University of Houston Athletics
Game Notes for this Week's Conference Home Opener
9/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 6, 2010
Complete GAME NOTES in PDF Format 
GAME 2
Houston (1-0) vs. UTEP (1-0)
Sept. 10, 2010 // Robertson Stadium (32,000)
9:15 p.m. CT // Houston, Texas // ESPN
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 Friday's game vs. UTEP will be nationally televised on ESPN. Handling the play-by-play is Beth Mowins along with analyst J.C. Pearson.
THE SERIES
• This week's game is the eighth meeting between the two schools. • The first two games of the series came in 1946 and 1948 and since the teams have met each year beginning in 2005, when UTEP joined Conference USA. Since that time, Houston is 3-2 vs. the Miners. Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin is 1-1 vs. UTEP.
• Coach Sumlin served under UTEP head coach Mike Price in his first coaching positon as a graduate assistant at Washington State from 1989-90. It was also Coach Price's first coaching staff .
• Last season, Houston headed to El Paso riding a three-game winning streak, including wins over No. 5 Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, and with a No. 12 ranking. UH fell to the MIners, 58-41, despite 42 first downs, 664 yards of offense and five touchdown passes by Case Keenum. A 20-point UTEP third quarter proved to be the determining factor in an otherwise balanced game.
• In 2008, the Cougars rallied from a 28-9 third-quarter deficit to knock off the Miners, 42-37, at Robertson Stadium. UH outscored the Miners 26-9 and put up 306 yards of offense in the fourth quarter alone to take the win.
FOR OPENERS
• With Saturday's 68-28 win over Texas State, Houston won its 16th straight home game, setting a school record for consecutive home victories.
• Houston's 68 points scored were the second most by any team in the first weekend of college football, behind only the 72 points put up by Oregon over New Mexico.
• Saturday's attendance of 32,119 was the biggest crowd in Robertson Stadium history, topping the 32,114 set last season vs. Texas Tech.
• 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 threw five touchdown passes vs. Texas State, marking the 31st consecutive game with a touchdown pass, the most in the country. He has also thrown a touchdown pass in 39 of his 41 games played.
• Keenum moved up to seventh on the NCAA all-time passing list with his 274-yard performance, passing Kolb, and his five touchdowns thrown gives him 107 for his career, which ranks eighth.
• Houston is 21-10 in Friday games in its history. The last time a Cougar team played on a Friday was vs. South Carolina in the Liberty Bowl in 2006 and the last time during the regular season was against UTEP on Sept. 16, 2005. That game resulted in a 44-41 double overtime loss for the Cougars.
• The Cougars' had 60 players see action on Saturday vs. Texas State. • 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 begin 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.
• Houston 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).
• Sumlin's teams have been among the least penalized in his two years as a head coach. In 2009, the Cougars ranked eighth nationally in fewest penalties and in the first game recorded only four for a loss of 35 yards.
• 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.
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:
• 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
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 19-9 (.679) 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 four 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
• The Cougars scored touchdowns on 10 of 15 drives in the season opener vs. Texas State. Of those 10 scoring drives, 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 73 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.
• Johnson, running back Michael Hayes and Bryce Beall all saw the end zone multiple time in the first game of the season. Beall had two touchdown runs, while Hayes had one through the air and one on the ground. Hayes, the newcomer to the team via junior college, can boast the first score of the season with his 40-yard reception on the second offensive play of the game.
• Six different offensive players scored nine touchdowns for the Cougars' in the first game of the season -- Beall, Hayes, Johnson, Cleveland, Edwards and Isaiah Sweeney.
ALL-TIME WINNINGEST COUGAR QUARTERBACK
With the 68-28 win over Texas State on Sept. 4, 2010, Keenum has 23 wins as a starter and is ranked third place all-time. He needs only four wins in 2010 to become the school's all-time leader in that category, passing Kevin Kolb (26, 2003-06). With two wins 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 brings 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 recorded 11 tackles in just two-plus quarters of play in the season opener vs. Texas State. 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 finished the 2009 season with a 23-tackle effort in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl against Air Force. That total tied for the best single-game effort in the nation. For his impressive efforts, 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
• The first-team defense played just one half; however, with the quick hits of the offense, it was on the field 22:39. In that time, the squad only allowed seven points and 154 total yards.
• The Houston defense forced four turnovers in the season opener, one fumble and three interceptions, leading to 27 points on the board. While the offense 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.
• Junior safety Nick Saenz recorded his first interception since the 2008 season and senior linebacker Jeremy Smith registered the first pick of his career.
• Junior linebacker Marcus McGraw led the team with 11 tackles, much like during the 2009 season, however he was joined by a pair of true-freshmen. Linebacker Efrem Oliphant and defensive back Kent Brooks also had 11 stops.
• Houston's new aggressive play paid off with eight tackles for loss and three quarterback sacks. Linebackers McGraw and sophomore Nathan Ramirez each had a sack and Sammy Brown and corner Jamal Robinson combined for the final sack. Cornerback Loyce Means led the team in tackles for loss with the first two of his career, which ranks third in the NCAA
HOME SWEET HOME
The Cougars bring an impressive and school-record 16-game home winning streak into their game against UTEP on Sept. 10. 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. 30 Oklahoma vs. Florida State, 9/112. 26 Boise State vs. Oregon State, 9/253 18 Utah vs. UNLV, 9/114. 16 Houston vs. UTEP, 9/105. 15 Texas vs. Wyoming, 9/11 15 Alabama vs. Penn State, 9/11 15 TCU vs. Tennessee, 9/118. 12 Cincinnati vs. Indiana State, 9/11 12 Florida vs. South Florida, 9/1110. 11 Oregon vs. Portland State, 9/18 11 Troy vs. Arkansas State, 9/25TOUGH 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 68-28 win over Texas State last week, the Cougars improved to 25-2 (.926) record at home in their last 27 games. Even more impressive, the Cougars' margin of victory in those 25 wins is a remarkable 24.4 points per game. 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.
Date Opponent Result +/-11/26/05 Rice W, 35-18 +179/9/06 Tulane W, 45-7 +389/16/06 Grambling State W, 42-22 +209/23/06 Oklahoma State W, 34-25 +910/7/06 LA-Lafayette L, 28-31 -310/21/06 UTEP W, 34-17 +1710/28/06 UCF W, 51-31 +2011/4/06 Tulsa W, 27-10 +1712/1/06 Southern Miss W, 34-20 +149/22/07 Colorado State W, 38-27 +119/29/07 East Carolina L, 35-37 -210/13/07 Rice W, 56-48 +810/4/07 SMU W, 38-28 +1011/17/07 Marshall W, 35-28 +711/24/07 Texas Southern W, 59-6 +538/20/08 Southern W, 55-3 +5210/8/08 UAB W, 45-20 +2511/8/08 Tulane W, 42-14 +2811/15/08 Tulsa W, 70-30 +4011/22/08 UTEP W, 42-37 +59/5/09 NW State W, 55-7 +489/26/09 Texas Tech W, 29-28 +110/24/09 SMU W, 38-15 +2310/31/09 Southern Miss W, 50-43 +711/21/09 Memphis W, 55-14 +4111/28/09 Rice W, 73-14 +599/4/10 Texas Tech W, 68-28 +40GOING STREAKING AT ROBERTSON STADIUM
With its 68-28 win over Texas State on Saturday, the Cougars won their 16th 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 an 12-0 record. Here are the Cougars' best home winning streaks and that teams that stopped them: Streak Year(s) Who Stopped It 16 2007- -- 15 1988-1991 Oct. 5, 1991, 38-21 to Baylor 10 1972-73 Sept. 21, 1973, 20-3 to Miami (Fla.) 10 1977-78 Nov. 10, 1978, 21-13 to Texas 9 1965-66 Nov. 26, 1966, 14-13 to Memphis 9 1969-70 Oct. 24, 1970, 31-21 to Alabama 9 1971-72 Sept. 16, 1972, 33-28 to Arizona State
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.
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.
Keenum also is moving up the NCAA FBS all-time charts in several total offense and passing categories. Entering the 2010 season, he is in the Top 10 in most categories or within striking distance of cracking the Top 10.
NCAA FBS Total Offense Career LeadersRk. Player, School Years Yards1. Timmy Chang, Hawaii 2000-04 16,9102. Dan LeFevour, Central 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- 14,031LOOKING 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 14,1935. Philip Rivers, N.C. State 2000-03 13,4846. Colt McCoy, Texas 2006-09 13,2537. Case Keenum, Houston 2007- 13,224
NCAA FBS Touchdown Pass Career LeadersRk. Player, School Years Yards1. 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
NCAA FBS Pass Attempts Career LeadersRk. Player, School Years Att.1. Timmy Chang, Hawaii 2000-04 2,4362. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech 2005-08 2,0103. Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech 1999-02 1,8834. Luke McCown, Louisiana Tech 2000-03 1,7755. Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan 2006-09 1,7636. Philip Rivers, NC State 2000-03 1,7107. Chris Redman, Louisville 1996-99 1,6798. Curtis Painter, Purdue 2005-08 1,6489. Colt McCoy, Texas 2006-09 1,64510. Chase Daniel, Missouri 2005-08 1,609-- Case Keenum, Houston 2007- 1,584
NCAA FBS Pass Completions Career LeadersRk. Player, School Years Comp.1. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech 2005-08 1,4032. Timmy Chang, Hawaii 2000-04 1,3883. Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech 1999-02 1,2314. Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan 2006-09 1,1715. Colt McCoy, Texas 2006-09 1,1576. Philip Rivers, NC State 2000-03 1,1477. Colt Brennan, Hawaii 2005-07 1,1158. Chase Daniel, Missouri 2005-08 1,0949. Case Keenum, Houston 2007- 1,093
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.
CATCHES STREAK
Junior receiver Tyron Carrier has caught a pass in each game of his college career, 28, which ranks fourth among active receivers in the NCAA. 38 Scotty McKnight (Colorado, Sr.) 32 Dwayne Harris (East Carolina, Sr.) 29 Jock Sanders (West Virginia, Sr.) 28 Tyron Carrier (Houston, Jr.); Greg Salas (Hawaii, Sr.) 27 Damaris Johnson (Tulsa, Jr.) 26 Ryan Broyles (Oklahoma, Jr.) 25 Kito Poblah (Central Michigan, Sr.); Keith Smith (Purdue, Sr.); Doug Beaumont (Louisville, Sr.); Kendall Wright (Baylor, Jr.); Kris Adams (UTEP, Sr.) 24 Stanley Morrison (Utah State, Jr.) 23 Bart Johnson (TCU, Sr.); Joe Adams (Arkansas, Jr.) 21 Jeff Fuller (Texas A&M, Jr.)
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 game one, Cleveland hauled in four receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown.
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 the season opener, Carrier handled the only kickoff of the first half (before starters were replaced) for a 39 r-yard return.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
• True-freshman Richie Leone won the punter job during training camp an in his first game he averaged 40.5 yards on two punts, including landing one inside the 20 yard line.
• 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 had 11 kickoffs vs. Texas State, five of which went for touchbacks. Mannisto averaged 68.0 yards on his seven kickoffs, which four touchback and Leone had a 68.5 average with one touchback. The Bobcats managed six returns, but only averaged 16.8 yards per return (6-101).
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 saw his first start on offense at left guard and the starting offensive line posted 342 yards in the first half, before being able to sit out most of the second half.
• 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.
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
EXCITEMENT FOR THE SEASON
• There is a different feel around the University of Houston campus as fans gear up for the 2010 season. 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. • The first game of the 2010 season was a sellout, for the first time in Robertson Stadium history.
Top-25 Crowds at Robertston Stadium1. 32,119 vs. Texas State 9/4/10 Sumlin2. 32,114 vs. Texas Tech 9/26/09 Sumlin3. 31,818 vs. Southern Miss 12/1/06 Briles4. 31,784 vs. Texas 9/22/01 Dimel5. 31,784 vs. Rice 9/4/99 Helton6. 28,260 vs. Oklahoma State 9/23/06 Briles7. 28,243 vs. Rice 11/28/09 Sumlin8. 27,302 vs. Grambling State 9/16/06 Briles9. 26,889 vs. SMU 10/24/09 Sumlin10. 26,555 vs. Southern 8/30/08 Sumlin11. 26,514 vs. Rice 10/13/07 Briles12. 25,355 vs. Rice 8/30/03 Dimel13. 25,112 vs. Army 9/16/00 Dimel14. 23,985 vs. Rice 9/1/01 Dimel15. 23,522 vs. Tulane 11/8/08 Sumlin16. 22,623 vs. Memphis 10/18/03 Dimel17. 22,542 vs. Tulsa 11/4/06 Briles18. 22,315 vs. Cincinnati 10/9/99 Helton19. 22,274 vs. SMU 11/4/07 Briles20. 22,043 vs. Northwestern State 9/5/09 Sumlin21. 22,036 vs. Memphis 11/21/09 Sumlin22. 21,136 vs. TCU 10/25/03 Dimel23. 21,116 vs. Marshall 11/17/07 Briles24. 20,855 vs. Tulsa 11/15/08 Sumlin25. 20,719 vs. East Carolina 9/29/07 Briles
