University of Houston Athletics
[GAME NOTES] Houston vs. Oklahoma
8/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
GAME NOTES - HOUSTON | GAME NOTES - OKLAHOMA
| THE GAME AT A GLANCE | |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, Sept. 3 |
| Time | 11:00 a.m. CST |
| Location | Houston, Texas |
| Venue | NRG Stadium |
| Capacity | 71,500 |
| Surface | Synthetic Turf |
| TV | ABC |
| Radio | KPRC 950 AM |
| Live Stats | |
HITS ON HOUSTON |
« The #HTownTakeover opens its second season under Tom Herman Saturday at 11 a.m. as No. 15/13 Houston takes on No. 3/3 Oklahoma in the Advocare Texas Kickoff on an ABC national broadcast from NRG Stadium. The game will also air on KPRC 950 AM with pregame coverage starting at 10 a.m.
« The game is the only opening week game nationally pitting two teams to finish in the top 10 of the final 2015 AP poll as Houston checked in at No. 8 and Oklahoma at No. 5. The game is one of four opening-week battles between two opponents in the AP Top 25 and one of just two with both teams in the top 15. The other features No. 4 Florida State, who Houston defeated 38-24 to end the 2015 season, facing No. 11 Ole Miss Monday night in Orlando.
« No. 3 Oklahoma will be Houston's 10th season-opening opponent ranked in the top 25 and the highest-ranked team in a season opener in program history. Houston enters the season ranked in the AP Top 25 for the 11th time in program history and is 8-3 in its previous ranked openers including its previous opener vs. a ranked opponent, No. 11 UCLA in 1977, a 17-13 win in the Astrodome.
« No. 3 Oklahoma is the highest-ranked team Houston has faced since falling 63-13 at No. 2 Oklahoma on Sept. 11, 2004.
« The game will feature two of the most successful teams from 2015 as Oklahoma led the nation in average margin of victory with 21.5 points per win and Houston ranked fifth at 19.7 points.
« Houston enters the season after claiming its 11th conference championship in program history, winning the inaugural American Athletic Conference Championship game over Temple, and its 24th bowl appearance, a 38-24 win over No. 9/8 Florida State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
« Houston enters 2016 as 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.
« Named the FWAA First Year Coach of the Year and a Bear Bryant Award finalist, Tom Herman capped off his rookie season with a 38-24 Houston win over No. 9 Florida State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. He became just the fourth coach in NCAA history with at least 13 wins in his first season, joining Boise State's Chris Petersen (2006), Penn's George Woodruff (1892) and Yale's Walter Camp (1888), and just the fifth to win the first 10 games of his career.
« Houston was one of just two schools nationally to play at least four ranked opponents last season and remain undefeated in the matchups with three of Houston's wins over ranked opponents coming by double-digits, the fourth-best total in the nation.
« Houston was one of eight teams nationally with at least four wins against ranked opponents, and was third nationally with seven wins of 21 points or more as 10 wins were double-digit wins including its 38-24 win over No. 9 Florida State. Houston ranked fifth nationally with an average margin of victory of 19.7 points per game.
« The program ranked eighth nationally in rushing defense, allowing just 108.9 yards per game, while ranking 13th in rushing offense with an average of 235.8 yards per game. Houston was the only team in the nation to rank in the top 13 in both categories.
« Ranking 10th in scoring offense (40.4 points per game) and 20th in scoring defense (20.7 points per game), Houston was the only program in the nation to rank in the top 10 in scoring offense and the top 25 in scoring defense.
« The Cougars own the longest winning streak by a non-power 5 team against power 5 opponents with four consecutive wins over the last two seasons. Houston owns wins over Florida State, Vanderbilt, Louisville and Pitt in its last four power 5 matchups.
ABOUT THE COUGARS |
« Twenty-three full or part-time starters return in 2016 for Houston. The 2015 leaders in rushing, passing, field goals, kick returns, scoring, total offense, sacks and forced fumbles all return.
« 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.
« Houston's all-time record sits at 417-352-15 since the program started in 1946.
« Ranked No. 8 in the final Associated Press poll of the 2015 season, Houston opens 2016 on Sept. 3 in the AdvoCare Kickoff Classic against Oklahoma, who finished the 2015 season ranked No. 5 in the AP poll.
ABOUT OKLAHOMA |
« In its 18th season under head coach Bob Stoops, No. 3/3 Oklahoma enters the season opener following a 2015 season that saw the program make its first College Football Playoff appearance, falling to Clemson, 37-17, in Miami. Winning its ninth Big 12 Championship, Oklahoma ended the year 11-2 with both defeats coming at neutral sites, also falling to Texas 24-17 in Dallas.
« Oklahoma is led offensively by junior quarterback Baker Mayfield, who finished fourth in last season's Heisman Trophy race after completing 68.1 percent of his passes for 3,700 yards and 36 touchdowns against seven interceptions. The former Texas Tech quarterback is joined in the OU backfield by junior Samaje Perine, who ran for 1,349 yards and 16 touchdowns,and sophomore Joe Mixon who added 753 rushing yards and seven TDs on the ground. The Sooners lost two of their top three receivers from 2015 but do return senior Dede Westbrook (46 receptions for 743 yards and four touchdown passes in 2015) and sophomore Mark Andrews (19 receptions for 318 yards and seven touchdowns).
« Defensively, the Sooners are led by senior linebacker Jordan Evans, who is the team's returning leading tackler (83 stops in 2015) from a defense that led the Big 12 in total defense at 364.5 yards per game and scoring defense at 22 points per game. He is one of three Oklahoma returners who garnered All-Big 12 honors last season, joining senior safety Ahmad Thomas and junior cornerback Jordan Thomas. Junior defensive lineman Charles Walker had 10 tackles for loss and six sacks to lead all OU returners.
« The season opener is the third meeting between the two schools with Oklahoma claiming a 40-14 win in the 1981 Sun Bowl in El Paso and a 63-13 win in Norman in 2004.
ABOUT THE 2015 SEASON |
« Named the FWAA First Year Coach of the Year and a Bear Bryant Award finalist following the second 13-win season in program history, Tom Herman capped off his rookie season with a 38-24 Houston win over No. 9 Florida State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. He became just the fourth coach in NCAA history with at least 13 wins in his first season, joining Boise State's Chris Petersen (2006), Penn's George Woodruff (1892) and Yale's Walter Camp (1888), and just the fifth to win the first 10 games of his career.
« Houston was one of just two schools nationally to play at least four ranked opponents last season and remain undefeated in the matchups with three of Houston's wins over ranked opponents coming by double-digits, the fourth-best total in the nation.
« Houston was one of eight teams nationally with at least four wins against ranked opponents, and was third nationally with seven wins of 21 points or more as 10 wins were double-digit wins including Houston's 38-24 win over No. 9 Florida State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Houston ranked fifth nationally with an average margin of victory of 19.7 points per game.
« Houston's lone loss in 2015 came at UConn 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.
« The program ranked eighth nationally in rushing defense, allowing just 108.9 yards per game, while ranking 13th in rushing offense with an average of 235.8 yards per game. Houston was the only team in the nation to rank in the top 13 in both categories.
« Houston faced eight bowl-eligible teams during the season, going 7-1 in those games.
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.
ON THE OFFENSIVE |
« Since 2006, only Oregon (66,987) has racked up more offensive yards than Houston who has 65,487 yards in that time.
Rank Team Total Yards (06-present)
1. Oregon 66,987
2. Houston 65,487
3. Texas Tech 63,851
4. Oklahoma 62,931
5. Nevada 59,649
« Houston has scored in 199 straight games dating back to Sept. 30, 2000.
« Twenty-seven of Houston's 80 scoring drives last season were less than two minutes with 12 lasting less than one minute, the quickest just nine seconds with a one-play opening drive score vs. Tulane.
« Houston had 12 scoring drives of four plays or less including two two-play drives and two one-play drives.
« Houston totaled over 600 yards of total offense in four games last 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.
« With a balanced attack, Houston was one of just three schools nationally to average over 235 yards per game in both rushing (235.8) and passing (248.4) per game, joining Baylor and Oregon.
« Houston was ninth nationally with 89 plays of 20+ yards and 19th nationally with 37 plays of 30+ yards.
« The 566 points scored last season marked the fourth-best total in program history trailing just 2011 (690 points), 2009 (591) and 1989 (589).
TOP 25 RANKINGS |
« Houston enters the season at No. 15 in the AP poll, its highest ranking since checking in at No. 12 in the 1991 AP preseason poll.
« The Cougars were a part of the AP rankings in 2015 for nine straight polls beginning on Oct. 9 after moving to 5-0 and climbed up to No. 13 before suffering their lone loss of the season to drop to No. 21. Houston would climb back up to No. 14 entering the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl before ending the year at No. 8.
« Houston has won its last four games vs. ranked opponents, all in 2015, as Houston and Stanford were the only teams to face at least four ranked opponents and remain undefeated in the games.
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 conference 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.
« The Cougars have 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.
THE WORD ON WARD |
« Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. enters the 2016 season 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 the year 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 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.
« None of Houston's opponents were able to fully lock down both elements of Ward's game. He had at least 200 passing yards or 100 rushing yards in every full game he played last year, missing parts of two with injury.
« With 1,108 yards, 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 Houston single-season rushing by a quarterback 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.
« The electrifying Ward was eighth nationally with 16 rushing attempts of at least 20 yards and nine rushing attempts of at least 30 yards. 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.
« Ward was a three-time American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week, four-time American Athletic Conference weekly honor roll member, a Manning Award finalist, The American Championship MVP, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Offensive MVP and the Earl Campbell Award winner.
« 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 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.
« Entering 2016, Ward ranks fourth on the Houston career rushing TDs chart with 29, two away from third.
« 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)
« Navy marked Ward's eighth career game with multiple passing TDs while Florida State was his 15th 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 Houston defeats.
« The Tyler, Texas, native has been responsible for a touchdown, either passing or rushing, in 20 of his last 22 games.
« He won his 19th game as Houston's starting quarterback with the win over Florida State, the fifth-best total on the Houston career victory chart.
« Ward leads Houston with a .905 (19-2) career winning percentage as a 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.
« His 21 rushing TDs in 2015 rank second nationally among all returners behind just the 22 from LSU's Leonard Fournette.
« He ranks third among all returners with 126 points and is 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 returns 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.
« The line took significant hits last season with three season-ending injuries enabling several returners to receive valuable experience. In 14 games, the line saw 11 different starting combinations with 11 different linemen receiving starts.
« A 2015 Freshman All-American, Will Noble started the final eight games of the season at center. Two other freshmen - Mason Denley (six starts) and Kameron Eloph (four starts) received early action in the middle of the line as well.
« The line also returns Marcus Oliver (seven career starts) and Josh Thomas who made his first career start last season against SMU before being lost for the season with an injury.
« Junior college transfer Na'Ty Rodgers, ranked the No. 7 overall junior college player by ESPN, holds down the right tackle spot after joining the program in January. At left tackle, redshirt-freshman Josh Jones has taken the edge over Oliver at starting spot.
« After Freeman had to transition to a student assistant role due to career-ending injuries, Houston quickly signed junior college transfer Alex Fontana from New Mexico Military Institute on April 1.
ON THE RECEIVING END |
« Houston returns 54.2 percent of its receiving yards from 2015 with the early NFL departure of Demarcus Ayers (1,222 yards in 2015) and the graduation of running backs Kenneth Farrow (119 yards) and Ryan Jackson (111 yards).
« Houston returns four of its top five receivers in 2015 and seven of its top 10 led by senior Chance Allen who pulled in 56 receptions for 752 yards a team-best six touchdowns. The group also added junior Ra'Shaad Samples who sat out last season after transferring from Oklahoma State.
« Allen's 56 receptions and six touchdowns rank third among returners in The American while his 752 yards are fifth.
« Last season, Allen led the team in targets (25), receptions (10), receiving yards (355) and touchdowns (4) at the stretch vertical depth level (defined as passes traveling 20 or more yards downfield).
« Steven Dunbar also added 31 receptions for 382 yards and three touchdowns while Linell Bonner is fourth among all returners in The American with five touchdown receptions as part of his 25 receptions for 317 yards.
« Others being counted on in the receiving group include sophomore Isaiah Johnson, who had 15 receptions for 292 yards and three touchdowns in the 2016 spring game, and junior John Leday, who pulled in four receptions for 41 yards. True freshman Terry Mark also joined the group this spring as an early enrollee.
« The group has been bolstered with the addition of freshmen Keith Corbin, Courtney Lark and Marquez Stevenson. Their classmate, D'Eriq King, signed as a quarterback and has provided additional competition at the position during the fall camp.
« The tight end returned in 2015 led by Tyler McCloskey who pulled in 14 receptions for 157 yards and one touchdown. He's joined by Iowa State transfer Alex Leslie while sophomore Romello Brooker will look to take the next step in his collegiate career.
FIRST YEAR FACES IN NEW PLACES |
« While Houston returns 45 percent of its rushing yards from 2015, it returns just 14 percent of its rushing yards by those holding a running back role last season with the graduation of four-year mainstays Kenneth Farrow and Ryan Jackson.
« Brandon Wilson ran for 188 yards in emergency duty last season after flipping from cornerback but will remain in the secondary while sophomore Kaliq Kokuma is the only running back on the Houston roster with experience in 2015, rushing 18 times for 92 yards.
« What Houston lacks 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.
« The group has been joined by freshman Mulbah Car who set the Austin Independent School District career rushing record and ran for 1,675 yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior.
« Kevrin Justice, who set a Kilgore High School record with of 51 career total touchdowns and ranks third in career rushing yards in the school's history with 3,410 career yards, will look to make his Houston debut after redshirting in 2015.
« Walk-on Josh Burrell, son of the one-time World's Fastest Man and current Houston Track & Field coach Leroy Burrell, has also received high praise over the spring.
THIRD WARD DEFENSE |
« 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.
« The defense held 10 of 14 opponents below their total offense average and 12 of 14 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 season average.
« The 2015 defense was the first since 1998 to hold its first three opponents each to less than 100 yards rushing. Houston held six teams total under 100 rushing yards including holding Florida State, who averaged 180.9 rushing yards per game entering the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, to just 12 yards on the ground.
« In the 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. Among the Power 5 Conferences entering bowl season, Cook had the most rushes of 20 or more yards at 22. The Houston defense limited Cook's longest rush to just nine 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. That would hold true until holding Florida State to just 12 yards in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
« 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.
« The 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.
« Navy entered its 015 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.
TURNOVER U |
« Since the start of the 2013 season, no program has taken the ball away from opposing offenses more than Houston with 108 turnovers forced in that time with 35 in 2015, 30 in 2014 and 43 in 2013.
« In his first year with Houston, defensive coordinator Todd Orlando continued the turnover theme and gave his defenses 95 turnovers since the start of the 2013 season. 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 ranks third nationally among defensive coordinators with an average of 2.26 takeaways per game over the last three seasons.
« 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.
« Houston once again established itself in the turnover battle 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.
« Houston forced at least three turnovers in seven games last season, capping the year with a season-best five vs. Florida State.
« UH has forced multiple turnovers in 38 of its last 48 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.
« 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 of the season with a 51-yard interception return vs. Cincinnati.
« Ten different players had interceptions in 2015 for Houston with William Jackson III leading the way with five while seven different players had fumble recoveries with Trevon Stewart leading the way with four. Of Houston's returners, five had interceptions last season with four recovering fumbles.
UP FRONT |
« Outside of the quarterbacks, no position group returns more than the defensive line which did lose the 29 career starts of Tomme Mark but does return 39 combined starts from seniors B.J. Singleton and Cameron Malveaux, along with all of its 2015 backups.
« Known for occupying blockers and knocking offensive linemen into the backfield, the group is led by Singleton, who was named to The American's second team last season, and Malveaux, who owns 14 career starts.
« Singleton has started the last 25 games at defensive tackle for the Cougars, holding down the nose spot in the 3-4 system employed currently by Houston.
« The 14 career starts may be misleading for Malveaux as he enjoyed a breakout year under the new coaching staff, finishing 2015 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 last season. Thurman finished the year with 27 tackles, including five for loss, and two fumble recoveries. Carter also recovered two fumbles on the year while picking up 13 tackles.
« Senior Chauntez Jackson, who had four tackles in 2015, and sophomore Zach Vaughan also return, and has been joined this fall by two freshmen - Ed Oliver, ranked the No. 2 defensive tackle in the nation by ESPN, and Aymiel Fleming.
A NEW ERA IN UH SECONDARY |
« The position hit hardest by graduation, the Houston secondary lost 135 career starts between Lee Hightower, William Jackson III, Adrian McDonald and Trevon Stewart, but does return four players with starting experience in senior Brandon Wilson, juniors Howard Wilson and Khail Williams and sophomore Jeremy Winchester.
« The group had 19 of the 30 turnovers in 2014 and 25 of the 35 turnovers in 2015 with interceptions from Jackson (5), McDonald (4), Stewart (4), Brandon Wilson, Howard Wilson, Hightower and Williams while Stewart (4), McDonald (2), Jackson and Brandon Wilson had fumble recoveries.
« Brandon Wilson now has 22 career starts including a current streak of 14 games, and is the team's second-leading returner with 58 tackles on the year. 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 touchdowns on 37 attempts.
« 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 has been granted on his behalf as Houston will restore Wilson as a sophomore. He was paired with Winchester in the spring at corner after the sophomore saw action in 13 games with two starts, breaking up three passes and making 17 tackles.
« At safety, junior Khalil Williams and sophomore Garrett Davis both step into the starting lineup with to battle with junior college transfer Terrell Williams and true freshman Collin Wilder providing depth at the position.
A LOOK AT THE LINEBACKERS |
« Houston lost an emotional leader in middle linebacker Elandon Roberts, but does return three of four starters in seniors Tyus Bowser and Steven Taylor and junior Matthew Adams.
« Taylor owns 10 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 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 and had sacks in each of the first three games of the season, finishing the year with 5.5 sacks, fourth-best among all returning players in The American.
« Adams finished the 2015 season with 49 tackles including two sacks while pairing with Roberts in the middle of the 3-4 defense and coming off the field in the nickel situation.
« With Adams suspended vs. Texas State last season, Emeke Egbule, then a true freshman, made a quick name for himself with three tackles including his first career sack. He finished the year with 11 tackles and will look to compete for Roberts' vacated spot.
« Others looking to make a name for themselves at linebacker include seniors Ralph Harvey Jr., who saw action in six games on special teams, and Davonte Thomas, who has played in nine career games, juniors D'Juan Hines, who has 17 tackles in 23 career games, and Nomluis Fruge, who has seen action in 11 career games, along with sophomore Ja'Von Shelley and redshirt-freshmen Leroy Godfrey, Kobe Idumwonyi and Jordan Milburn.
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.
« He had 100 kickoffs last year, averaging 62.7 yards per kickoff, with 30 touchbacks, ranking fifth in The American in both categories.
« Cummings connected on all 51 of his extra point attempts last season and all eight field goal attempts, including a career-long 45-yard field goal vs. Navy.
« Despite not starting the first four games of the season at kicker, Cummings ranked 11th in the conference, and seventh among kickers, in scoring with 75 points on the year.
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.
THE RETURNS DEPARTMENT |
« Houston returns The American's most dangerous kick returners in Brandon Wilson while it looks to replace the league's No. 3 punt returner in Demarcus Ayers.
« Wilson led the league 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 among all group of five programs.
« The class includes three players in the ESPN 300 - defensive tackle Ed Oliver, receiver Courtney Lark and quarterback D'Eriq King - and six players ranked in the top 10 nationally at their positions - 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.
