University of Houston
6-1 , 3-0
Navy
2-5 , 1-3
Houston Rallies in Win over Navy
10/20/2018 5:57:00 PM | Football
Junior QB D’Eriq King threw for 413 yards and three touchdowns, leads Coogs to 35 unanswered points
King, who led the nation with 28.3 points responsible for per game entering Saturday's contest, connected on 25-of-38 passing for the second-highest passing yardage total of his career and his fourth career 300-yard passing game. With the Cougars trailing 24-14 late in the first half, King led the Cougars to touchdowns on five of the seven possessions for his third come-from-behind victory after trailing by 9+ points in 2018.
Sophomore Marquez Stevenson (141) and juniors Keith Corbin (104) and Courtney Lark (106) each recorded 100-yard receiving games with Corbin and Lark hauling in scores. They became only the eighth Houston trio in school history to record 100+ receiving yards in one game and the first since L.J. Castile (144), Kierrie Johnson (142) and Tyron Carrier (101) accomplished the feat at Rice on Nov. 29, 2008.
With the win, the Cougars improved to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in The American West Division. Navy fell to 2-5 overall and 1-3 in The American West.
Scoring a field goal and three touchdowns on its first four possessions, Navy grabbed a 24-14 lead following Tazh Maloy's 32-yard touchdown run with 5:19 left in the first half. However, those would be the final points the Midshipmen would score for a while.
On the Cougars' ensuing possession, King wasted little time in moving Houston closer, hitting Lark on a 65-yard touchdown pass to pull Houston to within 24-21 at halftime.
Navy received the second-half kickoff but was forced to punt. King led the Cougars on a 10-play, 88-yard drive (their longest drive of the game in plays and yards) and gave Houston the lead for good at 28-24 on a 14-yard touchdown strike to senior tight end Romello Brooker with 5:33 remaining in the third quarter.
The Cougar defense forced a punt and turnover on downs on Navy's next two possession, and the offense responded with a 1-yard touchdown run from Stevenson and a 2-yard touchdown pass to Corbin.
The Cougars capped their scoring on the day when senior cornerback Nick Watkins picked off a Garret Lewis pass and raced 50 yards into the end zone for a 49-24 Houston lead with 6:01 remaining in the game.
Navy added a pair of touchdowns in the final two minutes for the final margin of victory.
After giving up 24 points in the opening 30 minutes, the Houston defense stiffened and did not allow the Midshipmen to score again until the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.
Senior linebacker Austin Robinson led all players with a career-high 21 tackles, including 11 solo stops. That total tied as the eighth-highest mark in Houston single-game history and was the most since safety Trevon Stewart made 21 tackles against ECU on Nov. 3, 2012.
In addition to his tackle total, Robinson added 4.5 sacks for a loss of 29 yards, including a pair of sacks.
Senior linebacker Roman Brown added 13 tackles with five solo stops, while senior linebacker Emeke Egbule finished with 11 tackles.
UP NEXT
The Cougars returns to the friendly confines of TDECU Stadium when it plays host to No. 21/21 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 0, NAVY 3
NAVY - MOEHRING, B 43 yd field goal 9 plays, 22 yards, TOP 5:36
HOU 7, NAVY 3
HOU - CARR, Patrick 22 yd run (WITHERSPOON, Da kick), 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:57
HOU 7, NAVY 10
NAVY - PERRY, Malcolm 32 yd run (MOEHRING, B kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:58
HOU 7, NAVY 17
NAVY - ABEY, Zach 1 yd run (MOEHRING, B kick), 12 plays, 76 yards, TOP 6:50
HOU 14, NAVY 17
HOU - KING, D'Eriq 17 yd run (WITHERSPOON, Da kick), 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:01
HOU 14, NAVY 24
NAVY - MALOY, Tazh 32 yd run (MOEHRING, B kick), 2 plays, 75 yards, TOP 0:45
HOU 21, NAVY 24
HOU - LARK, Courtney 65 yd pass from KING, D'Eriq (WITHERSPOON, Da kick) 2 plays, 75 yards, TOP 0:27
HOU 28, NAVY 24
HOU - BROOKER, R. 14 yd pass from KING, D'Eriq (WITHERSPOON, Da kick) 10 plays, 88 yards, TOP 3:20
HOU 35, NAVY 24
HOU - STEVENSON, Marq 1 yd run (WITHERSPOON, Da kick), 5 plays, 71 yards, TOP 1:25
HOU 42, NAVY 24
HOU - CORBIN, Keith 2 yd pass from KING, D'Eriq (WITHERSPOON, Da kick) 9 plays, 54 yards, TOP 3:02
HOU 49, NAVY 24
HOU - WATKINS, Nick 50 yd interception (WITHERSPOON, Da kick)
HOU 49, NAVY 30
NAVY - FELLS, Myles 14 yd run (), 15 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:03
HOU 49, NAVY 36
NAVY - JACKSON, Taylor 15 yd pass from LEWIS, Garret () 3 plays, 65 yards, TOP 0:12
