University of Houston Athletics
Cougar Gridders Prepare for Conference Foe Tulane
9/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 20, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
GAME 4
Houston (2-1, 1-0 C-USA) vs. Tulane (1-1, 0-0 C-USA)
Sept. 25, 2010 // Robertson Stadium (32,000)
2:30 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 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. Tulane 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 11-4
Series Record in New Orleans--Houston leads 4-2
Series Record at Home--Houston leads 5-2
First Meeting--Sept. 14, 1968; Houston 54, Tulane 7 (Astrodome)
Last Meeting--Oct. 17, 2009; Houston 44, Tulane 16 (New Orleans)
THE SERIES
• This week's game is the 16th meeting between the two schools. Houston leads the series 11-4 and by 5-2 margin at home.
• True freshman quarterback Terrance Broadway is the only player on the Houston roster from the state of Louisiana. He hails from Baton Rouge.
• UH is riding an eight-game win streak vs. the Green Wave dating back to the 2003 season. The two teams have played all but one season since Houston joined Conference USA in 1996 (2001).
FOR OPENERS
• Houston ranks in the top-10 nationally in both passing and scoring offense. With 45.0 points per game, UH is seventh in the NCAA, while 315.3 yards passing per contest is 10th. The total offense average of 504.3 is just outside the top 10 at No. 11.
• UH will turn to a true freshman to lead the Cougars at quarterback on Saturday either going with Terrance Broadway or David Piland. Regardless of who gets the start, it will mark 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.
• If Broadway gets the start it will be his second game played after coming in off the bench vs. UCLA. He led the Cougars on two scoring drives, throwing for 84 yards and a touchdown pass to James Cleveland. He was 5-of-8 completing 62.5 percent of his passes and ran the ball twice for 14 yards.
• The Houston coaching staff will be wearing Coach to Cure MD patches this week to raise awareness and funding for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. Fans are encouraged to donate online at www.CoachtoCureMD.org or donate $5 by texting CURE to 90999.
• 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.
• 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.
• UH extended its home winning streak to 17 games with its 54-24 win over UTEP. It is the longest home winning streak in school history.
• 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.
• The Cougars were voted to have the 2010 Conference USA preseason Offensive Player of the Year in quarterback Case Keenum (injured) 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.
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 Saturday. 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 all three games, completing 74 percent of his passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns.
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 20-10 (.667) 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 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 (Release date) Associated Press USA Today Coaches' BCSPreseason RV (28) RV (27) --1 (Sept. 6) RV (27) RV (26) --2 (Sept. 12) 23 23 --3 (Sept. 19) RV (44) RV (36) --
OFFENSIVE NOTES
• Houston ranks in the top-10 nationally in both passing and scoring offense. With 45.0 points per game, UH is seventh in the NCAA, while 315.3 yards passing per contest is 10th. The total offense average of 504.3 is just outside the top 10 at No. 11.
• The Cougars are 84 percent in the red zone this season, scoring 16 times in 19 tries. Among those scores are 12 touchdowns and four field goals.
• The Houston offensive line has only allowed two quarterback sacks in three games, which ranks second in the conference and 17th nationally at 0.67 per game.
• 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.
• Houston leads the conference and ranks second in the NCAA in third down coversions at 61.1 percent (22-of-36).
• 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 leads Conference USA and ranks 29th nationally in rushing with 98.5 per game. He also ranks second in the conference in scoring with 10 points per game.
• 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.
• The Houston offense is averaging six big plays per game with 18 plays over 20 yards. Among those 18, 10 are for over 40 yards.
GROUND SURGE
The Houston offense has always been known for its explosive passing game, but through three games, the run game has become successful. With the 1-2 punch of junior running backs Bryce Beall and Michael Hayes, the Cougars are averaging 189.0 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 three games (Beall all five rushing; Hayes four rushing, one receiving), ranking second in Conference USA and 23rd in the NCAA in scoring with 10.0 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 7.7 per game. In 2009 he averaged 11.1 per game and ranked fifth nationally and led Conference USA. This season, he has 23 tackles, including one sack 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 68 yards of total offense per game and 42.6 yard rushing per contest, which both show a 27 spot jump in the national rankings.
Category 2010 Stat 2010 Rank 2009 Stat 2009 Rank Stat Diff. Rank Diff.Total Defense 383.3 84th 451.3 111th (68.0) +27Rushing Defense 182.0 88th 226.6 115th (42.6) +27Pass Defense 201.3 65th 224.7 72nd (23.4) +7Scoring Defense 27.7 84th 30.1 95th (2.4) +9
DEFENSIVE NOTES
• Houston's new aggressive play has paid off through three games with 21 tackles for loss and five quarterback sacks. The Cougars are averaging 7.0 tackles for loss per game after only posting 4.6 per contest in 2009.
• UH ranks second in the conference and 29th nationally in pass efficiency defense.
• The Cougars held UTEP to just 100 yards rushing on 21 carries. In three games, UH has allowed only 4.2 yards per carry.
• The Houston defense has forced eight turnovers in three games, four fumbles and four interceptions. The Cougars have scored 34 points off turnovers. The offense has scored four times off turnovers, and senior linebacker Matt Nicholson had an interception return 42 yards for a touchdown.
• In addition to four interceptions, the Cougar secondary has recorded 17 passes broken up, which is an average of 6.3 per game. The 2009 defense had just 4.4 per contest.
• UH nickelback Loyce Means leads the conference in passes defended with 1.33 per game. He has recorded one interception and knocked away another three 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
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 three games, he has 11 catches for 107 yards.
CATCHES STREAK
Junior receiver Tyron Carrier has caught a pass in every game of his college career, 30, which ranks fourth among active receivers in the NCAA.
40 Scotty McKnight (Colorado, Sr.)34 Dwayne Harris (East Carolina, Sr.)31 Jock Sanders (West Virginia, Sr.)30 Tyron Carrier (Houston, Jr.); Greg Salas (Hawaii, Sr.)29 Damaris Johnson (Tulsa, Jr.)28 Ryan Broyles (Oklahoma, Jr.)27 Kito Poblah (Central Michigan, 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 three games, Cleveland has hauled in 16 receptions for 255 yards and three touchowns. He ranks second in the conference in receiving yards per game with 85.0, which is good for 37th 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 three games, Carrier has returned 12 kicks for 244 yards, a 20.3 yard per return average.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
• Through three games, sophomore placekicker Matt Hogan is a perfect 4-for-4 on field goal attempts. His four field goals combined with 15 extra points made gives him 27 points scored for the season, which is an average of 9.0 per game. That average ranks fourth in Conference USA in total scoring and his first in kick scoring. He has also made every field goal attempt of his career at Houston, hitting all 16 attempts.
• True-freshman Richie Leone won the punting job during training camp and in two games has averaged 43.1 yards on seven punts, including two inside the 20 yard line. He ranks fourth in the conference. Leone had no punting opportunities vs. UTEP.
• Junior receiver Patrick Edwards ranks second in the conference and 27th nationally with his 12.2 yard average on punt returns. He has returned six punts in three games, including a long of 40 vs. Texas State.
• The duo of Jordan Mannisto and Leone have combined for 25 kickoffs in three games, eight of which have gone for touchbacks. Mannisto is averaging 64.4 yards on his 18 kickoffs, with six 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 46.1 yards and eight 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 three games of 2010 at left guard and the offensive line has helped a balanced UH offense rank in the top-10 nationally in passing and scoring offense and 11th in total 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 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.
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. 32 Oklahoma vs. Texas, 10/22. 26 Boise State vs. Oregon State, 9/253 19 Utah vs. San Jose State, 9/254. 17 Houston vs. Tulane, 9/25 17 TCU vs. Wyoming, 10/96. 16 Texas vs. UCLA, 9/25 16 Alabama vs. Florida, 10/28. 13 Cincinnati vs. Oklahoma, 9/25 13 Florida vs. Kentucky, 9/2510. 12 Oregon vs. Stanford, 10/211. 11 Troy vs. Arkansas State, 9/25
EXCITEMENT FOR THE SEASON
• There is a different feel around the University of Houston campus in 2010. 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 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.
Top-25 Crowds at Robertston Stadium1. 32,119 vs. UTEP, 9/10/10 Sumlin 32,119 vs. Texas State, 9/4/10 Sumlin3. 32,114 vs. Texas Tech, 9/26/09 Sumlin4. 31,818 vs. Southern Miss, 12/1/06 Briles5. 31,784 vs. Texas, 9/22/01 Dimel 31,784 vs. Rice, 9/4/99 Helton7. 28,260 vs. Oklahoma State, 9/23/06 Briles8. 28,243 vs. Rice, 11/28/09 Sumlin9. 27,302 vs. Grambling State, 9/16/06 Briles10. 26,889 vs. SMU, 10/24/09 Sumlin11. 26,555 vs. Southern, 8/30/08 Sumlin12. 26,514 vs. Rice, 10/13/07 Briles13. 26,234 vs. Miss. State, 9/20/10 Briles14. 25,355 vs. Rice, 8/30/03 Briles15. 25,112 vs. Army, 9/16/00 Dimel16. 23,985 vs. Rice, 9/1/01 Dimel17. 23,522 vs. Tulane, 11/8/08 Sumlin18. 22,623 vs. Memphis, 10/18/03 Dimel19. 22,542 vs. Tulsa, 11/4/06 Briles20. 22,468 vs. Colorado State, 9/22/07 Briles21. 22,315 vs. Cincinnati, 10/9/99 Helton22. 22,274 vs. SMU, 11/4/07 Briles23. 22,043 vs. NW State, 9/5/09 Sumlin24. 22,036 vs. Memphis, 11/21/09 Sumlin25. 21,136 vs. TCU, 10/25/03 Briles
GOING STREAKING AT ROBERTSON STADIUM
With its 54-24 win over UTEP on Sept. 10, 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
