[GAME NOTES] Houston at Memphis
11/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
GAME NOTES - HOUSTON | GAME NOTES - MEMPHIS
| THE GAME AT A GLANCE | |
|---|---|
| Date | Friday, Nov. 25 |
| Time | 11 a.m. CT |
| Location | Memphis, Tenn. |
| Venue | Liberty Bowl |
| Capacity | 40,000 |
| Surface | Synthetic Turf |
| TV | ABC |
| Radio | KPRC 950 AM |
| Live Stats | |
HITS ON HOUSTON |
« #18/#21 Houston (9-2, 5-2 The American) closes out its regular season Friday at Memphis (7-4, 4-3 The American) at 11 a.m. Houston is coming off a 36-10 win over No. 3 Louisville while Memphis enters following a 34-7 win at Cincinnati. Friday's game airs on ABC (TV) and on KPRC 950 AM (radio) with radio pregame coverage starting at 10 a.m.
« Houston became the first program nationally to defeat two top-five teams with its win over Louisville after opening the year with a win over then-No. 3 Oklahoma (currently No. 7). Houston was the only team in the nation to play multiple top-5 teams in non-conference action.
« Houston and Alabama are the only two teams to claim double-digit wins over two top-10 teams this season.
« With its win over No. 3 Louisville, Houston has a program-record six straight wins over top-25 opponents, a number that also ranks second nationally among active streaks against ranked opponents behind just Alabama (14). It also marked Houston's fourth straight win over an AP Top 10 team (three of which have come in the last 12 games), also second behind Alabama (7).
« Houston's 22 wins over 2015-16 are tied with Ohio State for third nationally behind just Alabama (25) and Clemson (24). The 22 wins over the last two seasons already mark the most wins over a two-year span in Houston history.
« Houston is aiming for the first back-to-back seasons with double-digit wins on Friday. Winners in 23 of its last 26 games, Houston started 5-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.
« The Houston D is imposing its will, ranking second in the nation in rushing defense (93.5 yards per game) while ranking 10th in total defense (304.1 yards / game). Houston leads The American in rushing defense and is second in total and scoring defense (20.3 points / game).
« The group is led in part by true freshman defensive tackle Ed Oliver who is second nationally with 19.5 tackles for loss and leads all defensive linemen nationally with nine pass breakups, a number that is second in The American regardless of position. He is also third nationally among defensive linemen with 61 tackles.
« Houston's Greg Ward Jr. and Louisville's Lamar Jackson are the only two players nationally to average over 280 yards passing and over 45 yards rushing. Ward is 12th nationally in total offense (329.4 yards per game) and is 18th nationally in passing (284.1 yards) while rushing for 45.3 yards per game.
« Even with 191 plays of at least 10 yards or more, 17th in the nation, the Houston offense is controlling the clock and is 14th in time of possession with an average TOP of 33:08 per game.
« In Thursday's win, Houston held Louisville to 39.6 points below its scoring average, 169 yards below its rushing average, 102 yards below its passing average and 271 yards below its total offense average while totaling 11 sacks. Louisville's 312 yards of total offense was its lowest of the season, with the next closest at 469 yards vs. Duke.
« No. 3 Oklahoma became the highest-ranked foe to fall to Houston since the Cougars defeated No. 3 Texas, 29-15, on Nov. 10, 1984. Houston also defeated No. 3 Michigan State, 37-7, on Sept. 23, 1967. With the win, Tom Herman joined College Football Hall of Famer Bill Yeoman as the only other Houston coach with a win against a top-3 opponent.
« Houston is one of just three programs nationally with at least 13 wins on two different occasions over the last five years, joining Alabama and Florida State in accomplishing the feat.
« The 2016 senior class is the winningest class in Houston program history and claimed its 38th win last week. The group is the only senior class in The American with at least 20 conference wins, with 23 since 2013, and will look to become the first in UH history to win three bowl games as it is the fourth with four straight bowl trips.
« The Cougars own the longest winning streak by a non-autonomous 5 team against autonomous 5 opponents with six consecutive wins over the last three seasons. Houston now owns wins over Oklahoma, Florida State, Vanderbilt, Louisville (2x) and Pitt in its last six autonomous 5 matchups.
ABOUT THE COUGARS |
« Twenty-three full or part-time starters returned in 2016 for Houston. The 2015 leaders in rushing, passing, field goals, kick returns, scoring, total offense, sacks and forced fumbles all returned.
« The program welcomed an incoming signing class of 24 that is comprised of 17 high school student-athletes, four junior college transfers and three four-year transfers. Eight of the 24 newcomers enrolled in the program in January for spring workouts - QB Kyle Allen, RB Duke Catalon, DB J.J. Dallas, TE Alex Leslie, WR Terry Mark, OL Na'Ty Rodgers, QB Bowman Sells and DB Terrell Williams.
« Houston's roster sports 42 upperclassmen and 57 underclassmen. Seventeen players redshirted last season.
« Since 2013, Houston is tied with Baylor for the most wins in the state of Texas among FBS schools with 38. The Cougars are five wins ahead of third-place Texas A&M and six ahead of TCU.
« The current class of Houston seniors is the most winningest class in Houston football history with 38 wins since starting in 2013.
« Houston, Alabama and Florida State were the only three teams to defeat a ranked opponent by double digits in the opening weekend of the season. They were also three of five schools nationally to score at least 30 points on a ranked opponent in the opening weekend, joining Georgia (33 vs. North Carolina) and South Dakota State (41 vs. TCU) in accomplishing the feat.
« Houston started 5-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.
« Over the last two seasons, Houston has 22 wins, the third-best total in the nation behind the 25 wins of Alabama and 24 of Clemson.
« Houston's 22 wins over the last two seasons is the best two-season total in program history, topping the 21 wins from the 2014-15 seasons.
ABOUT MEMPHIS |
« In its first season under head coach Mike Norvell, Memphis enters Friday's showdown at 7-4 and 4-3 in The American. The Tigers have wins over SE Missouri State (35-17), Kansas (43-7), Bowling Green (77-3), Temple (34-27), Tulane (24-14), SMU (51-7) and Cincinnati (34-7) with losses to Ole Miss (48-28), Navy (42-28), Tulsa (59-30) and USF (49-42)
« Memphis is led offensively by junior quarterback Riley Ferguson who has thrown for 2,917 yards and 24 touchdowns against nine interceptions on 225-of-355 passing but left the Memphis game with an injury. Junior Doroland Dorceus leads the Tigers with 701 rushing yards and eight touchdowns while junior Anthony Miller leads with 69 receptions for 1,114 yards and nine TDs.
« Defensively, the Tigers are led by junior safety Jonathan Cook who has 70 tackles. Junior linebacker Genard Avery leads Memphis with nine tackles for loss and five sacks.
« Friday's matchup is the 25th meeting between the two schools with Houston owning a 15-9 series lead and riding a six-game winning streak in the series. The Cougars claimed a 35-34 comeback win last season at Houston.
DEGREES IN HAND |
« Seven Houston student-athletes entered the season having already earned an undergraduate degree. Chris Johnson (Baylor), D'Juan Hines, Cameron Malveaux, Tyler McCloskey, Steven Taylor, Davonte Thomas and Brandon Wilson all completed degree requirements prior to this season.
« Six additional Cougars will complete their degree requirements this December: Tyus Bowser, Zorrell Ezell, Mac Long, Hunter McCoy, Byron Simpson and B.J. Singleton.
LAST TIME OUT |
« Houston didn't wait long to jump out to a lead en route to its sixth straight win over a top-25 team and its fourth straight over a top-10 team as it recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff and scored on its first offensive play vs. No. 3 Louisville. The 13-yard TD pass from Greg Ward Jr. to Duke Catalon was the first of 31 unanswered first half points as the Cougars rolled to a 36-10 win over the Cardinals.
« The first score was one of three for Catalon who later pulled in a deflected pass for a second 13-yard TD reception while also adding a 2-yard rushing score. Houston also scored on a 50-yard double pass from Linell Bonner to Chance Allen, who had 105 yards receiving on four receptions.
« The Houston defense held Louisville to 39.6 points below its scoring average and 271 yards below its total offense average as the defense totaled up 11 sacks and two turnovers. Steven Taylor (14 tackles, 2.5 sacks) and Ed Oliver (six tackles, two sacks, three pass breakups) each forced Louisville fumbles on defense.
ON THE OFFENSIVE |
« Since 2006, only Oregon (73,103) has racked up more offensive yards than Houston who has 70,373 yards in that time.
Rank Team Total Yards (06-present)
1. Oregon 73,103
2. Houston 70,373
3. Texas Tech 69,984
4. Oklahoma 68,991
5. Nevada 63,904
« Houston has scored in 210 straight games dating back to Sept. 30, 2000.
« Thirteen of Houston's 60 scoring drives this season have lasted less than two minutes with three lasting less than one minute, the quickest just six seconds with a one-play, 13-yard drive on the first offensive play vs. Louisville.
« Houston has 11 scoring drives of four plays or less including three two-play drives and one one-play drive.
« With a balanced attack, Houston is one of just 15 schools nationally to average over 155 yards per game rushing (159.1) and over 285 yards passing per game (285.1).
« The Cougars are one of 17 teams nationally with at least 25 rushing touchdowns (27) and 20 passing touchdowns (20).
« Houston is 17th nationally with 191 plays of 10+ yards and 65th nationally with 53 plays of 20+ yards.
« The versatility of the offense is evident as seven different players have rushing touchdowns this season for Houston while eight different players have receiving touchdowns and two different players have passing touchdowns.
« Against Louisville, Houston scored 16 points above the Cardinals' defensive scoring average and scored the most on UL since the Cardinals gave up 42 points to No. 5 Clemson.
« Houston totaled over 600 yards of total offense in four games in 2015. Houston now has 74 games with 600+ yards in program history.
THE WORD ON WARD |
« Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. entered 2016 after claiming the 2015 Earl Campbell Award, presented annually to the top player from the state of Texas. Ward became the first Houston quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, finishing 2015 with 1,108 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns to go along with 2,828 passing yards with 17 touchdowns. Ward ranked ninth nationally in completion percentage, completing 232-of-345 passes on the year, while throwing just six interceptions, seventh-best nationally among quarterbacks with at least 300 attempts.
« Ward and Louisville's Lamar Jackson are the only two quarterbacks nationally averaging over 280 yards passing per game (284.1) and over 45 yards rushing per game (45.3).
« He ranks third nationally with 13 games with a passing and rushing touchdowns over the last two seasons, trailing just Jackson (14) and Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes (15).
« He won his 27th game as Houston's starting quarterback with the win over Louisville, the second-most wins in Houston history. Ward trails just Case Keenum who had 37 wins in his career.
« Ward leads Houston with a .871 (27-4) career winning percentage as a starting QB. Gary Mullins is 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.
« None of Houston's opponents have been able to fully lock down both elements of Ward's game the last two seasons. He has at least 200 passing yards or 100 rushing yards in every full game he has played during the last two years, missing at least a full quarter in three games with injury.
« Despite missing Houston's game vs. Lamar, Ward ranks 12th nationally with an average of 329.4 yards of total offense per game and 18th nationally with an average of 284.1 passing yards per game. He leads The American in passing and is second in total offense.
« Showing his accuracy, Ward ranks 10th nationally in completion percentage, completing 247-of-368 attempts. He also ranks seventh in completions per game (24.7).
« In the win over UConn, Ward threw for a career-high 389 yards and three touchdowns as he connected on 84.2 percent of his passes (32-of-38). He also ran for a game-best 65 yards and two touchdowns on 12 attempts.
« Ward is currently second on the Houston career rushing TDs chart with 38, one away from the UH record.
« With two passing TDs vs. Louisville, Ward now has 48 career passing TDs and is fifth on the UH career list.
« Louisville marked Ward's 15th career game, and his sixth this season, with multiple passing TDs, while it marked his 24th with over 200 yards passing.
« The Cincinnati win was his second career game with multiple passing and rushing touchdowns in the same game.
« The game at Navy also marked Ward's seventh career game with at least 300 yards passing, and his fourth this season, a number that is second in The American.
« He now has 10,299 yards of total offense in his career, ranking third on the Houston career chart.
« He became the 15th player in Houston history with over 2,000 career yards rushing vs. UConn and now has 2,310 yards, ranking 13th on the Houston career rushing yards chart. He needs just 60 yards to move into the top 10.
« The win over Cincinnati was Greg Ward's fifth comeback victory in the second half during his career. It was his first second-half comeback victory since leading Houston to a 34-31 win at Louisville on Sept. 12, 2015.
« He became just the third player in the last 14 games to throw for over 300 yards against Oklahoma as ended the day with 321 yards against the Big 12's top passing defense from 2015 as Oklahoma gave up just 202.8 yards per game through the air
« Ward was accurate on third down vs. OU, completing 10-12 passes for 158 yards. All 10 completions resulted in first downs.
« The Tyler, Texas, native has been responsible for a touchdown, either passing or rushing, in 29 of his last 32 games.
« Ward is sixth on Houston's career passing yards list with 7,989 yards and needs 213 yards to move into the top five.
« With 1,108 yards in 2015, he broke the UH single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback of 656 set by Lionel Wilson in 1981. His effort marked the 25th 1,000-yard rushing season in Houston history.
« The UH single-season rushing by a QB record was one of 14 Houston or The American Athletic Conference records Ward broke last season while tying three others including the Houston single-season rushing touchdowns record with his 21 scores.
« Ward and Clemson's Deshaun Watson were the only two players in the nation to rush for at least 1,000 yards and pass for at least 2,000 yards last season.
« The electrifying Ward was eighth nationally with 16 rushes of at least 20 yards and nine rushes of at least 30 yards in 2015. The 16 rushing attempts of 20+ yards led all FBS quarterbacks and all players in The American, regardless of position.
« Ward ranked in the top 25 in five of the NCAA's final recognized stat categories: completion percentage (ninth), points responsible for (12th), points responsible for per game (15th), rushing TDs (fifth) and scoring (25th). He finished seventh nationally in scoring among non-kickers with 126 points.
« With his four rushing TDs vs. SMU, Ward broke the Houston QB rushing touchdowns records for a 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 rushing TDs at Tulane, the third-longest such streak on the FBS level over the last 10 seasons. Ward had multiple rushing touchdowns in six games last season.
« With 21 rushing touchdowns on the year, Ward set the UH single-season touchdown record, regardless of position, breaking the previous record of 15 set by running back Jackie Battle in 2006.
« He ranked fourth nationally in 2015 in percentage of rush plays that gained five or more yards among ball carriers with 150 or more carries (51.4 percent).
« His 21 rushing TDs in 2015 ranked second nationally among all returners behind just the 22 from LSU's Leonard Fournette.
« He was third among all returners with 126 points and sixth among all returners with a completion percentage of 67.2 percent.
THE LINE ON THE LINE |
« Houston lost a combined 83 starts from five senior offensive linemen and the loss of sophomore Colton Freeman, due to career-ending injuries in the spring, but returned a combined 26 starts from five returners.
« Houston ranked 10th in the nation in points per game (40.4) last year, despite having four freshmen offensive linemen who racked up more than 2,100 combined offensive snaps. In 14 games, the line saw 11 different starting combinations with 11 different linemen receiving starts.
« Junior college transfer Na'Ty Rodgers, ranked the No. 7 overall junior college player by ESPN, earned his first career start at right tackle against Oklahoma while Josh Jones picked up his first career start at left tackle. Senior right guard Mac Long rounded out a trio of first-time starters on the line against Oklahoma. Junior college transfer Alex Fontana earned his first career start, coming at left guard, against Lamar.
« This season has already seen seven different starting combinations with nine linemen receiving starts.
« Left tackle Josh Jones is the only Houston offensive lineman that has been able to start every game this season.
ON THE RECEIVING END |
« Houston is spreading the ball around this season as it has had at least seven players with a reception in nine games with nine receivers in two different games. Seventeen different players have a reception with five with at least 29 - Linell Bonner (76), Chance Allen (48), Steven Dunbar (46), Duke Catalon (33) and D'Eriq King (29).
« With Bonner (841 yards), Allen (742) and Dunbar (621), Houston is one of five programs nationally (Toledo, Washington State, Texas Tech, Tulsa), with three players with at least 600 receiving yards.
« Houston has three players in The American's top 10 for receptions of at least 10 yards as Bonner is fifth with 39, Allen is seventh with 33 and Dunbar is 10th with 30.
« Bonner recorded his first career 100-yard receiving game with 119 yards from eight receptions at Cincinnati. Six of his eight receptions at Cincinnati were at least 10 yards.
« He added his second 100-yard receiving game with career highs in both receptions (12) and yards (159) against UConn, pulling in a one-handed four-yard TD reception that ended up at No. 1 SportsCenter's Top 10 plays.
« He ranks seventh in The American with three 100-yard receiving games this season after 117 yards at Navy and has two games this season with 97 yards - Tulsa and Tulane.
« With Bonner recording his second 100-yard game of the season, Houston has had at least one receiver with multiple 100-yard receiving games in a season every year since 1997.
« Seven different players pulled in receptions against Oklahoma, led by Steven Dunbar who tied a career high with seven receptions en route to his second career 100-yard game with 125 yards on the day.
« Dunbar nearly had a second 100-yard game with five receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown against UConn.
« He did manage to eclipse the century mark at Navy, finishing with nine receptions for 112 yards including a 32-yard touchdown. He had three receptions for 58 yards on Houston's first drive alone.
« At Texas State, King became the first player in Houston history, and the first in the NCAA since 2010, to pull in a TD reception (48 yards), throw for a TD (15 yards to Dunbar) and return a kick for a TD (99 yards) in the same game.
« Chance Allen set a career high with seven receptions vs. UConn, resulting in 85 yards, and tied it with seven for 87 yards and a touchdown at Navy. Tulsa was his third straight game with seven catches, resulting in 89 yards.
« Allen tied a career high with his second career 100-yard receiving, pulling in 105 yards off four receptions including a 50-yard touchdown pass from Bonner against Louisville.
« The tight end returned in 2015 led by Tyler McCloskey. He pulled in his second career touchdown reception against Oklahoma on a two-yard scoring reception to close out the third quarter scoring against the Sooners.
« McCloskey has two additional TDs, a three-yard catch vs. UConn and a two-yard catch at SMU.
« Backup tight end Romello Brooker pulled in his first career touchdown, a six-yard grab, vs. UCF.
FIRST YEAR FACES IN NEW PLACES |
« What Houston lacked in returning numbers, it makes up for in potential with sophomore Duke Catalon joining the program after transferring from Texas. The former four-star recruit redshirted in his lone season at Texas after being ranked the No. 10 running back in the nation coming out of Houston's Eisenhower High School.
« Catalon had a game-best 88 yards in the Houston-Oklahoma season opener on 22 carries. He also added four receptions for 29 yards including a 15-yard pass for Houston's first touchdown of the day.
« With Catalon held out of Houston's week two game against Lamar, the duo of redshirt-freshman Kevrin Justice and true freshman Mulbah Car took the rushing game reigns, with Justice rushing for 111 yards and Car 109.
« Six players have at least 100 rushing yards, led by 453 from Ward and 450 from Catalon, while seven have rushing TDs.
« Walk-on Dillon Birden, who shifted from cornerback to running back the week of the Cincinnati game, received his first career start against UConn, finishing with 27 yards and one touchdown on nine carries.
« Birden received a second start at Navy and became the first UH player since 2014 to have rushing and receiving scores in the same game, finishing with 51 rushing yards and one touchdown and 22 receiving yards and one score.
« Birden tied The American's best this season with three rushing touchdowns, part of a career-best 82 rushing yards vs. Tulsa.
« After missing three games with a concussion, Catalon returned vs. SMU with 17 carries for 54 yards and four receptions for 66 yards.
« Against UCF, Catalon had a game-best 82 rushing yards, including one TD, and seven receptions for 40 yards.
« Catalon pulled in a career-high nine receptions for 68 yards and two touchdowns, one coming off a deflection vs. Louisville while adding 39 yards and a score on the ground. .
THIRD WARD DEFENSE |
« The Houston defense enters week 13 with the No. 2 rushing defense in the nation, allowing just an average of 93.5 yards per game through 11 contests. Houston also ranks 10th in total defense (304.1 yards per game), 10th in first down defense (172) and 18th in scoring defense (20.3 points per game). UH leads The American in rushing defense.
« Navy snapped Houston's seven-game streak of not allowing an opponent to rush for over 100 yards when it ran for 306 yards. Prior to the streak, the Midshipmen were the last team to rush for over 100 yards. During the streak, Houston held Temple, Florida State, Oklahoma, Lamar, Cincinnati, Texas State and UConn to a combined 324 rushing yards.
« Houston bounced back with another sub 100-yard rushing effort against Tulsa as it held the Hurricane to 94 yards rushing.
« Houston has forced a three-and-out on 41.8 percent of its drives, ranking fifth nationally, and is second nationally with an average of 5.81 three-and-outs forced per game.
« The Cougars set a program record when they allowed Lamar just 73 total offensive yards, besting a 47-year old record of 74 yards set by the 1969 Houston team against Mississippi State.
« The Houston defense held Oklahoma to 23 points in its season opener, just the third time in the last 14 games the Sooners have been held to under 30 points.
« Oklahoma, who is averaging 550.8 yards per game, had 393 total yards against the Houston defense including just 70 on the ground. OU is averaging 228.1 yards per rushing this season.
« Houston held Cincinnati to its lowest output of total offense at home (307 yards) since Dec. 4, 2010, against Pittsburgh. The 30 total rushing yards on 25 attempts were the Bearcats fewest since rushing for 15 yards on 32 attempts in their 2010 season opener at Fresno State.
« Against UCF, the Houston defense held the Knights to only 29 total yards in the second half, including minus 55 yards rushing, after allowing 166 total yards and 95 rushing yards in the first half.
« Houston held Tulane 151.6 yards below its rushing average with its lowest rushing output of the year (100 yards).
« Houston held Louisville to 39.6 points below its scoring average, 169 yards below its rushing average, 102 yards below its passing average and 271 yards below its total offense average while totaling 11 sacks. Louisville's 312 yards of total offense was its lowest of the season, with the next closest at 469 yards vs. Duke.
« Louisville's 10 points were its lowest since scoring only seven vs. North Carolina on Oct. 8, 2011.
« Defensive coordinator Todd Orlando is the only coordinator in the nation to place two players in the top 20 for tackles for loss in both 2014 and 2015 with Zach Vigil (11th) and Nick Vigil (18th) accomplishing the feat at Utah State in 2014 and Elandon Roberts (13th) and Steven Taylor (16th) doing so in 2015.
« The 2015 Cougar defense led The American and was eighth nationally in allowing opponents just an average of 108.9 yards rushing per game. The Cougars ranked 20th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 20.7 points per game.
« In its win over Florida State, the Houston defense held FSU star running back Dalvin Cook to just 33 yards on 18 carries, an average of 1.8 yards per attempt. Entering the game, Cook had averaged 150.7 yards per game and 7.9 yards per carry.
« Last season's win over Vanderbilt was the first shutout of an SEC team by a non-conference opponent since Sept. 5, 2004 when Louisville defeated Kentucky 28-0.
TURNOVER U |
« Since the start of the 2013 season, no program has taken the ball away from opposing offenses more than Houston with 126 turnovers forced in that time with 18 in 2016, 35 in 2015, 30 in 2014 and 43 in 2013.
« In his first year with Houston, defensive coordinator Todd Orlando continued the turnover theme as his defenses had 95 turnovers from 2013-15. 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.
« Orlando ranked third nationally among defensive coordinators with an average of 2.26 takeaways per game over 2013-15.
« Orlando, Brent Venables (Clemson), Bud Foster (Virginia Tech) and Gary Patterson (TCU) are the only defensive coaches nationally to rank in the top 15 for turnovers per game, defensive third down percentage and tackles for loss last season.
« UH has forced multiple turnovers in 43 of its last 58 games.
« Houston once again established itself in the turnover battle in 2015 as it ranked second nationally with a +21 turnover margin and 10th nationally with just 14 turnovers lost.
« Houston was opportunistic, turning its 35 turnovers into 128 points including four defensive touchdowns.
« Cameron Malveaux and Howard Wilson each came up with fumble recoveries against Oklahoma as the Cougars turned the Sooners' two turnovers into seven points.
« Against Lamar, cornerback Dillon Birden came up with Houston's lone turnover, ripping the ball out of a Cardinals' receivers hands and retaining possession as he hit the turf.
« Houston upped the ante against Cincinnati as it recorded three turnovers, all fourth quarter interceptions, to help Houston overcome a 16-12 fourth-quarter deficit en route to a 40-16 win. The Houston offense followed Howard Wilson's first interception of the night with an 11-play, 60-yard touchdown drive before Steven Taylor and Wilson ended the next two Cincinnati drives with back-to-back pick-sixes. After Taylor returned a Bearcat interception 74 yards for a touchdown, Wilson returned one on the very next play 28 yards for his first career defensive touchdown.
« Garrett Davis and Emeke Egbule teamed up for one of Houston's biggest turnovers this season when Davis hit Tulsa quarterback Dane Evans for a fumble-forcing sack that Egbule scooped up and returned 24 yards for the winning touchdown with 1:21 left in Houston's 38-31 win.
« Houston established a new season high with four turnovers vs. UCF with interceptions from Brandon Wilson and Howard Wilson and fumble recoveries from Davis and Taylor.
« UH recovered three fumbles against Louisville - one on special teams from Dillon Birden and two on defense with Howard Wilson and Malveaux.
« The Cougars have been opportunistic when creating turnovers, turning their 18 turnovers into 87 points this season, including 28 points directly from the interception returns from Taylor and Howard Wilson at Cincinnati and fumble recoveries from Egbule vs. Tulsa and Winchester vs. Tulane.
UP FRONT |
« Known for occupying blockers and knocking offensive linemen into the backfield in 2015, the defensive line group has quickly established itself as a group that likes to create chaos in the opposition's backfield.
« The group has been bolstered by the addition of true freshman Ed Oliver, ranked the No. 2 defensive tackle in the nation by ESPN in the 2016 signing class. Oliver did not wait long to make his impression felt for Houston, earning his first career start against Oklahoma and leading all defensive linemen in the game with seven tackles including two sacks. Playing at the nose tackle position, Oliver penetrated the Oklahoma backfield throughout the game to disrupt the Sooners' offensive flow.
« Oliver is third nationally among all defensive linemen with 61 tackles on the year.
« He ranks second nationally with 19.5 tackles for loss.
« Oliver also leads all defensive linemen nationally with nine pass breakups. The number also leads all non-defensive backs in The American and is second in the league regardless of position.
« Despite missing the fourth quarter against Louisville, the true freshman totaled six tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, three pass breakups and one forced fumble.
« Oliver pulled in his third sack while breaking up two passes in the win over UConn.
« With a non-stop motor, Oliver had 11 tackles including 1.5 tackles for loss at Navy.
« A team captain in 2016, Cameron Malveaux enjoyed a breakout year in 2015 under the new coaching staff, finishing the season with 33 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in an increased on-field presence.
« The group was bolstered with the emergence of junior Nick Thurman and sophomore Jerard Carter in 2015. Thurman has taken over Carter's starting role in the last two games and has eight of his 17 tackles in the two games.
« Singleton has started 25 games at defensive tackle for the Cougars and was named to The American's second team in 2015.
« With a three-man front not always showing up on a defensive stat sheet, defensive line coach Oscar Giles charts the groups impact with two other stats - twofer's (occupying multiple blockers to allow another defender to make a play) and knockbacks (knocking offensive linemen into the backfield to disrupt the play). Oliver leads the group with 28 twofer's and 21 knockbacks followed by Carter with 18 twofer's and six knockbacks. Malveaux rounds out the top three with five twofer's and six knockbacks.
TAKE FLIGHT WITH CAUTION |
« Howard Wilson picked off his fourth career pass in Houston's win over Texas State last season before suffering a season-ending injury in the same game. A medical redshirt was granted on his behalf to restore his sophomore season.
« Howard Wilson claimed his first career fumble recovery against Oklahoma and his second against Louisville.
« He upped his turnover game against Cincinnati with a career-best two interceptions, one of which he returned 28 yards for a Houston touchdown while collecting eight tackles. Wilson nearly added a third interception and a second pick-six, eventually dropping a bobbled pass on a jumped out route.
« Wilson added his fifth interception of the year, and the eighth of his career, with an interception vs. UCF.
« He is second in The American and sixth nationally with five interceptions.
« With nine pass breakups, Wilson leads Houston and is second in The American in the category.
« Jeremy Winchester is tied for seventh in The American with eight pass breakups.
« Brandon Wilson now has 29 career starts and was the team's second-leading returner with 58 tackles in 2015. He led all returners with eight pass breakups last season while also picking off a pass and recovering a fumble, returning both for touchdowns. Wilson also saw time at running back in two games last year, finishing the season with 188 rushing yards and two TDs on 37 attempts.
« Playing in the nickelback role, Brandon Wilson got his season started off on the right foot with a career-high 10 tackles, including one for a loss, and one PBU vs. Oklahoma and was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week.
« At safety, junior Khalil Williams and sophomore Garrett Davis have both stepped into the starting lineup with junior college transfer Terrell Williams, who earned his first career start at Cincinnati, and true freshman Collin Wilder providing depth.
« Davis is fourth on the team, and second among defensive backs in The American, with seven tackles for loss including the fumble-inducing sack that helped seal Houston's win over Tulsa.
« Khalil Williams had a career-high 10 stops at Navy after totaling 16 tackles in the season's first five games. He now leads all Houston defensive backs with 52 tackles.
A LOOK AT THE LINEBACKERS |
« Steven Taylor has taken over the emotional leader duties for the Houston defense from current New England Patriot Elandon Roberts and has six sacks on the season.
« He is eighth nationally among all active players with 25.5 career sacks.
« Taylor has moved into fifth on the Houston career sacks chart with 25.5 and is half sack away from fourth. He has also moved to fifth on the career tackles for loss chart with 49 and is one away from fourth.
« With no sacks at Texas State, Taylor ended a five-game sack streak including multiple sacks in each of the first three games this season.
« He is eighth in The American with 11 tackles for loss and third with the 77 yards lost by the opposition.
« Taylor was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week after a season-best 14 tackles and 2.5 sacks with one forced fumble against Louisville.
« He picked off his fourth career pass against Cincinnati and returned it 74 yards for his first career defensive touchdown.
« Taylor owns 11 career games with double-digit stops and is the team's returning leading tackler from 2015 with 92 stops on the year. He also led Houston on the year with 10 sacks and was second on the team with 18.5 tackles for loss.
« Taylor led The American with his 10 sacks last season and was second in The American, behind Roberts, in tackles for loss.
« Bowser made the move from defensive end, where he earned three starts in his first two years, to outside linebacker in 2015 and finished the year with 5.5 sacks, fourth-best among all returning players in The American.
« After missing five games with a broken orbital bone, Bowser returned in a big way against Tulane with a career-high 11 tackles, 3.5 of which for a loss including three sacks. He also had two quarterback hurries on the day.
« Despite missing five games, Bowser is fourth in The American 7.5 sacks. He is third on Houston with 9.5 tackles for loss.
« After one sack vs. Louisville, Bowser now has 20.5 on his career, 10th in Houston program history, a half sack from seventh.
« Matthew Adams owns the team lead with 64 tackles. He opened the year with his third career forced fumble while totaling nine tackles against Oklahoma.
« Adams also had a career-high 12 stops against Navy to tie D'Juan Hines for the game best and currently leads Houston with 49 stops on the year.
« The 12 stops against Navy was also a career best for Hines who now has 41 stops on the year with five starts on the year.
« Emeke Egbule has stepped in with five starts this season and has one of three Houston defensive touchdowns after scooping and scoring the game-winning touchdown against Tulsa on a 24-yard fumble return.
TY ONE ON |
« Ty Cummings holds the starting role as the team's kicker after taking over starting placekicking duties last season vs. SMU in addition to his already held kickoff role.
« In the first half alone against Oklahoma, Cummings became the ninth kicker in Houston history with at least four field goals in a game with his career-high four including a career-long 47-yard kick on the final play of the first half to give the Cougars the lead for good. Cummings also connected to on all three extra point attempts to remain perfect on his career in kicking.
« He ranks second in The American with an average of 63.3 yards per kickoff and owns 33 touchbacks, also second in The American, on 72 attempts.
« Cummings is sixth in The American with 85 points on the year - 49 extra points and 12 field goals.
THE PUNT-AH |
« After losing two-year starting punter Logan Piper, Houston turned to down under for its newest punter. Dane Roy, a 27-year old true freshman from Bunyip, Australia, joined the Houston program this fall after a career as an ice-cream salesman.
« Roy picked up the art of punting at ProKick Australia.
« An Australian rules football player for Richmond Central, he won the longest kick competition at the AFL grand final in Melbourne, Australia, after booting a torpedo 73 meters, which equates to 79 yards. Roy, who stands 6-7, also has a personal-best hang time of 5.4 seconds.
« In his debut against Oklahoma, Roy had four punts for 176 yards, an average of 44.0 yards per punt. He followed with one punt for 50 yards against Lamar before dropping four of his six punts inside Cincinnati's 20-yard line.
« He's placed 19 of his 53 punts inside his opponent's 20-yard line and his high-hanging punts have helped Houston to rank fifth nationally in punt return defense, allowing just 1.9 yards per return.
THE RETURNS DEPARTMENT |
« Houston returned The American's most dangerous kick returners in Brandon Wilson and it shows. Houston is now fifth in the league with an average of 20.3 yards per return after not a single deep kick from Tulane resulting in three returns of squib kicks for a loss of six yards.
« Against Oklahoma, Wilson scored his eighth career touchdown in the sixth different fashion when he returned a missed Oklahoma field goal 109.99 yards from the back of his own end zone for a Houston touchdown. Wilson also has touchdowns via rushing (2), kick returns (2), fumble return, interception return and a blocked field goal return.
« He added his fourth career kick return of at least 50 yards against Cincinnati when he returned a Bearcats' kick 56 yards.
« He is one of 19 players nationally with two returns of at least 50 yards this season.
« Wilson's kick return average of 23.8 yards per return is sixth in The American.
« Even with Wilson out at Texas State, the Houston kicking game did not fall off as true freshman D'Eriq King returned two kicks for 130 yards including a 99-yard touchdown return.
« King is making his mark on kick returns as well, ranking second in The American with an average of 25.4 yards per return.
« Wilson led the league in 2015 with two kickoff return touchdowns while ranking fourth with an average return of 26.6 yards.
« 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, with a kick return for a score at UConn.
A CLASS OF ITS OWN |
« With the first full year of recruiting under their belts, Tom Herman and his staff signed what is being praised as not only the top signing class in Houston history, but the top class ever among all group of five programs.
« The group ranked No. 30 by ESPN included defensive tackle Ed Oliver who is the highest ranked player ever to sign with a group of five program. Oliver was ranked the No. 2 defensive tackle nationally by ESPN and the No. 4 player regardless of position in the nation by ESPN.
« The class includes three players in the ESPN 300 â€" Oliver, receiver Courtney Lark and quarterback D'Eriq King â€" and six players ranked in the top 10 nationally at their positions â€" quarterback Kyle Allen (No. 1 quarterback in 2014), running back Duke Catalon (No. 10 running back in 2014), offensive lineman Keenan Murphy (No. 5 center), Oliver (No. 2 defensive tackle), offensive lineman Na'Ty Rodgers (No. 4 junior college offensive tackle) and defensive back Terrell Williams (No. 9 junior college safety).
« The class of 24 signees consists of 19 players from the state of Texas and one each from Arizona, Louisiana, Maryland, Oklahoma and Canada. Of the 17 high school players in the class, 16 hail from the state of Texas with one from neighboring Louisiana. The class covers seven position groups with six defensive backs, four offensive linemen, four receivers, three quarterbacks, three defensive linemen, two running backs and one tight end.
« Fifteen from the class have already seen action through the first two weeks including 11 true freshman - Oliver, who has started at defensive tackle, Rodgers, who has started at right tackle, Catalon, Williams, Mulbah Car, Keith Corbin, Aymiel Fleming, Alex Fontana, Braylon Jones, D'Eriq King, Courtney Lark, Terry Mark, Javian Smith, Marquez Stevenson and Collin Wilder.
WON'T BACK DOWN |
« Houston VP for Athletics Hunter Yurachek and Tom Herman announced in 2015 a commitment to non-conference scheduling with a goal of two power 5 opponents and two group of 5 opponents each year following 2016 to avoid scheduling FCS opponents.
« Houston's 2016 non-conference schedule is the last to feature an FCS opponent in Lamar and its 2017 non-conference schedule is set with trips to Arizona and UTSA while hosting Texas Tech and Rice.
« UH has just one spot to fill in 2018 with the second end of home-and-home series with Arizona, Rice and Texas Tech filling three of the four spots. Houston wraps up its series with Oklahoma when they visit the Sooners in 2019. UH also has future series with Kansas (2019-2020), Texas Tech (2021-2022) and UTSA (2022-2024) on the docket along with a return trip to Vanderbilt on Oct. 2, 2021.
Future Non-Conference Games
2017: at UTSA, at Arizona, Rice, Texas Tech
2018: at Rice, Arizona, at Texas Tech
2019: at Oklahoma, Kansas
2020: Rice, at Kansas
2021: at Rice, Texas Tech, at Vanderbilt
2022: at Texas Tech, UTSA
2023: at UTSA
2024: UTSA
