POSTGAME NOTES: Houston 40, Cincinnati 16
9/15/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
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BY THE NUMBERS
1
Houston picked up their first road win in Cincinnati since 1971.
2
For the second consecutive season, the Cougar defense picked up two points on the Bearcats by registering a safety.
2
Sophomore cornerback Howard Wilson intercepted two Cincinnati passes including one which he returned for his first career touchdown.
5
Thursday's win was the fifth career second-half comeback victory for quarterback Greg Ward Jr.
6
Senior linebacker Steven Taylor now has multiple sacks in six career games including all three this season.
7
Houston scored defensive touchdowns on back-to-back plays taking just seven seconds between each score.
12
Houston's defense held the Bearcats to just 12 yards rushing in the first half.
13
Kicking Ty Cummings connected on his 13th career field goal late in the second quarter to give Houston a 10-7 lead.
15
Houston quarterback Greg Ward has now thrown for at least 200 yards or rushed for 100 yards in each of the last 15 games.
16
Quarterback Greg Ward Jr., has now won 16 consecutive starts, a number which leads the NCAA.
16
Head Coach Tom Herman is now 16-1 in his career with the Cougars.
20
Houston now has 20 American Conference wins since the conference formed three seasons ago.
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Freshman punter Dane Roy pinned the Bearcats inside the 20 yard line on four of his punts, with one helping lead the Cougars to a safety.
22
Outside linebacker Steven Taylor recorded two sacks in the contest giving him 22 for his career moving him into fifth on the Houston all-time sack list.
31
Senior quarterback Greg Ward Jr., scored two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter for his 30th and 31st career scores on the ground.
36
With two interceptions returned for a touchdown, the Cougars now have 36 non-offensive touchdowns since 2010, the third best mark in the nation.
114
Houston has forced 114 turnovers since 2013, the most in the NCAA.
GAME NOTES
• Houston defeated American Conference foe Cincinnati, 40-16, to improve to 420-352-15 all-time.
• With the win, Houston improved to 3-0 on the year and 1-0 in American Athletic Conference play.
• Houston returns to action at 6 p.m., Saturday, when it travels to San Marcos, Texas, to face Texas State.
• Houston won the toss and chose to defer. Cincinnati chose to receive. Seniors Brandon Wilson, Cameron Malveaux, Tyler McCloskey and Greg Ward were captains.
• The win for the Cougars was their 20th American Conference win, the most in conference history. Cincinnati sits second with 17 wins.
HOUSTON as a RANKED TEAM
• This marked the 187th week that Houston was ranked in the Associated Press poll.
• Houston improved to 110-38-3 all-time when ranked.
• This marked the second straight week in which Houston competed as the No. 6 (AP) team nationally.
• Houston moved to 23-14 when ranked among the Associated Press' top-10 teams.
• Houston improved to 8-0 when competing as the No. 6 team (AP).
HEAD COACH Tom Herman
• Houston Head Coach Tom Herman improved to 2-0 against Cincinnati during his career.
• Thursday's game marked the first time Herman faced the Bearcats on the road.
• Herman has posted a 5-0 record in non-Saturday games. He is 3-0 with the Cougars in games played on Thursday.
SERIES vs. CINCINNATI
• Houston improved to 15-10 in the all-time series against Cincinnati
• Thursday's win was the Cougars' second straight against Cincinnati. In the most recent meeting, Houston claimed a 33-30 win in TDECU Stadium on Nov. 7, 2015, ending a five-game losing streak to the Bearcats dating back to Oct. 9, 1999.
• Prior to Thursday's win, Houston had not recorded consecutive wins against Cincinnati since 1972-1974 as part of a Houston series-long five-game winning streak against the Bearcats.
• The Cougars moved to 5-6 on the road at Cincinnati, snapping a four-game losing streak in Ohio. Houston's last win against the Bearcats in Cincinnati was a 41-38 win in overtime on Oct. 18, 1997.
CONFERENCE OPENERS
• Houston moved to 36-17-1 all-time during its conference openers. The Cougars have won six of their last seven conference openers. Only a 17-12 loss at UCF on Oct. 2, 2014, prevents a longer winning streak.
• Houston improved to 3-1 during its American Athletic Conference openers, including a 38-24 win at Tulsa on Oct. 3, 2015, in the most recent.
• Houston moved to 4-0 during its American Athletic Conference road openers and has won its last five conference road openers. The Cougars have not lost a conference road opener since a 34-31 setback at Rice on Oct. 16, 2010.
• Thursday's game marked the fifth time in the last six seasons that Houston opened conference play on the road. The Cougars' lone conference opener in Houston during that stretch was a 17-12 loss to UCF inside TDECU Stadium on Oct. 2, 2014.
BY DAYS
• Houston moved to 13-15 all-time when playing on Thursday.
• The Cougars have won their last two games played on Thursday, including a 38-24 win over No. 9/8 Florida State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 31, 2015, in the most recent game.
• Houston has not lost a Thursday match-up since falling 17-12 to UCF in Houston on Oct. 2, 2014.
• The Cougars improved to 53-33-1 in non-Saturday games during their history.
BY MONTHS
• Houston improved to 102-95-3 all-time when playing in September.
• The Cougars have won their last seven games played in the month of September. Houston has not lost a game in September since dropping a 33-25 decision at #25/rv BYU on Sept. 11, 2014.
OFFENSE
• With 506 yards of total offense, the Cougars now have back-to-back games of over 500 yards of offense after collecting 511 yards against Lamar last weekend.
DEFENSE
• After freshman punter Dane Roy's third punt inside the 20-yard line pinned the Bearcats deep, senior linebacker Steven Taylor came up with a tackle in the end zone to register a safety. The Cougars' last safety came against the Bearcats inside TDECU Stadium on Nov. 7, 2015.
• Houston's defense held the Bearcats to 30 yards rushing in the contest, marking the fifth straight opponent that the Cougars have held under 100 yards on the ground. Houston held Lamar to 15 yards last week and Oklahoma to 70 yards in their opener. To close out the 2015-16 season the Cougars held Temple to 98 yards in the American Championship Game while keeping No. 9/8 Florida State at 16 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
• Prior to Thursday's game, the Cougars had not held five consecutive opponents under 100 rushing yards since 1999. That season, Houston enjoyed a six-game streak against Louisiana-Lafayette (42, Sept. 18, 1999; 84, at UAB, Sept. 25, 1999; 74, vs. Cincinnati, Oct. 9, 1999; 39 at North Carolina, Oct. 16, 1999; 88, at Louisville, Oct. 23, 1999 and 67, vs. #17 East Carolina, Oct. 30, 1999).
• Houston's defense entered the contest ranked No. 2 in the nation in rushing yards allowed, holding opponents to 42.5 yards per contest through the first two games.
• With the game hanging in the balance at 26-16 late in the fourth quarter, Houston's defense stepped up big ending back-to-back drives with pick sixes with Steven Taylor returning the first and Howard Wilson taking the second.
• The two defensive scores give Houston 36 non-offensive touchdowns since 2010 which moves them into a tie with Oregon for third in the NCAA.
• With three forced turnovers in the game, the Cougars now have 114 turnovers since 2013 marking the most in the NCAA.
• Houston has forced multiple turnovers in 40 of its last 51 games.
• Houston scored touchdowns following each of their three turnovers leading to 21 points off turnovers in the contest.
Greg Ward Jr.
• Senior Greg Ward Jr. is 21-2 as the Cougars' starting quarterback. He holds Houston's career record with a .913 winning percentage and is the only starting quarterback in school history with a perfect season after going 13-0 in 2015.
• Ward has won 16 consecutive starts with the Cougars, which leads the NCAA. He has not lost since a 38-31 win at Cincinnati on Dec. 6, 2014.
• With the win today, Ward moved into sole possession of fourth place in Houston career history with 21 wins as the Cougars' starting quarterback. Ward broke out of a tie with Danny Davis, who compiled a 20-6 record (1976-78). Up next in the Houston records book is Gary Mullins, who posted a 25-5 record (1969-71).
• In Thursday's game, Ward returned to the Cougars' starting lineup after sitting out their 42-0 win against Lamar on Sept. 10 inside TDECU Stadium. That was the first time he did not start for Houston since a 20-17 loss at UConn on Nov. 21, 2015. Although he did not start against the Huskies, he entered the game late in the fourth quarter as a reserve.
• Thursday was Greg Ward's fifth comeback victory in the second half during his career.
• It was Ward's first second-half comeback victory since leading Houston to a 34-31 win at Louisville on Sept. 12, 2015. Houston trailed 31-27 with 3:10 left in the fourth quarter against the Cardinals.
• After finishing the contest with 326 yards passing, Ward now has at least 200 yards passing or 100 yards rushing in every full game he has played in the last two years, missing parts of two games with injury.
• Ward's yardage effort through the air moves him into seventh on the all-time Houston passing yards list passing David Piland (5,790; 2010-14).
• Ward's 300-yard passing effort was the fifth of his career and the second his second consecutive after throwing for 321 yards against Oklahoma.
• Ward found the end zone on the ground in back-to-back drives for the Cougars, scoring from 12 yards out with 11:45 remaining in the game before adding a 3-yard scamper with 6:16 remaining. Ward now has 31 career rushing touchdowns breaking a tie with Charles Sims and moving him into a tie for third on the all-time Houston rushing touchdown list with Jackie Battle (2003-06).
D'ERIQ KING
• Freshman wide receiver D'Eriq King made his first career start for the Cougars, starting at both wide receiver and punt returner.
Chance Allen
• Senior wide receiver Chance Allen connected with Greg Ward Jr., on a 39-yard strike for Houston's first touchdown of the game with 8:00 remaining in the first quarter.
Brandon Wilson
• Senior cornerback Brandon Wilson took his first kickoff return of the game 56 yards marking his fourth career return of over 50 yards and his second this season. Wilson had a 55-yard return against Lamar on Sept. 10, 2016.
Tyus Bowser
• Senior outside linebacker Tyus Bowser picked up Houston's first sack of the game midway through the second quarter. Bowser now has 16.5 sacks in his career and has registered at least one in three straight games.
Ty Cummings
• Late in the fourth quarter, senior kicker Ty Cummings connected on a 32-yard field goal to give the Cougars a 10-7 lead. The connection was Cummings' 13th career field goal.
Steven Taylor
• Senior outside linebacker Steven Taylor registered a pair of sacks on Cincinnati's quarterback Hayden Moore. Taylor now has 5.5 sacks on the season and entered play tied for fourth in the nation.
• Taylor now has multiple sacks in six career games including all three this season.
• With his sack, Taylor now has 22.5 in his career moving him into fifth all time passing Leonard Mitchell (22; 1977-80) and Sammy Brown (2010-11), Glenn Montgomery (1985-88) and Larry Keller (1972-74), all of which had 21.
• With 3:47 remaining the in game, Steven Taylor intercepted a Hayden Moore pass and returned it 74 yards for the score. The interception was Taylor's fourth of his career and his first career score.
• With his interception today, Taylor has interceptions in back-to-back seasons against the Bearcats.
Jeremy Winchester
• Sophomore cornerback Jeremy Winchester registered a career-high three pass breakups while starting for the Cougars on Thursday. Winchester's previous best in a game was one which he had achieved three times.
Linell Bonner
• Junior wide receiver Linell Bonner caught eight passes in the game for 119 yards which stands as the first career 100-yard game for him. The effort was the 283rd 100-yard receiving effort in school history.
• Bonner's eight receptions also sets a new career high surpassing his previous best of seven against Navy on Nov. 27, 2015.
Howard Wilson
• Sophomore cornerback Howard Wilson picked up Houston's first defensive turnover of the game with his fifth career interception at the 10:26 mark in the fourth quarter.
• Just under seven minutes later Wilson intercepted another Wilson pass returning this one 28-yards for the score. The touchdown was Wilson's first of his career.
Dane Roy
• Freshman punter Dane Roy pinned the Bearcats inside the 20 yard line on four of his six punts in the game. Roy's punt early in the third quarter set up a Houston safety leading to two points.
