University of Houston Athletics
Cougars Prepare for Mississippi State
10/4/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 4, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
GAME 5
Houston (3-1, 2-0 C-USA) vs. Mississippi State (3-2, 1-2 SEC)
Oct. 9, 2010 // Robertson Stadium (32,000)
7 p.m. CT // Houston, Texas // CBS-CS
RADIO BROADCAST
The Houston/ISP Radio Network will carry the radio broadcast with its pregame show beginning at 6 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. Mississippi State will be televised on CBS-College Sports. Handling the play-by-play is Roger Twibell along with analyst Mike Leach.
Fast Facts on the Series
Series Record Overall - Houston leads 9-6
Series Record in Starkville - Houston leads 5-3
Series Record at Home - Houston leads 4-3
First Meeting - Sept. 29, 1956; Houston 18, Mississippi State 7 (Rice Stadium)
Last Meeting - Oct. 10, 2009; Houston 31, Mississippi State 24 (Starkville)
THE SERIES
• This week's game is the 16th meeting between the two schools. Houston leads the series 9-6 and by 4-3 margin at home.
• Mississippi State will only be playing at Robertson Stadium for only the second time, despite seven games played in Houston. In 2003, Houston won 42-35 over the Bulldogs at the Rob.
• UH defeated MSU last season in Starkville, 31-24. With the score tied entering the final period, the Cougars took advantage of two Mississippi State turnovers and converted them into touchdowns for the win. Bryce Beall rushed for 94 yards and receivers Tyron Carrier and James Cleveland each caught two touchdown passes. Defensively, Marcus McGraw led with 13 tackles.
• Junior linebacker Sammy Brown (Wiggins, Miss./Stone/Mississippi Gulf Coast CC) is the only member of the UH squad from the state of Mississippi.
• UH head coach Kevin Sumlin is 1-0 vs. Mississippi State in his three-year career with the Cougars' 31-24 win in Starkville in 2009.
FOR OPENERS
• Houston ranks in the top-20 nationally in both total and scoring offense. With 44.25 points per game, UH is sixth in the NCAA, while 465.5 total yards per contest is 19th. The UH passing offense is ranked 22nd with 280.0 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 started a true freshman at quarterback against Tulane in Terrance Broadway. It marked 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 three-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 three straight games at Robertson Stadium.
• UH extended its home winning streak to 18 games with its 42-23 win over Tulane. It is the longest home winning streak in school history and ranks fourth in the country. • Eleven (11) 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 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.
CONFERENCE LEADERS
Houston or Cougar players lead the conference in:
- Bryce Beall, RB, rushing (104.5 ypg)
- Bryce Beall, RB, scoring (13.5 ppg)
- Bryce Beall, RB, touchdown scoring (2.25 per game)
- Patrick Edwards, WR, punt returns (14.6 ypr)
- Loyce Means, CB, interceptions (1.33 ipg)
- Marcus McGraw, LB, fumbles forced (0.50 fpg)
- Marcus McGraw / Matt Nicholson, LB, fumbles recovered (0.50 rpg)
- Team, scoring offense (44.2 ppg)
- Team, pass efficiency (150.0)
- Team, kickoff coverage (46.6 net avg.)
- Team, 3rd-down conversion (54.0 percent)
- Team, 4th-down conversions (100.0 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 an 21-10 (.677) 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.
COUGARS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Houston Cougars fell out of the national rankings after its 31-13 loss at UCLA. In its history, UH has been ranked 128 times and has a 90-35-3 record during those weeks. In 2009, the Cougars debuted in the rankings on Sept. 20 at No. 17 and reached as high as No. 12 after defeating Texas Tech. UH was ranked nine consecutive weeks and 11 times in the 14 regular season polls. Week AP USA Today Coaches' BCS Preseason RV (28) RV (27) -- 1 RV (27) RV (26) -- 2 23 23 -- 3 RV (44) RV (36) -- 4 RV (36) RV (33) -- 5 -- RV (33) --
OFFENSIVE NOTES
• Houston ranks in the top-10 nationally in scoring offense with 44.25 points per game and leads Conference USA. The total offense average of 465.5 ranks in the top 20 at No. 19. The rushing and total offense are the second-best in the league through four games.
• The Cougars are 86.9 percent in the red zone this season, scoring 20 times in 23 tries. Among those scores are 16 touchdowns and four field goals.
• Houston leads the conference and ranks sixth in the NCAA in third down coversions at 54.0 percent (27-of-50).
• 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 nation in scoring and leads Conference USA with 13.5 points per game. He has nine rushing touchdowns in four games.
• Beall also leads Conference USA and ranks 25th nationally in rushing with 104.5 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 five 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 four 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 185.5 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 Hayes is averaging 32.5 yards per contest. Beall leads the league and 25th nationally with his 104.5-yard average. Beall also leads the conference and ranks second nationally in scoring with 13.5 points per game. Hayes has five touchdowns, ranking third in Conference USA with 9.0 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 8.3 per game. In 2009 he averaged 11.1 per game and ranked fifth nationally and led Conference USA. This season, he has 33 tackles, including 1.5 sacks and two forced and recovered fumbles including one 33-yard return. McGraw leads Conference USA in both forced fumbles and fumble recoveries per game.
For his impressive efforts in 2009, he was named to the All-Conference USA Second Team. McGraw also is named among the nation's best defensive leaders. He is on the preseason watch lists for both the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Rotary Lombardi Award.
DEFENSIVE COMPARISON
With the changes made to the Houston defense in 2010, the results have shown great improvement from a year ago. The defense has improved by trimming 81 yards of total offense per game and 63.8 yards rushing per contest, which show a 38 and 37-spot jump in the national rankings.
Category 2010 Stat 2010 Rank 2009 Stat 2009 Rank Stat Diff. Rank Diff.Total Defense 370.2 72nd 451.3 111th (81.1) +39Rushing Defense 162.8 78th 226.6 115th (63.8) +37Pass Defense 207.5 63rd 224.7 72nd (17.2) +9Scoring Defense 26.5 78th 30.1 95th (3.6) +17
DEFENSIVE NOTES
• Houston's new aggressive play has paid off through four games with 29 tackles for loss and seven quarterback sacks. The Cougars are averaging 7.3 tackles for loss per game after only posting 4.6 per contest in 2009.
• UH leads the conference and 26th nationally in pass efficiency defense. • The Cougars held UTEP to just 100 yards rushing on 21 carries and in four games, UH has allowed only 4.0 yards per carry.
• The Houston defense has forced 11 turnovers in four 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 21 passes broken up, which is an average of 5.2 per game. The 2009 defense had just 4.4 per contest.
• Means is second the conference in passes defended with 1.33 per game. He has recorded three interceptions and knocked away another four 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 UCLA, 31-13, in the second non-conference game of the season, bringing head coach Kevin Sumlin's non-conference regular season record to 6-4 (7-5 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).
Conference Record Under Sumlin Team (Result, Year)Big 12 2-1 Oklahoma State (L, 37-56, 2008; W, 45-35, 2009) Texas Tech (W, 29-28, 2009)MWC 1-3 Air Force (L, 28-31, 2008; W, 34-28, 2008*; L, 20-47, 2009*) Colorado State (L, 25-28, 2008)Pac-10 0-1 UCLA (L, 13-31, 2010)SEC 1-0 Mississippi State (W, 31-24, 2009)Southland 2-0 Northwestern State (W, 55-7, 2009); Texas State (W, 68-28, 2010)SWAC 1-0 Southern (W, 55-3, 2008)* bowl games
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.
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.
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 14 catches for 121 yards.
CATCHES STREAK
Junior receiver Tyron Carrier has caught a pass in every game of his college career, 31, which ranks fourth among active receivers in the NCAA.
41 Scotty McKnight (Colorado, Sr.)35 Dwayne Harris (East Carolina, Sr.)32 Jock Sanders (West Virginia, Sr.)31 Tyron Carrier (Houston, Jr.) ; Damaris Johnson (Tulsa, Jr.); Greg Salas (Hawaii, Sr.)30 Ryan Broyles (Oklahoma, Jr.)29 Kito Poblah (Central Michigan, Sr.); Kendall Wright (Baylor, Jr.); Kris Adams (UTEP, Sr.)27 Doug Beaumont (Louisville, Sr.)
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 four games, Carrier has returned 16 kicks for 347 yards, a 21.7 yard per return average.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
• Through four games, sophomore placekicker Matt Hogan is 4-for-5 on field goal attempts. His four field goals combined with 21 extra points made gives him 33 points scored for the season, which is an average of 8.2 per game. That average ranks fifth in Conference USA in total scoring and is third in kick scoring. He has also made 16-of-17 field goals in his career at Houston, for 94.1 percent.
• True-freshman Richie Leone won the punting job during training camp and in four games has averaged 45.8 yards on 11 punts, including four inside the 20 yard line and four over 50 yards. He ranks 10th in the NCAA and third in the conference. Against Tulane, he averaged 50.5 yards with punts of 63, 54 and 51 yards. Leone had no punting opportunities vs. UTEP.
• Junior receiver Patrick Edwards leads the conference and ranks 15th nationally with his 14.7-yard average on punt returns. He has returned 11 punts in four games, including a long of 40 vs. Texas State.
• The duo of Jordan Mannisto and Leone have combined for 32 kickoffs in four 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 68.5 average with five touchbacks. • UH leads the conference in kickoff coverage with a net average of 46.6 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 four games of 2010 at left guard and the offensive line has helped a balanced UH offense rank in the top-20 nationally in total and scoring offense.
• Before fall training camp converted defensive back Jeffery Lewis moved to running back to add depth after some losses at the position left it short-handed. Lewis played in all 14 games as a true freshman, recording 19 tackles, including one for loss. Lewis had one carry vs. Texas State.
EARLY ENROLLEES
Two new 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. With its 42-23 win over Tulane on Sept. 25, the Cougars improved to 27-2 (.931) record at home in their last 29 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). The streak could be much longer if not for setbacks against Louisiana-Lafayette in 2006 and against
Conference USA-rival East Carolina in 2007. The Cougars dropped those two games by a combined five points. The Cougars have won by 30 or more points nine times and only won by a single-digit margin six times.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Cougars have an impressive and school-record 18-game home winning streak at Robertson Stadium. That streak is the fourth-longest active home winning streak in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. Only Oklahoma, Boise State and Utah boast a longer home winning streak than the Cougars.
Rk. No. School Next Home Game1. 32 Oklahoma vs. Iowa State, 10/162. 27 Boise State vs. Toledo, 10/93 20 Utah vs. Colorado State, 10/234. 18 Houston vs. Mississippi State, 10/95. 17 TCU vs. Wyoming, 10/96. 17 Alabama vs. Ole Miss, 10/167. 14 Florida vs. LSU, 10/98. 13 Cincinnati vs. Miami (OH), 10/9 13 Oregon vs. UCLA, 10/2110. 12 Troy vs. Lafayette, 10/16
EXCITEMENT FOR THE SEASON
• There is a different feel around the University of Houston campus in 2010. The first three games at Robertson Stadium have been sell outs (32,000) marking the first time in Robertson Stadium history that the Cougars have sold out three 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.
• The student tailgating area sold out of its 36 spaces before the season began, the first time noted in UH history.
GOING STREAKING AT ROBERTSON STADIUM
With its 42-23 win over Tulane on Sept. 25, the Cougars won their 18th straight home game. The streak is the longest in school history. Houston has not lost at home since a 37-35 loss to Conference USA-rival East Carolina on Sept. 29, 2007. Head coach Kevin Sumlin has never lost in front of the hometown fans during his career, posting a 12-0 record. Here are the Cougars' best home winning streaks and that teams that stopped them:
Streak Year(s) Who Stopped It18 2007- --15 1988-1991 Oct. 5, 1991, 38-21 to Baylor10 1972-73 Sept. 21, 1973, 20-3 to Miami (Fla.)10 1977-78 Nov. 10, 1978, 21-13 to Texas9 1965-66 Nov. 26, 1966, 14-13 to Memphis9 1969-70 Oct. 24, 1970, 31-21 to Alabama9 1971-72 Sept. 16, 1972, 33-28 to Arizona State
COUGAR SUCCESS ACROSS THE BOARD
The UH women's soccer team is off to its best start in program history with its 9-2-1 record, including an undefeated 4-0 mark in Conference USA play. Head coach Susan Bush's squad is riding a six-game win streak and has not allowed a single goal in league play. In the past six matches, the Coogs are outscoring their opponents 15-1.
First-year Cougar volleyball coach Molly Alvey has her women on a three-match win streak and 3-2 record in Conference USA. In wins over UTEP, Tulane and UCF, the squad has only dropped one set. With nine wins, the team has already equalled its total from a year ago.
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.
