Southwest Roundup : Arkansas Whips Rice, Earns Cotton Bowl Bid

Eleventh-ranked Arkansas clinched a bowl berth when backup quarterback John Bland’s 5-yard 4th-quarter scoring run gave the Razorbacks a 21-14 victory over winless Rice Saturday night at Little Rock, Ark., and clinched their first Cotton Bowl trip in 13 years.

Rice’s 14-game losing streak is the nation’s longest current slide in Division I-A. They played the unbeaten Razorbacks to a 14-14 tie through 3 quarters, but Arkansas finished off an 83-yard march in the opening minute of the fourth quarter with Bland’s touchdown run.

Arkansas became the first team ever to clinch the host spot in the Cotton Bowl before November, a feat aided by the fact that Texas A&M; (4-0 in conference play) is ineligible for the league title because of its NCAA-imposed probation.

Rice is 0-7 and has now lost 14 in a row, the longest losing streak in the country.

Texas Tech 33, Texas 32--Texas Tech quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver completed a 46-yard touchdown pass and 2-point conversion with 2:36 remaining as the Red Raiders upset the Longhorns in a SWC game at Lubbock, Texas.

Tech improved to 3-4 overall and 3-2 in the SWC, while the Longhorns fell to 3-4 and 1-2.

Texas Tech scored the game’s final 18 points after an 18-point Texas flurry in the third quarter put the Longhorns up, 32-15.

Houston 40, TCU 12--Houston’s Andre Ware came off the bench to throw 3 touchdown passes as the Cougars beat TCU at Houston.

Chuck Weatherspoon scored on runs of 2 and 4 yards and gained more than 100 yards. Houston improved its record to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in SWC games. TCU is 4-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play.