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For more on this game, see the Postgame Stats

HOUSTON(AP) Chase Clement threw three touchdown passes to break the Conference USA career record and lead Rice to a 38-31 win over Army on Saturday.

Clement, who was 21-for-28 for 384 yards, threw his 87th TD pass, surpassing the mark held by Houston's Kevin Kolb.

Clement threw two touchdown passes to Jarrett Dillard and another to Corbin Smiter as the Owls improved to 4-0 at home and 7-3 overall for the first time since 2001.

Clement also had nine carries for 111 yards, including a 61-yard score in the first quarter that gave the Owls their first lead of the game. With four touchdown's Clement needs just one more to break Tulsa's Paul Smith's Conference USA record of 109 touchdowns accounted for.

"It used to be that when we got a win we were excited, now we're striving for so much more" said Clement. "We have such a talented team. We've done so much, we've come so far that just winning isn't enough. We want to get better so we can continue to win."

Army coach Stan Brock said his team's three turnovers were the difference in the game against the high-powered Rice offense.

"The first half, and the whole game, was all about turnovers," said Brock. "I told the team at halftime that if we don't turn the ball over in the second half, we'll beat them (although) we came up seven points shy."

The Owls led 31-10 at half time and answered a quick scoring drive by Army early in the third. Clement hit Smiter for a 54-yard TD just 70 seconds after Ian Smith scored for the Black Knight's on their opening drive of the second half.

"It was a great throw," said Smiter. "I don't know if I got as much separation as I could have. But honestly it was a great throw by Chase and I tried to make a play on it."

But the Black Knights, who ran for 461 yards, tightened up defensively and scored 14 unanswered points on a 61-yard run by Collin Mooney and a 43-yard run by Wesley McMahand to get within seven points with 4:15 left in the game.

After the Black Knights stopped James Casey on a fourth-and-1 play with just over a minute left, they were unable to force a tie on their last possession.

Mooney finished with 207 yards on 26 carries.