University of Houston Athletics
Game Primer: Houston at UCF
10/31/2019 10:01:00 AM | Football
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2 from Orlando
GAME 9
Houston at UCF
Nov. 2 | 11 a.m. CT | Spectrum Stadium | Orlando, Fla.
Broadcast: ESPN2
Radio: KPRC 950-AM
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/2lz8Pp6
Game Notes: UH | UCF | The American
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
« Houston makes its first visit to Spectrum Stadium since 2015 as the Cougars take on UCF. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT on Saturday and the game will be televised on ESPN2 with Beth Mowins (pxp), Anthony Becht (analyst) and Rocky Boiman (field analyst) on the call. Radio coverage on KPRC 950-AM begins at 10 a.m. CT.
« Saturday's game marks the ninth all-time meeting between Houston and UCF, with the Knights leading the series, 5-3. Houston won the last matchup in 2016, downing UCF, 31-24, inside TDECU Stadium on Oct. 29, 2016. The Cougars rallied from a 24-3 deficit early in the second half.
« Since 2018, junior wide receiver Marquez Stevenson leads active FBS players with eight receptions of 50 yards or more. Stevenson scored twice last week against SMU, including on a 96-yard touchdown pass from Clayton Tune in the fourth quarter. It is the longest passing play by the Houston offense since 1972 against San Diego State (Terry Peel 99-yard touchdown pass to Robert Ford). Stevenson picked up his first TD of the night on a 75-yard strike from Tune in the third quarter.
« In his third start of the season, Tune nearly helped the Cougars complete the comeback effort against 16th-ranked SMU. The sophomore threw for a career-high 407 yards on 18-of-33 passing and two touchdowns. Tune became the 11th Houston quarterback in school history to throw for 400 yards or more in a game.
« The Cougars are one of two programs to have at least five different players with at least one 100-yard rushing game this season. Houston and Georgia Southern are the only two programs to accomplish that feat.
« Sophomore wide receiver Bryson Smith is the only player in the FBS to record at least one passing touchdown, rushing touchdown and punt return touchdown this season.
« Junior nickel back Grant Stuard has emerged as Houston's defensive leader in 2019. Stuard is third in The American in tackles per game (8.6) and leads the conference in solo tackles (48). The Conroe, Texas, native has three double-digit tackle games this season. Stuard entered the season with 32 career tackles after splitting time between safety and running back last season.
« The Cougars' defense has recorded at least one takeaway in 24 out of its last 25 games.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
« Junior wide receiver Marquez Stevenson has four receptions of 60 yards or more this season, tied for the most among FBS players with Oklahoma State's Tylan Wallace. Stevenson's 96-yard touchdown reception is tied for the longest touchdown catch of the 2019 season by any FBS player.
« The Cougars are ninth nationally with 58 rushes of 63-plus yards and rank fourth in the conference with 206.8 yards per game on the ground. Despite its deep Air Raid roots, Houston has recorded at least 1,500 rushing yards as a team in 18 consecutive seasons.
« Senior Dane Roy leads The American and is sixth in FBS with a 47.1 punt average. Roy's 47.1 punting average would set a UH single-season record, besting the previous mark held by Richie Leone set in 2012 (45.5 yards per punt). Because of Roy's efforts, Houston leads the conference and is fourth in FBS in net punting (43.6).
« Houston ranks second among FBS teams with four blocked kicks this season, including three blocked punts. The Cougars recorded their first blocked field goal attempt of the season against Cincinnati, their first since Dec. 24, 2017, against Fresno State in the Hawai'i Bowl. The Cougars picked up their third blocked punt of the season at UConn.
« Thirty-eight Houston players have made least one start this season (20 on offense, 18 on defense). That total is tied for the sixth-most among FBS teams.
SCOUTING UCF
« UCF enters Saturday's matchup after a 63-21 road win at Temple. The Knights lead the conference and rank second nationally in total offense, averaging 561.4 yards per game. UCF has recorded at least one rushing and one passing touchdown in 34 consecutive games, the longest streak in the nation. In their last 34 games, UCF has a record of 31-3.
« UCF is under the direction of head coach Josh Heupel, who is 18-3 in his two seasons at the helm. Heupel guided the Knights to a 12-1 mark in his first season as head coach, helping UCF to a berth in the Fiesta Bowl.
« On offense, UCF ranks first in The American and fifth in FBS averaging 46.6 points per game. The Knights rank in the top 20 in both passing offense (8th, 327.5) and rushing offense (17th, 233.9). Against Temple, UCF scored a season-high 63 points as running back Otis Anderson rushed for a career-high 205 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, while quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 218 yards and three touchdowns against the Owls. Gabriel is second in the conference with 277.2 yards passing per game and is tied for the first in the league with 20 touchdown passes. Wide receiver Gabriel Davis averages 114.5 receiving yards per game, which leads The American and ranks sixth among FBS players this season.
« Defensively, the Knights are 34th in FBS in scoring defense, holding opponents to 21.6 points per game. Among teams in The American, UCF ranks third in rushing defense, limiting foes to just 125.6 yards per game on the ground. Opponents average 213.6 yards per game through the air against the Knights (ranks seventh in The American). Defensive back Aaron Robinson is tied for third in the league with three interceptions this season. Linebacker Nate Evans is the top tackler for UCF this season with 59 total stops and is fifth in The American with 7.4 tackles per game.
LAST TIME AGAINST UCF
« SMU's Ben Hicks threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns, as the Mustangs beat then No. 17 Houston, 45-31, in Dallas last season. The Mustangs led the entire way, jumping out to a 17-0 lead after Hicks threw his second TD, a 17-yarder to Tyler Page less than a minute into the second quarter.
« After Houston trimmed the deficit down to 38-31 on D'Eriq King's 3-yard touchdown run with 9:34 left, the Mustangs used a time-consuming 13-play drive that ended with Ke'Mon Freeman's second touchdown run, an 8-yarder with 2:43 left. That drive was interrupted for about 90 minutes because of lightning and heavy rain. Freeman ran 20 times for 107 yards.
« The Cougars were limited to 365 total yards as Houston failed to reach the 40-point mark for the first time during the 2018 season. King did have at least two passing TDs and a rushing score for the ninth straight game, the longest such streak for an FBS player in the last 20 years. He also ran 12 times for 54 yards and was 11 of 22 passing for 175 yards.
« Patrick Carr led the Cougars on the ground with 75 yards on 17 carries. Marquez Stevenson led the way with three receptions for 104 yards and one touchdown. Hicks completed 28 of 43 passes for SMU, while Justin Guy-Robinson (134 yards) and James Proche (90 yards) both had nine catches.
GAME 8 RECAP: SMU
« Greg Ward Jr. ran for two touchdowns and passed for another in the second half as Houston rallied from a 21-point third-quarter deficit to beat UCF, 31-24, inside TDECU Stadium on Oct. 29, 2016.
« Matthew Wright's 41-yard field goal gave UCF a 24-3 lead early in the second half before the Cougars' defense stiffened, holding the Knights to minus-5 yards of offense in the third quarter and 29 for the half. UCF was limited to minus-55-yards rushing in the second half.
« Ward rallied the Cougars with touchdown runs of one and 14 yards along with a 6-yard TD pass to Romello Brooker. Duke Catalon added a 12-yard rushing TD. Two of the scores followed turnovers by UCF, which had four in the second half.
« Ward was 26-of-37 for 240 yards but threw three interceptions, all in the first half when UCF took a 21-3 lead on three rushing touchdowns. Catalon led the Cougars with a career-high seven catches for 40 yards and finished with 19 carries for 82 yards on the ground, while Steven Dunbar caught five passes for 52 yards.
« Howard Wilson and Brandon Wilson provided second-half interceptions for Houston to spark the comeback.
« The 21-point comeback win was the third largest come-from-behind victory for Houston in program history.
ON THE OFFENSIVE
« Since 2006, only Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas Tech have racked up more yards than Houston, which has 86,337 in that span. Houston has scored in 244 straight games dating back to Sept. 30, 2000.
Rank - Total Yards (2006-present)
1. Oklahoma - 91,028
2. Oregon - 87,904
3. Texas Tech - 86,670
4. Houston - 86,337
5. Oklahoma State - 85,105
« In 2019, Houston has produced a strong rushing attack with five different players rushing for at least 100 yards in a game this season: D'Eriq King (twice), Patrick Carr, Mulbah Car, Kyle Porter (twice) and Clayton Tune. The Cougars are one of seven programs to have at least four different players with at least one 100-yard rushing game along with Air Force, Georgia Southern, Louisiana, South Carolina, Wake Forest and Wyoming. Georgia Southern and Houston are the only two programs with five different players with at least one 100-yard rushing game.
« Houston ended 2018 fifth nationally in scoring offense with an average of 43.9 points per game and seventh in total offense with an average of 512.5 yards per game.
« Houston, Oklahoma and Clemson were the only schools to rank in the top 25 for both passing offense (No. 16, 295.5) and rushing offense (No. 24, 217.1) in 2018.
« Last season, the offense ranked fifth nationally with 92 plays of at least 20+ yards and 11th with 13 plays of 50+ yards. The versatility of UH's offense was evident as 10 different players had receiving TDs, eight of which return in 2019, and nine different players across three position groups had rushing TDs, of which eight return in 2019.
« Houston opened the season with 40+ points in its first three games of a season for the first time in program history and expanded the streak through its first eight games. The eight-game streak set the Houston record for
the longest such streak.
« With 45 points at Rice, 49 at Texas Tech and 49 at Navy, Houston scored 45+ in at least three road games in a season for only the third time in program history (1989 and 2011). It was also the first time since the 2011 team accomplished the feat five times.
« Since 2015, Houston has 21 games with 500+ yards of total offense and eight games with 600+ yards. It has scored more than 40 points in 23 of 60 games and more than 50 points on seven different occasions.
CALLED INTO ACTION
« Due to injuries and the decision to redshirt for the remainder of the 2019 season by D'Eriq King in September, the Cougars have had to prepare multiple players to take snaps at quarterback.
« Sophomore quarterback Clayton Tune inherited the starting job after senior King announced he would redshirt and return to action next year. After missing the Oct. 19 game at UConn, Tune returned to action against SMU and finished with a career-high 407 yards and two touchdowns on 18-of-33 passing. The Carrollton, Texas, native became the 11th Houston signal caller to throw for over 400 yards in a single game in school history.
« Tune shined in his first start of the season at North Texas, throwing for 124 yards and one touchdown on 16-of-20 passing. The sophomore also rushed for a career-high 100 yards on 11 carries, including a career-long 55-yard scramble late in the fourth quarter.
« At North Texas, Tune showed off his dual threat ability as he became the eighth UH quarterback to throw and rush for 100 yards in a single game in school history.
« Against No. 25 Cincinnati, Tune tossed a pair of touchdowns and finished with a 184 yards passing. The sophomore connected with Marquez Stevenson on a 69-yard score on Houston's first drive of the second half. In the fourth quarter, Tune tossed a 6-yard touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Christian Trahan.
« Against, UConn freshman quarterback Logan Holgorsen made his first career start, finishing 7-of-15 for 123 yards. Holgorsen tossed his first career touchdown pass with a 58-yard strike to Jeremy Singleton in the third quarter against the Huskies.
« Sophomore wide receiver Bryson Smith has also taken snaps for the Cougars at quarterback over the last two games. Smith threw a 50-yard touchdown on his first pass attempt of the season against Cincinnati. He has added back-to-back rushing touchdowns in each of the last two games.
LINE ON THE LINE
« Offensive line coach Brandon Jones' unit has helped pave the way for the Cougars' rushing attack this year. Despite using six different starting lineup combinations in eight games, Houston's offensive line has helped the Cougars average 206.8 yards per game this season on the ground.
« With season-ending injuries to center Braylon Jones and right tackle Jarrid Williams, the unit has developed several new players to fill the gaps. Eight different players have made at least one start on the offensive line this season for the Cougars.
« Senior tackle Josh Jones leads the way with 44 career starts, having stepped into the left tackle role in the 2016 opener and never looking back. Jones is the only remaining starter from the Coogs' first game of the season on the offensive line. He was recently named a Pro Football Focus Midseason All-American.
« Jones has made 26 consecutive starts for the Cougars, the longest streak on the team.
« Graduate transfer Gio Pancotti (Texas Tech) brings valuable experience up front for the Cougars. Pancotti played in three games last year at Texas Tech before transferring to Houston. He has made seven consecutive starts for the Cougars, including at right guard versus SMU. Junior Keenan Murphy owns three career starts, stepping into the starting lineup at left guard against SMU. The Crosby, Texas, native saw action in all 13 games on the line in 2018.
« Redshirt freshman Jack Murphy made his first career start at center at North Texas, filling in for Braylon Jones. Junior Dennis Bardwell has also made four starts this season for the Cougars at right guard.
« Sophomore Dixie Wooten III has started the last three games at right tackle in place of Williams.
TURNOVER U
« Since the start of the 2013 season, no program has taken the ball away from opposing offenses more than Houston with 179 turnovers forced in that time with seven in 2019, 24 in 2018, 21 in 2017, 18 in 2016, 35 in 2015, 30 in 2014 and 43 in 2013. Houston has an 13-turnover lead on its closest competitor in that stretch.
« Houston saw its streak of 21 consecutive games with a turnover forced come to an end against North Texas on Sept. 28. The Cougars rank third among FBS teams since 2013 with 105 interceptions. UH has also forced multiple turnovers in 57 of its last 93 games.
« Houston has been opportunistic with its turnovers, ranking third nationally since 2010 with 47 non-offensive touchdowns including 25 defensive touchdowns over the last seven seasons.
A HOUSTON WIN WOULD ...
« Improve Houston's program win-loss record to 445-371-15 all-time since 1946 and give Houston its 57th win since 2013, the most in Texas in that span.
« Improve Houston's series record to 5-4 against UCF and give the Cougars their second win in Orlando.
AMONG THE BEST
« Since 2013, Houston ranks first in the state of Texas with 56 wins with TCU (55) ranking second. The Cougars are three wins ahead of Texas A&M, four wins ahead of Baylor and 12 games ahead of Texas in that span. Houston leads the state of Texas FBS schools with 10 seasons of at least eight wins since 2006. TCU is second in that span with nine.
« Houston enters 2019 second on The American's all-time win list in conference games with 34 conference wins. Since the league's inception, UCF leads with 38 wins, followed by the Cougars.
« Houston enters 2019 riding a streak of six straight bowl appearances, the 16th-longest active streak in the nation and the longest in The American. The current six-game streak is a program best, topping the previous from 2005-09.
