Houston, TX -- (Sports Network) - Matt Forte rushed for 194 yards and five touchdowns as the Tulane Green Wave defeated the Rice Owls, 45-31, in a Conference-USA battle at Rice Stadium.

With the tremendous performance Forte eclipsed 2,000 yards for the season. Forte, who leads the nation with 2,007 yards, is the first tailback to break this amazing mark since J. J. Arrington did it for California back in 2004. As a team Tulane (4-7, 3-4 C-USA), rushed for 267 yards and six scores.

As for the Owls (3-8, 3-4), they were led by quarterback Chase Clement, who threw for 353 yards and four touchdowns. Jarett Dillard grabbed nine passes for 87 yards and two TDs in the loss, while James Casey hauled in six passes for 113 yards.

The Green Wave were the first to crash the scoreboard early in the first quarter, as Ross Thevenot connected on a 38-yard field goal.

The Owls finally found the end zone early in the second stanza when Clement hit Dillard with a 13-yard scoring strike.

Tulane answered back late in the quarter when Forte broke free for a 46-yard touchdown run.

A one-yard plunge by Forte in the final seconds of the half gave the Green Wave a 17-7 lead as the two teams went into the break.

The Green Wave continued to ride Forte in the second half, as the tailback crossed the goal line on a five-yard run, pushing Tulane's lead to 24-7.

Midway through the third quarter, Clement and Dillard hooked up again, this score come on a six-yard pass, which cut the Owls' deficit to 24-14.

Less than two minutes in the final quarter, Forte found the end zone for the fourth time, this score coming on a one-yard run.

A 30-yard field goal by Clark Fangmeier brought Rice within two touchdowns of tying the contest.

Unfortunately the Owls had no answer for Forte, who scored on a 13-yard run midway through the fourth quarter.

However, the Owls refused to go down without a fight, as the team used just one play on its next possession to score a touchdown. The score was a 61-yard touchdown pass from Clement to Casey and it brought the score to 38-24.

Tulane finally seal the deal late in the fourth quarter, as the team continued to pound the Owls on the ground, scoring a one-yard touchdown run by Ade Tuyo with just over two minutes left in the contest.

Clement hit Casey with a six-yard scoring strike, but with just seconds remaining in regulation the Owls were unable to come any closer.