2009 Houston Cougars football team
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Houston Cougars football team, also known as the Houston Cougars, Houston, or UH, represented the University of Houston
in the college football
2009–2010 season
. It was the 64th year of season play for Houston. The team was coached by second year head football coach, Kevin Sumlin
. The team played its home games at Robertson Stadium
, a 32,000-seat stadium on campus in Houston. The Cougars finished the season 10–4, 6–3 in CUSA
play, were co–champions of the west division and lost to East Carolina
38–32 in the CUSA Championship Game
. They were invited to the Armed Forces Bowl
were they lost to Air Force
47–20. It was the second consecutive year that they had played Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl.
West division with a 6–2 conference record and 8–5 overall record. The Cougars ended their season with a win against the Air Force Falcons
in the Armed Forces Bowl
. This marked the first time since 1980 that the Cougars won a bowl game, and ended their eight game losing streak.
In addition, the Cougars defeated two nationally ranked teams: #23 East Carolina
and #25 Tulsa
; the former of which was on the road. It was the first time the Cougars had defeated a ranked opponent in an away game since the 1984 season. Another first since then was the defeat of two nationally ranked teams in one season.
At the conclusion of the post-season, offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer
graduated from Houston, and was drafted by the New England Patriots
in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft
. Phillip Hunt
was also signed to the Cleveland Browns
. Houston's starting quarterback Case Keenum
held the number two rank for passing yards in the NCAA.
. The Cougars' annual Red-White Game, which was the conclusion of the Spring practices, was abruptly halted after the first ten minutes of gameplay due to rainy weather conditions.
in its current capacity, and the largest Houston ever hosted on-campus. This was later broken the next season.
traveled to Houston to meet with the Cougars for the first time in school history. Head coach Bradley Dale Peveto, a former Houston defensive coordinator and assistant head coach, led the Demons in his first game ever. With the first five touchdowns for Houston resulting from the Cougars' first five possessions, the Demons' first down only occurred after the score was 28–0 in the home team's favor. With the game well in hand for the Cougars in the third quarter, starting quarterback Case Keenum
was rested for the rest of the game.
in Stillwater to face Oklahoma State (ranked 5th in the AP football poll
and 6th in the Coaches' Poll). Houston came out of the gate with a touchdown and field goal in the first quarter, but Oklahoma State responded with a drive to the endzone in the beginning of the second quarter. However, Houston parlayed an onside kick
into two more touchdowns to close the half. In the third quarter, Oklahoma State dominated, with touchdowns coming from rushes by Keith Toston and Beau Johnston. A punt return for 82 yards by Dez Bryant
yielded another touchdown for Oklahoma State. However, the Cougars clawed back in the final quarter, with the help of a Case Keenum pass that turned into a tipped ball caught by Bryce Beall, and a Zac Robinson
interception that was returned for a touchdown. Following the win, Houston was launched into the #21 ranked spot in the AP Poll, which marked the first time since 1991 in which the Cougars had been ranked in the top 25.
Houston faced-off against former Southwest Conference rivals, the Texas Tech Red Raiders, for the first time since the demise of that athletic conference following the 1995 season
. The game also marked the first time that Houston hosted Texas Tech on-campus, as the Astrodome
had served as the previous home for the Cougars during that era. During Houston's bye
the week prior, AP
and Coaches' Poll voters ranked the Cougars ahead in the polls to #17 and #23 respectively. It was the first time in eighteen years that Houston entered a game as a nationally ranked team.
Although attempting to recover from a loss to #2 Texas the week before, Texas Tech's starting quarterback Taylor Potts
had passed for a career record of 46 passes for 420 yards.
The game received heavy media coverage, and was broadcast nationally on ESPN2
. After a complete sell-out of public game tickets by Houston athletics, 1,500 student guest tickets went on sale the Monday morning before the game. With students arriving around midnight to await box office opening, all student guest passes were gone within three hours. The game marked a record attendance of 32,114 at Robertson Stadium
in its current seating capacity including an appearance by U.S. Senator for Texas and gubernatorial candidate Kay Bailey Hutchison
. Following a similar phenomenon from Monday, 5,500 students were allowed general admission into the game for no charge on gameday. Houston businessman Jim McIngvale
donated a 9'x16' LED screen displaying the ESPN2 broadcast for use in the stadium parking lot during the game to accommodate the remainder of the University of Houston's 37,000 student enrollment who were unable to gain entry. UH Alumnus Hakeem Olajuwon
facilitated the pre-game coin toss
. Fellow alumnus and former Cougars basketball coach Clyde Drexler
was also in attendance.
Although prior to the win, Texas Tech had been victors of the previous five meetings, the all-time record between the teams was updated to 18–10–1 with Houston leading. The Cougars' record improved to 3–0.
to face conference foe UTEP for the seventh time in school history. Having moved five spots up to #12 in the AP Poll prior to the game, the undefeated Cougars were heavily favored to win. UTEP's record was 1–3, and were coming off a 64–7 loss to Texas. Despite a remarkable attempt by Houston, where Case Keenum threw for a career record of 536 passing yards with 5 touchdowns, the Cougars could not contain UTEP's run-style offense. UTEP running back Donald Buckram ran for a career-high of 262 yards against Houston as the Miners completed a 58-41 upset. Houston's all-time record against UTEP fell to 3–4. The Cougars would fall completely out of both the AP Poll and Coaches' Poll top 25 rankings, but continued to receive votes.
meeting with the Mississippi State Bulldogs. It was the fifteenth meeting between the two teams, where the Cougars held a 8–6 record over the Bulldogs who first competed against each other in 1956. The last time Mississippi State had defeated Houston was in 1972, as the Cougars had won the last two meetings. The game was nationally televised on ESPNU
. The Bulldogs were able to contain Houston's offense to 17 points in three quarters and enter the fourth quarter in a tie game. The Cougars offense scored two touchdowns in rapid succession with six and four minutes to go in the game, and then conceded a touchdown run to Anthony Dixon with 1:22 to play. However the Cougars were able to recover a Mississippi State onside kick try and went on to win the game. Following the win, the Cougars regained a place in the top 25 list for both the AP Poll and Coaches' Poll with a ranking of #23.
against the Tulane Green Wave. With a record of 5-1 after completing the game, Houston was off to the best start of a season since 2003. Having competed against each other for the first time in 1968, the Cougars held a 10-4 all-time record against Tulane, and had won their last seven games against the Green Wave. Heavily favored Houston started off the game slowly against Tulane's pass defense which stood as the best in Conference USA at the time, and the Cougars went into halftime leading only 9-6 against the Green Wave. However in the second half the offense exploded for 20 unanswered points in the third quarter and 15 points in the fourth while conceding 10, and Houston left the Superdome a 44-16 winner. Following the game, Houston rose to #17 in the AP Poll and to #18 in the Harris and Coaches' Polls. When the initial BCS ranking came out the following Sunday Houston secured the #17 spot, marking the first week the Cougars were ranked in the BCS poll.
game. Another former Southwest Conference opponent, SMU was coached by second-year head coach June Jones
. It was the 25th meeting between the teams, where Houston held a 15-9-1 record in the all-time series. The game was nationally televised on the CBS College Sports network. Houston took advantage of two SMU turnovers early in the game and utilized an effective running game to take a 24-3 lead into halftime. SMU's turnover issues continued into the second quarter as Houston kept going to freshman Charles Sims on the ground. Sims finished the game with 15 carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Case Keenum finished with comparatively light duty, only collecting 233 yards and two touchdowns on 36 completions as Houston dispatched SMU 38-15. Following the victory, Houston moved up to #15 in the AP poll and to #16 in the Coaches' and Harris polls, but moved down to #18 in the BCS poll.
showdown versus conference rival Southern Miss. Houston came into the game at 7-1 and on its best start since 1990, in the days of the Southwest Conference. The two teams last met in the 2006 Conference USA Football Championship
. The game turned into a shootout early as neither defense proved able to slow down quarterbacks Martevious Young and Case Keenum. Southern Miss led early 13-7 at the end of the first quarter, but Houston collected 23 points on three touchdowns and a returned blocked extra point to go into halftime leading 30-22. The game slowed down somewhat in the second half as Houston extended the lead to 40-22 in the fourth quarter, but Southern Miss's Young led the Golden Eagles to a late game comeback, scoring three touchdowns in eight minutes to tie the game at 43 with only 57 seconds left. However, Houston's Keenum calmly led the Cougars down the field in a scene reminiscent of the Texas Tech game and needed only 36 seconds to complete a game-winning touchdown drive. Keenum passed for a career record 559 yards that day. Houston escaped out of Robertson Stadium that day with a 50-43 victory. The following day, Houston found itself ranked 13th in the AP poll, 15th in the Coaches', 14th in the Harris, and 15th overall in the BCS poll, an improvement in all rankings.
to go into halftime leading 24-21. Houston's defense nearly collapsed completely in the third quarter as Tulsa QB G.J. Kinne tore the Cougars apart in the air and on the ground, scoring three individual touchdowns in the third quarter. Houston's offense were able to keep up mostly with Tulsa, and the quarter ended with a 38-34 score favoring Tulsa. Tulsa's defense solidified somewhat in the fourth quarter, holding Houston out of the end zone on a goal line stand early and making Houston settle for a 26 yard field goal with eight minutes to play. Tulsa's offense then churned out one last scoring drive with three and a half minutes to play to bring the score to 45-37. Houston needed a touchdown with a two point conversion on its last drive to tie the game. Keenum again led the Cougars down the field and threw a third touchdown pass to James Cleveland to bring UH to 45-43, but Keenum was sacked on the two point conversion attempt. With only 21 seconds to play, Houston attempted a last gasp onside kick attempt which was successfully recovered by Tim Monroe. Keenum quickly brought the offense 27 yards down the field in three plays and then retired to give walkon freshman kicker Matt Hogan a chance to win the game on his leg. It was the first time Hogan had tried a field goal longer than 50 yards, but he booted the field goal down the middle as Houston escapes being upset once again, winning 46-45. The victory was the first one by game-winning field goal in school history. After the thrilling comeback, the Coaches' poll moved Houston to #12, the Harris to #13, and the BCS ranking remained unchanged at #15.
to play the Knights of Central Florida. UCF had met Houston only two times before, each team winning a game. The game began as though heavily favored Houston would win in less dramatic fashion than normal, easily taking a 10-0 lead to the second quarter. However, in the second quarter UCF began going to the ground and exploiting serious weaknesses in the run defense exposed by games against Texas Tech and UTEP. UCF ground out yards and jealously kept the ball out of the hands of the dangerous Houston offense. Unable to cope with the punishing ground game, Houston scored only one kickoff return touchdown in the next two quarters and UCF took a 23-17 lead into the fourth quarter. UCF scored two more touchdowns, one rushing and one passing, early in the fourth to move to 37-20 while grinding down clock and keeping the ball in UCF possession. Houston's offense broke out only with three and a half minutes to play by way of a touchdown pass, and then another one with only ten seconds to play to bring the game to 37-32. However this time, Houston would not recover the last second onside kick and UCF completed the upset. The victory by UCF was the first against a Top 25 ranked opponent in school history. After the loss, Houston dropped far in the polls to #22 in the Coaches' and #23 in the Harris, with the BCS dropping Houston further to #24. Not only had any vision of a BCS Bowl for the Cougars disappeared, even the possibility of a conference title began to come into doubt as the loss put SMU in the lead for the CUSA West division title.
earlier in the day, Houston ended the week as leader of CUSA West with only one game to play. Houston's ranking recovered slightly the following day; the Coaches' and Harris polls placed the Cougars at #20 and the BCS at #23.
. Houston came into the game with a 27-9 record versus the crosstown Owls. Much like the Memphis game, Houston's offense scored at will versus the Rice defense. Case Keenum scored only two touchdowns on 323 yards passing before hitting the showers at halftime, his Cougars leading 59-0. The game slowed down somewhat in the third quarter, and Houston extended its lead to 65-0 before Houston's reserves conceded two touchdowns. Houston's reserves added two touchdowns of their own, and the Cougars defended the Bayou Bucket 73-14. The 73 points was the most scored by any team in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS season. The victory also sealed a CUSA West title for the Cougars - though SMU won earlier in the day, Houston owned the tiebreaker by way of defeating the Mustangs in October. Houston's ranking improved two spots in all polls; the Coaches' and Harris polls placed the Cougars at #18 and the BCS at #21.
for the Conference USA Championship against defending champion East Carolina. ECU employed the same strategy used by conference mates UTEP and UCF in their upsets of the Cougars - run the football often and grind the clock. Alongside that, the ECU run defense stopped the Cougar running game completely cold (only 30 yards total rushing), leaving Houston to rely on the skills of Case Keenum to carry them through. The Cougar passing game did have success for a while as Houston led at halftime 19-14, but the Pirate defense became more and more stifling as the day wore on, finally Keenum threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter which after translating to two ECU rushing touchdowns put the game out of reach. ECU became the first school to successfully defend a Conference USA title by a score of 38-32. With this loss, the Cougars dropped to #25 in the Harris and Coaches' polls and out of the BCS poll completely.
Later in December, it was announced Houston accepted an invitation to play in the 2009 Armed Forces Bowl
.
between Houston and Air Force, which was itself a rematch of a 2008 regular season game. Houston won the bowl the previous season.
Houston's inability to stop a running game was exploited worst of all by Air Force, who features a running-heavy triple offense. Air Force running backs marched up and down the field and chewed up 41 minutes of game time while the Air Force's pass defense, statistically #1 in the nation, sat back and intercepted Case Keenum's passes seemingly at will - Air Force collected six interceptions in all, a career worst for Keenum. Air Force led comfortably 24-6 at halftime and Houston proved little resistance in the second half, losing in all 47-20. Houston had now lost nine of ten bowl games dating back to 1980. The loss removed Houston from every end-of-season poll.
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
in the college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
2009–2010 season
2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the...
. It was the 64th year of season play for Houston. The team was coached by second year head football coach, Kevin Sumlin
Kevin Sumlin
-External links:*...
. The team played its home games at Robertson Stadium
Robertson Stadium
John O'Quinn Field at Corbin J. Robertson Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, located on the campus of the University of Houston. It is the home of the Houston Cougars football and women's soccer teams...
, a 32,000-seat stadium on campus in Houston. The Cougars finished the season 10–4, 6–3 in CUSA
2009 Conference USA football season
The 2009 Conference USA football season was the 15th season of the conference's existence.-Previous season:East Carolina won the conference championship.-C-USA vs. BCS matchups:-Regular season:-Week one:-Week two:-Week three:-Week four:...
play, were co–champions of the west division and lost to East Carolina
2009 East Carolina Pirates football team
The 2009 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the college football season of 2009-10 and played their home games in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The team was coached by Skip Holtz, who was in his fifth and final year with the program...
38–32 in the CUSA Championship Game
2009 Conference USA Football Championship Game
The 2009 Conference USA Football Championship Game was played on December 5, 2009 between the East Carolina Pirates, the champion of Conference USA's East Division, and the West Division champion Houston Cougars at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina...
. They were invited to the Armed Forces Bowl
2009 Armed Forces Bowl
The 2009 Armed Forces Bowl was the seventh edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas. The game started at 12:00 PM US EST on Thursday, December 31, 2009...
were they lost to Air Force
2009 Air Force Falcons football team
The 2009 Air Force Falcons football team represented the United States Air Force Academy during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Air Force competed as a member of the Mountain West Conference. The Falcons were coached by third-year head coach Troy Calhoun...
47–20. It was the second consecutive year that they had played Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Previous season
The 2008 season was head coach Kevin Sumlin's inaugural season with the Cougars. The Cougars finished 3rd in Conference USA'sConference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
West division with a 6–2 conference record and 8–5 overall record. The Cougars ended their season with a win against the Air Force Falcons
2008 Air Force Falcons football team
The 2008 Air Force Falcons football team represented the United States Air Force Academy in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the 2008 season. Air Force competed as a member of the Mountain West Conference .The team was led by...
in the Armed Forces Bowl
2008 Armed Forces Bowl
The 2008 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl was the sixth edition of the annual post-season college football bowl game, and featured the Houston Cougars against the Air Force Falcons on December 31, 2008 at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas and...
. This marked the first time since 1980 that the Cougars won a bowl game, and ended their eight game losing streak.
In addition, the Cougars defeated two nationally ranked teams: #23 East Carolina
2008 East Carolina Pirates football team
The 2008 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the college football season of 2008-09. and plays their home games in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium...
and #25 Tulsa
2008 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team
The 2008 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team represented the University of Tulsa in the college football season of 2008–2009. The team's head coach was Todd Graham, in his second year at Tulsa. They played home games at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma and competed in the...
; the former of which was on the road. It was the first time the Cougars had defeated a ranked opponent in an away game since the 1984 season. Another first since then was the defeat of two nationally ranked teams in one season.
At the conclusion of the post-season, offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer
Sebastian Vollmer
Sebastian Georg Vollmer is an American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Houston.-Early years:Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, Vollmer did not...
graduated from Houston, and was drafted by the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
. Phillip Hunt
Phillip Hunt
Phillip Wayne Hunt, Jr. is an American football defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
was also signed to the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Houston's starting quarterback Case Keenum
Case Keenum
Casey Austin "Case" Keenum is a redshirt senior quarterback for the Houston Cougars football team. Keenum has already set several school records at the University of Houston and has positioned himself to become the NCAA's all-time leader in total passing yards in 2011...
held the number two rank for passing yards in the NCAA.
Spring practices
The Cougars held Spring practices from March 24 to April 18, 2008. On April 4, the team played a public scrimmageExhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
. The Cougars' annual Red-White Game, which was the conclusion of the Spring practices, was abruptly halted after the first ten minutes of gameplay due to rainy weather conditions.
Recruiting
Coaching staff
| Name | Position | Alma mater (Year) |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Sumlin Kevin Sumlin -External links:*... |
Head coach | Purdue Purdue University Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and... (1986) |
| Dana Holgorsen Dana Holgorsen Dana Holgorsen is an American football coach and former player. He is the current head football coach at West Virginia University, having succeeded Bill Stewart, who resigned under pressure on June 10, 2011... |
Offensive coordinator Offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach... |
Iowa Wesleyan Iowa Wesleyan College Iowa Wesleyan College is a private four-year liberal arts college of the United Methodist Church located Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.Iowa Wesleyan is recognized as a pioneer in higher education in America. Founded in 1842, it ranks as the oldest coeducational college located west of the Mississippi River... (1992) |
| John Skladany John Skladany John Skladany is an American football coach who currently serves as a defensive coordinator for the UCF Knights. Skladany previously served as defensive coordinator for the Iowa State Cyclones, Houston Cougars, as well as the UCF Knights. He joined the Cougars in the 2008 pre-season. After the... |
Defensive coordinator Defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach... |
Central Connecticut State Central Connecticut State University Central Connecticut State University is a state university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States.The school was moved to its present campus in 1922... (1972) |
| Jason Phillips Jason Phillips (wide receiver) Jason Phillips is the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for the Houston Cougars football team, which represents the University of Houston. He is also a former professional American football player who played as wide receiver for five seasons for the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons.... |
Co-Offensive coordinator | Houston University of Houston The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of... (1988) |
| Leon Burtnett Leon Burtnett Leon Burtnett is an assistant football coach at the University of Houston and was the head football coach at Purdue University from 1982 to 1986.... |
Linebacker Linebacker A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen... s |
Southwestern College Southwestern College (Kansas) Southwestern College is a four-year private college affiliated with the United Methodist Church located in Winfield, Kansas, United States. It was founded in 1885 and graduated its first class in 1889. In addition to its campus programs, it offers online programs.-Academics:The main campus is a... (1965) |
| Jim Jeffcoat Jim Jeffcoat James Wilson Jeffcoat, Jr. is a former American football defensive lineman who played fifteen seasons in the National Football League. From 2008 to 2010 he served as defensive line coach for the Houston Cougars football team... |
Defensive line | Arizona State Arizona State University Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona... (1982) |
| Joe Gilbert | Offensive line | Hamilton (1987) |
| Tony Levine | Special teams | Minnesota University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557... (1996) |
| Clarence McKinney | Running backs | Mary University of Mary The University of Mary is a four year Catholic university near Bismarck, North Dakota.The university is the largest degree granting institution in Bismarck... (1994) |
| Charles McMillian | Defensive backs | Utah State Utah State University Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.... (1995) |
| Zac Spavital | Cornerbacks | Murray State Murray State University Murray State University, located in the city of Murray, Kentucky, is a four-year public university with approximately 10,400 students. The school is Kentucky’s only public university to be listed in the U.S.News & World Report regional university top tier for the past 20 consecutive years... (2004) |
Schedule
Denotes the largest crowd to have watched a football game at Robertson StadiumRobertson Stadium
John O'Quinn Field at Corbin J. Robertson Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, located on the campus of the University of Houston. It is the home of the Houston Cougars football and women's soccer teams...
in its current capacity, and the largest Houston ever hosted on-campus. This was later broken the next season.
Northwestern State
The Northwestern State Demons of the Southland ConferenceSouthland Conference
The Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
traveled to Houston to meet with the Cougars for the first time in school history. Head coach Bradley Dale Peveto, a former Houston defensive coordinator and assistant head coach, led the Demons in his first game ever. With the first five touchdowns for Houston resulting from the Cougars' first five possessions, the Demons' first down only occurred after the score was 28–0 in the home team's favor. With the game well in hand for the Cougars in the third quarter, starting quarterback Case Keenum
Case Keenum
Casey Austin "Case" Keenum is a redshirt senior quarterback for the Houston Cougars football team. Keenum has already set several school records at the University of Houston and has positioned himself to become the NCAA's all-time leader in total passing yards in 2011...
was rested for the rest of the game.
Oklahoma State
The Cougars traveled to Boone Pickens StadiumBoone Pickens Stadium
Boone Pickens Stadium has been home to the Oklahoma State University Cowboys football team in rudimentary form since 1913, and as a complete stadium since 1920...
in Stillwater to face Oklahoma State (ranked 5th in the AP football poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
and 6th in the Coaches' Poll). Houston came out of the gate with a touchdown and field goal in the first quarter, but Oklahoma State responded with a drive to the endzone in the beginning of the second quarter. However, Houston parlayed an onside kick
Onside kick
In American and Canadian football, an onside kick is a type of kick used at a kickoff or other free kick, or scrimmage kick or other kick during play, in which the ball is kicked favorably for the kicking team to avoid giving away the ball...
into two more touchdowns to close the half. In the third quarter, Oklahoma State dominated, with touchdowns coming from rushes by Keith Toston and Beau Johnston. A punt return for 82 yards by Dez Bryant
Dez Bryant
- 2010 - Rookie Season :Bryant was signed by the Cowboys to a contract very similar to that of Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin on July 22, 2010. On July 23, 2010, it was announced that Bryant will wear number 88, the same as Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, and Cowboys legend Drew Pearson...
yielded another touchdown for Oklahoma State. However, the Cougars clawed back in the final quarter, with the help of a Case Keenum pass that turned into a tipped ball caught by Bryce Beall, and a Zac Robinson
Zac Robinson
-New England Patriots:Robinson was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year contract on July 21, 2010...
interception that was returned for a touchdown. Following the win, Houston was launched into the #21 ranked spot in the AP Poll, which marked the first time since 1991 in which the Cougars had been ranked in the top 25.
Texas Tech
1995 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1995 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first year of the Bowl Alliance and was a relatively calm year compared to the early 1990s.Tom Osborne led Nebraska to its second straight national title with a victory over Florida in the Fiesta Bowl....
. The game also marked the first time that Houston hosted Texas Tech on-campus, as the Astrodome
Reliant Astrodome
Reliant Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, USA. The stadium is part of the Reliant Park complex...
had served as the previous home for the Cougars during that era. During Houston's bye
Bye (sports)
A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing...
the week prior, AP
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
and Coaches' Poll voters ranked the Cougars ahead in the polls to #17 and #23 respectively. It was the first time in eighteen years that Houston entered a game as a nationally ranked team.
Although attempting to recover from a loss to #2 Texas the week before, Texas Tech's starting quarterback Taylor Potts
Taylor Potts
Taylor Potts is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2011...
had passed for a career record of 46 passes for 420 yards.
The game received heavy media coverage, and was broadcast nationally on ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
. After a complete sell-out of public game tickets by Houston athletics, 1,500 student guest tickets went on sale the Monday morning before the game. With students arriving around midnight to await box office opening, all student guest passes were gone within three hours. The game marked a record attendance of 32,114 at Robertson Stadium
Robertson Stadium
John O'Quinn Field at Corbin J. Robertson Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, located on the campus of the University of Houston. It is the home of the Houston Cougars football and women's soccer teams...
in its current seating capacity including an appearance by U.S. Senator for Texas and gubernatorial candidate Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kathryn Ann Bailey Hutchison, known as Kay Bailey Hutchison , is the senior United States Senator from Texas.She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2001, she was named one of the thirty most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. The first woman to represent Texas in the U.S....
. Following a similar phenomenon from Monday, 5,500 students were allowed general admission into the game for no charge on gameday. Houston businessman Jim McIngvale
Jim McIngvale
Jim McIngvale is a businessman from Houston, the founder of the Houston furniture store Gallery Furniture....
donated a 9'x16' LED screen displaying the ESPN2 broadcast for use in the stadium parking lot during the game to accommodate the remainder of the University of Houston's 37,000 student enrollment who were unable to gain entry. UH Alumnus Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association for the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008,...
facilitated the pre-game coin toss
Coin flipping
Coin flipping or coin tossing or heads or tails is the practice of throwing a coin in the air to choose between two alternatives, sometimes to resolve a dispute between two parties...
. Fellow alumnus and former Cougars basketball coach Clyde Drexler
Clyde Drexler
Clyde Austin "Clyde The Glide" Drexler is a former National Basketball Association shooting guard and small forward. A ten-time All-Star and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, the NBA named him one of basketball's fifty greatest players as of 1996. Drexler won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and...
was also in attendance.
Although prior to the win, Texas Tech had been victors of the previous five meetings, the all-time record between the teams was updated to 18–10–1 with Houston leading. The Cougars' record improved to 3–0.
UTEP
Following the home victory, Houston went on the road to El Paso, TexasEl Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
to face conference foe UTEP for the seventh time in school history. Having moved five spots up to #12 in the AP Poll prior to the game, the undefeated Cougars were heavily favored to win. UTEP's record was 1–3, and were coming off a 64–7 loss to Texas. Despite a remarkable attempt by Houston, where Case Keenum threw for a career record of 536 passing yards with 5 touchdowns, the Cougars could not contain UTEP's run-style offense. UTEP running back Donald Buckram ran for a career-high of 262 yards against Houston as the Miners completed a 58-41 upset. Houston's all-time record against UTEP fell to 3–4. The Cougars would fall completely out of both the AP Poll and Coaches' Poll top 25 rankings, but continued to receive votes.
Mississippi State
Houston attempted to begin rebuilding after the UTEP upset in Starkville, MississippiStarkville, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 21,869 people, 9,462 households, and 4,721 families residing in the city. The population density was 851.4 people per square mile . There were 10,191 housing units at an average density of 396.7 per square mile...
meeting with the Mississippi State Bulldogs. It was the fifteenth meeting between the two teams, where the Cougars held a 8–6 record over the Bulldogs who first competed against each other in 1956. The last time Mississippi State had defeated Houston was in 1972, as the Cougars had won the last two meetings. The game was nationally televised on ESPNU
ESPNU
ESPNU is a television channel that specializes in college sports, and is produced by, affiliated with and owned by parent network ESPN. ESPNU originates out of ESPN Regional Television's ESPNU (often referred to as The U) is a television channel that specializes in college sports, and is produced...
. The Bulldogs were able to contain Houston's offense to 17 points in three quarters and enter the fourth quarter in a tie game. The Cougars offense scored two touchdowns in rapid succession with six and four minutes to go in the game, and then conceded a touchdown run to Anthony Dixon with 1:22 to play. However the Cougars were able to recover a Mississippi State onside kick try and went on to win the game. Following the win, the Cougars regained a place in the top 25 list for both the AP Poll and Coaches' Poll with a ranking of #23.
Tulane
Houston completed its three game road trip in New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
against the Tulane Green Wave. With a record of 5-1 after completing the game, Houston was off to the best start of a season since 2003. Having competed against each other for the first time in 1968, the Cougars held a 10-4 all-time record against Tulane, and had won their last seven games against the Green Wave. Heavily favored Houston started off the game slowly against Tulane's pass defense which stood as the best in Conference USA at the time, and the Cougars went into halftime leading only 9-6 against the Green Wave. However in the second half the offense exploded for 20 unanswered points in the third quarter and 15 points in the fourth while conceding 10, and Houston left the Superdome a 44-16 winner. Following the game, Houston rose to #17 in the AP Poll and to #18 in the Harris and Coaches' Polls. When the initial BCS ranking came out the following Sunday Houston secured the #17 spot, marking the first week the Cougars were ranked in the BCS poll.
SMU
The Cougars returned to play in Houston for the first time since its September victory over Texas Tech to face the SMU Mustangs in their homecomingHomecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni of a school. It most commonly refers to a tradition in many universities, colleges and high schools in North America...
game. Another former Southwest Conference opponent, SMU was coached by second-year head coach June Jones
June Jones
June Sheldon Jones, III is the American football head coach for Southern Methodist University.-Playing career:Jones played the quarterback position on three college teams: Oregon , Hawaii , and Portland State . It is during his time at Portland State that he was introduced to the Run and Shoot...
. It was the 25th meeting between the teams, where Houston held a 15-9-1 record in the all-time series. The game was nationally televised on the CBS College Sports network. Houston took advantage of two SMU turnovers early in the game and utilized an effective running game to take a 24-3 lead into halftime. SMU's turnover issues continued into the second quarter as Houston kept going to freshman Charles Sims on the ground. Sims finished the game with 15 carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Case Keenum finished with comparatively light duty, only collecting 233 yards and two touchdowns on 36 completions as Houston dispatched SMU 38-15. Following the victory, Houston moved up to #15 in the AP poll and to #16 in the Coaches' and Harris polls, but moved down to #18 in the BCS poll.
Southern Miss
The Cougars continued the 2009 season with a HalloweenHalloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
showdown versus conference rival Southern Miss. Houston came into the game at 7-1 and on its best start since 1990, in the days of the Southwest Conference. The two teams last met in the 2006 Conference USA Football Championship
Conference USA Football Championship
The Conference USA Football Championship Game is an annual postseason college football game played to determine the champion of Conference USA. From 1996–2004, the champion of Conference USA was determined by regular season record...
. The game turned into a shootout early as neither defense proved able to slow down quarterbacks Martevious Young and Case Keenum. Southern Miss led early 13-7 at the end of the first quarter, but Houston collected 23 points on three touchdowns and a returned blocked extra point to go into halftime leading 30-22. The game slowed down somewhat in the second half as Houston extended the lead to 40-22 in the fourth quarter, but Southern Miss's Young led the Golden Eagles to a late game comeback, scoring three touchdowns in eight minutes to tie the game at 43 with only 57 seconds left. However, Houston's Keenum calmly led the Cougars down the field in a scene reminiscent of the Texas Tech game and needed only 36 seconds to complete a game-winning touchdown drive. Keenum passed for a career record 559 yards that day. Houston escaped out of Robertson Stadium that day with a 50-43 victory. The following day, Houston found itself ranked 13th in the AP poll, 15th in the Coaches', 14th in the Harris, and 15th overall in the BCS poll, an improvement in all rankings.
Tulsa
The 8-1 Cougars took to the road the following week to take on the ever-dangerous Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Houston came into the game with an 18-16 record all time versus Tulsa. The game took mostly the form of the previous game against Southern Miss, where neither team's defense were effective against potent passing attacks. The Cougars utilized a strong first half from wide receiver James ClevelandJames Cleveland (American football)
James Lee Cleveland is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.-College career:...
to go into halftime leading 24-21. Houston's defense nearly collapsed completely in the third quarter as Tulsa QB G.J. Kinne tore the Cougars apart in the air and on the ground, scoring three individual touchdowns in the third quarter. Houston's offense were able to keep up mostly with Tulsa, and the quarter ended with a 38-34 score favoring Tulsa. Tulsa's defense solidified somewhat in the fourth quarter, holding Houston out of the end zone on a goal line stand early and making Houston settle for a 26 yard field goal with eight minutes to play. Tulsa's offense then churned out one last scoring drive with three and a half minutes to play to bring the score to 45-37. Houston needed a touchdown with a two point conversion on its last drive to tie the game. Keenum again led the Cougars down the field and threw a third touchdown pass to James Cleveland to bring UH to 45-43, but Keenum was sacked on the two point conversion attempt. With only 21 seconds to play, Houston attempted a last gasp onside kick attempt which was successfully recovered by Tim Monroe. Keenum quickly brought the offense 27 yards down the field in three plays and then retired to give walkon freshman kicker Matt Hogan a chance to win the game on his leg. It was the first time Hogan had tried a field goal longer than 50 yards, but he booted the field goal down the middle as Houston escapes being upset once again, winning 46-45. The victory was the first one by game-winning field goal in school history. After the thrilling comeback, the Coaches' poll moved Houston to #12, the Harris to #13, and the BCS ranking remained unchanged at #15.
Central Florida
With visions of a possible top 10 ranking in the near future, the 9-1 Cougars traveled to Orlando, FloridaOrlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
to play the Knights of Central Florida. UCF had met Houston only two times before, each team winning a game. The game began as though heavily favored Houston would win in less dramatic fashion than normal, easily taking a 10-0 lead to the second quarter. However, in the second quarter UCF began going to the ground and exploiting serious weaknesses in the run defense exposed by games against Texas Tech and UTEP. UCF ground out yards and jealously kept the ball out of the hands of the dangerous Houston offense. Unable to cope with the punishing ground game, Houston scored only one kickoff return touchdown in the next two quarters and UCF took a 23-17 lead into the fourth quarter. UCF scored two more touchdowns, one rushing and one passing, early in the fourth to move to 37-20 while grinding down clock and keeping the ball in UCF possession. Houston's offense broke out only with three and a half minutes to play by way of a touchdown pass, and then another one with only ten seconds to play to bring the game to 37-32. However this time, Houston would not recover the last second onside kick and UCF completed the upset. The victory by UCF was the first against a Top 25 ranked opponent in school history. After the loss, Houston dropped far in the polls to #22 in the Coaches' and #23 in the Harris, with the BCS dropping Houston further to #24. Not only had any vision of a BCS Bowl for the Cougars disappeared, even the possibility of a conference title began to come into doubt as the loss put SMU in the lead for the CUSA West division title.
Memphis
Houston returned home to Robertson Stadium to lick their wounds the following week, and the 1-9 Memphis Tigers were in town. Houston struck first, quickly, and often in the first half; Keenum completed 29 passes for 405 yards and 5 touchdowns before retiring just after halftime. Houston took a commanding 42-14 lead into halftime, and Houston tacked on two more touchdowns by way of a touchdown pass from backup quarterback Cotton Turner and a Charles Sims touchdown run to easily win 55-14. Memphis's two touchdowns came by way of running back Curtis Steele, indicating Houston had not fixed their major ground game issues. With the victory and a loss by SMU to Marshall2009 Marshall Thundering Herd football team
The 2009 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the 2009 season. Marshall competed as a member of the East Division of Conference USA, and played their home...
earlier in the day, Houston ended the week as leader of CUSA West with only one game to play. Houston's ranking recovered slightly the following day; the Coaches' and Harris polls placed the Cougars at #20 and the BCS at #23.
Rice
The final game of the season was a Thanksgiving renewal of the rivalry with Rice, with the two teams playing for the Bayou BucketBayou Bucket
The Bayou Bucket Classic is an annual college football game between Conference USA rivals the Houston Cougars and the Rice Owls as a part of the Houston–Rice rivalry. The name of the game is a reference to one of Houston's popular nicknames as the Bayou City...
. Houston came into the game with a 27-9 record versus the crosstown Owls. Much like the Memphis game, Houston's offense scored at will versus the Rice defense. Case Keenum scored only two touchdowns on 323 yards passing before hitting the showers at halftime, his Cougars leading 59-0. The game slowed down somewhat in the third quarter, and Houston extended its lead to 65-0 before Houston's reserves conceded two touchdowns. Houston's reserves added two touchdowns of their own, and the Cougars defended the Bayou Bucket 73-14. The 73 points was the most scored by any team in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS season. The victory also sealed a CUSA West title for the Cougars - though SMU won earlier in the day, Houston owned the tiebreaker by way of defeating the Mustangs in October. Houston's ranking improved two spots in all polls; the Coaches' and Harris polls placed the Cougars at #18 and the BCS at #21.
East Carolina (C-USA Championship)
The Cougars, representing CUSA West, traveled to Greenville, North CarolinaGreenville, North Carolina
Greenville is the county seat of Pitt County and principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area. Greenville is the health, entertainment, and educational hub of North Carolina's Tidewater and Coastal Plain and in 2008 was listed as the Tenth Largest City in North Carolina...
for the Conference USA Championship against defending champion East Carolina. ECU employed the same strategy used by conference mates UTEP and UCF in their upsets of the Cougars - run the football often and grind the clock. Alongside that, the ECU run defense stopped the Cougar running game completely cold (only 30 yards total rushing), leaving Houston to rely on the skills of Case Keenum to carry them through. The Cougar passing game did have success for a while as Houston led at halftime 19-14, but the Pirate defense became more and more stifling as the day wore on, finally Keenum threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter which after translating to two ECU rushing touchdowns put the game out of reach. ECU became the first school to successfully defend a Conference USA title by a score of 38-32. With this loss, the Cougars dropped to #25 in the Harris and Coaches' polls and out of the BCS poll completely.
Later in December, it was announced Houston accepted an invitation to play in the 2009 Armed Forces Bowl
2009 Armed Forces Bowl
The 2009 Armed Forces Bowl was the seventh edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas. The game started at 12:00 PM US EST on Thursday, December 31, 2009...
.
Air Force (Armed Forces Bowl)
The 2009 Armed Forces Bowl was a rematch of the previous year's matchup2008 Armed Forces Bowl
The 2008 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl was the sixth edition of the annual post-season college football bowl game, and featured the Houston Cougars against the Air Force Falcons on December 31, 2008 at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas and...
between Houston and Air Force, which was itself a rematch of a 2008 regular season game. Houston won the bowl the previous season.
Houston's inability to stop a running game was exploited worst of all by Air Force, who features a running-heavy triple offense. Air Force running backs marched up and down the field and chewed up 41 minutes of game time while the Air Force's pass defense, statistically #1 in the nation, sat back and intercepted Case Keenum's passes seemingly at will - Air Force collected six interceptions in all, a career worst for Keenum. Air Force led comfortably 24-6 at halftime and Houston proved little resistance in the second half, losing in all 47-20. Houston had now lost nine of ten bowl games dating back to 1980. The loss removed Houston from every end-of-season poll.
Poll rankings
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP | RV | RV | 21 | 17 | 12 | RV | 23 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 24 | 25 | 18 | RV | NR |
| Coaches | RV | NR | RV | 23 | 15 | RV | 23 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 25 | RV |
| Harris | Not released | 13 | RV | 23 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 25 | ||||
| BCS | Not released | 17 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 24 | 23 | 21 | NR | |||||||