2008 Houston Cougars - Recruiting Class

Houston Cougars 2008 Head Coach: Kevin Sumlin

Houston Cougars

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Jarvis Smith LB 6-2 215 Fr. Houston, Texas/Chavez
Four-star recruit by Scout.com. ... Ranked nationally #15 by Scout.com. ... A member of the Houston Chronicle Area Top 110 team

Potential Instant Impact Players

Jackie Hinton, Jr. DB 5-11 187 Fr. Channelview, Texas/Channelview
Three-star recruit by Scout.com. ... Ranked nationally #71 by Scout.com. ... Ranked #101 in the Texas Top 110 by SuperPrep. ... Runs a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash. ... A member of the Houston Chronicle Area Top 110 team. ... Pulled the trifecta, as he was named First-Team, All-District on offense, defense and special teams. ... Rushed for 1,030 yards and 11 touchdowns, while adding 23 receptions for 196 yards and one score as a senior. ... As a junior had 30 catches for 421 yards and seven TDs as well as three interceptions, 351 yards on kickoff returns and 78 punt return yards. ... Also plays baseball. ... Also recruited by Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Utah, Baylor, Rice and Boston College.

Anthony Lewis LB 6-1 200 Fr. Houston, Texas/Aldine
Three-star recruit by Scout.com. ... Ranked nationally #32 by Scout.com. ... Ranked #91 in the Texas Top 110 by SuperPrep. ... Runs a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash. ... A member of the Houston Chronicle Area Top 110 team. ... A member of the Dallas Morning-News State Top 100 team. ... Ranked #84 by the Dallas Morning-News. ... Finished senior season with 100 tackles, with seven sacks, seven forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. ... Named First-Team, All-State as a senior. ... Two-time all-district performer at defensive end. ... Also recruited by Nebraska, Arizona, Baylor, Kansas, Iowa State, Minnesota and Purdue.

Rest of the Class
Jacolby Ashworth OL 6-3 275 Fr. Lufkin, Texas/Lufkin
Bryce Beall RB 5-11 195 Fr. Tatum, Texas/Tatum
Gino Collins CB 5-11 185 Fr. Houston, Texas/St. Pius X
Doran Guillory DE 6-3 245 Fr. Beaumont, Texas/Kelly
David Hunter DL 6-2 270 Fr. Waller, Texas/Waller
Kris Johnston DB 6-0 190 Fr. Texas City, Texas/Texas City
Jordan Mannisto K/P 6-0 175 Fr. Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake
Marcus McGraw LB 5-10 210 Fr. Arlington, Texas/Bowie
Nick Saenz DB 5-11 185 Fr. Pearland, Texas/Pearland
Blake Sargent OL 6-3 275 Fr. Friendswood, Texas/Friendswood
Isaiah Sweeney WR 5-9 160 Fr. Missouri City, Texas/Hightower
Ari Tatum OT 6-5 240 Fr. Dacula, Ga./Dacula
Mohammed Usman DE 6-1 235 Fr. Arlington, Texas/Bowie
Ken Van Heule OL 6-4 265 Fr. Hurst, Texas/L.D. Bell
Ronnie Williams WR 5-11 180 Fr. Houston, Texas/Sterling
Chris Wilson RB 5-11 208 Fr. Sugar Land, Texas/Austin

- 2007 Houston Season
- 2007 Houston Preview
- 2006 Houston Season

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 7-5
2007 Results: 8-5

Sept. 1 at Oregon L 48-27
Sept. 15 at Tulane W 34-10
Sept. 22 Colorado St W 35-24
Sept. 29 East Carolina L 37-35
Oct. 6 at Alabama L 30-24
Oct. 13 Rice W 56-48
Oct. 20 at UAB W 49-10
Oct. 27 at UTEP W 34-31
Nov. 4 SMU W 38-28
Nov. 10 at Tulsa L 56-7
Nov. 17 Marshall W 35-28
Nov. 24 Texas South. W 59-6
Texas Bowl
Dec. 28 TCU L 20-13

2007 Recap

Recap: After rebounding admirably from the graduation of franchise QB Kevin Kolb, the Cougars must do it again after the departure to Baylor of head coach Art Briles, the architect of the program’s recent revival.  While Houston failed to repeat as Conference USA champs, and lost a bowl game for the eighth straight time, it did win eight games and tie Tulsa atop the Western Division in somewhat of a transition season.  When the Cougars were having problems last year, the defense was often the culprit, giving up an average of 42 points a game in their four regular season losses.       

Offensive Player of the Year: RB Anthony Alridge

Defensive Player of the Year: DE Phillip Hunt

Biggest Surprise: QB Case Keenum.  Faced with the unenviable task of succeeding Kolb, the freshman did an admirable job, flashing a live arm and good mobility, while providing hope for the future.  While sharing time with tag-team partner Blake Joseph, Keenum tossed 14 touchdowns passes and scrambled for nine more.

Biggest Disappointment: With the West up for grabs on Nov. 10, Houston played its worst game of the Briles era, getting blitzed by Tulsa, 56-7.  Despite boasting two of the league’s most explosive players, RB Anthony Alridge and WR Donnie Avery, the Cougars were never able to break through against a very suspect Hurricane defense.

Looking Ahead: Former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Sumlin takes the reigns of the program, promising to build on the success of the past few seasons.  Although the new head coach will have weapons on offense, replacing the speed and big-play ability of Alridge and Avery will be next to impossible.

Dec. 28
2007 Texas Bowl
TCU 20 ... Houston 13
TCU held a seemingly comfortable 20-10 lead with two minutes to play, but Houston made it interesting with a 32-yard field goal, and after forcing a quick three-and-out, took the ball from its two and worked its way down to the TCU 19 with one second to play. On the final shot, TCU's Chase Ortiz blew into the backfield and hit Cougar QB Case Keenum to end it. The Horned Frogs stuffed the Cougar running game allowing just 32 net yards helped by five sacks, while the offense got short touchdown runs from Andy Dalton and Justin Watts along with two Chris Manfredini field goals. Houston started off the scoring with Andre Kohn catching a 67-yard scoring pass, but never got back into the end zone.
Offensive Player of the Game: TCU QB Andy Dalton completed 21 of 30 passes for 294 yards with an interception, and ran 11 times for 17 yards and a score
Defensive Player of the Game: Houston SS Rocky Schwartz made 16 tackles and two tackles for loss
Stat Leaders: TCU - Passing: Andy Dalton, 21-30, 249 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Justin Watts, 12-46, 1 TD. Receiving: Ervin Dickerson, 3-57
Houston - Passing: Case Keenum, 23-38, 335 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Anthony Alridge, 15-29. Receiving: Donnie Avery, 10-120
Thoughts & Notes ... TCU's defense never let Houston star RB Anthony Alridge get going. The gameplan was all about getting bodies around him, and it worked as he only gained 29 yards on 15 carries with 22 coming on one play. .... TCU's pass rush got consistent pressure on Case Keenum, but it didn't seem to matter too much. Keenum kept getting up to bomb away for more, keeping his cool time and again. For the most part, the tackles did a decent job against the Horned Frog pass rushing tandem of Chase Ortiz and Tommy Blake, except for Ortiz's sack on the final play. ... TCU got hit with 11 penalties to Houston's six. ... Houston had its chance before the final play with two throws into the end zone, but after Donnie Avery picked apart the TCU defense, he didn't get an honest shot to make a play when the Cougars got close.

Nov. 24
Houston 59 ... Texas Southern 6
Houston scored on its first seven possessions on the way to a 47-0 halftime lead kicked off with a 52-yard Anthony Alridge touchdown run on the third play from the game and punctuated by a 35-yard Alridge dash midway through the second quarter. The Cougars got up 59-0 before TSU finally got on the board in the fourth quarter on a 49-yard William Osborne touchdown catch. Houston outgained TSU 664 yards to 179.
Player of the game: Houston RB Anthony Alridge ran 11 times for 157 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for 11 yards.
Stat Leaders: Texas Southern - Passing: Cornelius Harmon, 6-16, 72 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jeff Bell, 6-27. Receiving: Michael Anderson, 3-17
Houston - Passing: Blake Joseph, 11-14, 169 yds
Rushing: Anthony Alridge, 11-157, 2 TD. Receiving: Donnie Avery, 6-143, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Nothing like a nice light scrimmage against a Texas Southern to close out a season. While this might not have been the Conference USA championship campaign of last year, winning eight games and going off to the Texas Bowl is still a nice accomplishment. The program missed Kevin Kolb, but as the win this week showed, it'll miss Anthony Alridge and Donnie Avery even more next year.

Nov. 17
Houston 35 ... Marshall 28
Anthony Alridge scored on a three-yard run and took a pass 26 yards for a score, and Case Keenum ran for a touchdown and threw two touchdown passes including a 62-yard play to Mark Hafner for a touchdown to stay two steps ahead of the Herd. Marshall made it close late on a one-yard Kelvin Turner run, but the onside kick failed and the Cougars were able to run out the clock. The Herd got touchdown runs from Darius Marshall and Chubb Small, and a 32-yard scoring grab from Emmanuel Spann.
Player of the game: Houston RB Anthony Alridge ran 25 times for 103 yards and a touchdown, and caught five passes for 44 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: Marshall - Passing: Bernard Morris, 20-32, 260 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Darius Marshall, 12-66, 1 TD. Receiving: E.J. Wynn, 6-66
Houston - Passing: Case Keenum, 24-32, 298 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Anthony Alridge, 25-103, 1 TD. Receiving: Mark Hafner, 6-128, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Cougars got back on track after the laying an egg against Tulsa, but the defense struggled a bit too much with a lousy Marshall offense. Now that they've got the second seed in the West and are assured a decent bowl slot, it's time to flex a little muscle and blow away Texas Southern. As long as Case Keenum is efficient and doesn't make mistakes, there shouldn't be any problems.

Nov. 10
Tulsa 56 ... Houston 7
Tulsa got out to a 35-0 halftime lead on four of Paul Smith's five touchdown passes, with strikes from 53 and 32 yards out to Brennan Marion, and a one-yard Smith run. The Golden Hurricane kept on rolling with a 56-0 lead late into the fourth with touchdown runs from Tarrion Adams and Jamad Williams in the second half before Houston finally got on the board with a five-yard Terrance Ganaway run with 2:25 to play. The Cougars turned the ball over five times and were outgained 515 yards to 324. Tulsa's Chris Chamberlain made 20 tackles.
Player of the game: Tulsa QB Paul Smith completed 15 of 28 passes for 313 yards and five touchdowns, and he ran seven times for 32 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: Houston - Passing: Case Keenum, 12-15, 81 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Terrance Ganaway, 8-39, 1 TD. Receiving: Mark Hafner, 6-47
Tulsa - Passing: Paul Smith, 15-28, 313 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: Jamad Williams, 16-56, 1 TD. Receiving: Charles Clay, 5-97, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... There's still a chance to pull out the West title with a win over Marshall and a Tulsa loss to Rice, but it might take a little while to get over the thumping from the Golden Hurricane. The Cougars didn't show up, getting torched from the word go, committing 12 penalties and turning it over five times. For the second straight week the secondary got lit up, but unlike the win over SMU, the offense didn't have an answer. As bad as this might have been, with two more wins, a bowl game will be assured, and there's still a shot at a nine win season.

Nov. 4
Houston 38 ... SMU 28
Houston cranked out 554 yards of total offense, mostly thanks to the running game, overcoming an early 14-7 deficit to go on a 24-point second quarter run to take control of the game, at least for a half. Anthony Alridge ran for a two-yard score, and 36-yard touchdown, and three a 24-yard touchdown pass to Chaz Rodriguez, but the Cougars had to hold on as Justin Willis, who started off the scoring with a four-yard touchdown run, threw three touchdown passes including a 51-yarder and a 21-yarder to Zack Sledge in the third quarter to pull within three. Donnie Avery put it a away for the Cougars on a seven-yard scoring grab early in the fourth.
Player of the game: Houston RB Anthony Alridge ran 31 times for 154 yards and two touchdown and threw a pass for a 24-yard score.
Stat Leaders: SMU - Passing: Justin Willis, 19-32, 351 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Justin Willis, 16-51, 1 TD. Receiving: Emmanuel Sanders, 5-76
Houston - Passing: Case Keenum, 19-27, 264 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Anthony Alridge, 31-154, 2 TD. Receiving: Donnie Avery, 10-116, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The defense had way to many problems against Justin Willis and the SMU passing game, allowing a certain blowout to get way too close in the second half. But when needed, the defense came through, but more importantly, the offense kept the chains moving connecting on 12 of 19 third down chances and hanging on to the ball for 21:01 in the second half. Now bowl eligible and almost certain to at least get a 13th game, the offense has to get ready for a shootout against Tulsa to win the West.

Oct. 27
Houston 34 ... UTEP 31
Houston cranked up 520 yards of total offense, but needed a one-yard Terance Ganaway touchdown run to finally pull ahead in the fourth quarter and two defensive stops to finally get the win. UTEP took a 17-7 first half lead on a nine-yard Jamar Hunt touchdown catch and a 34-yard Joe West scoring grab, but the Cougars bounced back with two T.J. Lawrence field goals and a 20-yard Case Keenum touchdown run. Keenum gave Houston the lead in the fourth quarter on a five-yard pass to Perry McDaniel, but UTEP would fight back with Trevor Vittatoe's third touchdown pass of the game on a 35-yard throw to Jeff Moturi. That would be it for the Miner offense. UTEP started off the scoring with a 57-yard Jose Martinez field goal.
Player of the game: Houston RB Anthony Alridge ran 27 times for 204 yards, and caught six passes for 43 yards
Stat Leaders: Houston - Passing: Case Keenum, 13-20, 116 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Anthony Alridge, 27-204. Receiving: Anthony Alridge, 6-43
UTEP - Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 8-23, 134 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Marcus Thomas, 28-178. Receiving: Jeff Moturi, 4-94, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The offense is humming on all cylinders, getting 540 yards against UAB and 520 against UTEP in the last two weeks. This is looking like a Conference USA favorite, but the defense has to do a better job of slowing down the pass if it's going to get by Tulsa in a few weeks and clinch the West. With C-USA lightweights SMU and Marshall to deal with, the West is over after beating the Miners.

Oct. 20
Houston 49 ... UAB 10
Houston rolled for 540 yards of total offense as it overcame a 3-0 deficit to crank out 28 straight first half points on short touchdown runs from Anthony Alridge, Case Keenum and Terrance Ganaway before the Blazers got into the end zone on a four-yard Frantrell Forrest catch. The Cougar defense came up with four interceptions, while the offense cranked out 33 first downs and held on to the ball for 39:28.
Player of the game: Houston RB Anthony Alridge ran 17 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns, and caught four passes for 24 yards
Stat Leaders: Houston - Passing: Blake Joseph, 10-17, 105 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Anthony Alridge, 17-111, 2 TD. Receiving: Mark Hafner, 5-66, 1 TD
UAB - Passing: Sam Hunt, 12-34, 198 yds, 1 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Brandon Thornton, 3-16. Receiving: Frantrell Forrest, 5-96, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Cougars picked a great time to come up with its best game of the year, rolling over UAB without a problem. The defense forced turnovers, Anthony Alridge and the running game did whatever it wanted to, and it was an easy road win going into the showdown against UTEP. As long as the offense is this effective, this is the favorite to repeat as C-USA champions. The O is coming into its own.

Oct. 13
Houston 56 ... Rice 48
Houston rolled up 748 yards of total offense and got a record-setting day from Donnie Avery, who caught 13 passes for 346 yards and scores from 77 and 67 yards out as part of a wild 28-point first quarter. Anthony Alridge added a seven-yard touchdown run, but he'd make his biggest impact in the second half with scoring runs from eight, 33 and 50 yards out to overcome a Rice midgame 26-point run. The Cougars turned it over five times, and the Owls took advantage with short scoring drives from five, 14, and 31 yards out to take a 40-28 lead, and then Houston's offense caught fire.
Player of the game: Houston WR Donnie Avery caught 13 passes for 346 yards and two touchdowns, and RB Anthony Alridge ran 24 times for 205 yards and four scores.
Stat Leaders: Rice - Passing: Chase Clement, 24-44, 355 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chase Clement, 11-36. Receiving: Jarett Dillard, 7-133, 1 TD
Houston - Passing: Blake Joseph, 11-18, 318 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Anthony Alridge, 24-205, 4 TD. Receiving: Donnie Avery, 13-346, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Talk about explosion, Anthony Alridge continues to make a case for All-America honors with yet another breathtaking performance, but it was Donnie Avery who stole the show against Rice with the big plays early to set the tone for the game. Unfortunately, turnovers and defensive problems coming up with a first half stop made it closer than it should've been but the Cougars got the win, and now have to go on the road to deal with UAB and UTEP. Expect more fireworks.

Oct. 6
Alabama 30 ... Houston 24
Alabama appeared to be cruising to an easy win after getting out a 23-0 first quarter lead on two 23-yard John Parker Wilson touchdown passes and a one-yard Wilson run, but then things got interesting. Houston's Donnie Avery took a pass 68 yards for a touchdown just before halftime, but the Tide seemed to have things well in hand after a Glen Coffee four-yard touchdown run made it 30-10 going into the fourth. A Case Keenum two-yard touchdown run and a 30-yard Anthony Alridge score pulled the Cougars to within six, and they had the ball with a chance to win the game late. On fourth and goal deep in Tide territory, Simeon Castille picked off a pass in the end zone to save the Homecoming win.
Player of the game: Alabama RB Glen Coffee ran 30 times for 121 yards and a touchdown and caught six passes for 30 yards
Stat Leaders: Houston - Passing: Case Keenum, 11-17, 132 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: Anthony Alridge, 17-100. Receiving: Anthony Alridge, 7-94, 1 TD
Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 15-27, 157 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Glen Coffee, 30-121, 1 TD. Receiving: Glen Coffee, 6-30
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... For the second straight week, Houston lost late when it had chances to win. The 2-3 record could easily be 4-1, but that's what happens when it takes a while to get going. This is a big-play team that can explode from anywhere on the field, and was able to work its way into the game against Alabama, but it's going to have to learn how to play a full sixty minutes against the better teams. You can't spot 23 to the Tide in the first quarter and expect to win.

Sept. 29
East Carolina 37 ... Houston 35
Down two, Houston had two late chances to win, but T.J. Lawrence missed a 37-yard field goal with just under two minutes to play, and missed from 38 with three seconds left. ECU got a huge day from Chris Johnson, who ran for a 14-yard touchdown in the second quarter and a 43-yard dash in the third. Houston stayed in it with the home run, starting off the scoring with a 33-yard Donnie Avery touchdown catch, his first of two touchdown grabs, and answering a late ECU field goal with a 100-yard Donnie Avery kickoff return for a score. ECU's C.J. Wilson came up with 2.5 sacks, and Quentin Cotton made 14 tackles and recovered a fumble.
Player of the game: East Carolina RB Chris Johnson ran 24 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns, and caught four passes for 24 yards
Stat Leaders: East Carolina - Passing: Rob Kass, 6-12, 110 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Chris Johnson, 24-147, 2 TD. Receiving: Chris Johnson, 4-24
Houston - Passing: Blake Joseph, 24-29, 250 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Anthony Alridge, 21-89, 1 TD. Receiving: Donnie Avery, 9-189, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Houston will have to quickly get past the heartbreaking loss to East Carolina, or the Alabama game won't be pretty. There was tremendous explosion, Donnie Avery and Anthony Alridge did what they do, but the defense couldn't handle the ECU running game, and the kicking game had issues with two late misses and a block. On the plus side, Blake Joseph stepped in for Case Keenum and was fantastic, completing 24 of his 29 passes.

Sept. 22
Houston 35 ... Colorado State 24
In a tale of two halves, Colorado State got up 17-3 on two Caleb Hanie touchdown passes and a 40-yard Jason Smith field goal. And then Case Keenum took over for Houston, as he threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to L.J. Castille to open the second half, and a 27-yarder to Perry McDaniel late in the third quarter. A second Smith field goal broke a 24-24 tie, but Keenum put it away with two short touchdown runs in the final 6:18. CSU was held to just 115 rushing yards.
Player of the game: Houston QB Case Keenum threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns on 18-of-22 passing, and ran 12 times for 57 yards and two touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Colorado State - Passing: Caleb Hanie, 16-26, 227 yds, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Kyle Bell, 23-73. Receiving: Luke Roberts, 6-113, 1 TD
Houston - Passing: Case Keenum, 18-22, 197 yds, 2 TDs
Rushing: Anthony Alridge, 15-62. Receiving: Donnie Avery, 7-76
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Houston's star back, Anthony Alridge was held in check by Colorado State, but the Cougar defense did its part by stuffing Ram star Kyle Bell for 73 yards on 23 carries. The real find was the play of Case Keenum, who was deadly accurate in place of Blake Joseph. Based on this week, Keenum deserves more playing time with his dual-threat capabilities coming through when the ground game was stuck. That Houston can put up 35 points without Alridge being a major factor shows how strong the team is playing.

Sept. 15
Houston 34 ... Tulane 10
Houston had few problems blowing past Tulane, getting out to a 24-0 halftime lead on two Blake Joseph touchdown passes and a four-yard Anthony Alridge touchdown run. Alridge made it a laugher early in the third, taking a pass 49 yards for a touchdown and a 31-0 lead before the Green Wave finally got on the board with a 28-yard field goal. Houston kept Tulane out of the end zone until the final minute when Chris Dunn caught a six-yard touchdown pass.
Player of the game: Houston RB Anthony Alridge ran for 87 and a touchdown on 18 carries, and caught two passes for 49 yards and another score..
Stat Leaders: Houston - Passing: Case Keenum, 13-21, 185 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: Anthony Alridge, 18-87, 1 TD. Receiving: Donnie Avery, 7-103
Tulane - Passing: Scott Elliott, 9-23, 116 yds, 2 INTs
Rushing: Matt Forte, 17-85.  Receiving: Casey Robottom, 4-115
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... With near perfect offensive balance and a little explosion mixed in from Anthony Alridge, Houston had few problems with Tulane. The Cougars are still good enough to blow past the mediocre Conference USA teams, and against the Green Wave, the defense did its job, especially against the run. There were a few too many mistakes, with three turnovers, and the quarterback situation remains unsettled, but considering the team had two weeks off, it played great out of the gate. It'll have to do the same against a balanced and tough Colorado State team this week.

Sept. 1
Oregon 48 ... Houston 27
Dennis Dixon had a huge day for the Ducks with 141 rushing yards, highlighted by an 80-yard scoring dash to put the game away late in the third quarter, and threw two touchdown passes. Houston hung around for most of the game, helped by two huge plays from Anthony Alridge with a 60-yard touchdown run and an 86-yard touchdown catch, but Dixon would prove to be too much, with his two scoring passes coming within a minute of each other in the third quarter as part of a wild sequence. Dixon connected with Brian Paysinger for a 24-yard score, and then converted a blocked punt into a six-yard scoring pass to to Jaison Williams, and then on the next play from scrimmage, Alridge scored on his 86-yarder.
Player of the game ... Oregon QB Dennis Dixon went 9-of-15 for 134 yards and two touchdowns, and ran 15 times for 141 yards and a score..
Stat Leaders: Houston- Passing: Case Keenum, 14-27, 179 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Anthony Alridge, 22-205, 1 TD  Receiving: Donnie Avery, 6-66
Oregon - Passing: Dennis Dixon, 9-15, 134 yds, 2 TDs
Rushing: Dennis Dixon, 15-141, 1 TD  Receiving: Brian Paysinger, 4-63, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Yeah, the run defense had problems with Dennis Dixon and Oregon, but the Cougar offense had a bolt of lightning of its own in Anthony Alridge, who looked every bit the part of Conference USA's most dangerous player. He needs to have the ball in his hands 25 times a game, and as long as there's a little help around him, he'll win a few games by himself. The passing attack might not have been great, but several receivers were involved. The penalties have to stop. 11 are too many.