Western Kentucky scored the first four touchdowns in Saturday's matchup at Rice and cruised to a 42-21 win over the Owls, securing their sixth win of the season to become bowl eligible.
Bailey Zappe had an interception on the Hilltoppers' first drive of the game, but rebounded to go 34-of-42 on the day for 482 yards while tossing four touchdowns.
Two of Zappe's touchdowns went to wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley, who hauled in 10 catches for 198 yards.
Jerreth Sterns, the nation's leading pass-catcher, had seven catches for 92 yards.
While Rice tallied 504 yards of total offense, the Hilltoppers' defense was opportunistic on Saturday, picking off Owls quarterback Jake Constantine four times.
Omari Alexander recorded two interceptions for the Hilltoppers while Kahlef Hailassie and Dominique Bradshaw chipped in with one interception a piece.
DeAngelo Malone, Jaden Hunter, and Will Ignot each had six tackles on the day to lead WKU.
The Hilltoppers have now won five consecutive game on the season to improve to 6-4 overall and 5-1 in Conference USA play.
Western Kentucky will host Florida Atlantic next Saturday at Houchens-Smith Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled at 11 a.m.
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