University of Houston Athletics
Cougars Prepare for Cross-Town Rival Rice
10/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 11, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
GAME 6
Houston (3-2, 2-0 C-USA) at Rice (1-5, 0-2 C-USA)
Oct. 16, 2010 // Rice Stadium (47,000)
2:30 p.m. CT // Houston, Texas // CSS
RADIO BROADCAST
The Houston/ISP Radio Network will carry the radio broadcast with its pregame show beginning at 1:30 p.m. CT. Calling the action will be Tom Franklin (play-by-play), Ted Pardee (color analyst) and Chuck Brown (sideline). The broadcast can be heard on 790-AM KMBE and six affiliates (see page 13 of game notes for list of affiliates). The postgame show lasts 30-minutes after game conclusion.
TELEVISION BROADCAST
This Saturday's game vs. Rice will be televised on Comcast (CSS) -- Local channel 129. Handling the play-by-play is Matt Stewart along with analyst Derek Rackley.
Fast Facts on the Series
Series Record Overall Houston leads 26-10 Series Record at Rice Houston leads 14-5 Series Record at Home Houston leads 12-5 First Meeting Sept. 11, 1971; Houston 23, Rice 21 (Rice Stadium) Last Meeting Nov. 28, 2009; Houston 73, Rice 14 (Robertson Stadium)
THE SERIES
• This will be the 37th meeting between the two inner-city rivals, one of only two Football Bowl Subdivision rivalries that pits two schools from the same city (USC and UCLA is the other.) Houston leads the series 26-10 and by 14-5 margin at Rice Stadium.
• The series vs. Rice is the longest running series in Houston football history.
• The 26 wins posted by the Cougars are the most Houston has against any other team in its 65-year history.
• The Cougars have recorded a 4-1 record versus the Owls while members of Conference USA.
• Houston posted a 16-4 mark versus Rice while a member of the Southwest Conference. • Houston has the longest winning streak in the series, a six-game win streak from 1987-1992.
• The victor of this game will win the Bayou Bucket trophy presented by State Farm.
• UH head coach Kevin Sumlin is 1-1 vs. Rice in two games. The Cougars won, 73-14, in 2009 in Robertson Stadium and fell to Rice in 2008, 56-42 on the road.
FOR OPENERS
• Houston ranks in the top-25 nationally in total, passing and scoring offense. With 40.2 points per game, UH is 10th in the NCAA in scoring, while 295.2 passing yards per contest is 15th. The UH total offense is ranked 23rd with 453.0 yards per game.
• In Houston's three wins, the Cougars have outscored their opponents by an average of 29.7 points. UH won by 40 in the season opener vs. Texas State, by 30 over UTEP and were 19-point winners over Tulane.
• UH has started true freshmen quarterbacks the past two games -- David Piland vs. Mississippi State and Terrance Broadway against Tulane. It marks the first start by a true freshman quarterback since Kevin Kolb in 2003. Kolb started the season opener for the Cougars vs. Rice, leading to a 48-14 victory. He passed for 246 yards, two touchdowns and rushed for another score.
• Senior cornerback Loyce Means was named the Conference USA's Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 27 for his two-interception performance in the Cougars' 42-23 win over Tulane. Leading by five points, Means' two picks led to two scores, including his own 42-yard touchdown return, to ensure the win. He is the second UH player to win weekly conference honors with running back Bryce Beall taking the offensive award vs. UTEP.
•UH has put together four-straight attendance marks of 32,000-plus tickets sold, the biggest crowds in Robertson Stadium history. It is also the first time the Cougars have sold out four straight games at Robertson Stadium.
• Twelve (12) true-freshmen have played for the Cougars this season opener -- TE Kenneth Bibbins, Jr., QB Terrance Broadway, DB Kent Brooks, DL Jeremiah Farley, DB Aaron Johnson, DB D.J. Jones, WR Darian Lazard, P Richie Leone, DB Zach McMillan, LB Efrem Oliphant, QB David Piland and LB Austin Wilson.
• Houston football is in its 65th season of the program.
• With last year's trip to the Air Force Bowl, the Cougars have been to a school-record five straight bowl games and six bowl games in seven seasons.
• Junior receiver/kick returner Tyron Carrier was named the Conference USA's Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year.
• Five of Houston's 2010 opponents went bowling a year ago -- UCLA, SMU, UCF, Southern Miss, Texas Tech.
• The team's goal for the 2010 season is a Conference USA Championship, which would be the third in the school's history. The previous two were in 1996 and 2006.
• Last season, the Cougars won 10 games. It matched the 10 wins posted in 1976, 1990 and 2006, the second-most in school history. The best win total by a Houston team was 11 in both 1973 and 1979.
THE STORY OF THE BAYOU BUCKET PRESENTED BY STATE FARM
When Fred Curry, a Rice guard during the Jess Neely era, became president of the Touchdown Club of Houston in 1972, the blue blood in his veins began to surface. He wanted to do something to build some interest in the Rice-University of Houston football series.
"We need something to symbolize the rivalry with some kind of object," he told Phil Gemmer, the immediate past president, "but I don't know what it would be."
"Well," said the innovative Gemmer, "Purdue and Indiana play for the Old Oaken Bucket. It was a tradition before the Four Horsemen."
"You got it," responded Curry triumphantly. "We'll have a bucket and design a trophy."
Curry's work was just beginning when he put the package together. First, he got the approval of UH's Bill Yeoman and Rice's Al Conover, the head coaches at the time at the two schools. Then it had to be cleared through the club's board of directors.
"I had a meeting of the board at my home," recalls Curry, "and we kicked around 60 or 70 names trying to find something that would rhyme with bucket.
"Finally Del Womack said, `What is Houston noted for?' I said, `Dirty bayous.' Bayou Bucket, perfect name." The scene shifted to New Braunfels in the summer of 1974. Jann and Fred Curry were on vacation and browsing around antique shops. A big, beat-up bucket caught Curry's eye. At $60, Curry thought he got a bargain. He took it to a local trophy shop, drew a picture of what he wanted, and gave instructions to smooth out some of the creases.
Buck Sloan, who owned the business and was himself a Rice man, painstakingly built the Bayou Bucket on an ornate base and threw in some added embellishments. The total cost: $310. The Bayou Bucket trophy is presented on the field immediately after the game to the winning team of the annual Rice-UH contest.
Note: This story on the Bayou Bucket was written by Jack Agness and appeared in the Houston Post. The Post ceased publication in April, 1995.
CONFERENCE LEADERS
Houston or Cougar players lead the conference in:
- Bryce Beall, RB, scoring (10.8 ppg)
- Bryce Beall, RB, touchdown scoring (1.8 per game)
- Loyce Means, CB, interceptions (0.6 ipg)
- Marcus McGraw / Matt Nicholson, LB, fumbles recovered (0.50 rpg)
- Team, scoring offense (40.2 ppg)
- Red Zone Defense (75.0 percent)
LEADING THE WAY
• Head coach Kevin Sumlin is in his third season at Houston in 2010. In only two-plus seasons, the Cougar coach has established himself as one of the nation's premier collegiate leaders, compiling a 21-11 (.656) record and back-to-back bowl appearances.
• He is the only head coach in school history to lead the Cougars to bowl appearances in each of his first two seasons.
• Entering the 2010 season, Sumlin currently has the highest winning percentage in school history and ranks seventh in total wins. He needs two wins to move to sixth on that list, and move past Jack Pardee's 22 wins from 1987-89.
• In June, Sumlin was honored by the Black Coaches and Administrators as its Fritz Pollard Male Coach of the Year.
• Sumlin has an undefeated record vs. ranked opponents with wins over No. 5 Oklahoma State in 2009 and over No. 23 East Carolina and No. 24 Tulsa in 2008.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
• Houston ranks in the top-10 nationally in scoring offense with 40.2 points per game and leads Conference USA. The total offense average of 465.5 ranks in the top 20 at No. 19. The passing and total offense are the second-best in the league through five games and both are in the nation's top 25.
• The Cougars are 85.7 percent in the red zone this season, scoring 24 times in 28 tries. Among those scores are 19 touchdowns and five field goals.
• Houston ranks second in the conference and 11th in the NCAA in third-down coversions at 51.6 percent (33-of-64).
• Four different Houston quarterbacks have completed passes to 14 different receivers this season.
• UH has scored 14 rushing touchdowns through five games. The school record for rushing touchdowns in a season is 36 in 1968.
• Junior running back Bryce Beall was named the Conference USA's Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 13 for his 195-yard rushing performance in the league-opening 54-24 win over UTEP. In the game, he averaged 10.3 yards per carry and scored three touchdowns.
• Beall is second in the conference in scoring and ranks 11th nationally with 10.5 points per game. He has nine rushing touchdowns in five games. He is second in Conference USA with 87.0 per game. He rushed for over 100 yards vs. UTEP and Tulane with a career-best 195 yards vs. the Miners.
• The Houston offense is averaging 4.6 big plays per game with 20 plays over 20 yards. Among those 20, 10 are for more than 40 yards.
• The first-team offense was on the field for seven minutes in the season opener vs. Texas State. In 7:21, the offense scored 48 points, scored seven touchdowns, accumulated 342 yards of total offense and completed 17 passes including big plays of 63, 40 and 35 yards.
• Of Houston's 10 scoring drives vs. Texas State, seven were done so in less than 90 seconds. For the entire game, the Houston offense was on the field for 16:59 and only 7:21 in the first half. The seven first-half offensive scores averaged 42.7 seconds per drive.
GROUND SURGE
The Houston offense has always been known for its explosive passing game, but through five games, the run game has become just as successful. With the 1-2 punch of junior running backs Bryce Beall and Michael Hayes, the Cougars are averaging 157.8 yards per game. Against UTEP, UH recorded 308 rushing yards, marking the first time the Cougars have topped 300 on the ground since Nov. 24, 2007 vs. Texas Southern (377).
Beall put up a career-best 195 yards against UTEP, and had another 100-yard game vs. Tulane with 123. Beall ranks second in the league 87.0-yard average and is averaging 6.2 yards per carry. He also leads the conference and ranks 11th nationally in scoring with 10.5 points per game, nine touchdowns. Hayes has five touchdowns, ranking eighth in Conference USA with 7.2 points per game.
DEFENSIVE CHANGES
Sumlin made changes to the defensive coaching staff during the offseason, bringing in long-time professional and college coach Brian Stewart to serve as defensive coordinator. Stewart spent the past nine years in the NFL ranks, including a three-year stint as defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. He brought with him the 3-4 style, which has differed from the 4-3 run by the Cougars in Sumlin's first two seasons.
QUICK DRAW McGRAW
Junior linebacker Marcus McGraw is in his third year as a starter and leads the team in tackles for the second straight year with 9.4 per game. In 2009 he averaged 11.1 per game and ranked fifth nationally and led Conference USA. This season, he has 47 tackles, ranking fifth in the league, with 1.5 sacks and two forced and recovered fumbles including one 33-yard return. McGraw leads Conference USA in fumble recoveries per game and ranks second in forced fumbles. With his 14-tackle performance vs. Mississippi State, he topped the 300 career tackles. He now has 306 in three seasons.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
• Houston's new aggressive play has paid off through five games with 33 tackles for loss and eight quarterback sacks. The Cougars are averaging 6.6 tackles for loss per game after only posting 4.6 per contest in 2009.
• UH ranks second in the conference and 16th nationally in pass efficiency defense.
• The Houston defense has forced 11 turnovers in five games, four fumbles and seven interceptions. The Cougars have scored 48 points off turnovers. The offense has scored five times off turnovers, and the defense has returned two interceptions for touchdowns. Senior linebacker Matt Nicholson had an interception return 42 yards for a touchdown vs. Texas State and senior corner Loyce Means had a 42-yard return vs. Tulane.
• In addition to seven interceptions, the Cougar secondary has recorded 27 passes broken up, which is an average of 5.4 per game. The 2009 defense had just 4.4 per contest.
• Means is second the conference in passes defended with 1.60 per game. He has recorded three interceptions and knocked away another five passes.
• Against UCLA, the defense was given a short field to work with. The average starting field position for the Bruins was the Houston 44 yard line. UCLA only averaged 5.4 yards per play vs. the UH defense. The Bruins were held under 100 yards passing with just 99 on 17 attempts.
AGAINST OTHER CONFERENCES
Houston fell to Mississippi State, 24-47, in the third non-conference game of the season, bringing head coach Kevin Sumlin's non-conference regular season record to 6-5 (7-6 including bowl games) in his three years at UH. Outside of Houston's eight conference games on the schedule in 2010, the Cougars battle schools from the Pac-10 (UCLA), SEC (Mississippi State), Big 12 (Texas Tech) and Southland Conference (Texas State).
INJURY UPDATE
Senior starting quarterback Case Keenum will miss the remainder of 2010 with a season-ending torn ACL knee injury. Additionally, junior back-up Cotton Turner suffered a fractured clavicle also resulting in the end of his play this year. Both quarterbacks sustained injuries in UH's game vs. UCLA on Sept. 18. Keenum left at the four-minute mark of the second quarter, while Turner went down at 4:09 in the third quarter.
Keenum finished the season with 636 yards passing on a 66 percent completion percentage, while also throwing five touchdown passes. With his 2010 numbers, he ranks among the top-10 in the NCAA in five career categories -- 14,448 yards of total offense (7th), 13,586 passing yards (5th), 107 touchdown passes (8th), 1,626 pass attempts (10th), 1,118 pass completions (7th). Turner played in the first three games, completing 74 percent of his passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns.
LOOKING FOR THREE IN A ROW
With all the many great wide receivers that have competed at Houston, junior wideout Tyron Carrier is looking to accomplish a first in school history in 2010. Carrier already has two 1,000-yard receiving seasons during his first two years. With another four-digit yardage total in 2010, the Houston native will become the first player to reach that milestone three times. Legendary wide receiver Elmo Wright (1968-69) is the only other Cougar player with multiple 1,000-yard receiving seasons while wearing the Scarlet and White. Through four games, he has 24 catches for 211 yards.
CATCHES STREAK
Junior receiver Tyron Carrier has caught a pass in every game of his college career, 32, which ranks fourth among active receivers in the NCAA.
42 - Scotty McKnight (Colorado, Sr.)36 - Dwayne Harris (East Carolina, Sr.)33 - Jock Sanders (West Virginia, Sr.)32 - Tyron Carrier (Houston, Jr.); Damaris Johnson (Tulsa, Jr.); Greg Salas (Hawaii, Sr.)30 - Ryan Broyles (Oklahoma, Jr.); Kito Poblah (Central Michigan, Sr.); Kendall Wright (Baylor, Jr.); Kris Adams (UTEP,Sr.)27 - Doug Beaumont (Louisville, Sr.)
CLEVELAND ROCKS!
Senior wide receiver James Cleveland wasted little time in 2009 in making his impact felt among the Cougars. Cleveland, the 2009 Conference USA Newcomer of the Year, led the Cougars with 104 catches for 1,214 yards and 14 touchdowns despite missing two games due to injury. The Houston native tied a school record with 19 catches and added 241 yards and three scores at East Carolina during the Conference USA Championship game.
With his reception total, he became only the sixth receiver in UH history with more than 100 catches in a single season. If he can equal his triple-digit output from a year ago, he will join former Cougar great (and current offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach) Jason Phillips as the only players in school history with multiple 100-reception seasons. In four games, Cleveland has hauled in 20 receptions for 324 yards and three touchowns. He ranks fourth in the conference in receptions with 5.0 per game and in receiving yards per game with 81.0. His receiving yardage is good for 30th in the NCAA.
TAKING IT TO THE HOUSE
As talented as junior Tyron Carrier has been as a wide receiver, he is just as impressive with his abilities on special teams. In 2009, Carrier led the Cougars and the nation with four kickoff returns for touchdowns, including a 79-yard effort against Air Force during the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. It was the fifth time during his career that Carrier returned a kickoff for a touchdown. He is the only player in school history with multiple kickoff return scores in a single season. Clemson's C.J. Spiller set the NCAA career record with seven kickoff return touchdowns from 2006 to 2009. In five games, Carrier has returned 22 kicks for 490 yards, a 22.3 yard per return average.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
• Through five games, sophomore placekicker Matt Hogan is 5-for-7 on field goal attempts. His five field goals combined with 24 extra points made gives him 36 points scored for the season, which is an average of 7.2 per game. That average ranks fifth in Conference USA in total scoring and is third in kick scoring. He has also made 17-of-19 field goals in his career at Houston, for 89.5 percent.
• Senior tight end Wesley Scourten blocked two field goal attempts vs. Mississippi State, bringing his season total of FG blocks to three (one vs. Tulane). The 6-6 block specialist also blocked two field goals and a punt in 2008. He missed the 2009 season with an injury. He now has six blocks for his career.
• True-freshman Richie Leone won the punting job during training camp and in five games has averaged 44.9 yards on 13 punts, including six inside the 20 yard line and four over 50 yards. He ranks 16th in the NCAA and third in the conference. Against Tulane, he averaged 50.5 yards with punts of 63, 54 and 51 yards.
• Junior receiver Patrick Edwards ranks second in the conference and ranks 12th nationally with his 13.2-yard average on punt returns. He has returned 12 punts in five games, including a long of 40 vs. Texas State.
• The duo of Jordan Mannisto and Leone have combined for 36 kickoffs in five games, 11 of which have gone for touchbacks. Mannisto is averaging 64.4 yards on his 18 kickoffs, with six touchbacks and Leone has a 64.9 average with five touchbacks.
• UH ranks second in the conference in kickoff coverage with a net average of 45.2 yards and 11 touchbacks.
OFFENSIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS UNDER SUMLIN
• Houston became only the third team in NCAA history to have a 5,000-yard passer and three 1,000-yard receivers when it accomplished the feat in 2009. The other two teams are Texas Tech (2002) and Tulsa (2007).
• Case Keenum was only the second quarterback in NCAA history to pass for over 5,000 yards in two different seasons (2008, 2009). The other was Texas Tech's Graham Harrell in 2007 and 2008.
• In 2008, Keenum passed for over 5,000 yards, running back Bryce Beall rushed for over 1,000 and receiver Tyron Carrier caught for over 1,000 yards, marking only the second time in NCAA history.
• UH became the fourth team in NCAA history to have three 1,000-yard receivers when Tyron Carrier, James Cleveland and Patrick Edwards each eclipsed the mark --the other teams were Texas Tech 2002, Hawaii in 2007 and Tulsa in 2007.
POSITION CHANGES
With the start of the season, one player will be making a position change in 2010. After competing for three seasons on the defensive side of the ball, senior Isaiah Thompson will make the move to left guard in 2010. In three seasons at nose tackle, Thompson competed in 31 games, racking up 75 tackles and a fumble recovery. In his final game on the defensive line, he tallied a career-high nine tackles against Air Force at the 2009 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Thompson has started all five games of 2010 at left guard and the offensive line has helped a balanced UH offense rank in the top-25 nationally in total, passing and scoring offense.
EARLY ENROLLEES
Two Cougars used the spring season as a head start for fall training camp. Senior defensive tackle Matangi Tonga (College of San Mateo) and junior linebacker Sammy Brown (Mississippi Gulf Coast CC) wore the Scarlet and White for the first time.
TOUGH TO BEAT AT THE ROB
Dating back to the 2005 season finale vs. Rice, the Cougars have taken advantage of playing at home on John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium. The Cougars lost to Mississippi State on Oct. 9, 24-47, but still have a 27-3 (.900) record at home in their last 30 games. Even more impressive, the Cougars' margin of victory in those 27 wins is a remarkable 24.4 points per game (659 points in 27 wins).
HOME STREAK SNAPPED
With its 24-47 loss to Mississippi State on Oct. 9, the Cougars snapped their 18-game home winning streak. It was the longest streak in school history. Houston had not lost at home since a 37-35 loss to Conference USA-rival East Carolina on Sept. 29, 2007. It was head coach Kevin Sumlin's first loss in front of the hometown fans during his career. He is now 12-1 at home.
EXCITEMENT FOR THE SEASON
• There is a different feel around the University of Houston campus in 2010. The first four games at Robertson Stadium have been sell outs (32,000) marking the first time in Robertson Stadium history that the Cougars have sold out four consecutive games.
• The season ticket base for 2009 was 6,310 and one year later that number has increased 82 percent to 11,477, the largest increase in the NCAA this season.
KEENUM'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Prior to his season-ending injury, senior quarterback Case Keenun was in the race to break NCAA career records for total offense, passing yards, touchdowns, pass attempts and completions. After two-plus games played in 2010, Keenum will wrap up the year with 14,448 career yards of total offense (7th), 13,586 passing yards (5th), 107 touchdown passes (8th), 1,626 pass attempts (10th), 1,118 pass completions (7th).
Keenum passed for 274 yards and recorded 22 pass attempts vs. Texas State and with both he became the Houston career record holder in each, passing Kevin Kolb (2003-06). He is the school record holder in passing yards, total offense, passing touchowns, attempts and completions. Keenum also holds Houston's single-season records for completions, attempts, passing yards and total offense.
Keenum finished eighth in the 2009 Heisman trophy voting, and led the nation in passing offense and total offense in 2009 and ranked No. 1 in total offense and second in passing in 2008. He led Houston to a No. 1 ranking in the NCAA in passing offense, total offense and scoring offense in 2009.
He passed for 5,671 yards in 2009, the third-highest passing total in NCAA Division I-FBS single-season history and joined Texas Tech's Graham Harrell as one of only two players to pass for 5,000 yards in two seasons.
Keenum had 25 300-yard passing performances during his career and led Houston to 14 career come-from-behind victories.
COUGAR SUCCESS ACROSS THE BOARD
First-year Cougar volleyball coach Molly Alvey has her women on a five-match win streak and 5-2 record in Conference USA. In wins over USM (2), UTEP, Tulane and UCF, the squad has only dropped three sets. With 11 wins, the team has already surpassed its nine total victories from a year ago.
The UH women's soccer team is off to its best start in program history with its 9-3-2 record. Head coach Susan Bush's squad had a six-game win streak and has only allowed three goals in league play. In the past eight matches, the Coogs are outscoring their opponents 17-3.
The Houston men's cross country team recently won the LSU Invitational besting nine other teams for the title, including host LSU and fellow Conference USA foe Tulane. The women also stood out finishing second out of 12 teams. Both teams finished fifth out of more than 40 teams at the Disney Cross Country Classic on Oct. 9.
