Houston used a powerful first-quarter burst to keep Penn State on its heels all game en route to a 30-14 win in the TicketCity Bowl.
Case Keenum had nearly 200 yards in the first quarter in which Houston ran the ball only once. He threw touchdown passes to Patrick Edwards and Justin Johnson in taking a 17-0 first quarter lead.
After stumbling for the first 15 minutes, Penn State got on the board with a 6-yard run from Stephfon Green, but Keenum hooked up with Patrick Edwards again, this time on a 75-yard backbreaker, to lead 24-7 at the half.
Houston maintained their lead for the rest of the game, adding a couple of Andrew Hogan field goals while preventing Penn State's troubled offense from getting on track. The Lions had one great moment, a 69 yard touchdown pass from Rob Bolden to Justin Brown that cut the lead to 27-14. But that was Penn State's last gasp in a season that started great and went terribly wrong, mostly for off-the-field reasons unrelated to the team itself.
Keenum finished with 532 yards against a great Penn State defense, adding more stats in a season where he broke several all-time records. #14 Houston finished the year 13-1, while #23 Penn State fell to 9-4, with all their losses to top 25 teams.
More previews and results: View the complete 2011-2012 bowl game schedule.
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