University of Houston
Cincinnati
Game Primer: Houston at Cincinnati
11/5/2020 10:11:00 AM | Football
GAME 5
Houston at No. 6/6 Cincinnati
Nov. 7, 2020 | 2:30 p.m. CT | Nippert Stadium | Cincinnati, Ohio
Broadcast: ABC
Radio: KPRC 950-AM | TuneIn
Game Notes
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
« Houston travels to Nippert Stadium on Saturday to face off against No. 6/6 Cincinnati. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT and the game will air on ABC with Sean McDonough (pxp), Todd Blackledge (analyst), Todd McShay (field analyst) and Molly McGrath (sideline) on the call. Radio coverage on KPRC 950-AM begins at 1:30 p.m. CT.
« Saturday's matchup marks the 27th all-time meeting between the Cougars and Bearcats. Houston leads the all-time series, 15-11, against Cincinnati. Since both teams joined the American Athletic Conference in 2013, the Bearcats are 3-2 against the Cougars.
« Houston is coming off a 44-21 home loss to UCF last Saturday, while Cincinnati earned its 17th straight home win with a 49-10 victory over Memphis.
« The Cougars are 145-118-5 during the month of November all-time.
« Among FBS quarterbacks that have played more than one game, Clayton Tune is eighth in the nation averaging 330.0 yards per game. The junior also ranks 14th in the FBS in passing yards per game (302.0).
« Houston's defense has held its opponent to under 100 yards rushing three times in its last seven games and six times in the last 16 contests dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
« Houston head coach, Dana Holgorsen is 1-1 against Cincinnati. Holgorsen is 0-1 against the Bearcats at Houston with the lone matchup coming during the 2019 season.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
« Cincinnati is the highest ranked conference opponent Houston has faced on the road since facing third-ranked Texas on Nov. 10, 1984 in Austin, Texas, when both schools were members of the Southwest Conference.
« The Cougars' pass rush has increased their production early in the season, recording 4.0 team sacks per game (ranks first in The American and third in the FBS). Houston's 16 sacks are a big improvement over last year's total of 22 sacks in 12 games.
« Since 2018, Marquez Stevenson has recorded 14 receptions of 40 yards or more. His total is tied for third among active FBS receivers. The senior has also been explosive on kickoff returns during his career. Stevenson has three career kickoff return touchdowns, all of which have came in the last eight games dating back to last season. Stevenson ranks ninth in The American with 137.7 all-purpose yards per game.
« Junior Marcus Jones has made an impact in the punt return game, leading the conference and ranking fourth in the nation in punt return average (16.1). That average already ranks as the seventh-best mark in UH single-season history.
« Against UCF, sophomore wide receiver Nathaniel Dell totaled a career-high 167 all-purpose yards. The sophomore finished wih a career-high six catches and 88 yards, while recording his second touchdown of the season on a 10-yard score in the fourth quarter.
GAME 4 RECAP: UCF
« Houston fell to UCF, 44-21, last Saturday inside TDECU Stadium. An early defensive touchdown put the Cougars in front in the first quarter against the Knights, but UCF's high-powered attack recorded 681 yards of total offense and outscored UH, 34-14, over the final three quarters.
« Junior quarterback Clayton Tune completed 21-of-41 passes for 263 yards and one touchdown. Senior running back Kyle Porter rushed for a team-high 52 yards on 13 attempts and scored his third rushing touchdown of the season. Sophomore wide receiver Nathaniel Dell pulled down a career-high six catches for 88 yards and one touchdown.
« The Houston offense mustered two scoring drives in the second half, as Porter rushed for a 1-yard touchdown for the only score of the third quarter between the two teams. Dell add his second touchdown of the season on a 10-yard pass from Tune in the fourth quarter.
« Senior linebacker Grant Stuard led UH's defense with 12 tackles and a fumble recovery for the first touchdown of his career and Houston's first defensive score of the season. Stuard, redshirt junior D'Anthony Jones, junior Atlias Bell, senior David Anenih, senior Payton Turner and junior Jamykal Neal combined for six total sacks, tying a season-high for Houston.
NOTABLES // CINCINNATI
« Saturday marks the 27th all-time meeting between Houston and Cincinnati. The Cougars lead the all-time series, 15-11 but trail 6-5 in Cincinnati. Since the formation of the American Athletic Conference, Houston is 2-3 against the Bearcats.
« Houston is visiting Cincinnati for the first time since Sept. 15, 2016. In that outing, No. 6 Houston returned two interceptions for touchdowns as the Cougars scored the final 28 points -- all coming in the fourth quarter -- as part of a 40-16 Thursday night victory.
« Houston won the first six matchups in the series (1957-62) and 11 of the first 12 (1957-74). The Bearcats have won 10 of 14 contests since (1975-present).
« The Cougars are looking for their third win in four games against the Bearcats. Houston defeated Cincinnati in 2015 and 2016 before stumbling, 38-23 a season ago at TDECU Stadium.
SCOUTING CINCINNATI
« Cincinnati is riding a 17-game home win streak after defeating Memphis, 49-10 Saturday at Nippert Stadium. The mark is a school record with the previous high of 15 coming between 1952-54. Cincinnati is one of four teams to go undefeated at home the last two-plus seasons, joining Clemson, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
« Cincinnati plays its 133rd football season in 2020. The Bearcats program dates to 1885 and is one of the ten oldest in the NCAA FBS. The Bearcats have won a league title five times in the last 13 years and has played 11 bowl games in the past 14 years.
« Fifteen states and four countries are represented on UC's 2020 roster, which features nearly 62 percent (77/125) Ohio natives, including 31 from Cincinnati. Eighty-three of UC's 125 players (66.4 percent) are sophomores or below.
« The Bearcats are ranked No. 6 in both the Associated Press poll Amway USA Today Coaches poll. This season marks UC's first Top-10 ranking since the final poll of the 2009 season when Cincinnati was No. 4 in the final AP poll and No. 9 in the final Coaches Poll.
« Cincinnati closed 2019 with an American Athletic Conference East Division title, a win in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl and the No. 21 spot in all three major polls (AP, USA Today, CFP). The Bearcats won 11 games for the fourth time in school history while the back-to-back 11-win seasons in 2018 and 2019 occurred for only the second time in UC's 132 seasons of football.
« Cincinnati's defense ranks first in the American and seventh in the FBS holding 12.0 points per game. The Bearcats also rank seventh in the FBS in red zone defense (33.3).
« Luke Fickell was named Cincinnati's 42nd head coach in December 2016. The 20-year veteran of the FBS coaching ranks took the reins of Cincinnati after spending 16 years at his alma mater, Ohio State.
LAST TIME AGAINST CINCINNATI
« Houston wide receiver Marquez Stevenson posted three catches for 120 yards and a touchdown, and running back Kyle Porter added 107 rushing yards to lead the Cougars in a 38-23 loss to No. 25/rv Cincinnati inside TDECU Stadium on Oct. 12, 2019.
« The Bearcats took advantage of five Houston turnovers, including four interceptions, and turned them into 21 points to take the win.
« Making his second straight start, Houston quarterback Clayton Tune threw for 184 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns.
« The Cougars blocked a 38-yard field goal attempt against Cincinnati, their first in a game since Dec. 24, 2017, against Fresno State in the Hawai'i Bowl.
AGAINST RANKED FOES
« Houston is 36-103-2 all-time against top-25 opponents, but the Cougars have lost eight straight contests to AP top-25 teams since the end of the 2018 season. UH is 13-49-2 against ranked opponents in true road games in school history.
« The Cougars are 1-9 in their last 10 matchups against top-10 teams on the road. Houston's last win over an AP top-10 team on the road came in 2009 at Oklahoma State (won 45-35 in Stillwater, Okla.).
« Cincinnati is the highest ranked American Athletic Conference opponent Houston has faced on the road since the formation of the league in 2013. UH is 4-7 against ranked AAC foes since 2013 and its last road win over a ranked conference opponent came against No. 17/14 USF on Oct. 28, 2018 (Won 28-24 in Tampa).
PRESSURE UP FRONT
« Through Houston's first four games of the season, its defensive unit has shown major progress from a year ago. The Cougars rank third in the American in total sacks (16), while ranking first in the league and third in the FBS in sacks per game (4.0).
« Houston has held its opponents to under their season average in rushing yards in three of its four games. In its season opener, UH held Tulane to just 70 yards rushing, snapping the Green Wave's streak of 56 straight games with at least 100 yards rushing.
« The Cougars are limiting opponents to 21.8 first downs per game, which is second in The American and 37th in the FBS.
AMONG THE BEST
« Houston leads the FBS programs in Texas since 2015 with 43 wins. The Cougars are tied with Texas A&M for first place with 43 victories. UH is one win ahead of TCU, four on top of Texas, six ahead of Baylor and boast nine victories more than fellow conference foe, SMU.
« Since 2013, Houston is tied with Baylor for most FBS win in Texas with Baylor (59). The Cougars are five wins ahead of Texas in that span. Houston also 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.
« The Cougars also rank tied for second among American Athletic Conference Teams with 37 victories in league history. UH remains the last FBS school in the state of Texas to win a league championship (2015 American Athletic Champions).
A HOUSTON WIN WOULD ...
« Improve Houston's program win-loss record to 444-376-15 all-time since 1946 and give Houston its 60th win since 2013. The Cougars' 59 victories are tied with Baylor for the most among Texas FBS schools in that time.
« Give Houston its third victory in the last four tries against Cincinnati and move the Cougars to 16-11 all-time against UC.
« Snap Cincinnati's 17-game home win streak, the longest in program history.
« Be Houston's first against an AP top-25 team since Oct. 28, 2017, at No. 17 USF; the Cougars' first against a top 10 team since Nov. 17, 2016, against No. 3 Louisville and Houston's first top-10 road win since Sept. 12, 2009, at No. 5 Oklahoma State.
