University of Houston
Tulsa
Game Primer: Houston at Tulsa
11/21/2019 1:21:00 PM | Football
Game will air on ESPNU (TV) and KPRC 950-AM (radio)
GAME 11
Houston at Tulsa
Nov. 23 | 6:30 p.m. CT |Â H.A. Chapman Stadium | Tulsa, Okla.
Broadcast: ESPNU
Radio: KPRC 950-AM
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/2lz8Pp6
Game Notes: UH | TU |Â The American
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
« Houston plays its final road game of the 2019 season as the Cougars travel to H.A. Chapman Stadium to take on Tulsa on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ESPNU with Kevin Brown (pxp) and 1989 Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware (analyst) on the call. Radio coverage on KPRC 950-AM begins at 5:30 p.m. CT.
« Houston leads the all-time series with Tulsa, 24-19, and has won four out of the last five meetings between the two teams. The Golden Hurricane are 10-9 against Houston all-time in Tulsa.
« Against Memphis, Houston blocked its fifth punt of the season. The Cougars lead the FBS with five blocked punts this season. Junior wide receiver Cole McGowan became the first UH player to score a touchdown on a blocked punt return since 1991.
« Senior Dane Roy, a 2019 semifinalist for the Ray Guard Award, leads The American and is eighth in FBS with a 47.3 punt average. Roy's 47.3 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 second nationally in net punting (43.9).
« 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 tied for fourth in The American in tackles per game (8.1) and leads the conference in solo tackles (53). The Conroe, Texas, native has three double-digit tackle games this season.
« The Cougars' defense has recorded at least one takeaway in 25 out of its last 27 games.
« Junior kicker Dalton Witherspoon has made his last 12 field goal attempts dating back to Sept. 28 against Tulane. Witherspoon is 17-of-20 in field goal attempts this season. The junior's 17 made field goals this season rank seventh in UH single-season history. The school record for consecutive made field goals in one season is 13, held by Roman Anderson (1988).
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
« Since 2018, junior wide receiver Marquez Stevenson leads active FBS players with 10 receptions of 50 yards or more. This season, Stevenson is tied for first nationally with three receptions of 70 yards or more this season, tied with Arkansas State's Omar Bayless, Louisville's Chatarius Atwell and Oklahoma State's Tylan Wallace.
« Houston has played five ranked opponents this season, the most for the Cougars in one year since 1996. The school record for ranked opponents played in one season for Houston came in 1977 (six).
« Forty-two Houston players have made least one start this season (23 on offense, 19 on defense). That total is tied for the sixth-most in FBS.
« Houston is one of five FBS programs this season 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.
« Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery spent three seasons on Houston's coaching staff from 2003-05 as the running backs/quarterbacks coach before being elevated to co-offensive coordinator from 2006-07. Montgomery helped the Cougars to four bowl appearances over a five-year stretch.
SCOUTING TULSA
« Tulsa enters Saturday's contest after a bye week following a 34-31 home win over UCF on Nov. 8. Tulsa is under the direction of head coach Philip Montgomery, who is in his fifth season with the Golden Hurricane.
« On offense, Tulsa ranks 10th in The American averaging 25.4 points per game this year. The Golden Hurricane are seventh in the league in total offense (402.2), averaging 266.4 yards per game through the air and 135.8 yards per contest on the ground.
« Junior quarterback Zach Smith has started all 10 games for Tulsa, throwing for 2,567 yards and 13 touchdown passes. Smith ranks fifth in the league with 256.7 passing yards per game. Against UCF, sophomore Seth Boomer took over for the injured Smith and tossed one touchdown on 6-of-10 passing for 87 yards in the upset over UCF.
« Junior running back Shamari Brooks ranks fifth in the conference averaging 85.7 yards per game. The junior has rushed for 857 yards and six touchdowns this season. Junior wide receiver Keylon Stokes leads Tulsa with 49 receptions and 820 receiving yards to go along with a team-high five touchdowns. Sophomore Sam Crawford, Jr. has added 44 catches and recorded 582 receiving yards.
« Defensively, the Golden Hurricane are ninth in the conference in scoring defense, holding opponents to 32.8 points per game. Tulsa limits opponents to 210.8 passing yards per game (ranks fifth in The American), while allowing 201.5 yards per contest on the ground (10th). Two of The American's top tacklers are a part of Tulsa's linebacking corps. Senior linebacker Cooper Edmiston leads Tulsa and ranks first in the conference with 86 total tackles. Sophomore linebacker Zayven Collins is fourth in the league with 81 total stops. Senior defensive end Trevis Gibson is sixth in the league with 7.0 sacks this year.
LAST TIME AGAINST TULSA
« With the Cougars trailing by nine early in the fourth quarter, Houston quarterback D'Eriq King rushed for a 61-yard touchdown and added a pair of touchdown passes to lead Houston to a 41-26 win over American Athletic Conference rival Tulsa inside TDECU Stadium.
« King finished the night with 157 yards and three touchdowns in the air, while adding 110 yards on the ground and a pair of scores on only eight carries to lead the Cougars in their league opener.
« After Tulsa scored a touchdown on its opening-drive, the Golden Hurricane capitalized on its edge with a field goal to quickly take a 10-0 lead. The Cougars immediately responded with a seven-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a score from King to junior wide receiver Keith Corbin.
« After Tulsa extended its lead to two scores with another field goal, Houston rebounded when King took it to the house for the second time of the night, bringing the Cougars back within a pair. From there, the Cougar defense forced the Golden Hurricane to punt the ball away, where Houston put together another positive drive to make the score 27-26 in favor of Houston.
« Houston's defensive front then stepped up big time, as a fumble recovery from senior linebacker Emeke Egbule put the Cougars in position to go up 34-26, courtesy of King's third touchdown pass, which was caught by senior tight end Romello Brooker. On the succeeding defensive possession, sophomore defensive back Deontay Anderson hauled in the Cougars' lone interception of the night and ran it down all the way to the Tulsa nine-yard line.
GAME 10 RECAP: MEMPHIS
« Brady White threw for 341 yards and five touchdowns and ran for another score and No. 18 Memphis overcame a 10-point first-quarter deficit to beat Houston 45-27 inside TDECU Stadium.
« White completed 22-of-33 passes. Damonte Coxie caught four passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns, Antonio Gibson had four catches for 93 yards and a score, and Calvin Austin caught five passes for 81 yards and a touchdown. Kenneth Gainwell finished with 99 rushing yards on 17 carries for Memphis, which outgained Houston, 531-256.
« Clayton Tune was 14-of-22 for 157 yards and a touchdown for the Cougars. Tune also had a 68-yard touchdown run, and Marquez Stevenson caught five passes for 89 yards and a touchdown.
« Trailing 17-7 to begin the second quarter, Memphis outscored Houston 35-3 over the next two quarters. White found Coxie twice for touchdowns of 23 and 28 yards sandwiched around a White 14-yard touchdown run, a 14-yard touchdown pass from White to Austin and a 6-yard touchdown pass from White to Gibson.
ON THE OFFENSIVE
« Since 2006, only Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas Tech have racked up more yards than Houston, which has 87,012 in that span. Houston has scored in 246 straight games dating back to Sept. 30, 2000.
Rank-Total Yards (2006-present)
1. Oklahoma - 92,052
2. Oregon - 88,780
3. Texas Tech - 87,553
4. HOUSTON - 87,012
5. Oklahoma State- 86,045
« 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 62 games and more than 50 points on seven different occasions.
LINE ON THE LINE
« Offensive line coach Brandon Jones' unit has helped pave the way for the Cougars' rushing attack this year. Despite using seven different starting lineup combinations in 10 games, Houston's offensive line has helped the Cougars average 199.3 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. Eleven 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 45 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 named a Pro Football Focus Midseason All-American.
« 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 starts this season at left guard, right guard and right tackle this season. Junior Keenan Murphy owns five 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 Freeman made his first career start at center at North Texas, filling in for Braylon Jones. Freshman Patrick Paul made his collegiate debut against Memphis, starting at left tackle. Redshirt freshman Max Banes also picked up his first career start at right guard last week versus Memphis.
TURNOVER U
« Since the start of the 2013 season, no program has taken the ball away from opposing offenses more than Houston with 180 turnovers forced in that time with eight in 2019, 24 in 2018, 21 in 2017, 18 in 2016, 35 in 2015, 30 in 2014 and 43 in 2013. Houston has an three-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 95 games.
« Houston has been opportunistic with its turnovers, ranking third nationally since 2010 with 48 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 eighth in FBS, averaging a career-best 47.3 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 24 punts downed inside the 20 this season and has 19 punts over 50 yards (tied for the most in the league).
« 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 104-for-104 on PATs for his career. He ranks third among kickers in The American in scoring per game (8.3) through 10 games and is 17-of-20 on field goals this season. The junior has made 12 consecutive field goals dating back to Sept. 28 at Tulane.
« The junior already ranks seventh in UH single-season history with 17 made field goals. His 17 made field goals are the most by a UH kicker since 2012 (20, Matt Hogan).
A HOUSTON WIN WOULD ...
« Improve Houston's program win-loss record to 445-373-15 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 25-19 against Tulsa and give the Cougars their fifth win in the six meetings over the Golden Hurricane.
AMONG THE BEST
« Since 2013, Houston ranks first in the state of Texas with 56 wins along with Baylor, TCU and Texas A&M ranking third. The Cougars are nine wins ahead of Texas and 17 ahead of Texas Tech 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.
