Houston runs for 151 yards, 2 TDs as ETSU tops Samford 38-14

HOMEWOOD, Ala. -- — Devontae Houston ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns and East Tennessee State beat Samford 38-14 on Saturday. The Buccaneers (5-5, 3-3 Southern Conference) totaled 600 yards with 363 through the air and 237 on the ground. ETSU's Jacolby Criswell threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns, hitting Karim Page for 26 yards in the first quarter and tight end Charlie Browder from 10 yards in the third. Backup Ephraim Floyd connected with Xavier Gaillardetz for a 70-yard score on his only attempt. Gaillardetz finished with three catches for 113 yards, and Jeremiah Harrison added four receptions for 95. East Tennessee State opened with Houston’s 45-yard touchdown run at 13:40 of the first quarter, added Floyd’s 70-yarder 36 seconds later, then made it 21-0 on Criswell’s strike to Page. The Buccaneers led 24-7 at halftime and pushed it to 38-7 in the third on Browder’s touchdown and Houston’s second scoring run, a 40-yarder with 9:57 left in the quarter. Samford's (1-9, 1-7) Quincy Crittendon threw a 20-yard touchdown to C.J. Evans in the first quarter and Brady Stober added a 25-yard touchdown to Calvin Jones late in the fourth. Jones caught five passes for 54 yards and Sam Pickett III had three receptions for 90. The Bulldogs attempted 37 rushes but averaged just 1.5 yards per carry for a total of 56 yards. ------ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football