NEW ORLEANS -- Greg Ward Jr. ran for three touchdowns and threw a scoring pass to help No. 24 Houston beat Tulane 42-7 on Friday night.
Playing as a ranked team for the first time since 2011, the Cougars (6-0, 3-0 American Athletic) won by at least 21 points for the fourth time this season. Houston took a half-game lead over Memphis and Navy in the conference's West Division.
Despite three starting offensive linemen sitting out with injuries, Houston piled up 461 total yards, including 239 on the ground, and went 7 of 15 on third down.