University of Houston Athletics
Football Set to Make Fifth Straight Bowl Appearance on Thursday
12/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
GAME 14
2009 BELL HELICOPTER ARMED FORCES BOWL
#RV/25 HOUSTON COUGARS (10-3 • 6-2 C-USA West) vs. AIR FORCE FALCONS (7-5 • 5-3 MWC)
Dec. 31, 2009 • Amon G. Carter Stadium (46,000) • Fort Worth, Texas • 11 a.m. (CST)
MEDIA INFORMATION
RADIO: Houston-ISP Sports Radio Network • SportsTalk 790 AM - Houston • Tom Franklin, PxP; Ted Pardee, analyst; Chuck Brown, sideline
TELEVISION: ESPN • Dave LaMont, PxP; J.C. Pearson, analyst; Cara Capuano, sideline
INTERNET AUDIO:
LIVE STATS:
GAME NOTES
Houston Notes 
Air Force Notes
Conference USA Notebook
Houston-Air Force Flip Card
HOUSTON - After nearly a month off from competitive action, the University of Houston football team returns to action at 11 a.m., Thursday, when it meets Air Force in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of TCU.
The Cougars (10-3 • 6-2 C-USA West), who are ranked No. 25 in the latest USA Today Coaches poll, enter the bowl after a tough 38-32 loss to East Carolina during the Conference USA Championship Game on Dec. 5 in Greenville, N.C.
In that game, junior quarterback Case Keenum threw for 527 yards and five touchdowns on 56-of-75 passing. This season, Keenum, who was named the C-USA Most Valuable Player earlier this smonth, reigns as the nation's leader with 419.2 passing yards and 429.3 yards of total offense per game.
The Abilene, Texas, native joined Texas Tech's Graham Harrell as the only players in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision history with multiple 5,000-yard passing seasons during their careers.
His current total of 5,449 passing yards set a Houston single-season record and ranks as the fourth-highest total in NCAA FBS single-season history. Only Texas Tech's B.J. Symons (5,833 yards, 2003), Texas Tech's Graham Harrell (5,705 yards, 2007) and Hawai'i's Colt Brennan (5,549 yards, 2006) rank higher.
When the Cougars move the ball through the air, Keenum has several award-winning receivers from which to choose. Junior James Cleveland, the 2009 C-USA Newcomer of the Year, leads the team with 101 catches for 1,182 yards and 14 touchdowns, ranking among the nation's top-six individual leaders in each category.
Sophomore Tyron Carrier ranks second on the team with 86 catches for 998 yards and seven touchdowns, while sophomore Patrick Edwards has overcome a gruesome broken leg suffered midway through the 2008 season to record 81 catches for 985 yards and five touchdowns.
With just a few receiving yards against the Falcons on Friday, Cleveland, Carrier and Edwards will become the first threesome in school history to enjoy 1,000-yard seasons in the same year.
On the ground, the Cougars feature a talented running back duo. Sophomore Bryce Beall leads the team with 669 yards on 138 carries, but freshman Charles Sims, the C-USA Freshman of the Year, tops the Cougars with nine touchdowns and 5.4 yards per carry.
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Marcus McGraw paces the team with 133 tackles and three forced fumbles, while senior linebacker C.J. Cavness is a close second with 126 tackles and a team-high four fumble recoveries.
Senior rush end Tyrell Graham leads the team with 10.5 tackles for a loss of 65 yards, including seven sacks.
Junior cornerback Jamal Robinson tops the backs with five interceptions, while senior cornerback Brandon Brinkley ranks second with four pickoffs and a team-high 12 pass breakups.
In his second season, head coach Kevin Sumlin has led the Cougars to their first national ranking in nearly 20 years and their first ranking in the Bowl Championship Series standings. Sumlin, who was named the C-USA Coach of the Year, is the only coach in school history to lead a team to a bowl during his first two seasons.
BOWL HISTORY
This marks the fifth straight season that the Cougars will compete in a bowl game, a first in school history. It also marks the 20th all-time bowl appearance by the Cougars.
After winning their first bowl game in nearly 30 years in 2008, the Cougars are looking for their first bowl-game winning streak since 1979-80. Houston has assembled a 8-10-1 all-time record in bowl games.
The rematch against Air Force will be only the seventh time in the college football history that two teams will face each other in back-to-back postseason games. It will be the first time since Ohio State and South Carolina met during the 2001 and 2002 Outback Bowls.
ATHLETICS TICKET OFFICE INFORMATION
On Friday, Will Call will be located in Daniel Meyer Coliseum (TCU Basketball Arena) on the South end of the stadium. Will Call will open at 9:00 a.m. on game day.
ABOUT AIR FORCE
This marks the third straight season that Air Force will compete in a bowl game with each at the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. The Falcons posted a 7-5 record in 2009 and finished fourth in the Mountain West Conference with a 5-3 mark.
Junior fullback Jared Tew leads the Air Force rushing assault with 797 yards and seven touchdowns, while sophomore tailback Asher Clark is a close second with 736 yards and five touchdowns. They are two of seven Falcons who have rushed for at least 200 yards and scored at least one touchdown in 2009.
Sophomore quarterback Tim Jefferson paces the Falcon aerial attack with 687 yards and five touchdowns on 47-of-79 passing. Junior wide receiver Kevin Fogler leads the team with 21 catches for 478 yards and five touchdowns, while sophomore wide receiver Jonathan Warzeka has added 15 catches for 201 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Air Force leads the nation in passing defense, allowing only 148.7 yards per game. The Falcons also rank among the nation's top-10 leaders with only 284.8 yards and 15.3 points per game.
Sophomore inside linebacker John Falgout tops the Falcons with 96 tackles, while senior defensive lineman Ben Garland leads the way with 10.5 tackles for a loss, including 4.5 sacks. Sophomore defensive back Anthony Wright, Jr. leads the Falcons with four interceptions and four pass breakups.
RADIO/TELEVISION INFORMATION
Fans can hear the game live on SportsTalk 790 AM with Tom Franklin calling the play-by-play action, Ted Pardee providing analysis and Chuck Brown reporting from the sideline. The pregame show is slated to begin at 11 a.m., Saturday.
In addition, fans can watch the game live on ESPN with Dave LaMont calling the play-by-play action, J.C. Pearson providing analysis and Cara Capuano reporting from the sideline.
LIVE STATS INFORMATION
Fans can follow live stats over the Internet by clicking the Gametracker link at UHCougars.com.
SERIES HISTORY
The Cougars will face Air Force at the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl for the second straight season. A year ago, Houston scored 17 second-half points to take a 34-28 win against the Falcons and win the program's first bowl game since 1980.
It was the second time that the Cougars faced Air Force during the 2008 season. Forced to evacuate Houston due to Hurricane Ike, the Cougars dropped a 31-28 decision to the Falcons on Sept. 13, 2008, at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the campus of SMU.
