HOUSTON (AP) Bailey Zappe threw five touchdown passes, including three during a four-minute span in the second quarter, and Western Kentucky beat Rice, 42-21, on Saturday.

With two games left in Hilltoppers reguar season and leading Conference USA, Zappe leads the nation with 42 touchdown passes. He has thrown at least three touchdown passes in every game this season and has thrown five or more scores in a game four times.

Kye Robichaux capped a seven-play, 97-yard first-quarter drive with a 2-yard run for the score and the game's first touchdown and Zappe threw three touchdown passes in the second quarter, including a 65-yard strike to Mitchell Tinsley.

Zappe completed 34 of 42 passes for 482 yards and was picked off once for WKU (6-4, 5-1). Tinsley finished with 10 catches for 198 yards and Jerreth Sterns caught seven for 92.

Jake Constantine was 28 of 50 for 380 yards for Rice (3-7, 2-4), but was picked off four times. August Pitre III had nine catches for 133 yards.

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