FRESNO, Calif., Nov. 4 (UPI) -- David Carr passed for 334 yards and five touchdowns Saturday night as Fresno State snapped a two-game losing streak with a 52-24 Western Athletic Conference victory over Rice.
Carr equaled a career high with the five touchdowns, but it may have been too late for the Bulldogs, who have dropped out of the top 25 following consecutive losses to Boise State and Hawaii.
Fresno State had climbed to as high as 10th in the coaches' poll on the strength of wins over Oregon State, Wisconsin and Colorado State.
Now the Bulldogs (7-2, 3-2 WAC) may not even have a chance to win their conference. Saturday's win kept Fresno State 1 1/2 games behind Louisiana Tech.
Carr, who completed 20 of 32 passes, threw four touchdowns in the first half, helping Fresno State open a 31-17 lead at the intermission. The Bulldogs put away the contest with 21 points in the third period.
Rodney Wright grabbed eight passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns for Fresno State, which jumped to a 17-7 lead in the first period and never trailed.
Rice, which came in ranked second in Division I-A in rushing, was held to 188 yards on the ground, 90 below its average.
Kyle Herm rushed for 50 yards on 15 carries for the Owls (6-3, (3-2). Herm completed three of eight passes for 88 yards before being replaced by backup Greg Henderson in the third quarter.
Henderson was four of 11 for 86 yards and scored on a 13-yard run in the fourth period. Herm accounted for Rice's other score with a three-yard scamper in the second period.
Fresno State posted a season high in points despite possessing the ball for nearly 11 minutes less than the Owls. Four of the Buldogs' scoring drives lasted less than four plays.
