University of Houston Athletics
[GAME NOTES] Houston vs. Temple
11/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
[VIDEO] Press Conference: Tom Herman | [QUOTES] Press Conference
| THE GAME AT A GLANCE | |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, Dec. 5 |
| Time | 11 a.m. CST |
| Location | Houston, Texas |
| Venue | TDECU Stadium |
| Capacity | 40,000 |
| Surface | Synthetic Turf |
| TV | ABC |
| Radio | KPRC 950 AM |
| Live Stats | |
HITS ON HOUSTON |
« The inaugural American Athletic Conference Championship runs through #HTownTakeover Saturday at 11 a.m. as No. 17/18 Houston (11-1, 7-1 The American) hosts No. 20/21 Temple (10-2, 7-1 The American) on an ABC national broadcast. Houston is coming off is 52-31 win over Navy to claim the American's West Division, while Temple enters the showdown following a 27-3 win over UConn. Saturday's game will also air on KPRC 950 AM with pregame starting at 9:30 a.m.
« Houston is looking to claim its 11th conference championship and its first since the 2006 Conference USA Championship.
« The game will pit The American's second-best scoring offense in Houston (42.0 points per game) vs. the league's top defensive scoring team in Temple (18.8 points per game). The game will also feature The American's top two run defenses as Temple leads the league in allowing just 117.4 yards per game, narrowly edging Houston who allows just 117.5 yards per game.
« 2015 is the just the fourth in Houston history with at least 11 wins as 12th win would give Houston just its second 12-win season.
« This season is just the second in Houston history for the Cougars to start 10-0, the other in 2011.
« Houston head coach Tom Herman is the only coach in Houston history with wins in his first 10 games, topping the previous best by John Jenkins who started 8-0 in 1990.
« Herman is just the fifth coach in NCAA history to start a career with wins in each of his first 10 games, joining Boise State's Chris Petersen (2006), Miami's Larry Coker (2001), Penn's George Woodruff (1892) and Yale's Walter Camp (1888).
« Houston is second nationally with seven wins by 21 points or more.
« Houston head coach Tom Herman has vowed Houston will be physical in the trenches and the numbers are reflecting it. The Cougars rank 13th nationally in rushing defense, allowing just 117.5 yards per game, while ranking 14th in rushing offense with an average of 240.1 yards per game. Houston is the only team in the nation to rank in the top 14 in both categories.
« Ranking eighth in scoring offense (42 points per game) and 22nd in scoring defense (21.1 points per game), Houston is one of two programs in the nation (Oklahoma) to rank in the top 10 in scoring offense and top 25 in scoring defense.
« The Cougars are fourth nationally with an average margin of victory of 20.9 points per game.
« Houston is fifth nationally with 28 turnovers forced and second nationally with a +15 turnover margin.
« Junior quarterback Greg Ward Jr. is eighth nationally with 17 rushing touchdowns and 14th nationally in points responsible for per game with 16.5 per game. Ward also ranks fifth nationally in completion percentage, 69.3 percent, hitting 196 of his 283 attempts.
« The AutoNation National Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 17, senior linebacker Elandon Roberts is second nationally with 84 solo tackles and seventh nationally with 127 total tackles. His 17 tackles for loss leads The American and rank 16th nationally.
« Junior linebacker Steven Taylor leads The American with eight sacks and is third in the league with 15 tackles for loss.
« Senior cornerback William Jackson III is 10th nationally and leads The American with 14 passes broken up.
« Junior receiver Demarcus Ayers ranks sixth nationally with 89 receptions, 16th nationally with 1,140 receiving yards and is 19th nationally with an average punt return of 12.0 yards. He is the 18th player in Houston history to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in receiving in a season.
« Junior cornerback Brandon Wilson is 12th nationally with an average of 27.9 yards per kickoff return and is fifth nationally with two kickoff returns for touchdowns. He made the switch to running back just four days prior to Houston's win over Navy and promptly finished with 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 22 rushing attempts.
ABOUT THE COUGARS |
« Twenty-eight full or part-time starters returned in 2015 for Houston. The 2014 leaders in rushing, passing, field goals, punting, tackles for loss, sacks and interceptions all returned.
« The program welcomed an incoming class of 21 that is comprised of 18 high school student-athletes, one junior college transfer and two four-year transfers. Three of the 21 newcomers enrolled in the program in January for spring workouts - WR Chance Allen, QB Adam Schulz and WR Devin Smith.
« Houston's roster sports 49 upperclassmen and 56 underclassmen.
« Houston's all-time record sits at 415-352-15 since the program started in 1946.
« Houston has no players from the state of Pennsylvania on its roster and Temple has no players from the state of Texas on its roster.
« The Houston staff is showing its expertise at making halftime adjustments, outscoring its opponents 134-31 in the third quarter and 259-116 in the second half.
« Houston has faced six bowl-eligible teams this season and will face a seventh in Temple in The American Championship.
« Houston's lone loss this season at UConn came without an injured Greg Ward Jr. and with just six minutes of action from defensive leader Elandon Roberts who left the game after a targeting call with 54 minutes of action remaining.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT |
« In its third season under head coach Matt Rhule, Temple enters Saturday's meeting at 10-2 and 7-1 in The American. Temple opened the year with seven straight wins over Penn State (27-10), Cincinnati (34-26), UMass (25-23), Charlotte (37-3), Tulane (49-10), UCF (30-16) and East Carolina (24-14) before falling to Notre Dame (24-20). The Owls were 3-1 in the month of November with wins over SMU (60-40), Memphis (31-12) and UConn (27-3) to go with a 44-23 loss to USF.
« Temple is led offensively by junior running back Jahad Thomas who is second in The American in both rushing yards (1,188) and rushing touchdowns (17). Junior quarterback P.J. Walker has thrown for 2,450 yards on 197-of-347 passes with 18 touchdowns to six interceptions. Senior receiver Robby Anderson leads Temple with 52 receptions for 723 yards and six touchdowns.
« Defensively, the Owls are led by linebacker Tyler Matakevich who is a finalist for the Bednarik Award and the Nagurski Trophy. The senior has 118 tackles, including 14 for a loss and 4.5 sacks, and is second in The American with five interceptions. Senior defensive end Nate D. Smith is tied with Houston linebacker Steven Taylor for The American's lead with eight sacks.
« Saturday's meeting is the fifth meeting between the two schools with Houston claiming all four previous meetings including a 31-10 win last season in Houston. Last season's win saw the Houston defense force four turnovers including an interception returned 29 yards for a touchdown by Trevon Stewart.
LAST TIME OUT |
« Houston is coming off a 52-31 win over No. 15 Navy last Friday at TDECU Stadium to clinch The American West Division.
« The Cougars went 13 plays for 82 yards on their first drive and capped it with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Greg Ward Jr. to Steven Dunbar, and never trailed in the game. After Navy tied the game at seven, and again at 14, Houston scored 17 straight and the lead never dropped below 10 points again as the Midshipmen were outscored 28-17 in the second half. The win gave Houston its seventh by 21 points or more.
« Ward led the way offensively as he threw for his third career 300-yard game, and the first of 2015, with 308 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-35 passing while rushing for 83 yards on 14 carries, including a five-yard run in which he eluded several Navy defenders.
« Brandon Wilson, who had started the first 11 games of the season at corner back, started in the place of an injured Kenneth Farrow at running back and promptly responded with 22 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
« Demarcus Ayers pulled in eight receptions for 161 yards including a masterful one-handed grab on the run that eventually turned into a 62-yard touchdown.
« Elandon Roberts led a Houston defense that held the vaunted Navy rushing attack to just 147 yards, 201 yards below its season average. Roberts had a career-high 4.5 tackles for loss and a career-high 2.5 sacks as he was constantly making his presence known to Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds.
« Trevon Stewart hauled in his 10th career interception to end Navy's first drive of the second half. Defensive lineman Cameron Malveaux dropped in coverage and deflected the ball in Stewart's path as Houston would convert the turnover into a touchdown.
DEGREES IN HAND |
« Five Houston seniors entered the season having already earned an undergraduate degree. Alex Cooper, Ben Dew, Earl Foster, Logan Piper and Adam Schultz all completed degree requirements prior to this season.
« Nine additional Cougars will complete their degree requirements this December: Kyle Bullard, Hayden Daniels, Marcus Dillard, Kenneth Farrow, Nolan Frese, Zach Johnson, Cameron Malveaux, Damien Parris and Luke Stice.
ON THE OFFENSIVE |
« Since 2006, only Oregon (66,568) has racked up more offensive yards than Houston who has 64,700 yards in that time.
Rank Team Total Yards (06-present)
1. Oregon 66,568
2. Houston 64,700
3. Texas Tech 63,452
4. Oklahoma 62,553
5. Nevada 59,304
« Houston has scored in 197 straight games dating back to Sept. 30, 2000.
« Twenty-five of Houston's 70 scoring drives this season have been less than two minutes with 11 lasting less than one minute, the quickest just nine seconds with a one-play opening drive score vs. Tulane.
« Houston has 11 scoring drives of four plays or less including two two-play drives and two one-play drives this season.
« Houston has over 600 yards of total offense in four games this season. UH finished its season opener with 621 yards of total offense, the most for UH since Oct. 26, 2013. The Cougars bested the total with 689 yards vs. Texas State and 638 at Tulsa. Houston now has 74 games with 600+ yards in program history.
« Houston's 232 points in its first five games was the second-best five-game start behind the 249 points the 1989 Houston team scored in its first five games. The 1989 team is also the only other Houston team to match the 2015 team with 600+ yards of total offense in three of its first four games as it started the season with four straight 600+ yard games.
« Houston's seven rushing touchdowns vs. SMU is the most since Nov. 24, 2007 when Houston had seven vs. Texas Southern. The Cougars also posted six rushing touchdowns in their season-opening win over Tennessee Tech.
« With 35 points vs. Memphis, the Houston offense posted 30+ points in a Houston record 14th straight game, topping the previous best of 12 games of the 2011 season. The Cougars have four games with 50+ points this season and six with 40+ points.
« Houston ranks 15th nationally in total offense with 499.2 yards per game and eighth nationally in scoring offense with an average of 42.0 points per game.
« Houston is sixth nationally with 82 plays of 20+ yards and 14th nationally with 36 plays of 30+ yards.
THE WORD ON WARD |
« Named Houston's starting QB vs. Memphis in 2014, Greg Ward Jr. returned to a position he saw action at in 10 games as a true freshman in 2013. After seeing action at receiver and punt returner in the final four games of 2013 and the first four of 2014, Ward returned under center in the fifth game of 2014.
« Ward ranks in the top 20 in six of the NCAA's recognized stat categories: completion percentage (5th), passing efficiency (13th), points responsible for (12th), points responsible for per game (14th), rushing TDs (8th) and yards per pass attempt (15th).
« He is 12th nationally in scoring among non kickers with 102 points.
« The electrifying Ward is eighth nationally with 14 rushing attempts of at least 20 yards and eight rushing attempts of at least 30 yards and. Both numbers lead all FBS quarterbacks.
« Ward is fourth nationally this season, completing 69.3 percent of his passes, 196-of-283.
« With his 17 rushing touchdowns and 16 passing touchdowns, Ward is 14th nationally in points responsible per game with 16.5 points per game.
« Ward set the Houston single-season record for 100-yard rushing games by a quarterback when he picked up his third with 119 yards on the ground vs. Cincinnati. With the performance, he set the Houston career record for games with 100+ yards rushing and 100+ yards passing with his third game this year.
« He opened 2015 with his first career 100-yard rushing game with 101 yards and two TDs on 13 attempts vs. Tennessee Tech. He also threw for 275 yards and one TD on 21-of-28 passing vs. the Golden Eagles.
« Ward threw for a career-high four touchdowns vs. Texas State and ended the night with a career-best, and the seventh-best in UH history, single-game passing efficiency mark with a passer rating of 253.41. Ward is 13th nationally with a season passing efficiency rating of 158.6.
« With his four rushing touchdowns vs. SMU, Ward broke the Houston QB rushing touchdowns records for a single game and a season, snapping the previous record of nine from Case Keenum in 2007.
« Ward collected his third straight game with at least three rushing touchdowns with three scores on the ground at Tulane, the third-longest streak on the FBS level over the last 10 seasons. Ward has multiple rushing touchdowns in five games this season.
« With one rushing touchdown vs. Vanderbilt, he took sole possession of the Houston single-season touchdown record, regardless of position, breaking the previous record of 15 set by running back Jackie Battle in 2006. Ward also took sole possession of the career rushing TDs by a quarterback with his 24th career score, breaking a tie held with Case Keenum.
« The junior ranks eighth on the Houston career rushing touchdowns chart with 25 career scores, one away from seventh.
« Ward broke the Houston QB career rushing yards record vs. Tulane with 77 yards as he now has 1,642 career rushing yards, surpassing the previous record of 1,338 yards set by Lionel Wilson from 1980-83.
« With 46 yards at UCF, he broke the Houston single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback of 656 set by Lionel Wilson in 1981. Ward currently has 893 rushing yards on the season and is just 107 yards away from the 25th 1,000-yard rushing season in Houston history.
« He is ninth on the Houston career passing yards chart with 4,822 yards. Next is Jimmy Klingler (1991-93) with 5,243 yards.
« Ward moved into seventh on the Houston career total offense chart with 41 yards of total offense vs. Memphis before exiting with a lower leg injury. Ward now has 6,464 yards of total offense and is 430 yards away from passing Chuck Clements (1993-96) for sixth on the chart.
« Navy marked Ward's eighth career game with multiple passing TDs and was his 14th with over 200 yards passing.
« The game against Navy marked Ward's third career game with at least 300 yards passing, and his first in a Houston win. Ward had thrown for over 300 yards twice in 2014, both in Houston losses when the Cougars were playing from behind.
« The Tyler, Texas, native has been responsible for a touchdown, either passing or rushing, in 18 of his last 20 games.
« The junior won his 17th game as Houston's starting quarterback with the win over Navy to move into fifth on the Houston career victory chart.
« Ward leads the Cougars with a .895 (17-2) winning percentage as starting quarterback. Gary Mullins ranks second in school history with a .833 (25-5) percentage. They are the only QBs in UH history with 10+ starts and a winning percentage over .800.
« Ward has broken 12 Houston or The American records this season while tying three others.
« Ward exited the Memphis game in the second quarter with a lower leg injury and was replaced by sophomore Kyle Postma who threw for 236 yards and a TD while rushing six times for 49 yards and one touchdown to lead Houston back from a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 35-34 win.
« Postma made his first career start last weekend at UConn and finished the game with 190 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception on 16-of-27 passing. He also had a team-best 52 rushing yards on 13 attempts. He was forced to exit the game twice with injuries, including on Houston's final drive. Ward replace Postma, finishing with 1-of-4 passing for 18 yards and one interception.
BACKING UP THE BACKFIELD |
« Houston's backfield has been hit by injuries to its top two senior options - Kenneth Farrow & Ryan Jackson. After starting the first 11 games at cornerback, junior Brandon Wilson switched to running back for Houston's win over Navy and only finished with 111 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.
« The group is helping Houston rank 14th nationally with an average of 240.1 rushing yards per game and third nationally with 40 rushing touchdowns. The attack ranks second nationally in rushes of 20+ yards (36) and 11th nationally in rushes of 30+ yards (14).
« With his 1,037 rushing yards in 2014, Farrow was the 24th player in Houston history to rush over 1,000 yards in a season. He also became the 14th 2,000-yard career rusher in Houston history.
« He was just four yards short of The American's 2014 rushing crown, trailing USF's Marlon Mack's 1,041 yards.
« He ranks seventh in UH history with 11 career 100-yard rushing games, five away from the career record set by Robert Newhouse (1969-71), after rushing for 106 yards vs. Cincinnati. Houston is 10-1 in Farrow's century-mark games.
« The senior is second among active players in The American with his 11 career 100-yard rushing games and third in the league with four this season behind the eight from Marlon Mack (USF) and six from Keenan Reynolds (Navy).
« Farrow is second on the Houston career rushing TDs chart with 34 career scores, chasing the record of 39 set by Bryce Beall from 2008-11.
« He's fourth on the UH career rushing yards chart with 2,966 yards. Next is Bryce Beall (2008-11) with 3,098 yards. With 34 yards, he would become the fourth player in Houston history with at least 3,000 yards rushing.
« Farrow needs just 51 yards for the 25th 1,000-yard rushing season in Houston history as he would become just the third player in Houston history with multiple 1,000-yard seasons.
« Webb quickly established himself as another rushing threat for Houston with two touchdowns as part of his five carries vs. Tennessee Tech, finishing the night with 39 yards. The shifty sophomore led the backs vs. Texas State with 90 yards on 15 carries.
« Webb is fourth on the team with 60 attempts for 256 yards and three touchdowns.
« With a combined 341 rushing yards vs. Tulsa, Farrow (159) and Greg Ward Jr. (182) posted the highest yardage by a duo since running backs Anthony Aldridge (225) and Jackie Battle (136) totaled 361 yards at SMU in 2006.
THIRD WARD TARGETS |
« With the loss of five receivers combining for 77 career starts graduating, Tom Herman has turned to a number of new options at receiver. Junior Demarcus Ayers (11 career starts entering 2015) and sophomore Steven Dunbar (two career starts) owned the group's lone starts entering 2015.
« The 2013 American Athletic Conference Co-Special Teams Player of the Year, Ayers was second on the team in 2014 with 33 receptions for 335 yards and two touchdowns.
« The Lancaster, Texas, native jumped out to a strong start in 2015, with a career-high 10 receptions for 121 yards. Ayers added 44 rushing yards and returned three punts for 25 yards, totaling 190 all-purpose yards.
« Ayers had 126 receiving yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions, all in the first half vs. Texas State.
« After totaling 33 receptions for 335 yards and two TDs in 2014, Ayers has 89 for 1,140 yards and six touchdowns this year.
« With a career-high 161 yards vs. Navy, Ayers became the 18th receiver in Houston history to top 1,000 yards receiving in a season and currently ranks 12th on the single-season list. He needs 63 yards to move into the top 10.
« He ranks eighth nationally and second in The American with an average of 7.4 receptions per game. Ayers is second in The American and 17th nationally with an average of 95.0 receiving yards per game.
« Ayers has a minimum of five receptions and 53 yards in every game this season including three 100-yard games.
« He ranks third in The American with an average of 128.9 all-purpose yards per game while ranking 19th nationally and second in The American in punt returns with an average of 12.0 yards per return.
« Dunbar broke out vs. Tulsa in 2014 with a career-best seven receptions for 150 yards. All seven receptions resulted in Houston first downs, as 15 of his 20 receptions on the year resulted in a first down. He is third on the team this season with 26 receptions for 338 yards and three touchdowns.
« The group was bolstered in June when Oregon transfer Chance Allen was ruled eligible immediately, entering 2015 as a junior with two seasons to play.
« Allen is currently second on the team with 49 receptions for 658 yards and four touchdowns, including a 49-yard TD reception on Houston's first offensive play at Tulane.
« Linell Bonner is second on the team with five receiving touchdowns after a career game vs. Navy. The sophomore exploded for seven receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns, all career highs.
« The tight end returned in 2015 led by junior Tyler McCloskey who pulled in two receptions for 16 yards as a fullback in 2014. McCloskey eclipsed his yardage total vs. Tennessee Tech with two receptions for 19 yards and now has 11 receptions for 126 yards, including his first-career touchdown vs. Cincinnati.
THE LINE ON THE LINE |
« Houston lost two of its most experienced players along the line with the graduation of RG Rowdy Harper (52 career starts) and C Bryce Redman (34 career starts), both seniors. Following the season, 2014 LT Travis Cross was forced to end his playing career due to concussions.
« The line has taken significant hits this season with LG Ben Dew, LT Zach Johnson and RG Josh Thomas being lost with season-ending injuries.
« Colton Freeman, Marcus Oliver and Carter Wall each earned their first career starts vs. Tennessee Tech in the 2015 season opener.
« Depth has been provided with former defensive linemen Mason Denley and Kameron Eloph making their offensive line debuts this season. Denley provided depth vs. SMU before earning his first career start at Tulane at LG while Eloph made his offensive debut as a backup at Tulane and his first career start vs. Vanderbilt with Freeman out with a stinger.
« With Freeman suffering from a stomach bug at Tulane, true freshman Will Noble made his career debut vs. the Green Wave.
« Through 12 games, the line has seen nine different starting combinations with 11 different linemen receiving starts.
TAKE IT AWAY. DON'T GIVE IT AWAY |
« Since the start of the 2013 season, no program has taken the ball away from opposing offenses more than Houston with 101 turnovers forced in that time.
« Combined with the hiring of Todd Orlando as Tom Herman's first defensive coordinator, the program's outlook for forcing turnovers was promising. Orlando's Utah State defense ranked eighth nationally with 59 turnovers forced over 2013-14 and tied Houston in 2014 with 30 turnovers forced and 19 interceptions.
« UH has forced multiple turnovers in 36 of its last 46 games, and had a 34-game turnover forced streak end at the 2014 regular-season finale at Cincinnati. At the time, it was the longest active streak in the NCAA.
« Houston is again establishing itself in the turnover battle as it ranks second nationally with a +15 turnover margin and fifth nationally with 28 turnovers gained. Houston is 16th with 13 lost.
« Houston has forced at least three turnovers in six games this season with four turnovers vs. Louisville, Texas State, UCF and Vanderbilt.
« Adrian McDonald led Houston with eight turnovers in 2014 - three fumble recoveries and five interceptions.
« Houston has shown to be opportunistic, turning its 28 turnovers into 114 points including four defensive touchdowns.
« William Jackson III gave Houston its first defensive touchdown of the 2015 season with a 35-yard return of an interception late in the first half of the Texas State win. Jackson added his second defensive touchdown with a 55-yard return of his third interception of the year vs. Vanderbilt.
« Brandon Wilson simultaneously opened Houston's scoring and ended UCF's first drive with a strip-and-score when he stripped UCF's Cam Stewart and returned the fumble 85 yards for a touchdown. He added his second defensive touchdown this season with a 51-yard interception return vs. Cincinnati.
« If you haven't picked up on it yet, Stewart and McDonald are turnover machines. Stewart led the nation in 2013 with a combined 10 turnovers - interceptions (4) and fumble recoveries (6) while McDonald led The American in 2014 with eight turnovers - five interceptions and three fumble recoveries.
« Nine different players have interceptions this season for Houston with McDonald leading the way with four while seven different players have fumble recoveries with including Tyus Bowser, Jerard Carter, McDonald, Stewart and Nick Thurman with two each.
« McDonald is third nationally among active players with 17 career interceptions as he took sole possession of the Houston career record with his 17th interception vs. Vanderbilt.
THIRD WARD D |
« The 2015 Cougar defense leads The American and is 13th nationally in allowing opponents just an average of 117.5 yards rushing per game despite having its 12-game streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher snapped by Memphis.
« The defense has held nine of 12 opponents below their total offense and 10 of 12 below their scoring offense averages. The two teams that did exceed their scoring averages, Tennessee Tech and UConn, were held within a point of their average.
« The 2015 defense is the first since 1998 to hold its first three opponents to less than 100 yards rushing with Texas State rushing for 99 yards. Tulsa was the first team to eclipse the century mark, finishing the day with 130 yards. Houston has held five teams total under 100 yards.
« In its season opener, the Houston defense held Tennessee Tech to just 29 yards rushing, the lowest output by an opposing team since holding UTEP to just 30 yards in an Oct. 21, 2006 win.
« Houston ranks fourth nationally with an average of 5.42 three-and-outs per game. Houston has 65 three-and-outs on 163 drives.
« Over the last six games, the Houston defense has climbed 37 spots to No. 22 in scoring defense, giving up an average of 21.1 points per game. Entering the Cincinnati game, the Cougars had allowed a combined 17 points over three games, including no second-half points.
« Houston held its first two opponents to a combined nine yards rushing in the first half, holding Tennessee Tech to -8 yards on three first-half attempts and Louisville to 17 rushing yards on 15 carries.
« After allowing 232 yards to UCF in the first half, the UH defense allowed just 48 yards in the game's second half.
« The defense held Vanderbilt to 185 total yards, its first time to hold an opponent under 200 yards since holding Texas Southern to 179 yards on Nov. 24, 2007, and Vanderbilt to 44 passing yards, the lowest total since holding Memphis to 64 yards passing on Oct. 30, 2010.
« Navy entered its regular-season finale vs. Houston second nationally in averaging 348.4 yards rushing per game, but the Houston defense held the Midshipmen to just 147 yards rushing in the game with 76 yards coming on Navy's first drive of the game. After giving up 67 yards rushing to Heisman candidate Keenan Reynolds on the first drive, the UH defense held the QB to just 17 yards for the rest of the game.
TACKLING MACHINES |
« Steven Taylor, who was Houston's second-leading tackler in 2014 with 76 stops, owns 10 career games with double-digit tackles.
« Trevon Stewart is sixth nationally among active players with 355 career stops and is one of just five players nationally with multiple seasons with triple-digit tackles.
« Senior linebacker Elandon Roberts has led Houston in tackles in nine of 12 games. Through 12 games (Roberts missed 54 minutes of the UConn game after a targeting call), Roberts has 127 tackles after totaling 33 stops through his first two seasons.
« Roberts is second nationally with 84 solo tackles and is seventh nationally with 127 total tackles.
ANYTHING BUT SECONDARY |
« The secondary group has made a name for itself in the takeaway department over the last two seasons. And this season it returned 97 career starts with every starter from 2014 returning.
« The group had 19 of the 30 turnovers in 2014 and has 19 of the 28 turnovers this season with interceptions from Adrian McDonald (4), William Jackson III (3), Trevon Stewart (2), Brandon Wilson, Howard Wilson, Lee Hightower and Khalil Williams while McDonald (2), Stewart (2), Jackson and Brandon Wilson have fumble recoveries.
« Jackson, who was named a preseason All-American by Phil Steele, owns one starting corner role. In 2014, the rangy corner was second in The American with 10 pass breakups, while intercepting two passes, playing in man coverage.
« Jackson has two defensive touchdowns this season returning interceptions vs. Texas State (35 yards) and Vanderbilt (55 yards).
« Jackson had three PBUs at Tulsa while holding Keyarris Garett, who entered the game third nationally in averaging 151.3 yards per game, to 85 yards.
« Jackson missed the Memphis game with a knee injury as redshirt-freshman Jeremy Winchester stepped into the starting lineup for the game, finishing with a career-high six tackles.
« Including a career-high four PBUs at Tulane, Jackson leads The American and ranks 10th nationally with 14 PBUs on the year. He is fifth on the Houston career chart with 31 career PBUs. Jackson is also seventh nationally among active players with 37 career passes defended - 31 PBUs and six interceptions.
« At free safety, Stewart has started 46 career games. The Patterson, La., native led the nation in 2013 with 10 turnovers (six fumble recoveries and four interceptions) and is sixth nationally among all active players with 355 career tackles.
« With his fumble recovery at Tulsa, Stewart tied the UH career fumble recoveries record with his eighth career recovery.
« From the defensive backfield, Stewart set a career high with three sacks for a loss of 23 yards including a safety vs. Cincinnati.
« Stewart recorded his 10th career interception to shut down Navy's opening drive of the second half.
« A high school quarterback, McDonald led The American in 2014 with eight turnovers (five INTs and three fumble recoveries). McDonald recovered his seventh career fumble vs. SMU and ranks third on the UH career chart in the category. McDonald forced his seventh career fumble vs. Cincinnati, ranking fifth on the UH career charts.
« With his 17th career interception vs. Vanderbilt, McDonald took sole possession of the UH career record. He needs just 36 interception return yards to set a second Houston career record in that category as well.
« McDonald represented The American and the entire state of Texas as the only player from both categories to be named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.
« Senior Lee Hightower joined the group in 2014 and started the first six games opposite of Jackson before suffering a season-ending leg injury vs. Memphis, the same game, in which the junior recorded his first interception at Houston. Hightower made his second career interception at Tulsa, snuffing out a potential game-tying drive with the pick.
« Brandon Wilson made his first career start at BYU last season while Howard Wilson saw significant time at nickel back with three interceptions. Brandon Wilson now has 20 career starts including a current streak of 12 games while Howard Wilson picked off his fourth career pass in Houston's win over Texas State.
« Brandon Wilson picked up his fourth career touchdown, his second of the defensive variety, with 51-yard interception return vs. Cincinnati.
LOOK AT THE LINEBACKERS |
« With the loss of Derrick Mathews (45 career starts) and Efrem Oliphant (29 career starts), junior Steven Taylor (19 career starts entering 2015) led the group into a new frontier with a change to the 3-4 defense.
« Taylor owns 10 career games with double-digit stops and is the team's returning leading tackler from 2014 with 76 stops on the year. He also led Houston on the year with nine tackles for loss and four sacks. He opened strong in 2015 with three tackles for loss, with one sack, vs. Tennessee Tech.
« Taylor leads The American with eight sacks with back-to-back three-sack games vs. Tulsa and SMU.
« He is third in The American with 15 tackles for loss including eight TFLs combined vs. Tulsa and SMU.
« Taylor had a career-high 16 tackles at Tulsa, registering 11 stops alone in the first half. Taylor also had a career-best four tackles for loss and three sacks in the win.
« Taylor picked off his third career interception, and his second in as many games, vs. Cincinnati.
« A captain in 2015, senior Elandon Roberts has 127 tackles this season after recording 33 in his first two seasons combined.
« Roberts led his team in tackles in nine games this season although missed the final 54 minutes of Houston's loss at UConn after being ejected on a targeting call. He had three tackles before leaving the game.
« Roberts is leads the nation with 84 solo tackles and is seventh nationally with 127 total tackles.
« He leads The American with 17 tackles for loss, a number that ranks 16th nationally.
« The senior had perhaps the biggest game of his career vs. Memphis with a career-high 18 tackles, two of which went for a loss with one sack, and picked off Memphis QB Paxton Lynch midway through the fourth quarter to spark Houston's comeback win.
« Junior Tyus Bowser made the move from defensive end, where he earned three starts in his first two years, to outside linebacker and had sacks in each of the first three games of the season to extend a five-game streak with sacks dating back to 2014. Bowser now owns 12.5 career sacks and is 10th in The American with his five sacks.
« Bowser forced his second career fumble vs. Tulsa to end a Golden Hurricane drive with 4:32 left in the game and recovered his first career fumble vs. SMU. Bowser snuffed out a Cincinnati drive with his second fumble recovery in his own end zone.
« Sophomore Matthew Adams moved into the starting lineup last year after a season-ending injury to Mathews midway thru the year last season and ended the year with three starts, totaling 40 tackles, including 4.5 for a loss.
« Adams tied a career-best 11 tackles vs. Navy.
« With Adams suspended vs. Texas State, true freshman Emeke Egbule made a quick name for himself with three tackles including his first career sack.
UP FRONT |
« Moving to a three-man front in 2015, the Houston defensive line has three players with starting experience - senior Tomme Mark (26 career starts), junior B.J. Singleton (22 career starts) and junior Cameron Malveaux (12 career starts).
« The 12 career starts may be misleading for Malveaux as the Beaumont, Texas, native enjoyed a breakout spring under the new coaching staff, earning the program's spring MVP honors. The 6-6, 270 lb., defensive end had 15 tackles in 2014, but has increased that number (24 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks) in 2015 with an increased on-field presence.
« Malveaux had a career-high 1.5 sacks in Houston's win at Tulsa.
« Singleton picked up his first sack of the season with a six-yard sack vs. SMU.
« Mark totaled a career-best six stops against UCF and owns the line's lead with 31 tackles.
« The group was bolstered with the emergence of sophomore Nick Thurman. After seeing action in five games as a redshirt-freshman, the Dallas native provided a jump in the spring of 2015 at defensive tackle. Thurman added a half sack in Houston's win at Tulsa. He had a career-high five tackles and one tackle for loss along with his first fumble recovery vs. Vanderbilt. Thurman added a second fumble recovery vs. Memphis.
« Thurman tied for second on the team for tackles at Tulane with a career-high five stops, including one for a loss.
« Thurman was one of three defensive linemen with a tackle for loss against the Green Wave, joined by Malveaux and Singleton.
« Redshirt-freshman defensive lineman Jerard Carter recorded his first career fumble recovery in the second quarter of Houston's win at Louisville and followed it with his second recovery vs. SMU.
« The group had three tackles for loss vs. Vanderbilt as Thurman, Malveaux and Mark all burst thru the line for stops.
TY ONE ON |
« Junior Ty Cummings holds the starting role as the team's kickoff specialist and took over the starting placekicking duties vs. SMU.
« He has 88 kickoffs this year, averaging 62.5 yards per kickoff, with 26 touchbacks, ranking fifth in The American.
« Cummings has connected on all 43 of his extra point attempts this season and all six field goal attempts, including a career-long 45-yard field goal vs. Navy. n all 36 of his extra point attempts this season and all five field goal attempts.
THE BOOK ON BULLARD |
« Prior to this season, Bullard was named to the Lou Groza Award watch list for the second consecutive year. He was a semifinalist for the award in 2014. Bullard set a UH record with 18 consecutive field goals in 2014 after converting his first 12 of the season.
« With his two field goals at Louisville, Bullard recorded the seventh multi-field goal game of his career and the first of 2015.
« With 27 field goals, Bullard is eighth on the UH career field goals chart. He needs four to move into seventh.
THE PIPER |
« Logan Piper took over the starting punting role vs. UNLV in 2014. Piper joined the program in 2013 after two years with the Houston Baseball program.
« Piper has 51 punts with an average of 40.7 yards per attempt this year. He has nine punts over 50 yards with 18 landing inside the 20-yard line and 20 punts forcing a fair catch from Houston's opponent.
« He hit a career long with a 71-yard punt in Houston's win at Tulsa.
« Thanks to Piper's booming leg, the Houston punt return defense unit ranks third nationally and leads The American with an average return of 2.1 yards, allowing just 12 returns for 25 yards.
RETURNS DEPT. |
« Houston junior Demarcus Ayers was named The American's Co-Special Teams Player of the Year in 2013 as a true freshman after finishing the year with 37 kick returns for 1,021 yards and The American's best average return of 27.6 yards, a number that ranked 12th nationally. With 1,021 yards, Ayers set the Houston freshman record and was just 153 yards away from the UH single season record. He was second in the nation with 12 returns over 30 yards in 2013.
« The junior now holds Houston's punt return role with 23 returns for 277 yards on the year, ranking 19th nationally with an average of 12.0 yards per return.
« Ayers is second in the nation with seven punt returns of 20+ yards.
« Javin Webb and Brandon Wilson have assumed Ayers' role as kick returners with Wilson leading the way with 585 yards on 21 returns, third in The American and 12th nationally with an average of 27.9 yards per return.
« Wilson knotted Houston up with Louisville at 17 in the third quarter of UH's win with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The return was Wilson's second career special teams TD as he returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown vs. UTSA in 2013.
« Wilson became just the second player in Houston history to return multiple kickoffs for touchdowns in a season and a career, joining Tyron Carrier who had four in the 2009 season and seven in his career.
