HOUSTON THUMPS CINCY

Greg Ward Jr. returned from a one-game absence and ran for two fourth-quarter touchdowns to help No. 7 Houston — steadied by its fabulous defense — pull away to a 40-16 victory Thursday against host Cincinnati (2-1, 0-1 American Athletic). The Cougars (3-0, 1-0) trailed 16-12 early in the fourth quarter before Ward and the defense took over. Ward had the scoring runs to regain the lead, and the Cougars returned two interceptions for touchdowns to close it out. Ward sat out a 42-0 win against Lamar on Saturday with a sore shoulder.