• Game statistics | Photos from Rice Stadium

Rice offensive lineman Davon Allen put his arms around the Bayou Bucket, refusing to let go, as the Owls began a victory march down the middle of the field Saturday at Rice Stadium.

Along the route, the Owls stopped to pose for pictures.

The small student body section spilled onto the field to join them.

Coach David Bailiff exchanged hugs with just about anybody he could find.

A year after one of the most embarrassing losses in school history – and with this season on the brink of no return – the Owls finally had a reason to celebrate.

Nick Fanuzzi threw a 13-yard touchdown to Vance McDonald with 4:24 remaining to rally Rice to a 34-31 victory Saturday over crosstown rival Houston in the annual Bayou Bucket game.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of something like that,” McDonald said of the post-game celebration. “It was mayhem.”

After blowing a 20-point lead, the Owls weren’t able to exhale until Houston quarterback David Piland - on fourth down-and-inches from the Rice 37 – fumbled the snap exchange with 1:37 remaining.

“Whether you battle back or don’t, it’s still frustrating to lose,” UH coach Kevin Sumlin said. “There are a bunch of different plays in this game that affected the outcome, not just the last play.”

The Owls ran out the remaining time off the clock to snap a four-game losing streak and avenge the 73-14 loss to the Cougars to end last season.

“I’m really proud of this football team, first and foremost, for hanging together through the tough times,” Bailiff said. “You have to hang together to win one like this.”

Rice appeared on the verge of turning the game into a blowout of their own, scoring touchdowns on its first four possessions to build a 27-7 lead in what Bailiff called a first-half offensive game plan that was “executed flawlessly.”

Unlike any game this season, the Owls used different variations on offense to control the clock (20:21 to 9:39 edge in the first half) and get their best playmakers on the field. After linebacker Justin Hill’s interception of Piland on the fourth play of the game set up a touchdown, the Owls began their next possession by using running back Jeremy Eddington out of the Wildcat formation. They mixed up the backfield with Sam McGuffie, Turner Petersen, Tyler Smith and Eddington. Fanuzzi threw touchdown pass of 29 yards to tight end Luke Willson and 59 yards to Randy Kitchens.

“We weren’t going to make wholesale changes, but there were young men that continue to make plays that weren’t on the field enough snaps,” Bailiff said. “So we had our staff come up with a way to get everybody out there while still staying in the framework that we’ve had.”

After building a big lead, Rice went into survival mode. On their next six possessions, the Owls had four punts and managed only 71 yards total offense.

“Obviously, you’d like to play better in the second half,” Bailiff said. “But we played good enough to win. I’ll take a win any day.”

The Cougars rallied for 24 unanswered points, taking their first lead on Bryce Beall’s 1-yard run late in the third quarter. Along the way, Piland connected with Patrick Edwards on touchdown passes of 38 and 49 yards, the last capping a 10-play, 99-yard drive by the Cougars on their first possession of the second half.

Piland was 23-of-45 passes for 282 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Edwards finished with nine catches for 169 yards and three touchdowns, and Beall had a game-high 109 rushing yards.

The Cougars extended their lead to 31-27 on a 37-yard field goal by Matt Hogan with 8:55 remaining.

Andy Erickson gave the Owls excellent field position by returning the ensuing kickoff out of the end zone to the Rice 43-yard line. The Owls drove down the field, with Smith and McGuffie converting third-down attempts, to set up the eventual game-winner.

On third-and-8 from the UH 13, Fanuzzi, who took a hard hit as he released the ball, found McDonald in the back right corner of the end zone. It was McDonald’s third touchdown in the past two games since returning from a shoulder injury.

“I was just trusting Vance was going to get there,” said Fanuzzi, who was 14-of-21 for 206 yards and three touchdowns.

UH was positioning itself for the potential tying or go-ahead score when Piland fumbled the snap on fourth-and-inches.

That set off a celebration on the Rice sideline.

“We’re bringing this (Bayou Bucket) back where it should be,” nose tackle John Gioffre said.

joseph.duarte@chron.com