Houston 35, South Florida 23: Freshman John O’Korn went 22-of-27 for 263 yards and three touchdowns as the host Cougars held off the upset-minded Bulls in an American Athletic Conference contest.

South Florida drove to the Houston 27 late, but was called for offensive interference and fumbled on consecutive plays before Kenneth Farrow’s 5-yard touchdown run sealed it with 1:40 remaining. Deontay Greenberry caught four passes for 106 yards and a score as Houston (7-1, 4-0 AAC) set up a first-place showdown at No. 22 Central Florida on Nov. 9.

Freshman Mike White, making his first collegiate start, completed 26-of-41 passes for 311 yards and two scores to rejuvenate a struggling South Florida offense. Tight end Mike McFarland caught a pair of touchdown passes and Andre Davis recorded nine receptions for 134 yards - both season highs - to lead the Bulls (2-6, 2-2).

O’Korn connected with Xavier Maxwell for a 6-yard touchdown on Houston’s third play from scrimmage and his 3-yard shovel pass to Farrow gave the Cougars a 14-3 lead late in the first quarter. White answered with an 8-yard touchdown pass to McFarland 3:35 into the second, snapping a 13-quarter touchdown drought for the Bulls' offense.

Ryan Jackson’s 6-yard run gave Houston a 21-10 halftime lead and O’Korn connected with Greenberry for a 48-yard scoring strike and a 28-13 advantage with 9 minutes left in the third. The Bulls would not go away as White lofted a 2-yard touchdown pass to McFarland on fourth down to pull within 28-23 with 11:50 remaining.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Houston has scored in all 32 quarters this season and 39 straight, dating back to last season. … South Florida K Marvin Kloss connected on field goals of 50, 49 and 39 yards, and has made a school-record 13 straight field goals. … Greenberry boasts five 100-yard receiving games for the Cougars and is 52 yards shy of 1,000 on the season.