University of Houston
No. 18 Memphis
Game Primer: Houston vs. Memphis
11/14/2019 2:10:00 PM | Football
Cougars host No. 18 Tigers for Homecoming
GAME 10
Houston vs. #18/18/18 Memphis
Nov. 16 | 2:30 p.m. CT | TDECU Stadium | Houston
Broadcast: ESPN2
Radio: KPRC 950-AM
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/2lz8Pp6
Game Notes: UH | UM | The American
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
« Houston hosts No. 18/18/18 Memphis on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. for the Cougars' 2019 homecoming game. 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 1:30 p.m. CT.
« Houston is 5-3 against ranked opponents inside TDECU Stadium since its opening in 2014. The Cougars' last win over a ranked opponent came in 2018 as Houston defeated then No. 17 USF, 57-36. The Cougars are 36-100-5 all-time against top 25 opponents.
« Memphis is the fifth top-25 opponent Houston has faced this season, marking the seventh time in UH history the Cougars have faced at least five ranked foes in one season. It is the most ranked opponents Houston has faced in one year since 1996. The Cougars played a school-record six opponents during the 1977 season.
« Saturday's game marks the 74th homecoming game in Houston football history. The Cougars are 36-32-5 all-time in homecoming games.
« The Cougars are one of three programs to have at least five different players with at least one 100-yard rushing game this season. Houston, South Carolina and Georgia Southern are the only three programs to accomplish that feat.
« Senior offensive tackle Josh Jones was invited to play in the 2020 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Jones is the fifth member of the Houston program to be invited to play in the Senior Bowl in the last six years, following Isaiah Johnson (2019), Tyus Bowser (2017), William Jackson III (2016) and Joey Mbu (2015).
« Junior nickel back Grant Stuard has emerged as Houston's defensive leader in 2019. Stuard is sixth in The American in tackles per game (8.0) and is tied for the second in the conference in solo tackles (50). The Conroe, Texas, native has three double-digit tackle games this season.
« The Cougars' defense has recorded at least one takeaway in 24 out of its last 26 games.
« Junior kicker Dalton Witherspoon has made his last 10 field goal attempts dating back to Sept. 28 against Tulane. Witherspoon is 15-of-18 in field goal attempts this season. The junior's 15 made field goals this season rank 10th in UH single-season history.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
« Presentation of the 2019 Homecoming Court and the crowing of the Homecoming king and qeen will take place at halftime.
« Houston's 1979 Southwest Conference Championship team will be recognized during the game.
« Approximately two hours and 20 minutes prior to kickoff, head coach Dana Holgorsen and the Cougars will disembark the team buses on Cullen Blvd. next to the southwest corner of the stadium (ICON Gate 2). Fans are encouraged to cheer on the team upon arrival and watch as Coach Holgorsen and the squad as they make their way into TDECU Stadium.
« Fans can expect to see increased Wi-Fi capability inside TDECU Stadium.
« Fans will notice during TV timeouts on Saturday a digital clock on the sideline. The clock represents how much time is remaining in a commercial break before play resumes.
« TDECU Stadium has a clear-bag policy. For more information on Houston football's gameday procedures, click here.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
« Since 2018, junior wide receiver Marquez Stevenson leads active FBS players with nine receptions of 50 yards or more. This season, Stevenson is tied for first nationally with four receptions of 60 yards or more this season, tied with Florida State's Tamorrion Terry, Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb and Oklahoma State's Tylan Wallace.
« Senior Dane Roy leads The American and is sixth in FBS with a 47.2 punt average. Roy's 47.2 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 third in FBS in net punting (43.6).
« Houston ranks third 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.
« Forty Houston players have made least one start this season (21 on offense, 19 on defense). That total is tied for the eighth-most among FBS teams.
« Houston is one of five FBS programs to have three different quarterbacks with winning starts on its roster: D'Eriq King (Prairie View A&M), Clayton Tune (at North Texas) and Logan Holgorsen (at UConn). BYU, Nevada, Tennessee and USC also have had three different quarterbacks win in at least one start this season.
SCOUTING MEMPHIS
« Memphis enters Saturday's matchup after a bye week following a 54-48 win over then No. 15/14 SMU inside the Liberty Bowl on Nov. 2. The Tigers are one of four teams from the American Athletic Conference ranked inside the AP top 25 poll. Memphis is under the direction of head coach Mike Norvell, who is 34-15 in his four seasons with the Tigers. Norvell has guided the Tigers two American Athletic Conference West Division titles.
« On offense, the Tigers rank third in The American and eighth in the FBS in scoring offense, averaging 41.1 points per game. Memphis junior quarterback Brady White has thrown for 2,511 yards and ranks third in the league with 23 passing touchdowns. White leads The American in passing efficiency (182.2) and is completing 67.5 percent of his passes. In Memphis' victory against SMU, White completed 19-of-33 passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns.
« Freshman running back Kenny Gainwell leads the conference and is third among FBS players in all-purpose yards, averaging 169.0 yards per game. Gainwell averages 6.8 yards per carry and ranks second in the league with 118.6 rushing yards per game. The freshman has accounted for 1,067 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns this season, while also adding 454 receiving yards. Junior Damonte Coxie leads the Tigers with 44 receptions for 672 yards and five touchdowns. Coxie caught seven passes for 143 yards and touchdowns last time out against SMU. Senior wide receiver Antonio Gibson is second on the squad with 481 receiving yards and leads the Tigers with six touchdown receptions.
« Defensively, the Tigers are sixth in scoring defense (25.8) and are holding opponents to 394.8 total yards per game (ranks seventh in the conference). Senior linebacker Austin Hall leads the Tigers in tackles with 55 stops this season. Hall ranks 14th in the American with 6.4 tackles per game.
LAST TIME AGAINST MEMPHIS
« Houston quarterback Clayton Tune threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns, but it would not be enough as the Cougars fell 52-31 at Memphis inside the Liberty Bowl in the 2018 regular-season finale for both teams.
« Making the first start of his career after an injury sidelined starter D'Eriq King, Tune led the Cougars to a touchdown on their opening drive and completed 18-of-43 passes with two touchdown passes to Keith Corbin and another score to Terry Mark. However, Memphis accounted for more than 600 yards of total offense, including 401 rushing with six rushing TDs, and scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to take the win.
« After the Houston defense forced a three-and-out on Memphis' first possession of the game Tune led the Cougars on a 9-play, 73-yard drive that was capped by his 33-yard touchdown pass to Mark with 11:37 remaining in the opening period. The Cougars took a 21-17 lead into the locker room at halftime but trailed 31-24 when Memphis' Tony Pollard plunged into the end zone from six yards out with 2:41 left in the third quarter.
« Tune and the Cougars quickly responded. Following a 41-yard kickoff return by sophomore Marquez Stevenson and three rushes from junior Mulbah Car and redshirt freshman wide receiver Jeremy Singleton, Tune hit Corbin on a slant, and the junior wide receiver outraced the Memphis defenders to the end zone to tie the game at 31-31. Unfortunately, the Cougars could not sustain their offensive momentum in the final period and were held to a punt, turnover on downs and interception on their first three fourth-quarter possessions while Memphis used two rushing touchdowns from Darrell Henderson and another rushing score from Patrick Taylor for the final margin of victory.
GAME 9 RECAP: UCF
« Houston senior running back Mulbah Car rushed for a game-high 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the Cougars in a 44-29 loss to UCF inside Spectrum Stadium. The Cougars jumped out to a 17-7 lead late in the first quarter after Car's two scores and a 45-yard field goal from Dalton Witherspoon, the first of three first-half field goals from the junior kicker. UCF scored touchdowns on three straight possessions in the third quarter to build a lead it would never relinquish.
« Sophomore quarterback Clayton Tune threw for 179 yards with a touchdown and interception, while sophomore receiver Tre'von Bradley added four catches with 90 yards. Defensive end Derek Parish led the Houston defense with five tackles with four solo stops, one for a loss.
« UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel posted 298 passing yards with three touchdowns with receiver Tre Nixon hauling in six catches for 123 yards and a pair of scores to lead the Knights.
« The Cougars wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard. Electing to receive the opening kickoff, the Cougars quickly marched 75 yards in six plays and grabbed a 7-0 lead when senior running back Car raced into the end zone from 37 yards out with 12:04 left in the opening period.
ON THE OFFENSIVE
« Since 2006, only Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas Tech have racked up more yards than Houston, which has 86,756 in that span. Houston has scored in 245 straight games dating back to Sept. 30, 2000.
Rank-Team-Total Yards(2006-present)
1. Oklahoma - 91,527
2. Oregon - 88,309
3. Texas Tech - 87,151
4. HOUSTON - 86,756
5. Oklahoma State - 85,564
« 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 (twice), 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 61 games and more than 50 points on seven different occasions.
BACK TO THE BACKS
« Junior Kyle Porter leads the Cougars with 525 rushing yards and has scored three times on the ground this season. Porter, a Texas transfer, set a career high with 120 yards on 19 carries and one touchdown against Prairie View A&M. After missing the North Texas game, Porter led the Cougars with 107 yards on 16 rushing attempts versus Cincinnati.
« Senior Patrick Carr has missed time due to injury but is a valuable piece in the UH backfield. After missing the first two games of the season, but was key against North Texas. Carr turned in his best performance of the season by matching his career high with 139 yards on the ground on 16 carries, while becoming the first UH running back to record three rushing touchdowns in a single game since 2017.
« Senior Mulbah Car has provided the Cougars with added depth during the second half of the season. Car rushed was pressed into action against SMU, rushing for 136 yards on 18 carries. Car averaged 7.6 yards per carry against the Mustangs. The senior made his first career start at UCF, recording 132 yards on the ground on 26 carries, while scoring two rushing touchdowns. Car has played four games this season and is unlikely to play again in 2019, qualifying for a redshirt under NCAA rules and returning to Houston's roster for the 2020 season.
LINE ON THE LINE
« Houston is one of six schools nationally, and two in The American, to have a 1,000-yard receiver each of the last four seasons as Demarcus Ayers (2015, 1,222 yards), Linell Bonner (2016, 1,118), Steven Dunbar (2017, 1,070) and Marquez Stevenson (2018, 1,019) each accomplished the feat.
« Named to The American's First Team in 2018, Stevenson has made key plays for the Cougars throughout the season in the passing game. At North Texas, he finished with seven receptions for 64 yards and picked up his first career kickoff return for a touchdown against the Mean Green. He followed up with a three-catch, 120-yard performance against Cincinnati which included a 69-yard touchdown reception. Stevenson has six career 100-yard receiving games.
« Stevenson turned in his best performance of his career against SMU, recording five catches for a career-high 211 yards against SMU to go along with two touchdowns. Stevenson scored twice on TD receptions over 75 yards, including a 96-yard scoring strike in the fourth quarter against the Mustangs. The 96-yard touchdown reception was the longest offensive scoring play of the season for the Cougars and ranked as the fourth-longest passing play in program history.
« Jeremy Singleton continues to build off his strong freshman year. Singleton scored on a 50-yard touchdown pass against Cincinnati on Oct. 12 and followed up with two catches for 103 yards at UConn. Singleton's 58-yard touchdown reception marked the longest catch of the year for the sophomore. Tight end Christian Trahan has also earned a key role in UH's offensive system and has made 17 catches this season and picked up his first career receiving touchdown against Cincinnati. Trahan recorded a career-high five receptions at UCF.
« Bryson Smith finished 2018 with 30 receptions for 285 yards and four touchdowns. He has made seven catches for 44 yards this season, but has also seen time at quarterback for the Cougars in recent weeks.
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 106 interceptions. UH has also forced multiple turnovers in 57 of its last 94 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.
THE PUNT-AH
« Thirty-year old senior punter Dane Roy is back for his fourth and final season in America as Houston's starting punter. A former ice cream salesman, Roy is the third oldest player in FBS football behind Colorado kicker James Stefanou (32) and UCLA punter Wade Lees (31), both natives of Melbourne, Australia.
« Roy currently is first in The American and sixth in FBS, averaging a career-best 47.2 yards per punt. His 47.2 yards per punt would set the Houston single-season program record if the season ended today. The senior leads the conference with 21 punts downed inside the 20 this season and has 17 punts over 50 yards (second-most in the league). Against Cincinnati, Roy set the Houston single-game record for punting average (54.0).
« The Bunyip, Australia, native and former Australian rules football player for Richmond Central led The American in 2017 with 25 punts inside the 20 and with 43.1 percent of his punts inside his opponents 20. Twelve of his 55 punts were inside his opponents' 10-yard line.
« Prior to arriving in Houston, Roy won the longest kick competition at the AFL grand final in Melbourne, Australia,
after booting a torpedo 73 meters, which equates to 79 yards. Roy, who stands 6-7, also has a personal-best hang time of 5.4 seconds.
SPOONMAN
« Junior Dalton Witherspoon took over the starting kicking role in Houston's second game of 2018 versus Arizona and never looked back, responding with a 35-yard field goal and connecting on all six extra point attempts.
« Witherspoon nailed a career-long 46-yard field goal against Prairie View A&M. The junior finished 3-for-3 against the Panthers, becoming the first UH kicker to make at least three field goals in one game since 2016 (Ty Cummings, Memphis). For his efforts, Witherspoon was named The American's Special Teams Player of the Week, his first weekly honor of his career.
« Witherspoon is also a perfect 101-for-101 on PATs for his career. He ranks third among kickers in The American in scoring per game (8.2) through nine games and is 15-of-18 on field goals this season. The junior has made 10 consecutive field goals dating back to Sept. 28 at Tulane.
A HOUSTON WIN WOULD ...
« Improve Houston's program win-loss record to 445-372-15 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 16-12 against Memphis and give the Cougars their eighth win in Houston over the Tigers.
AMONG THE BEST
« Since 2013, Houston ranks first in the state of Texas with 56 wins with TCU and Texas(55) ranking second. The Cougars are three wins ahead of Baylor and nine 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 39 wins, followed by the Cougars and Temple (34).
« 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.
