Saturday, October 13
Greenville, N.C.
6 p.m. CT
University of Houston
5-1 , 2-0
42
at
20
ECU
2-4 , 0-3
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Houston
14
7
7
14
42
ECU
0
3
3
14
20
Houston Cruises to Big Win at ECU
10/13/2018 9:57:00 PM | Football
Junior quarterback D’Eriq King responsible for three TDs; Defense holds Pirates to 41 rushing yards
GREENVILLE, N.C. – University of Houston junior quarterback D'Eriq King led the Cougars to touchdowns on their first two drives, and the Cougars never looked back in taking a 42-20 win at American Athletic Conference rival ECU inside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Saturday night.
Those initial points would be all the offense the Houston defense would need. The Cougars forced four ECU turnovers leading to 14 Houston points and limited the Pirates to 41 rushing yards on 31 carries. It was the lowest rushing total by an opponent since Memphis was held to only 30 yards on Oct. 19, 2017.
Junior All-American Ed Oliver led the way for the Cougars with five tackles for losses, including a pair of sacks, a forced fumble and a quarterback pressure.
Senior cornerback Isaiah Johnson led Houston with 14 tackles, while senior linebacker Austin Robinson totaled nine tackles with a pass breakup. Senior linebacker Emeke Egbule finished with five tackles and four quarterback pressures and added an interception and 5-yard fumble return for touchdown.
King finished the night with 209 passing yards on 13-of-23 passing with a pair of touchdowns and added an 8-yard touchdown run despite being taken out early in the fourth quarter after Houston had built a 42-6 advantage.
Junior running back Patrick Carr led Houston with 70 rushing yards on 13 carries, while receivers Courtney Lark, Marquez Stevenson and Bryson Smith hauled in three receptions apiece with Lark's 79 receiving yards leading the Cougars.
With the win, the Cougars improved to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in The American West Division. ECU fell to 2-4 overall and 0-3 in The American East Division.
After the Houston defense forced a three-and-out on ECU's first possession of the game, King guided Houston 67 yards on a seven-play drive that took 1:54 off the clock. The Cougars put their first mark on the scoreboard when King connected with Lark on a 38-yard touchdown.
Again, the Cougar defenders forced a 3-and-out, and again, King led Houston on a scoring drive that was capped by his 8-yard scamper from eight yards out with 8:06 remaining in the opening period.
ECU kicker Jake Verity put the Pirates on the board with a 32-yard field goal with 8:06 remaining in the first half.
After a Houston punt, ECU took over deep in their territory late in the first half, but defensive end Jerard Carter batted a Reid Herring pass, and Emeke Egbule dove and caught the loose ball to halt that drive.
Smith started the Houston drive with a 33-yard rush to the ECU 8, and three plays later, King connected with senior tight end Romello Brooker on a 6-yard touchdown pass for a 21-3 Houston lead with 1:08 left in the first half.
ECU took its opening drive of the second half to the Houston 16 but was unable to move any closer and settled for a 33-yard field goal from Verity to cut Houston's lead to 21-6 with 10:13 remaining.
The score remained that way until the Houston defense struck again. With ECU facing 3rd-and-10 in its territory, Oliver sacked and force a fumble from Pirate quarterback Reid Herring. Egbule scooped up the loose ball at the Pirate 5 and plunged into the end zone for a 28-6 Houston with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Junior running back Mulbah Car gave the Cougars a 35-6 lead on an 8-yard touchdown run with 14:03 left in the game. Following an ECU punt, King threw a backwards pass to Smith, who hauled it in and threw a 25-yard touchdown strike to junior wide receiver Keith Corbin to hand the Cougars a 42-6 advantage with 11:24 remaining.
ECU added a pair of touchdowns in the final 5:15 for the final margin of victory.
UP NEXT
The Cougars continue their road swing when they take on American Athletic Conference rival Navy at 2:30 p.m. (CDT) Saturday in Annapolis, Md. That game will air on CBS Sports Network.
Houston returns to the friendly confines of TDECU Stadium when it plays host to No. 23/23 USF on Oct. 27. Kickoff time for that game will be announced soon.
Fans can purchase tickets for the USF game by calling 713-462-6647 or by visiting uhcougars.com/tickets.
Those initial points would be all the offense the Houston defense would need. The Cougars forced four ECU turnovers leading to 14 Houston points and limited the Pirates to 41 rushing yards on 31 carries. It was the lowest rushing total by an opponent since Memphis was held to only 30 yards on Oct. 19, 2017.
Junior All-American Ed Oliver led the way for the Cougars with five tackles for losses, including a pair of sacks, a forced fumble and a quarterback pressure.
Senior cornerback Isaiah Johnson led Houston with 14 tackles, while senior linebacker Austin Robinson totaled nine tackles with a pass breakup. Senior linebacker Emeke Egbule finished with five tackles and four quarterback pressures and added an interception and 5-yard fumble return for touchdown.
King finished the night with 209 passing yards on 13-of-23 passing with a pair of touchdowns and added an 8-yard touchdown run despite being taken out early in the fourth quarter after Houston had built a 42-6 advantage.
Junior running back Patrick Carr led Houston with 70 rushing yards on 13 carries, while receivers Courtney Lark, Marquez Stevenson and Bryson Smith hauled in three receptions apiece with Lark's 79 receiving yards leading the Cougars.
With the win, the Cougars improved to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in The American West Division. ECU fell to 2-4 overall and 0-3 in The American East Division.
After the Houston defense forced a three-and-out on ECU's first possession of the game, King guided Houston 67 yards on a seven-play drive that took 1:54 off the clock. The Cougars put their first mark on the scoreboard when King connected with Lark on a 38-yard touchdown.
Again, the Cougar defenders forced a 3-and-out, and again, King led Houston on a scoring drive that was capped by his 8-yard scamper from eight yards out with 8:06 remaining in the opening period.
ECU kicker Jake Verity put the Pirates on the board with a 32-yard field goal with 8:06 remaining in the first half.
After a Houston punt, ECU took over deep in their territory late in the first half, but defensive end Jerard Carter batted a Reid Herring pass, and Emeke Egbule dove and caught the loose ball to halt that drive.
Smith started the Houston drive with a 33-yard rush to the ECU 8, and three plays later, King connected with senior tight end Romello Brooker on a 6-yard touchdown pass for a 21-3 Houston lead with 1:08 left in the first half.
ECU took its opening drive of the second half to the Houston 16 but was unable to move any closer and settled for a 33-yard field goal from Verity to cut Houston's lead to 21-6 with 10:13 remaining.
The score remained that way until the Houston defense struck again. With ECU facing 3rd-and-10 in its territory, Oliver sacked and force a fumble from Pirate quarterback Reid Herring. Egbule scooped up the loose ball at the Pirate 5 and plunged into the end zone for a 28-6 Houston with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Junior running back Mulbah Car gave the Cougars a 35-6 lead on an 8-yard touchdown run with 14:03 left in the game. Following an ECU punt, King threw a backwards pass to Smith, who hauled it in and threw a 25-yard touchdown strike to junior wide receiver Keith Corbin to hand the Cougars a 42-6 advantage with 11:24 remaining.
ECU added a pair of touchdowns in the final 5:15 for the final margin of victory.
UP NEXT
The Cougars continue their road swing when they take on American Athletic Conference rival Navy at 2:30 p.m. (CDT) Saturday in Annapolis, Md. That game will air on CBS Sports Network.
Houston returns to the friendly confines of TDECU Stadium when it plays host to No. 23/23 USF on Oct. 27. Kickoff time for that game will be announced soon.
Fans can purchase tickets for the USF game by calling 713-462-6647 or by visiting uhcougars.com/tickets.
Team Stats
HOU
ECU
Total Yards
406
415
Pass Yards
249
374
Rushing Yards
157
41
Penalty Yards
115
69
1st Downs
18
27
3rd Downs
4
9
4th Downs
0
1
TOP
26:47
33:13
1st Quarter
HOU 7, ECU 0
HOU - LARK, Courtney 38 yd pass from KING, D'Eriq (WITHERSPOON, Da kick) 7 plays, 67 yards, TOP 1:54
HOU 14, ECU 0
HOU - KING, D'Eriq 8 yd run (WITHERSPOON, Da kick), 10 plays, 74 yards, TOP 3:03
2nd Quarter
HOU 14, ECU 3
ECU - VERITY, Jake 32 yd field goal 14 plays, 71 yards, TOP 6:05
HOU 21, ECU 3
HOU - BROOKER, R. 6 yd pass from KING, D'Eriq (WITHERSPOON, Da kick) 4 plays, 41 yards, TOP 0:29
3rd Quarter
HOU 21, ECU 6
ECU - VERITY, Jake 33 yd field goal 9 plays, 39 yards, TOP 3:44
HOU 28, ECU 6
HOU - EGBULE, Emeke 5 yd fumble recovery (WITHERSPOON, Da kick)
4th Quarter
HOU 35, ECU 6
HOU - CAR, Mulbah 8 yd run (WITHERSPOON, Da kick), 6 plays, 51 yards, TOP 2:49
HOU 42, ECU 6
HOU - CORBIN, Keith 25 yd pass from SMITH, Bryson (WITHERSPOON, Da kick) 4 plays, 67 yards, TOP 2:07
HOU 42, ECU 13
ECU - BROWN, Trevon 13 yd pass from AHLERS, Holton (VERITY, Jake kick) 10 plays, 96 yards, TOP 3:15
HOU 42, ECU 20
ECU - AHLERS, Holton 1 yd run (VERITY, Jake kick), 8 plays, 62 yards, TOP 1:53
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
Players Mentioned
TE
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
DE
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
CB
/ FootballQB
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WR
/ Football
LB
/ FootballQB
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WR
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