Saturday, September 25
Houston, Texas
6 P.M.
University of Houston
3-1 , 1-0
28
vs
20
Navy
0-3 , 0-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Navy
7
10
0
3
20
Houston
7
0
7
14
28
Photo by: Erik Williams
Houston's Big 2nd Half Secures Win Over Navy
9/25/2021 9:03:00 PM | Football
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Cougars open up conference play with win 28-20
HOUSTON -- University of Houston senior cornerback Marcus Jones led the Cougars with a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 47-yard receiving score as Houston rallied to take a 28-20 win over American Athletic Conference rival Navy inside TDECU Stadium on Saturday night.
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With the Cougars trailing 7-0 late in the first quarter, Jones hauled in a punt from Navy's Riley Riethman and made his way through numerous Midshipmen defenders ona 73-yard punt return. It was his second straight game with a punt return touchdown after a 48-yard score against Grambling State on Sept. 18.
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As Houston continued its comeback, Jones hauled in a 47-yard touchdown strike from junior quarterback Clayton Tune early in the fourth quarter to give the Cougars a 21-17 advantage and the lead for good.
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Jones became the fifth player in school history to score multiple punt return touchdowns in a season and the seventh player in school history with multiple punt return scores during his career.
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He also moved into a tie for the national lead in that category, joining Boise State wide receiver Stefan Cobbs.
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With the win, Houston recorded its third straight victory and improved to 3-1 and 1-0 in American Athletic Conference play. Navy fell to 0-3 overall and 0-1 in league play.
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The game did not start well for the Cougars as Navy took the opening kickoff and wasted little time, taking a 7-0 lead after running back Xavier Arline's 40-yard touchdown run capped a quick three-play, 76-yard drive.
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The Navy offense controlled the ball for more than 12 minutes in the second quarter, building a 17-7 lead with on Isaac Ruoss' 1-yard touchdown with less than a minute remaining in the first half.
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The Cougars defense had a big third quarter, limiting the Midshipmen to zero yards on only five plays.
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Meanwhile, Houston's offense found success in the running game with junior running back Ta'Zhawn Henry scoring the first of his two touchdowns in the game late in the third quarter.
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On the opening drive of the fourth quarter Tune found Jones deep downfield for a 47-yard touchdown for the first receiving touchdown of Jones' career.
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On the first play of the ensuing Navy drive, the Midshipmen mishandled the snap, and junior linebacker Malik Robinson fell on the football, setting up Houston deep in Navy's territory.
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The Cougars offense capitalized off the turnover on Henry's 1-yard touchdown for a 28-17 lead. Navy struggled against the Cougars defense for the rest of the game, and the Cougars ran the clock out to secure a 28-20 win.
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Henry recorded his first multi-score game since Nov.9, 2019, at Texas Tech, while freshman Alton McCaskill added 76 yards on 17 carries.
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Tune returned from injury that forced him to leave early against Grambling State and went 22-for-30 with 257 yards and one touchdown.
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Junior defensive linemen Derek Parish set a new career high in tackles with 12, including one sack.
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Houston looks to extend its win streak to it meets Tulsa at 6:30 p.m., Friday, at H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa, Okla.
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With the Cougars trailing 7-0 late in the first quarter, Jones hauled in a punt from Navy's Riley Riethman and made his way through numerous Midshipmen defenders ona 73-yard punt return. It was his second straight game with a punt return touchdown after a 48-yard score against Grambling State on Sept. 18.
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As Houston continued its comeback, Jones hauled in a 47-yard touchdown strike from junior quarterback Clayton Tune early in the fourth quarter to give the Cougars a 21-17 advantage and the lead for good.
Â
Jones became the fifth player in school history to score multiple punt return touchdowns in a season and the seventh player in school history with multiple punt return scores during his career.
Â
He also moved into a tie for the national lead in that category, joining Boise State wide receiver Stefan Cobbs.
Â
With the win, Houston recorded its third straight victory and improved to 3-1 and 1-0 in American Athletic Conference play. Navy fell to 0-3 overall and 0-1 in league play.
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The game did not start well for the Cougars as Navy took the opening kickoff and wasted little time, taking a 7-0 lead after running back Xavier Arline's 40-yard touchdown run capped a quick three-play, 76-yard drive.
Â
The Navy offense controlled the ball for more than 12 minutes in the second quarter, building a 17-7 lead with on Isaac Ruoss' 1-yard touchdown with less than a minute remaining in the first half.
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The Cougars defense had a big third quarter, limiting the Midshipmen to zero yards on only five plays.
Â
Meanwhile, Houston's offense found success in the running game with junior running back Ta'Zhawn Henry scoring the first of his two touchdowns in the game late in the third quarter.
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On the opening drive of the fourth quarter Tune found Jones deep downfield for a 47-yard touchdown for the first receiving touchdown of Jones' career.
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On the first play of the ensuing Navy drive, the Midshipmen mishandled the snap, and junior linebacker Malik Robinson fell on the football, setting up Houston deep in Navy's territory.
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The Cougars offense capitalized off the turnover on Henry's 1-yard touchdown for a 28-17 lead. Navy struggled against the Cougars defense for the rest of the game, and the Cougars ran the clock out to secure a 28-20 win.
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Henry recorded his first multi-score game since Nov.9, 2019, at Texas Tech, while freshman Alton McCaskill added 76 yards on 17 carries.
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Tune returned from injury that forced him to leave early against Grambling State and went 22-for-30 with 257 yards and one touchdown.
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Junior defensive linemen Derek Parish set a new career high in tackles with 12, including one sack.
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Houston looks to extend its win streak to it meets Tulsa at 6:30 p.m., Friday, at H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa, Okla.
Team Stats
NAV
HOU
Total Yards
288
377
Pass Yards
98
257
Rushing Yards
190
120
Penalty Yards
22
30
1st Downs
15
20
3rd Downs
3
5
4th Downs
4
1
TOP
31:51
28:09
1st Quarter
NAV 7, HOU 0
NAV - Arline,Xavier 40 yd run (Nichols,Bijan kick), 3 plays, 76 yards, TOP 00:58
NAV 7, HOU 7
HOU - Jones,Marcus 73 yd punt return (Witherspoon,Dalton kick)
2nd Quarter
NAV 10, HOU 7
NAV - Nichols,Bijan 30 yd field goal 15 plays, 62 yards, TOP 08:42
NAV 17, HOU 7
NAV - Ruoss,Isaac 1 yd run (Nichols,Bijan kick), 11 plays, 89 yards, TOP 05:28
3rd Quarter
NAV 17, HOU 14
HOU - Henry,Ta'Zhawn 2 yd run (Ramsey,Kyle kick), 7 plays, 43 yards, TOP 04:23
4th Quarter
NAV 17, HOU 21
HOU - Jones,Marcus 47 yd pass from Tune,Clayton (Ramsey,Kyle kick) 7 plays, 81 yards, TOP 01:55
NAV 17, HOU 28
HOU - Henry,Ta'Zhawn 1 yd run (Ramsey,Kyle kick), 5 plays, 26 yards, TOP 02:39
NAV 20, HOU 28
NAV - Nichols,Bijan 36 yd field goal 13 plays, 56 yards, TOP 05:56
Game Leaders
CMP
22
TD
1
YDS
257
INT
0
Players Mentioned
RB
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CB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
DL/FB
/ Football
LB
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