POSTGAME NOTES: Memphis 42, Houston 38
10/20/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
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BY THE NUMBERS0 0-1 1 1 2 2 2-2 3 3-1 3-3 4 4 4-3 4-4 5:59 6 8 10 12 17 15-11 15-16 20-5 30 37:38 37-96-5 59 106 121 140 145-131-6 219 430-359-15 554 30,001 |
GAME NOTES
• Houston fell to 4-3 in 2017.
• Houston fell to 430-359-15 all-time.
• Houston won the toss and elected to defer. Memphis chose to receive. Cougars defended the west end zone. Junior safety Garrett Davis, senior linebacker Matthews Adams, senior running back Dillon Birden and senior wide receiver Steven Dunbar were captains.
• Attendance was 30,001.
HEAD COACH Major Applewhite
• Applewhite fell to 4-4 during his Houston career.
• Applewhite fell to 4-3 in the regular season during his career.
• Applewhite fell to 3-1 in night games.
• Applewhite fell to 2-2 in home games during his career.
• Applewhite fell to 0-1 in games played on Thursdays.
• Applewhite fell to 0-1 against Memphis during his career.
MEMPHIS SERIES HISTORY
• Houston is 15-11 all-time in the series and 7-5 when playing Memphis at home.
• Thursday's game marked the first meeting between the two teams since a 48-44 loss at Memphis on Nov. 25, 2016.
TDECU STADIUM HISTORY
• Houston is 20-5 all-time in games played at TDECU Stadium.
BY MONTHS
• Houston fell to 145-131-6 in games played during the month of October.
BY DAYS
• Houston is 15-16 all-time when playing on Thursday.
• Houston's meeting with Memphis marked Head Coach Major Applewhite's first Thursday game.
vs. RANKED OPPONENTS
• Thursday's game marked the seventh straight season in which Houston Football has played at least one ranked opponent.
• Houston is 37-96-5 all-time against ranked opponents.
• Houston is 19-36-2 all-time against ranked opponents at home.
• Houston is 2-3 all-time when facing the No. 25 ranked team.
• Thursday's game was the first time Houston faced the No. 25 ranked team since a 35-34 win over No. 25/25 Memphis on Nov. 14, 2015, inside TDECU Stadium in Houston.
• Prior to Thursday, Houston had won its last six games against ranked opponents. The Cougars' last loss to a ranked opponent was a 33-25 setback at No. 25/rv BYU on Sept. 11, 2014.
• Houston entered the game with a six-game winning streak against ranked opponents, whichstood as the second-longest streak in the nation.
SCORING
• With senior running back Dillon Birden's one-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter, the Cougars have now scored in 219 consecutive games dating back to a 48-0 loss at No. 15 Texas on Sept. 23, 2000. Major Applewhite split repetitions at quarterback for the Longhorns in the game.
OFFENSE
• Thursday's contest marks the second consecutive game and third overall of the season in which running backs Dillon Birden and Duke Catalon have had a rushing touchdown in the same game.
• Houston's second scoring drive of the game traveled 94-yards on 15 plays, lasting 5:59. That drive tied Houston's longest drive, in terms of plays and set a new high in time of possession. The 94 yards were one yard shy of Houston's longest scoring drive of the season.
• Houston outgained Memphis 232-111 in terms of yardage in the third quarter.
• Houston's 554 yards of total offense were a season high. The Cougars' previous high was 484 against Rice on Sept. 16, 2017.
• Houston held the ball for 37:38, a new season long. The previous high 31:57 against Rice on Sept. 16, 2017, inside TDECU Stadium.
• Houston's 95 plays were a season high. The previous high was 88 plays at Tulsa on Oct. 14, 2017.
• Houston has 49 plays of 20 yards or more on the season.
• Houston had a 100-yard receiver and a 100-yard running back in the same game for the first time since Brandon Wilson rushed for 111 yards and Demarcus Ayers had 161 yards receiving in a 52-31 win at No. 16/15/15 Navy on Nov. 27, 2015.
SPECIAL TEAMS
• Senior wide receiver John Leday returned a kickoff for 20 yards early in the third quarter.
DEFENSE
• The Houston defense shutout Memphis in the first quarter. The Cougars have held their opponent to seven or less points in 21 of 28 quarters.
• With two turnovers forced, Houston now has 140 since 2013, the most among FBS schools.
• Houston held Memphis scoreless throughout the first half. This marks the first time the Tigers have been shutout in the first half since a 41-7 loss at ECU on Oct. 13, 2012.
• Houston held Memphis to 30 rushing yards in the game. The Tigers were averaging 180.2 rushing yards per game entering the contest.
• Houston forced four three and outs.
Kyle Postma
• Senior quarterback Kyle Postma made his sixth career start against Memphis. Postma also made starts on Nov. 21, 2015, at UConn, on Sept. 10, 2016, against Lamar and Sept. 30, 2017, at Temple on Sept. 30, 2017, against SMU on Oct. 7, 2017, and at Tulsa on Oct. 14, 2017.
• Postma finished 29-for-40 passing with a career-high 315 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His 29 completions were also a career-high. Both previous marks date back to Tulsa on Oct. 14, 2017.
• His 315 yards marked his first career 300-yard passing performance.
• Postma finished with eight rushes for 49 yards.
• Postma fell to 3-3 in his career as a starting quarterback.
Dane Roy
• Sophomore punter Dane Roy downed three punts at the Memphis 10-yard line to give him 17 inside the 20-yard line on the season.
• He finished with six punts for 269 yards, including a career-long 59-yard boot late in the fourth quarter. His previous long was 53 yards, done twice and last against Tulane on Nov. 12, 2016.
Duke Catalon
• Junior running back Duke Catalon pulled in a season-long 31-yard reception from quarterback Kyle Postma in the first quarter.
• Catalon found the end zone on the ground three times, scoring from four yards out and twice from one yard out to give him seven rushing touchdowns on the season and 11 overall in his career.
• Catalon's multi-score performance is his second of the season and overall career. The three rushing touchdowns is a career high. Catalon surpassed his two rushing touchdown performance against SMU on Oct. 7, 2017.
• Duke Catalon totaled 65 yards on 22 carries.
Ed Oliver
• Sophomore defensive tackle Ed Oliver recovered a fumble late in the first quarter. The fumble recovery is his first of the season.
• Oliver collected a sack midway through the second quarter to end a Memphis drive and force a punt. The sack gives Oliver 1.5 on the season and 6.5 in his career.
• With 2.5 tackles for loss, Oliver recorded his 10th career multi-tackle for loss performance. His 2.5 tackles for loss were also a season-high.
• With six tackles, Oliver has recored five games with at least five tackles in 2017.
D'Juan Hines
• Senior linebacker D'Juan Hines forced a fumble late in the first quarter. The forced fumble is the second of his career.
• Hines led Houston with nine total tackles.
Steven Dunbar
• With his first catch of the game, senior wide receiver Steven Dunbar moved into a tie for 16th all-time at Houston for career receptions, tying with Mark Hafner (145; 2004-08). He finished with eight catches to give him 152 for his career for 16th all-time outright.
• Dunbar has had at least six receptions in every game this season.
• With an eight-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter, Dunbar recorded his first touchdown reception of the season and the ninth overall of his career.
• With 52 receiving yards, Dunbar sits 14th all-time at Houston for career receiving yards with 1,874 yards.
Dillon Birden
• Senior running back Dillon Birden put Houston on the board first with a one-yard touchdown run, with 3:29 remaining in the first quarter. The score was Birder's fourth rushing touchdown of the season and tenth of his career.
• Birden finished the contest with a career-high 106 rushing yards on a career-high 21 carries. Birden's previous bests were 83-yards on 14 carries at Arizona on Sept. 9, 2017.
• Birden's performance is the 384th rushing performance of 100 yards or more.
David Anenih
• Freshman linebacker David Anenih registered his first career sack to force a Memphis punt late in the first quarter. The sack was also Anenih's first career tackle.
Linell Bonner
• Senior wide receiver Linell Bonner finished with eight receptions for 121 yards.
• With eight catches, Bonner passed James Dickson (161; 1987-88) and James Cleveland (161; 2009-10) for ninth all-time at Houston for career receptions with 168.
• Bonner finished the game with 121 yards receiving, passing Ken Habert (1,785; 1965-67), Don Bass (1,821; 1974-77) and Linell Bonner (1,874; 2014-Present) on the Houston receiving yards list with 1,900.
• Thursday was the 12th game of Bonner's career with seven receptions.
• Early in the second quarter, Bonner pulled in a 23-yard reception from quarterback Kyle Postma.
• Early in the third quarter, Bonner pulled down a 24-yard reception from Postma for his third reception of the game.
• Thursday marks Bonner's sixth career 100-yard receiving game and second this season. The performance marked his second consecutive season to go over 100 yards against Memphis (2016, 17-235).
• The game marks the 311th 100-yard receiving game in Houston history.
Garrett Davis
• With Memphis driving late in the second quarter, junior safety Garrett Davis intercepted Memphis quarterback Riley Ferguson and returned it 56 yards. The interception was Davis's American-Athletic-Conference-leading fourth interception of the season and fourth of his career. Davis ranks fifth nationally in interceptions.
Caden Novikoff
• Junior kicker Caden Novikoff connected on a 30-yard field goal to give Houston a 17-0 lead in the first half. Novikoff has made seven field goals on the season and has at least one field goal made in five consecutive games.
Courtney Lark
• Sophomore wide receiver Courtney Lark pulled down a career-long 38-yard reception early in the fourth quarter.
Alexander Myres
• Junior cornerback Alexander Myres registered a career-high 1.5 tackles for loss in the game.
