HOUSTON - Dean Connors rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns and Rice's defense limited Navy to 260 total yards in a 24-10 win Saturday after a combined five hours and six minutes of weather delays at Rice Stadium.

The result made a winner of interim head coach Pete Alamar in his first game in that role as the Owls snapped a two-game slide.

Connors staked Rice to a 7-0 lead on the Owls' second possession with his 4-yard run, and E.J. Warner found Matt Sykes for a 17-yard TD late in the first quarter to build a 14-0 cushion.

The margin was enough for a Rice defense that had an interception and forced two punts on Navy's first three drives before the Midshipmen got on the board on Blake Horvath's 9-yard option keeper midway through the second quarter.

Connors' second touchdown came with two minutes left in the third quarter on a 9-yard run that capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive to give Rice a 24-7 lead.

Warner completed 28 of 40 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown, while Sykes had eight catches for 93 yards for the Owls, who improved to 3-6 overall and 2-3 in the American Athletic Conference.

Navy, which dropped its second consecutive game after a 6-0 start. Horvath rushed for 64 yards on 16 carries and went 10-for-21 for 120 yards passing.