University of Houston Athletics
Cougars Prepare for First Road Game of the Season
9/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 14, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
GAME 3
Houston (2-0, 1-0 C-USA) vs. UCLA (0-2, 0-1 Pac-10)
Sept. 18, 2010 // Rose Bowl (91,500)
9:15 p.m. CT // Los Angeles, Calif. // Fox Sports
RADIO BROADCAST
The Houston/ISP Radio Network will carry the radio broadcast with its pregame show beginning at 8:15 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. UCLA will be televised on Fox Sports. Handling the play-by-play is Barry Tompkins along with analyst Petros Papadakis. Rebecca Harlowe will handle sideline duties. Official television kick time is 7:35 pm PT.
Fast Facts on the Series
Series Record Overall--Series tied 2-2
Series Record in Los Angeles--Series tied 1-1
Series Record at Home--Series tied 1-1
First Meeting--Sept. 17, 1977; Houston 17, UCLA 13 (Astrodome)
Last Meeting--Sept. 19, 1998; UCLA 42, Houston 24 (Robertson)
THE SERIES
• This week's game is the fifth meeting between the two schools and will be the rubber match in the series as both teams have won two games. The series is also notched at 1-1 at the Rose Bowl.
• UH will be looking for its first win over the Bruins since 1979 when they defeated UCLA 24-16 in Pasadena. However, the last meeting in the Rose Bowl resulted in a 66-10 Bruins win in 1997.
• Two members of the Houston coaching staff will be making their second trips to the Rose Bowl. Head coach Kevin Sumlin helped lead Purdue to the Granddaddy of Them All in 2001, while serving as offensive coordinator for the Boilermakers. UH defensive line coach Jim Jeffcoat played at the Rose Bowl vs. UCLA in 1981 in his Pac-10 days at Arizona State.
• Houston starting cornerback Devin Mays (Stockton / Lincoln), nose guard Matangi Tonga (San Mateo / Aragon) and placekicker Jordan Mannisto (Westlake Village, Calif. / Westlake) all hail from the state of California. Mannisto is the only member of the team from the Southern California area, growing up just 40 miles from Pasadena.
FOR OPENERS
• Houston leads the nation in scoring with 61 points per game after putting up totals of 68 and 54 through its first two contests. UH also leads the nation in touchdowns scored with 17 and has more redzone trips than any other team in college football with 15.
• UH is the reigning NCAA passing, total and scoring offense champion, and Keenum led the nation in passing and total offense in 2009. His individual total offense title was his second consecutive (2009, 2008).
• Junior running back Bryce Beall was named the Conference USA's Offensive Player of the Week 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.
• UH has put together back-to-back sellout attendance marks of 32,119, the biggest crowds in Robertson Stadium history. It is also the first time the Cougars have sold out two straight games at Robertson Stadium.
• When UH defeated Texas State, 68-28, in the season opener the Cougars won their 16th straight home game, setting a school record for consecutive home victories. A second win in 2010 over UTEP brought that streak to 17 consecutive victories.
• Senior quarterback Case Keenum passed for 274 yards and recorded 22 pass attempts vs. Texas State. With both he became the Houston career record holder in each, passing Kevin Kolb (2003-06). He now is the school record holder in passing yards, total offense, passing touchowns, attempts and completions.
• Keenum moved up to fifth on the NCAA all-time passing list with his 279-yard performance, passing UT's Colt McCoy and former N.C. State quarterback Phillip River's marks
• Ten (10) true-freshmen played for the Cougars in the season opener vs. Texas State -- TE Kenneth Bibbins, Jr., 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.
• The Cougars began the 2010 season with the Conference USA preseason Offensive Player of the Year in quarterback Case Keenum and preseason Special Teams Player of the Year in kick returner Tyron Carrier.
• 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.
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. All three players return for the 2010 season.
• 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.
LEADING THE WAY
• Head coach Kevin Sumlin returns for 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 20-9 (.690) 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 three 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 are in the national rankings for the first time in 2010, earning the No. 23 spot in the USA Today/Coaches' poll and in the Associated Press poll. In its history, UH has been ranked 128 times and has a 90-34-3 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 (Release date) Associated Press USA Today Coaches' BCSPreseason RV (28) RV (27) --1 (Sept. 6) RV (27) RV (26) --2 (Sept. 12) 23 23 --
OFFENSIVE NOTES
• The Cougars have scored on 19 of 26 drives this season (73 percent), including 17 touchdown drives (65 percent).
• 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.
• The trio of receivers -- Tyron Carrier, James Cleveland and Patrick Edwards -- get their fair share of publicity, but it was senior Kierrie Johnson who hauled in two touchdown catches in the season opener vs. Texas State.
• Houston leads the conference and the NCAA in third down coversions at 73.7 percent (14-of-19).
• The Cougars lead the nation in scoring with 61 points per game and also with its two-game total of 122 points.
GROUND SURGE
The Houston offense has always been known for its explosive passing game, but throught two games, the run game has become a success story. With the 1-2 punch of junior running backs Bryce Beall and Michael Hayes, the Cougars are averaging 229.5 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 47.5 yards per contest. Beall ranks second in the league and 15th nationally with his 121.5 yard average. Both backs have scored five touchdowns in two games (Beall all five rushing; Hayes four rushing, one receiving), leading Conference USA and ranking fifth in the NCAA in scoring with 15.0 points per game.
WHAT CAN YOU DO IN 7 MINUTES?
What can you do in seven minutes? Well if you were the Houston Cougar first-team offense, you accomplished this in 7:21, the only time spent on the field vs. Texas State in the season opener:
• Scored 48 points (six additional points scored by UH defense on an interception return)
• Scored seven touchdowns -- 2 rushing, 5 passing
• Accumulated 342 yards -- 68 rushing, 274 passing
• Completed 17 passes, including big plays of 63, 40 and 35 yards
ALL-TIME WINNINGEST COUGAR QUARTERBACK
With the 54-24 win over UTEP on Sept. 10, 2010, Keenum has 24 wins as a starter and is ranked third place all-time. He needs only three wins in 2010 to become the school's all-time leader in that category, passing Kevin Kolb (26, 2003-06). With one more win he will tie Gary Mullins (25, 1969-71).
A REPEAT PERFORMANCE
In 2009, quarterback Case Keenum led the nation in total offense and passing offense, making it two years in a row in the Top 10 in both categories. In 2008, Keenum was No. 1 in total offense, ranked second in passing yards per game and ninth in passing efficiency all season.
Keenum became only the seventh quarterback in FBS history to lead the nation in total offense in consecutive seasons, the first since Hawaii's Colt Brennan led the nation in total offense in 2005-06.
If he ranks No. 1 in 2010 in total offense, he will join Louisiana Tech's Tim Rattay (1997-99) as the only quarterbacks to lead the nation in total offense for three straight years.
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 8.5 per game. That number picks up where he left off in 2009 when he averaged 11.1 per game and ranked fifth nationally and led Conference USA. He has 17 tackles, including one sack and forced and recovered a fumble with a 33-yard return.
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 NOTES
• Houston's new aggressive play has paid off through two games with 15 tackles for loss and four quarterback sacks. The Cougars are averaging 8.5 tackles for loss per game after only getting 4.6 per contest in 2009.
• The Cougars held UTEP to just 100 yards rushing on 21 carries. In two games, UH has allowed only 3.5 yards per carry on 280 yards rushing (78 att.).
• The Houston defense has forced five turnovers in two games, two fumble and three interceptions. The Cougars have scored 27 points off turnovers. While the offense has scored three times off turnovers, senior linebacker Matt Nicholson put the defensive scoring on the scoreboard with an interception return 42 yards for the score. The interception return for a touchdown was Nicholson's first of his career and his second career pick. He also added a fumble recovery to the defensive effort.
• In addition to three interceptions, the Cougar secondary has recorded 14 passes broken up, which is an average of seven per game. The 2009 defense had just 4.4 per contest.
• Junior safety Nick Saenz recorded his first interception since the 2008 season and senior linebacker Jeremy Smith registered the first pick of his career.
• Two true-freshmen defenders have put themselves in the top-five tacklers through two games. Defensive back Kent Brooks has 13 stops and linebacker Efrem Oliphant has 12.
AGAINST OTHER CONFERENCES
Houston defeated Texas State, 68-28, in the first non-conference game of the season, bringing head coach Kevin Sumlin's non-conference regular season record to 6-3 (7-4 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)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
STACKING UP AGAINST THE ALL-TIME NCAA GREATS
With back-to-back seasons of eye-popping statistical numbers, senior quarterback Case Keenum has the chance to become the first quarterback in FBS history to have three seasons with at least 5,000 yards passing. He passed for 279 yards vs. UTEP which bumped up two spots on the NCAA all-time passing list to fifth, moving past former UT quarterback Colt McCoy and current San Diego Charger signal-caller Phillip Rivers. Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell is the only other player in NCAA Division I FBS history with two 5,000-yard passing seasons during his career.
NCAA FBS Total Offense Career LeadersRk. Player, School Years Yards1. Timmy Chang, Hawaii 2000-04 16,9102. Dan LeFevour, C. Michigan 2006-09 15,8533. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech 2005-08 15,5994. Colt McCoy, Texas 2006-09 14,8245. Colt Brennan, Hawaii 2005-07 14,7406. Ty Detmer, BYU 1988-91 14,6657. Case Keenum, Houston 2007- 14,320LOOKING FOR THREE IN A ROW
NCAA FBS Passing Yardage Career LeadersRk. Player, School Years Yards1. Timmy Chang, Hawaii 2000-04 17,0722. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech 2005-08 15,7933. Ty Detmer, BYU 1988-91 15,0314. Colt Brennan, Hawaii 2005-07 14,1937. Case Keenum, Houston 2007- 13,503
NCAA FBS Touchdown Pass Career LeadersRk. Player, School Years TDs1. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech 2005-08 1342. Colt Brennan, Hawaii 2005-07 1313. Ty Detmer, BYU 1988-91 1214. Timmy Chang, Hawaii 2000-04 1175. Tim Rattay, Louisiana Tech 1997-99 1156. Danny Weuffel, Florida 1993-96 1147. Colt McCoy, Texas 2006-09 1128. Case Keenum, Houston 2007- 107
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 two games, he has five catches for 53 yards.
CATCHES STREAK
Junior receiver Tyron Carrier has caught a pass in every game of his college career, 29, which ranks fourth among active receivers in the NCAA.
39 Scotty McKnight (Colorado, Sr.)
33 Dwayne Harris (East Carolina, Sr.)
30 Jock Sanders (West Virginia, Sr.)
29 Tyron Carrier (Houston, Jr.); Greg Salas (Hawaii, Sr.)
28 Damaris Johnson (Tulsa, Jr.)
27 Ryan Broyles (Oklahoma, Jr.)
26 Kito Poblah (Central Michigan, Sr.); Keith Smith (Purdue, Sr.); Doug Beaumont (Louisville, Sr.); Kendall Wright (Baylor, Jr.); Kris Adams (UTEP, 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 two games, Cleveland has hauled in 10 receptions for 111 yards and two touchowns.
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 two games, Carrier has returned six kicks for 131 yards, a 21.8 yard per return average.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
• True-freshman Richie Leone won the punting job during training camp and in his first game he averaged 40.5 yards on two punts, including landing one inside the 20 yard line. Leone had no punting opportunities vs. UTEP.
• Junior receiver Patrick Edwards handled punt return duties vs. Texas State and recorded 40-and 12-yard returns for a 26.0 average. That number ranks fifth nationally and leads Conference USA.
• The duo of Jordan Mannisto and Leone have combined for 21 kickoffs in two gamews, seven of which went for touchbacks. Mannisto is averaging 65.7 yards on his 15 kickoffs, with five touchbacks and Leone has a 68.8 average with two touchbacks.
• UH ranks second in the conference in kickoff coverage with a net average of 46.6 yards and seven touchbacks. Its average kickoff length is 66.6 yards, also leading the conference.
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 both games of 2010 at left guard and the offensive line has helped a balanced UH offense average 576 yards per game, including 229.5 rushing and 347 passing.
• 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.
GETTING A HEAD START
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.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Cougars have an impressive and school-record 17-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. 31 Oklahoma vs. Air Force, 9/182. 26 Boise State vs. Oregon State, 9/253 19 Utah vs. San Jose State, 9/254. 17 Houston vs. Tulane, 9/255. 16 Texas vs. UCLA, 9/25 16 Alabama vs. Florida, 10/2 16 TCU vs. Baylor, 9/188. 13 Cincinnati vs. Oklahoma, 9/25 13 Florida vs. Kentucky, 9/2510. 11 Oregon vs. Portland State, 9/18 11 Troy vs. Arkansas State, 9/25
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 54-24 win over UTEP on Friday, the Cougars improved to 26-2 (.929) record at home in their last 28 games. Even more impressive, the Cougars' margin of victory in those 25 wins is a remarkable 24.6 points per game (640 points in 26 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.
GOING STREAKING AT ROBERTSON STADIUM
With its 54-24 win over UTEP on Friay, the Cougars won their 17th 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 It17 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
EXCITEMENT FOR THE SEASON
• There is a different feel around the University of Houston campus as fans gear up for the 2010 season. The first two games at Robertson Stadium have been sell outs (32,119) marking the first time in Robertson Stadium history that the Cougars have sold out two consecutive games.
• The season ticket base for 2009 was approximately 6,300 and one year later that number has increased 85 percent to 10,700 (as of 8/27). • The student tailgating area sold out of its 36 spaces before the season began, the first time noted in UH history.
