NEW ORLEANS — Chase Clement passed for two touchdowns and ran for two as Rice routed Tulane 42-17 today.

Clement was 20 of 25 for 168 yards, including touchdowns of 7 and 17 yards to James Casey. Clement also had eight carries for 57 yards and touchdown runs of 9 and 6 yards.

C.J. Ugokwe gained 111 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries for Rice (5-3, 4-1 Conference USA).

Tulane lost its third straight to fall to 2-5, 1-3.

Rice's Jarett Dillard, the NCAA career touchdown reception leader with 54, did not catch a touchdown pass, ending a streak of 11 consecutive games with at least one. He caught four passes for 41 yards.

The game was scoreless before Rice scored three touchdowns in a span of less than five minutes late in the first quarter and early in the second.

The scoring began when Clement threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Casey with 2:58 left in the first quarter. Clement ran 9 yards for a touchdown with 28 seconds left in the quarter.

Tulane lost a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and on the next play, Clement threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Casey for a 21-0 lead.

Terrance Garmon intercepted the Green Wave's Kevin Moore on the next possession, setting up Clement's 6-yard touchdown run for a 28-0 lead with 13:30 left in the second quarter.

Tulane's Ross Thevenot tried a 40-yard field goal with two seconds left in the half, but it was blocked and Chris Jones ran 55 yards for a touchdown and a 35-0 halftime lead.

It was the latest in a series of special teams breakdowns for the Green Wave, who allowed a punt return for a touchdown and a blocked punt for a touchdown against Alabama and a blocked field goal return for a touchdown against East Carolina.

Tulane finally scored when Thevenot made a 42-yard field goal on the first possession of the third quarter.

Joe Kemp's 42-yard touchdown pass to Casey Robottom got the Green Wave within 35-10 with 5:21 left in the third quarter.

The Owls came right back with an 8-yard touchdown run by Ugokwe to increase the lead to 42-10 with 2:48 left in the third quarter.

Kemp threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Albert Williams to make it 42-17 with 6:45 left in the game.