Alex Singleton's 1-yard touchdown run with 1:31 remaining proved to be the game winner Saturday night, giving Tulsa a 28-24 victory at home over Rice.
Singleton had 18 carries for 63 yards and two scores, the most important coming in the final minutes against a Rice team in a free-fall now having lost five of their last six ball games.
The Singleton score was set up by a 75 yard scamper by Ja'Terian Douglas, which took the ball from TU's 20 yard line all the way down to Rice's 5 yard line.
Douglas had 17 carries for 169 yards and a touchdown, helping the Golden Hurricane record 436 yards of offense. Keyarris Garrett had three catches for 118 yards and a touchdown for Tulsa.
Kicker Chris Boswell gave the Owls a 24-21 lead on his 35-yard field goal with 9:24 to go in the fourth quarter. The two teams traded possessions before Tulsa (7-1, 5-0 Conference USA) scored in the final minutes.
Taylor McHargue had 13 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown for Rice (2-6, 0-4) in the loss.
