard fumble return, but Houston challenged the ruling. The call was overturned, and subsequent confusion on the placement of the first-down markers led to a 10-minute delay.
The first two plays after the long break also didn't go Lafayette's way. Kolb threw a 56-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline to Donnie Avery, and Houston's Trent Allen intercepted a pass after the kickoff and returned it to the Cajuns' 23. Four plays later, Kolb scored on a 4-yard run.
"I felt we took their best shots early, and we hung in there," Bustle said.
Babb answered with a 15-yard touchdown run on the next drive, and a 23-yard field goal by Drew Edmiston closed the margin to 21-10 at the half.
