Postgame Notes: Tulane 31, Houston 24
11/8/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
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BY THE NUMBERS
1
Adrian McDonald is tied for first in the American Athletic Conference for fumble recoveries with his third of the season.
3
Demarcus Ayers moved to third all-time for kickoff return yards with 1,508 career yards.
7
Deontay Greenberry recorded his seventh career game with 100+ receiving yards.
16
Adrian McDonald recorded his 16th career forced turnover with his interception in the second quarter.
26
Houston Defense has forced multiple turnovers in 26 of the last 30 games.
32
Houston has recorded at least one takeaway in 32 consecutive contests.
48
Rowdy Harper made his 48th consecutive start. He leads the nation in career starts by a lineman.
69
Houston has 69 takeaways in 22 games, the best in the nation in that span.
GAME NOTES
• Houston fell to 5-4 on the season with a 31-24 loss against Tulane. Houston is now 3-2 in American Athletic Conference play.
• Houston now sits at 402-349-15 all-time.
DEFENSE
• Junior defensive back Adrian McDonald recovered a fumble in the end zone at the 1:53 mark in the second for the team's third defensive touchdown of the season. The touchdown marked the second recovered fumble for a score in the end zone this year, the last coming vs. Grambling State (Sept. 6) by Vincent Hall.
• Houston has forced at least one turnover in 32 straight contests, a streak that currently ranks second nationally behind the 33-game streak of Ole Miss.
• Since David Gibbs has taken over as Defensive Coordinator, Houston has 69 takeaways in 22 games which is leads the nation in that span.
• Houston's Defense has forced multiple turnovers in 26 of its last 30 games.
• With McDonald's back-to-back turnovers to end the first half, the Cougars have ended consecutive drives on turnovers eight times this season.
Deontay Greenberry
• Junior wide receiver Deontay Greenberry had 12 catches for 136 yards and a touchdown vs. Tulane. The game marked Greenberry's 16th career game with at least six receptions and his fourth career game with at least 10. The last time Greenberry had 10 catches came vs. Temple (Oct. 17).
• Greenberry has now tallied 100+ yards in seven games during his career, the last coming vs. Grambling State (Sept. 6, 2014).
Adrian McDonald
• Junior safety Adrian McDonald recovered a fumble in the end zone and picked off Tulane's Tanner Lee. Saturday's game marked McDonald's first game of the season with multiple turnovers and the second of his career. McDonald intercepted two passes at Rutgers (Oct. 26) in 2013.
• With his third fumble recovery of the season, McDonald is now tied for first in the American Athletic Conference for fumbles recovered.
• With his fourth interception of the year, McDonald forced a turnover in a game for the 16th time during his career. McDonald enjoyed five games in 2013 and three games in 2012.
Greg Ward Jr.
• Sophomore quarterback Greg Ward Jr. finished the game with a career-high 31 completions on 45 attempts for a career-best 342 yards and two touchdowns. He was also the Cougars' leading rusher with 59 yards.
• Ward also had a career high 18 rushing attempts, besting his previous of 17 at Memphis (Oct. 11).
• In his first four career starts at quarterback, Ward is now 3-1.
Rowdy Harper
• Senior offensive lineman Rowdy Harper made his 48th consecutive start. He has started every game of his career and leads the nation in career starts by a lineman.
Efrem Oliphant
• Senior linebacker Efrem Oliphant recorded a solo sack for a loss of 11 yards with just over nine minutes left in the first quarter, bringing his career total to 6.5 sacks and his 2014 total to 3.5 sacks.
• Oliphant led the Cougars with 13 tackles. He has recorded 10+ tackles in seven of the nine games this season and 16 double-digit tackle games in his career.
Demarcus Ayers
• With his 19-yard kickoff return in the second quarter, sophomore Demarcus Ayers moves to third all time with Houston career kick return yards chart with 1,508. He passed Willie Roberts (1969-71) and James Dixon (1987-88) on the all-time return yards list.
Kyle Bullard
• With his 39-yard field goal, Bullard became the 12th player in school history with at least 14 field goals made in a season.
Steven Dunbar
• Freshman wide receiver Steven Dunbar notched career highs with 64 yards on six receptions.
Wayne Beadle
• Senior wide receiver Wayne Beadle recorded a career high of 65 receiving yards on six catches (also a career high).
Matthew Adams
• Linebacker Matthew Adams tallied 11 tackles with 2.5 tackles-for-loss, both career highs for the freshman.
