louisiana tech took a 7–0 lead after lennon creer scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown with 11:12 left in the first quarter. tech extended their lead over houston to 10–0 after matt nelson kicked a 30-yard field goal with 10:10 left in the second quarter. houston scored its first points of the night with 7:21 left in the second quarter when case keenum connected with michael hayes for a 54-yard touchdown to cut louisiana tech's lead to 10–7. louisiana tech answered with a 2-yard touchdown run by ray holley and a 47-yard field goal by nelson to take the 20–7 lead at halftime.