Houston Takes 24-14 Win at Tulsa

HOUSTON – The University of Houston Football program took advantage of interception and kickoff returns for touchdowns to take a 24-14 win over American Athletic Conference rival Tulsa inside Chapman Stadium on Saturday night.

Although outgained in total offense yards, 380-231, the Cougars used big plays on special teams and defense to take win for the second straight game and the fifth time in the last six outings against the Golden Hurricane.

The Cougars forced four Tulsa turnovers and allowed minus-1 Golden Hurricane rushing yards. Junior cornerback Damarion Williams gave the Cougars the lead for good with a 25-yard interception return for touchdown late in the first half, and junior wide receiver Marquez Stevenson pushed the Houston lead back to double digits early in the fourth quarter after Tulsa moved to within 17-14.

It was Stevenson's team-leading ninth touchdown and his second kickoff return for a score in 2019. He became just the third player in UH history to have multiple kickoff returns for touchdowns during their careers, joining Brandon Wilson and Tyron Carrier.

Sophomore safety Gervarrius Owens led the Houston defense with a career-high 10 tackles, including six solo stops, and added an interception and half-tackle for a loss. Sophomore linebacker Donavan Mutin totaled seven tackles with three solo stops, while junior safety Grant Stuard posted six tackles, a tackle for loss and two pass breakups.

Junior running back Kyle Porter led the Cougars with 57 rushing yards and added team-highs of three receptions for 34 yards. Sophomore quarterback Clayton Tune threw for 89 yards on 8-of-12 passing and rushed for 52 yards and the Cougars' opening score of the game.

Tulsa took advantage of Houston turnover to start in Cougar territory. Quarterback Zach Smith then hit Sam Crawford Jr. on a 14-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead with 6:02 remaining in the opening period.

The score remained that way until early in the second quarter when Tune raced into the end zone from 15 yards out to tie the game at 7-7 with 12:23 remaining in the first half.

The Cougars took the lead late in the first half when Williams picked off a Smith pass and raced 25 yards down the sideline for a 14-7 Houston lead with 1:34 left. It was the first defensive score by Houston this season.

After forcing the Golden Hurricane to punt on the opening possession of the second half, the Cougars moved into Tulsa territory and pushed their lead to 17-7 on Dalton Witherspoon's 23-yard field goal with 9:39 remaining.

Tulsa moved to within 17-14 when running back T.K. Wilkerson plunged into the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 1 with 13:58 left in the game.

However, the score would not stay that way long. Stevenson took the ensuing kickoff and raced 94 yards up the middle to push the Houston lead back to double digits at 24-14 with 13:45 left.

Smith threw for 381 yards on 29-of-45 passing with a touchdown to lead Tulsa. Crawford hauled in a game-high 10 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, while Keylon Stokes finished with a game-high 144 receiving yards off nine receptions.

UP NEXT
Following Saturday's game, the Cougars close out their season when they play host to Navy at 6 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 30 inside TDECU Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

Tickets are available by visiting UHCougars.com/tickets and following the appropriate links or by calling the Athletics Ticket Office during regular business hours.

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Team Stats

Clayton Tune

Logan Holgorsen

Players Mentioned

Donavan Mutin

Gervarrius Owens

Kyle Porter

Marquez Stevenson

Grant Stuard

Clayton Tune

Damarion Williams

Dalton Witherspoon

Players Mentioned

Donavan Mutin

Gervarrius Owens

Kyle Porter

Marquez Stevenson

Grant Stuard

Clayton Tune

Damarion Williams

Dalton Witherspoon

Upcoming Events

Recent Results