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2012 Armed Forces Bowl final score: Rice uses big 2nd half for 33-14 victory

The Rice Owls defeated the Air Force Falcons in the 2012 Armed Forces Bowl and improved to 7-6.

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The Rice Owls scored 26 unanswered points in the second half to rally to win the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl over the Air Force Falcons, 33-14, in Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Owls tied the game with 9:30 left in the third quarter on a Driphus Jackson 22-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Taylor. They added 13 more points early in the fourth quarter, including a Charles Ross 2-yard touchdown run before finishing off the scoring with a late 34-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Taylor.

The tide turned when Jackson replaced starting quarterback Taylor McHargue after McHargue left with a concussion with a little over five minutes left in the second quarter. Jackson responded by going 15-for-21 for 264 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Owls. Jackson's offensive momentum seemed to energize the defense as well as they shutout the Falcons in the second half.

The Owls combined for 208 yards on the ground and held the Falcons to 214 total yards to 503 of their own. The Owls also dominated the time of possession as they had the ball for 37:27.

The Owls finish their season with a winning record of 7-6 and the Falcons end up falling below .500 at 6-7.

Box Score Hero: Rice wide receiver Jordan Taylor put up 153 yards and three touchdowns as his numbers exploded with the entry of Driphus Jackson into the lineup.

But Did They Cover?: Air Force was a 1-point favorite coming in but were blown out.

This post originally appeared on SB Nation Denver.

Photographs by jamesbrandon, jdtornow, phlezk, flygraphix, mcdlttx, tomasland, and literalbarrage used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.