The Southwest : Hurricanes Get Going, Rout Rice

Miami running back Melvin Bratton scored three touchdowns Saturday, including a 69-yard touchdown bomb from quarterback Vinny Testaverde, to lead the Hurricanes to a 48-20 victory over Rice at Houston.

Bratton scored on runs of 24 and three yards to help the Hurricanes to a 27-17 fourth-quarter lead.

Then, with 6:19 remaining, Bratton caught a pass from Testaverde and eluded five defenders en route to the game-breaker.

Miami’s backup quarterback, Geoff Torretta, continued the late surge with an 80-yard touchdown pass to David Kintingh with 2:59 left in the game and scored on a one-yard keeper with one second remaining.

Miami (1-1) took a 14-10 halftime lead over the 0-1 Owls, who are 2-32 over the past three seasons, but pulled away in the third quarter on Bratton’s second touchdown run, a three-yard dive.

That touchdown, and field goals of 31 and 48 yards by Greg Cox in the fourth quarter, followed Rice turnovers.

The Hurricanes, who lost to Florida, 35-23, last week, took a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter on a 24-yard run by Bratton and a 39-yard touchdown pass from Testaverde to Mike Irvin.

Rice got its first points on a 49-yard field goal by James Hamrick in the first quarter following an interception by linebacker Joe Heikkinen and a 32-yard pass from Mark Comalander to tight end Kenny Major.

The Owls pulled within four points with 1:48 left in the first half on a five-yard quarterback keeper by Comalander.

TCU 30, Tulane 13--Sophomore quarterback Scott Ankrom rushed for 122 yards, scored two touchdowns and passed for another to lead Texas Christian at Fort Worth.

TCU’s Kenneth Davis, who led the nation with a 7.6 yards-per-carry average last season, rushed for 152 yards in 24 carries. He also caught five passes for 81 yards.

TCU trailed, 13-10, at halftime, but Ankrom led the Horned Frogs on second-half touchdown drives of 74, 55 and 80 yards as TCU opened with a victory.

Texas Tech 21, Tulsa 17--Quarterback Aaron Keesee hit split end Tyrone Thurman with a 20-yard touchdown pass with 11 seconds left to give the Red Raiders a victory at Tulsa.

Tulsa (1-1) had taken a 17-14 lead with 4:52 left when quarterback Steve Gage’s 61-yard sideline run to the 17 set up his own touchdown on a two-yard keeper.

Tech is 2-0.