University of Houston Athletics
Game Notes Week 6 - ECU at Houston
10/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 4, 2011
Game Notes Central
Houston Game Notes East Carolina Game Notes Conference USA Game Notes
THE COACHES
Kevin Sumlin
Purdue 1988
4th year at UH and Overall, 28-16
Ruffin McNeill
East Carolina 1980
2nd year at ECU, 7-10 // 2nd Year Overall, 8-10
FAST FACTS ON THE SERIES
Series Record Overall - East Carolina leads 6-4
Series Record in Houston - East Carolina leads 4-1
Series Record in Greenville - Houston leads 3-2
First Meeting - East Carolina 28, Houston 27 (Nov. 8, 1997; Robertson Stadium, Houston)
Last Meeting - East Carolina 38, Houston 32 (Dec. 5, 2009; C-USA Championship Game; Greenville, N.C.)
THE SERIES
« Saturday's game marks the 11th game between the two teams... East Carolina leads the all-time series 6-4 and won the most recent meeting during the 2009 Conference USA Championship game in Greenville, N.C.
« Surprisingly, homefield advantage hasn't meant much in this series with each team holding the lead at the other's home facility... Houston has posted a 3-2 all-time record in Greenville... East Carolina is 4-1 all-time at Robertson Stadium.
« Head coach Kevin Sumlin is 1-1 against East Carolina in his two previous meetings. This will be ECU head coach Ruffin McNeill's first game against the Cougars.
COUGARS VS. THE PIRATES
« Saturday's game will be the fourth for senior quarterback Case Keenum against East Carolina. In those four games, Keenum has completed 99-of-131 passes for 1,023 yards and nine touchdowns. In the most recent showdown against the Pirates, he posted 527 yards on 56-of-75 passing with five touchdowns during the Conference USA Championship game in Greenville, N.C., on Dec. 5, 2009.
« Senior running back Bryce Beall has rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns during his career against the Pirates. As a freshman in 2008, he rushed 21 times for 130 yards and a pair of scores during the Cougars' 41-24 win in Greenville, N.C.
« Senior receiver Tyron Carrier has enjoyed a pair of double-digit reception games against East Carolina during his career... He posted 10 catches for 67 yards in 2008 and added 11 receptions for 94 yards and a score during the 2009 C-USA Championship game... In two games, he has posted 21 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown.
« Senior linebacker Marcus McGraw has recorded 17 tackles in his two previous games against the Pirates. He also had added 1.5 tackles for a loss of four yards in those games.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Case Keenum, QB, SR.
Case Keenum is now the winningest quarterback in school history with a 29-13 record leading the Cougars. Keenum has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 14-2 in 2011. He recorded the 15th 400-yard game of his career with 471 passing yards against Conference USA-rival UTEP during the league opener last Thursday. He has returned to the elite in college football leading the NCAA in total offense and second in passing.
Charles Sims, RB, SO.
Sophomore running back Charles Sims was one of the Cougars' leading offensive performers in their come-from-behind win last week at UTEP. Sims rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries and added two catches for 90 yards and another score. With the Cougars clinging to a 41-35 midway through the fourth quarter, Sims grabbed a screen pass from quarterback Case Keenum and raced a career-long 84 yard down the sideline to give the Cougars a 14-point lead.
FOR OPENERS
« After the fifth week of play, Houston is receiving 97 votes in the USA Today Coaches' Poll, to rank No. 26 and 68 votes in the Associated Press poll for No. 27.
« With Thursdays' win at UTEP, the Cougars improved to 5-0 for only the fourth time in school history. It is the first time since 1990. Other Houston teams that started 5-0 were: 1979 and 1973. Each of those teams also started out 6-0.
« Through five games, Houston is back as the NCAA's top team with 451.2 passing yards and 610.0 yards of total offense per game. The team also ranks eighth in scoring offense at 45.2 points per game. All three of those numbers are the best in Conference USA.
« The Cougars have recorded at least 700 yards of offense in consecutive games, a first since late during the 1990 season.
« Senior linebacker Sammy Brown leads the NCAA and Conference USA in tackles for loss with 11.5 through five games. Dating back the last 12 games (to Rice in 2010), Brown has recorded 29 tackles for loss, an average of 2.42 TFL per game.
« As a team Houston ranks third in the NCAA in net punting with 43.6 yards per game.
« Keenum needs 422 yards to break the NCAA career total offense record and 203 passing yards to move to No. 2 on the NCAA all-time passing yardage list, past Graham Harrell of Texas Tech.
« The Cougars have been to six bowl games in the last eight seasons.
TEAM NOTES
« In Houston's 48-23 win over North Texas, the Cougars outscored the Mean Green 28-6 in the second half and 28-14 in the second half in their 35-34 win over Louisiana Tech.
« In the season opener, the Cougars started nine new players, including the entire defensive secondary with junior college transfers Chevy Bennett at FS, D.J. Hayden at CB, Texas A&M transfer Colton Valencia at SS and sophomore Zach McMillian at CB. The defense also had first-time starters at middle linebacker in true-freshman Derrick Mathews and junior college transfer noseguard Dominic Miller. On the offensive side, three new faces were on the line in right tackle Rowdy Harper and guards Ty Cloud and Kevin Forsch.
CARDIAC COOGS
For the second time in the last three weeks, the Cougars overcame a double-digit deficit in their 49-42 win at UTEP on Sept. 29. Falling behind 14-0 in the opening quarter, the Cougars rallied with the next three touchdowns to take their first lead.
Although the Miners rebounded to take a 28-24 lead midway through the third quarter, Houston scored the next two touchdowns to build an advantage it would never relinquish. It tied as the eighth-biggest comeback in school history.
In Houston's 35-34 win over Louisiana Tech on Sept. 17, the Cougars overcame a 27-point deficit, the largest in school history. It topped the previous record of 19 points (down 28-9, 3:46 left in 3rd quarter) vs. Conference USA-rival UTEP in a 42-37 win on Nov. 22, 2008. It was the biggest come-from-behind road win since a 31-30 win against Rice (down 30-14, 6:20 left in 3rd quarter) on Sept. 2, 2006.
The comeback began with 4:27 in the third quarter when Case Keenum connected with Patrick Edwards for a 50-yard touchdown in a drive which only took 44 seconds off the clock. UH continued with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including a back-of-the-end zone grab by Edwards with 1:36 left to go in the game. The defense held Louisiana Tech to 69 yards in the fourth quarter and forced two turnovers as well as a fourth-down stand.
With the win at UTEP, Keenum has engineered three of the top four biggest comebacks in Houston history as well as four of the top 18:
- 1. 27 points down at Louisiana Tech in a 35-34 win (Sept. 17, 2011)
- 2. 19 points down vs. UTEP in a 42-37 win (Nov. 22, 2008)
- t-3. 17 points down vs. UAB in a 45-20 win (Oct. 9, 2008)
- t-8. 14 points down at UTEP in a 49-42 win (Sept. 29, 2011)
KEENUM CHASES NCAA RECORDS
After throwing for 5,020 yards as a sophomore in 2008 and 5,671 in 2009, 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. Through five games in 2011, he has passed for 2,005 yards.
« Posting 471 passing yards at UTEP on Sept. 29, Keenum needs only 202 yards against East Carolina this weekend to move past Texas Tech's Graham Harrell (15,793, 2005-08) into second place on the NCAA career passing yardage list. Hawai'i's Timmy Chang holds the NCAA career record with 17,072 yards.
« Keenum totaled 489 yards of total offense (471 pass, 18 rush) against UTEP to move closer to the NCAA career record in that category. He is 421 yards shy of Hawaii's Timmy Chang.
« Keenum threw two touchdown passes against UTEP to move into a tie with BYU's Ty Detmer (1988-91) for third place on the NCAA all-time touchdown pass list with 121 scores. Up next in the NCAA records book is Hawai'i's Colt Brennan, who threw for 131 touchdowns from 2005 to 2007. Texas Tech's Graham Harrell holds the NCAA career record with 134 career passing touchdowns.
NCAA FBS All-Time Total OffenseRk. Player, School Years Yards1. Timmy Chang, Hawaii 2000-04 16,9102. Case Keenum, Houston 2007- 16,471
NCAA FBS All-Time Passing YardageRk. Player, School Years Yards1. Timmy Chang, Hawaii 2000-04 17,0722. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech 2005-08 15,7933. Case Keenum, Houston 2007- 15,591
NCAA FBS All-Time Touchdown PassesRk. Player, School Years Yards1. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech 2005-08 1342. Colt Brennan, Hawaii 2005-07 131t-3. Case Keenum, Houston 2007- 121 Ty Detmer, BYU 1988-91 121
SIXTH TIMES THE CHARM
Senior quarterback Case Keenum learned in January 2011 he had been granted a sixth season of eligibility after suffering a torn ACL vs. UCLA in the third game of the 2010 season. Keenum returns to captain a UH team which has won 28 games with him at the helm in four years as a starter.
KEENUM'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS
After leading the nation in total offense in 2008 and 2009, quarterback Case Keenum is back at the top with the No. 1 ranking through five games with 408.2 yards per game. He also leads the country in passing offense with 401.0 yards per game
In 2008, he ranked No. 1 with 403.2 yards per game and repeated in the category with 416.4 yards in 2009. He also led the nation in passing in 2009. Keenum is only the seventh quarterback in FBS history to lead the nation in total offense in consecutive seasons and the first since Hawaii's Colt Brennan accomplished the feat in 2005-06. If Keenum matches that success in 2011, he could join Louisiana Tech's Tim Rattay (1997-99) as the only quarterback to lead the nation in total offense three years in his career.
Keenum is the school record holder in passing yards, total offense, passing touchdowns, attempts and completions. He 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 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 has had 30 300-yard passing performances in his career, 15 over 400 yards, and has led Houston to 16 career come-from-behind victories. He has also completed passes to 30 different receivers in his five-year career as a starter.
START ME UP FOR KEENUM
Quarterback Case Keenum has 29 wins as the starting quarterback for the Cougars, breaking Kevin Kolb's record for most wins by a UH quarterback. With Thursday's win at UTEP, Keenum improved to 29-13 as a starter, winning 69 percent of his games. He also has the second-most wins of all active NCAA quarterbacks, behind only Kellen Moore's 42 wins at Boise State.
Most Wins - Active FBS Quarterbacks
Rk. Name, School Wins1. Kellen Moore, Boise State 422. Case Keenum, Houston 293. Andrew Luck, Stanford 24Tim Jefferson, Air Force 245. Russell Wilson, Wisconsin 23 (19 wins came at N.C. State / 4 at Wisconsin)6. Austin Davis, Southern Miss 22Landry Jones, Oklahoma 228. Matt Barkley, USC 219. Stephen Garcia, South Carolina 20Jordan Jefferson, LSU 20Kirk Cousins, Michigan State 20
Best Winning Percentage - Active FBS QuarterbacksRk Name, School Pct. (W-L)1. Kellen Moore, Boise State .955 (43-2)2. Andrew Luck, Stanford .828 (24-5)3. Landry Jones, Oklahoma .786 (22-6)4. Jordan Jefferson, LSU .741 (20-7)5. Matt Barkley, USC .724 (21-8)6. Case Keenum, Houston .690 (29-13)7. Tim Jefferson, Air Force .686 (24-11)8. Kirk Cousins, Michigan State .667 (20-10)9. Austin Davis, Southern Miss .611 (22-14)10. G.J. Kinne, Tulsa .567 (17-13)
GOING FOR THE TRI-FECTA
Senior receivers Tyron Carrier and Patrick Edwards have both posted two 1,000-yard receiving seasons. If either, or both, receivers record a third 1,000-yard season they will accomplish something no previous Cougar has.
Edwards, the former walk-on, missed four games of the 2008 season after a devastating leg injury. One year later (2009), he posted 1,021 receiving yards on 85 catches. In 2010 he followed up his performance with 1,100 (71 catches).
In 2011, he has 25 catches for 509 yards through five games, including a career-best performance of 178 yards vs. North Texas. The Hearne, Texas, native also added 144 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions in the Cougars' win at UTEP on Sept. 29. He ranks second in Conference USA in receiving yards and stands 24th nationally.
Carrier recorded his two 1,000-yard seasons in 2008 and 2009 with 1,026 and 1,029, respectively. He got off to a great start in 2011 with a 10-catch performance for 138 yards in the season opener vs. UCLA. He has a team-high 32 receptions for 403 yards through five games and ranks fifth in C-USA in receiving yards.
The duo both rank in the UH top-10 all-time receiving yards -- Edwards fourth with 3,264 yards and Carrier fifth with 2,938.
RUSH HOUR
UH has been known for its passing offense, however have a stable of running backs to strengthen the ground game. The Cougars return three running backs -- seniors Bryce Beall and Michael Hayes and sophomore Charles Sims -- with starting experience and a combined career yardage of 4,830. Among the three, Beall (2008) and Sims (2009) were honored as Conference USA Freshmen of the Year in their respective seasons.
In each of the first five games, the three have combined to rush for more than 100 yards with a season high of best of 226 yards at UTEP in the Conference USA opener for both teams. Beall and Hayes lead the team with five rushing scores apiece, while Sims is a close with three touchdowns after rushing for two against the Miners..
BEALL'S A RINGING
Senior running back Bryce Beall has 3,026 rushing yards in three-plus years at UH, which currently ranks third on the school's career rushing yards list. He needs 626 yards in his senior season to become Houston's all-time rusher and surpass record-holder Ketric Sanford's (1996-99) 3,636 yards. Beall ran for 1,247 yards as a freshman, 670 as a sophomore in 2009 and 870 last year. He has rushed for 239 yards this season.
Beall earned All-Conference USA First-Team honors in 2010 and broke the UH career record for total and rushing touchdowns after scoring 12 last season. In three-plus seasons, he has rushed for 37 touchdowns and has 44 total for his career. He also has averaged 5.6 yards per rush.
CAREER 100-YARD RUSHING GAMES (Active Players)1. 22 Montel Harris, Sr., Boston College2. 20 LaMichael James, Jr., Oregon3. 18 Lance Dunbar, Sr., North Texas4. 15 Bobby Rainey, Sr., Western Kentucky5. 15 Rodney Stewart, Sr., Colorado 15 Chris Polk, Jr., Washington7. 12 Cyrus Gray, Sr., Texas A&M 12 Bernard Pierce, Jr., Temple 12 Denard Robinson, Jr., Michigan10. 11 Doug Martin, Sr., Boise State 11 Robert Turbin, Jr., Utah State12. 10 Alfred Morris, Sr., Florida Atlantic 10 Ronnie Hillman, Soph., San Diego State14. 9 Bryce Beall, Sr., Houston
THE OFFENSE UNDER SUMLIN
In three-plus seasons at Houston, Kevin Sumlin has created an offense with gaudy numbers ranked among the nation's best each season. It's tough to match the numbers posted in 2009 when three phases ranked No. 1 nationally. However, through five games, UH has returned to the top of the rankings in passing and total offense and ranks eighth in scoring offense.
Year Passing (Rk) Total (Rk) Scoring (Rk)2011 451.2 (1st) 610.0 (1st) 45.2 (8th)2010 327.2 (5th) 480.5 (11th) 37.7 (13th)2009 433.7 (1st) 563.4 (1st) 42.2 (1st)2008 401.6 (2nd) 562.8 (2nd) 40.6 (10th)
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 is 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.
GOIN' STREAKING
Senior receivers Tyron Carrier and Patrick Edwards have caught a pass in every game of their college careers. Carrier is on a streak of 44 consecutive games with a catch, which is tied for longest in the country. Edwards ranks fourth nationally with 39 straight games played with a reception.
44 -- Tyron Carrier (Houston, Sr.)
43 -- Ryan Broyles (Oklahoma, Sr.)
41 -- Kendall Wright (Baylor, Sr.)
39 -- Patrick Edwards (Houston, Sr.); B.J. Cunningham (Michigan State, Sr.)
37 -- Jeff Fuller (Texas A&M, Sr.)
EDWARDS DEFYING THE ODDS
Houston receiver Patrick Edwards knows the word adversity. He came to UH as a walk-on and earned a scholarship from head coach Kevin Sumlin in 2008. That same year, he suffered a devastating broken leg in a game against Marshall. However in 2010, Edwards led the team with 70 receptions for 1,100 yards.
Edwards has topped the 2,000-career receiving yard mark, becoming one of only nine Cougar receivers to hit that milestone. If he puts together another 1,000-yard season, he could become the school's all-time receiving yards record holder.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
« Houston leads Conference USA in first downs with 28.6 per game and third-down conversions with a rate of 55.3 percent.
« For the second straight game, the Cougars racked up more than 700 yards of total offense in their win at UTEP. The Cougars finished with 471 passing yards and a season-high 239 rushing yards for a combined total of 710. This was the first time since 1990 that the Cougars accomplished that feat (Eastern Washington, 751 yards, Nov. 17, 1990; vs. Arizona State, 801 yards, Dec. 1, 1990).
« Houston finished with 709 yards of total offense against Georgia State. It was the Cougars' highest offensive output since posting 750 yards (191 rush, 559 pass) during a 50-43 win against Southern Miss on Oct. 31, 2009.
« With the win over Louisiana Tech, quarterback Case Keenum became the University of Houston's all-time winningest quarterback passing former UH and current Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb. Keenum has won 29 games in 43 starts.
« Keenum's 471 yards at Georgia State was his 15th 400-yard passing performance of his career. It also was his 30th career 300-yard effort.
« Senior receiver Tyron Carrier posted his first 100-yard performance since the 2009 season with his 10 catches for 138 yards in the season opener against UCLA.
« The University of Houston offense has led the nation in total offense seven times, which is the most in the NCAA, tied with Arizona State and Tulsa. UH has been the national total offense leader in 2009, 1992, 1990, 1989, 1968, 1967 and 1966.
« The Cougars' offense is led by coordinators Jason Phillips and Kliff Kingsbury. Both enjoyed illustrious collegiate careers which led to time in the NFL. Phillips was an All-America receiver at the University of Houston, leading the nation in receiving yards in both 1987 and `88. He was drafted by Detroit in 1989 and went on to an eight-year career in the NFL. Kingsbury recorded more than 12,000 yards passing in his All-America career at Texas Tech. He was a sixth-round draft pick by the New England Patriots.
« Senior receiver Patrick Edwards earned Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week honors for his 187-yard performance in Houston's 48-23 win over North Texas. He averaged 23.4 yards per catch and scored on a 46-yard pass from Keenum.
« Keenum has twice this season been named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week. The first came for his 310-yard, two touchdown performance vs. UCLA in the season opener when he completed 75 percent of his passes. The second was after he led UH from a 27-point deficit to defeat Louisiana Tech, 35-34. In that game, he passed for 351 yards and three touchdowns.
QUICK DRAW MCGRAW
Linebacker Marcus McGraw has started 44 straight games, every contest of his collegiate career, dating back to his true freshman season in 2008. With 416 total career tackles, McGraw ranks third in the UH record books, needing 91 to break the all-time mark held by Ryan McCoy (1990-93). He has started his senior season with a ban, posting with 47 total tackles through the first five games, which ranks tied for 37th in the NCAA and ninth in Conference USA.
He has topped the century mark in tackles in three consecutive seasons with 103 as a freshman, 156 as a sophomore and 110 in 2010. McGraw has also led the team in tackles three straight years, joining a group of only three other UH players who have accomplished that feat. He could be the second defender in school history to be the team leader in tackles all four years of college.
As a sophomore he led the conference and ranked fifth in the NCAA in tackles with 11.1 per game. McGraw was named Second Team All-Conference USA in both 2009 and 2010 as one of the league's top defensive players.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
« The 56-0 victory over Georgia State was the Cougars' first shutout since a 45-0 win against Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 18, 1999 - a streak of 146 games.
« Georgia State's 133 passing yards was the fewest by a Cougar opponent since Memphis recorded 92 yards on Oct. 30, 2010. GSU's 241 yards of total offense (108 rush, 133 pass) was the fewest by a Cougar opponent since Texas Southern finished with 179 yards (48 rush, 131 pass) on Nov. 24, 2007.
« The Houston defense has been a strong second-half team. It held UNT to six second-half points and allowed only 107 yards of total offense in the final two quarters (46 rushing and 61 passing) in UH's 48-23 win over the Mean Green. Against Louisiana Tech, the defense kept the Bulldogs from scoring in 6-of-8 drives during the final two quarters.
« Senior linebacker Sammy Brown has picked up where he left off in 2010 adding 11.5 tackles for loss through the first five games in 2011. Dating back to the last 12 games (to Rice in 2010), Brown has recorded 29 tackles for loss, an average of 2.42 TFL per game. He currently leads the NCAA and Conference USA (also led the league in 2010).
« The UH defense has recorded five interceptions through the first five games. Junior D.J. Hayden recorded his first collegiate interception in the Cougars' win over North Texas, which also marked the first by the UH defense in 2011. Against Louisiana Tech, back-up cornerback Thomas Bates aided the defense with two picks, the first two of his career. Marcus McGraw added his second career interception against Georgia State. Colton Valencia added his first pickoff as a Cougar at UTEP.
BLOCK PARTY
In three-plus seasons under head coach Kevin Sumlin, the Cougars have blocked 18 kicks, second-most in the country during that time span. The 18 blocks have come from eight different players and include eight field goals, seven extra-point attempts and three punts.
In the 2011 season opener vs. UCLA, the Cougars had a crucial blocked kick on a Bruin extra-point attempt in the fourth quarter. UCLA had a chance to get the score within three points after a late touchdown, but the UH block kept the margin at four points, which was the final score difference for the win, 38-34. UH followed up that performance with another blocked extra point at North Texas.
MOST BLOCKED KICKS SINCE 2008
23 -- Fresno State
18 -- Houston, Middle Tennessee
17 -- Florida, Texas
16 -- USC
13 -- Rutgers, Air Force
12 -- Louisiana-Lafayette
11 -- Louisiana Tech
CARRIER TAKING IT TO THE HOUSE
Senior kick returner Tyron Carrier has six returns for touchdowns over his four years at Houston, including four during the 2009 season. In 2010, he added another touchdown to his total with a 91-yard return at SMU. He is the only player in school history with multiple kickoff return scores in a single season.
Carrier is now just one touchdown from tying former Clemson running back C.J. Spiller's NCAA record of seven kickoff return touchdowns set from 2006 to 2009. Carrier had the school's most kickoff return yardage in a single season in 2010 with 1,174 yards on 50 returns. He has 6,433 all-purpose yards in four years, and with his 180 yards in the season opener he broke the school career record.
Here is a list of Carrier's six returns:
1st - 93 yards vs. Tulsa, 11/15/08
2nd - 92 yards vs. SMU, 10/24/09
3rd - 98 yards at Tulsa, 11/7/09
4th - 99 yards vs. Rice, 11/28/09
5th - 79 yards vs. Air Force, 12/31/09 (Bell Helicopter Armed Forced Bowl)
6th - 91 yds at SMU, 10/23/10
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
« With his miss of a 32-yard field goal in the first quarter at UTEP, placekicker Matt Hogan his first kick of the 2011 season. In addition, Hogan also missed the first field goal attempt of his career under 40 yards. Prior to that kick, he had nailed 27 straight field goals of 39 yards or shorter. Hogan is 5-of-6 on field goals this season and has nailed all 29 of his PAT tries.
« With two field goals against UTEP, Hogan has connected on 31 career field goals and is now 31-of-35 in his three years at Houston, connecting on 88.6 percent of his attempts. He also has connected on 121 career extra points in 130 attempts. He is just the fourth UH placekicker to surpass 100 made PATs. Hogan leads Conference USA in kick scoring and PAT percentage.
« Punter Richie Leone has averaged 46.7 yards on 18 punts, including seven over 50 yards. He ranks eighth in the NCAA rankings. He has landed five punts inside the 20 yard line and seven have been fair caught. Of the 18 punts only five have been returned for an average of just 3.2 yards per return.
POSITION CHANGES
After starting 36 games at offensive guard for Houston the past three years, senior Chris Thompson has moved to center. He has started 41 career games at UH. In the season opener vs. UCLA he scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery. Thompson has been a part of offensive lines that led the nation in total offense in 2008 and 2009 and ranked in the top-15 in 2010. With five games played, UH is back as the NCAA's No. 1 team in both passing and total offense.
Junior Kelvin King played two seasons at linebacker before being moved full-time to defensive end. In two years at linebacker, he totaled 6.5 tackles for a loss of 34 yards and three sacks. This season, he has nine tackles, two for loss and a sack.
JUCO NATIONAL TITLES
The Cougars have five players on the roster who are no strangers to winning national titles. Junior college transfers DL Dominic Miller, RB Michael Hayes and OL Josh McNeil from Blinn (Brenham, Texas) won a title in 2009. Defensive backs Chevy Bennett and D.J. Hayden transferred from Navarro (Corsicana, Texas) after winning the title in 2010.
TOUGH TO BEAT AT THE ROB
The Cougars have taken advantage of playing at home at Robertson Stadium. Dating back to the 2006 season, UH is 28-5 record (.848) at home. Even more impressive, the Cougars' margin of victory in those 27 wins is a remarkable 24.7 points per game (694 in 28 wins).
AGAINST NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
Kevin Sumlin has a 10-6 record (11-7 including bowl games) in his first three-plus years at UH against non-conference opponents. Outside of Houston's eight conference games on the schedule in 2011, the Cougars battle schools from the Pac-10 (UCLA, W, 38-34), Sun Belt (North Texas, W, 48-23), WAC (Louisiana Tech, W, 35-34) and one independent (Georgia State, W, 56-0).
Conference Record Under Sumlin Team (Result, Year)Big 12 2-2 Oklahoma State (L, 37-56, 2008; W, 45-35, 2009) Texas Tech (W, 29-28, 2009; L, 20-35)
Independent 1-0 Georgia State (W, 56-0)
MWC 1-3 Air Force (L, 28-31, 2008; W, 34-28, 2008*; L, 20-47, 2009*) Colorado State (L, 25-28, 2008)
Pac-12 1-1 UCLA (W, 38-34, 2011; L, 13-31, 2010)
SEC 1-1 Mississippi State (W, 31-24, 2009; L, 24-47, 2010)
Southland 2-0 Northwestern State (W, 55-7, 2009); Texas State (W, 68-28, 2010)
Sun Belt 1-0 North Texas (W, 48-23, 2011)
SWAC 1-0 Southern (W, 55-3, 2008)
WAC 1-0 Louisiana Tech (W, 35-34, 2011)* bowl games
RECORD CROWDS AT ROBERTSON
In 2010, Houston sold out five of its six home games, and posted its two largest attendances in Robertson Stadium in the first two games of the season vs. Texas State and UTEP. In the 2011 opener vs. UCLA, UH posted the 11th-largest crowd in stadium history and its second game vs. Georgia State was the seventh-best. Each of the top-seven crowds have been recorded in the past three years. Ten of the top-15 attendance numbers have come during Sumlin's four years as head coach.
Top-15 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. 32,067 vs. Mississippi State 10/9/10 Sumlin5. 32,009 vs. Tulane 9/25/10 Sumlin6. 32,008 vs. UCF 11/5/10 Sumlin7. 32,005 vs. Georgia State 9/24/11 Sumlin8. 31,818 vs. Southern Miss 12/1/06 Briles9. 31,784 vs. Texas 9/22/01 Dimel 31,784 vs. Rice 9/4/99 Helton11. 31,144 vs. UCLA 9/3/11 Sumlin12. 30,046 vs. Tulsa 11/13/10 Sumlin13. 28,260 vs. Oklahoma State 9/23/06 Briles14. 28,243 vs. Rice 11/28/09 Sumlin15. 27,302 vs. Grambling State 9/16/06 Briles
