Houston & Keenum keep on rolling over Tigers

Houston Cougars 2009 ... Head Coach: Kevin Sumlin

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 10-2
2009 Results: 9-2

9/5 NW State W 55-7
9/12 at Oklahoma St W 45-35
9/19 OPEN DATE
9/26 Texas Tech W 29-28
10/3 at UTEP L 58-41
10/10 at Miss St W 31-24
10/17 at Tulane W 44-16
10/24 SMU W 38-15
10/31 Southern Miss W 50-43
11/7 at Tulsa W 46-45
11/14 at UCF L 37-32
11/21 Memphis W 55-14
11/28 Rice

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2008 Results: 8-5

8/30 Southern  W 55
9/6 at Oklahoma St L 56-37
9/13 Air Force L 31-28
9/20 at Colorado St L 28-25
9/27 at E Carolina W 41-24
10/4 OPEN DATE
10/11 UAB W 45-20
10/18 at SMU W 44-38
10/28 at Marshall L 37-23
11/1 OPEN DATE
11/8 Tulane W 42-14
11/15 Tulsa W 70-30
11/22 UTEP W 42-37
11/29 at Rice L 56-42
Armed Forces Bowl
12/31 Air Force W 34-28

Houston Cougars

Nov. 21
at Houston 55 … Memphis 14
Houston had no problems putting away Memphis to stay alive for the Conference USA title. Case Keenum threw five touchdown passes in the first 34 minutes on the way to a 49-14 lead, and then Cotton Turner took over and added an 18-yard scoring pass. L.J. Castile caught two scoring passes for the Cougars and Charles Sims ran for scores from 13 and five yards out. Houston outgained MU 689 yards to 344.
Player of the Game: Houston QB Case Keenum 29-of-39 passes for 405 yards and five touchdowns
Memphis: Passing: Will Hudgens, 9-18, 60 yds
Rushing: Curtis Steele, 28-160, 2 TD, Receiving: Duke Calhoun, 5-17
Houston: Passing: Case Keenum, 29-39, 405 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: Charles Sims, 15-90, 2 TD, Receiving: Tim Monroe 7-92, 1 TD
What It All Means: Houston is still getting ripped apart on the ground, but the defense, overall, came up with one of its best games of the year. Case Keenum and the offense got up early and never led Memphis breathe in a rare layup, and now, all it will take is a win over Rice to go play for the title. It hasn’t always been pretty, but with the way Keenum is playing, there’s no reason there can’t be three more wins to be had. 

Nov. 14
at UCF 37 … Houston 32
UCF overcame a 17-3 deficit with Brynn Harvey touchdown runs from one, 41, and seven yards out, and got a 21-of-25 passing day from Brett Hodges including a 24-yard scoring play to Quincy McDuffie. Houston got up early on a 51-yard touchdown catch from Tyron Carrier and a 100-yard kickoff return from Devin Mays, the UCF outscored the Cougars 34 to 3 until a 31-yard Carrier touchdown catch in the final minutes.
Player of the Game: UCF RB Brynn Harvey ran 35 times for 139 yards and three scores.
Houston: Passing: Case Keenum, 33-56, 377 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Charles Sims, 6-33, Receiving: Tyron Carrier, 9-149, 2 TD
UCF: Passing: Brett Hodges, 21-25, 241 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Brynn Harvey, 35-139, 3 TD, Receiving: Quincy McDuffie, 4-77, 1 TD
What It All Means: This isn’t the end of the world. The defense continues to be a disaster against the run, while Case Keenum wasn’t able to make up for the problems. There were some decent defensive performances, Marcus McGraw and Brandon Brinkley each made 14 tackles and McGraw came up with two sacks, but to win the Conference USA title, it’s going to be all on Keenum. All the Cougars need to do is beat awful Memphis and Rice teams at home, and get an SMU loss at Marshall or against Tulane, and they’re in. 

Nov. 7
Houston 46 … at Tulsa 45
Houston’s Matt Hogan nailed a 51-yard field goal with no time left on the clock to cap off an improbable finish. James Cleveland pulled the Cougars to within two on a one-yard run with 21 seconds to play, but Case Keenum was sacked on the two-point conversion attempt. The Cougars recovered the onside kick, Keenum completed two throws for 27 yards to get Hogan into position, and Houston came away with the win. The two teams combined for 1,159 yards of total offense with Tulsa’s Charles Clay scoring four times, two on the ground and two through the air, but it was Keenum who was the big story throwing for 522 yards and three scores. James Cleveland caught all three touchdown passes, and he combined with Patrick Edwards to make 23 catches for 343 yards.
Player of the Game: Houston QB Case Keenum completed 40-of-60 passes for 522 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran six times for 21 yards.
Tulsa: Passing: G.J. Kinne, 19-26, 334 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: G.J. Kinne, 16-100, 1 TD, Receiving: Damaris Johnson, 10-144
Houston: Passing: Case Keenum, 40-60, 522 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Bryce Beall, 17-82, Receiving: James Cleveland, 12-167, 3 TD
What It All Means: Houston might not be any good, but it sure is fun to watch. It’s almost like the defense is trying to invent ways to get down so Case Keenum can make look better and better by the week. The defense can’t stop anyone, but Keenum is throwing with such confidence and the nation’s No. 1 offense is rolling so easily that it’s able to score from any place on the field. UCF has a strong defense, but does it have the offense to keep up? Houston gets to find out next week.

Oct. 31
at Houston 50 … Southern Miss 43
In a thrilling game with Houston cranking out 750 yards of total offense and Southern Miss ripping off 608, Case Keenum threw for 559 yards and five touchdowns including a 28-yard strike to Patrick Edwards with 21 seconds to play, just 36 seconds after USM took the lead on Gerald Baptise’s third touchdown catch of the game. The Golden Eagles still had one final shot, but the Hail Mary attempt was knocked down. The two teams combined for 38 points in the fourth quarter and 919 passing yards. James Cleveland caught 13 passes for 190 yards and two scores for the Cougars and Tyron Carrier added ten grabs for 88 yards.
Player of the Game: Houston QB Case Keenum completed 44-of-55 passes for 559 yards and five scores with a touchdown
Southern Miss: Passing: Martavious Young, 20-34, 334 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Damion Fletcher, 26-136, 1 TD, Receiving: Gerald Baptiste, 8-186, 3 TD
Houston: Passing: Case Keenum, 44-54, 559 yds, 5 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Charles Sims, 14-95, 1 TD, Receiving: James Cleveland, 13-190, 2 TD
What It All Means: Houston might not be playing any defense, but having a playmaker like Case Keenum, who keeps coming through clutch time and again, makes up for it. Yeah, the 559 passing yards were terrific, but the Cougars shouldn’t need such heroics to come up with wins and it should be far easier to get wins with 750 yards of total offense. That’s just going to be the way the Houston games are this year, and with road games up next against Tulsa and UCF, Keenum will have to keep firing to keep the Conference USA title hopes rolling. 

Oct. 24
Houston 38 … at Rice 15
Houston got Charles Sims touchdown runs from 20 and six yards out and a Case Keenum seven-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Edwards on the way to the easy win. The Cougars got up 31-3 when Tyron Carrier returned the second half kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, but SMU made it interesting with a four-yard Shawnbrey McNeal touchdown run and a 32-yard Aldrick Robinson catch in the fourth. SMU QB Bo Levi Mitchell got knocked out of the game with a dislocated shoulder.
Player of the Game: Houston LB C.J. Cavness made 18 tackles, a sack, and broke up a pass.
Rice: Passing: Kyle Padron, 11-16, 141 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Shawnbrey McNeal, 15-95, 1 TD, Receiving: Emmanuel Sanders, 6-47
Houston: Passing: Case Keenum, 25-36, 233 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Charles Sims, 15-105, 2 TD, Receiving: Patrick Edwards, 9-122, 1 TD 
What It All Means: Finally, the Cougars showed they could win a game when Case Keenum wasn’t bombing away for a bazillion yards. LB C.J. Cavness had a great game with 18 tackles, but once again the run defense struggled way too much. SMU can’t run the ball, but Shawnbrey McNeal was able to come up with 95 yards. The defensive line has to get better in a hurry with three of the league’s better teams, Southern Miss, Tulsa, and Rice up next, but if all else fails, there’s always Keenum to fall back on.

Oct. 17
Houston 44 … at Tulane 16
Houston struggled in the first half on the way to a 9-6 lead, and then the offense woke up in the third quarter with 20 straight points as Justin Johnson and Bryce Beall each ran for short scores and James Cleveland caught a six-yard touchdown pass. Case Keenum finished with two touchdown passes leading the Cougars to 516 yards of total offense. Tulane got three Ross Thevenot field goals and a four-yard Antoine Duplessis scoring run.
Player of the Game: Houston QB Case Keenum completed 30-of-43 passes for 334 yards and two touchdowns
Tulane: Passing: Ryan Griffin, 12-18, 126 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Andre Anderson, 18-108, Receiving: Jeremy Williams, 6-63
Houston: Passing: Case Keenum, 30-43, 334 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Bryce Beall, 16-64, 2 TD, Receiving: Chaz Rodriguez, 6-84 
What It All Means: Case Keenum was Case Keenum again, but the running game was able to carry more of the weight with several different players getting their turn at bat. Eight players got carries to keep the Green Wave on its heels, but the bread is still buttered by Keenum, who continues to be flawless. The much-maligned run defense did a decent job, allowing just 108 yards to Andre Anderson, but this is still going to be an issue the rest of the way. There’s no worry about the running game next week against SMU.

Oct. 10
Houston 31 … at Mississippi State 24
Case Keenum threw four touchdowns passes, hitting James Cleveland from five and three yards away, and connecting with Tyron Carrier from 16 and 18 yards out, but the Cougars had to hang on late. MSU started off the scoring with a 71-yard interception return for a touchdown from Charles Mitchell, and got touchdown runs from 50 yards out and one yard away, but the onside kick attempt late after the second score failed. MSU turned it over four times and was hit by eight penalties to Houston’s two.
Player of the Game: Houston QB Case Keenum completed 39-of-52 passes for 434 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions.
Mississippi State: Passing: Tyson Lee, 15-23, 160 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 21-134, 2 TD, Receiving: Marcus Green, 4-37
Houston: Passing: Case Keenum, 39-52, 434 yds, 4 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Bryce Beall, 15-94, Receiving: James Cleveland, 11-131, 2 TD
What It All Means: The Houston run defense is going to be an issue all season long. After being run over by UTEP in last week’s loss, Mississippi State gouged the Cougar run D for 330 yards and stayed alive. Fortunately, Case Keenum is Case Keenum and the UH passing attack cranked out 434 yards like it was the norm. Now the BCS league games are out of the way going 3-0. Can the Cougars win the layups? Tulane and SMU are next. 

Oct. 3
at UTEP 58 … Houston 41
In a wild game with 1,245 yards of total offense, Donald Buckram ran for 262 yards and four touchdowns, with all four of his scores coming in the second half, and Jeff Moturi took a pass 74 yards as UTEP broke open a 17-17 tie with a 41-point second half. But Houston didn’t go away as Case Keenum threw for a career-high 536 yards with five touchdown passes including two to James Cleveland in the second half. Buckram’s final touchdown run, a 27-yarder, gave the Miners a 17-point lead late, and the defense put the game away as Roddray Walker returned a fumble 70-yard for a score. Houston came up with 42 first downs to UTEP’s 26.
Player of the Game: UTEP RB Donald Buckram ran 32 times for 262 yards and four touchdowns, and in a losing cause, Houston QB Case Keenum completed 51-of-76 passes for 536 yards and five scores.
Houston: Passing: Case Keenum, 51-76, 536 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: Bryce Beall, 14-68, Receiving: James Cleveland, 14-147, 2TD
UTEP: Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 19-30, 276 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Donald Buckram, 32-262, 4 TD, Receiving: Jeff Moturi, 6-127, 1 TD 
What It All Means: Really? The Cougars couldn’t last one week with a great buzz from the Oklahoma State and Texas Tech wins? The run defense wasn’t doing anything right over the first three games, and then it went bye-bye against UTEP as the defensive front played as poor a game as could possibly be played. As this game showed, Case Keenum can’t bomb the team to a win, even over a horrible team like UTEP, if the defense is going to be such a disaster. Mississippi State RB Anthony Dixon has to be drooling.

Sept. 26
at Houston 29 … Texas Tech 28
Case Keenum ran for a four-yard score to cap off a 16-play, 95-yard drive in the final five minutes, and the Houston defense held on as a final Texas Tech Hail Mary was broken up. The two offenses combined for 1,063 yards of total offense, but Texas Tech was only able to managed a 24-yard touchdown catch from Tramain Swindall in the second half. It was still good enough to be up late as Houston didn’t go for two points after a one-yard Bryce Beall run, and was down eight after the Swindall score, and only managed a 21-yard field goal on a deep third quarter drive. Baron Batch ran for two first half scores for the Red Raiders.
Player of the Game: Houston QB Case Keenum completed 38-of-58 passes for 435 yards and a touchdown with an interception, and he ran for 27 yards and the game-winning score.
Houston: Passing: Case Keenum, 38-58, 435 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Bryce Beall, 19-75, 1 TD, Receiving: Charles Sims, 10-122
Texas Tech: Passing: Taylor Potts, 30-45, 321 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Baron Batch, 19-114, 2 TD, Receiving: Alex Torres, 6-90
What It All Means: The Oklahoma State win was big, but this proved the Houston really can play. Case Keenum wasn’t perfect, but he was a playmaker when he needed to be with both his legs and his arm, keeping the final drive alive with a cool head and good mobility. While the passing game took center stage, Bryce Beall and the running game did a decent job, too, adding a little bit of balance when needed. Defensively, Marcus McGraw and C.J. Cavness had huge games combining for 33 tackles, but Matt Nicholson, who made eight tackles, was lost for the year with a torn ACL. Now the key is for the team to maintain its focus against UTEP before going to Mississippi State for yet another statement game. 

Sept. 12
Houston 45 ... at Oklahoma State 35
Houston's Case Keenum threw three touchdown passes and a scored on a 16-yard run, but it was the defense that came through when needed. Down 38-35, Oklahoma State had the ball with plenty of time, but Jamal Robinson picked off a pass for a 26-yard score to seal the win. The Cowboys got a nine-yard Kendall Hunter touchdown run, before he left with an injury, and got a scintillating 82-yard punt return from Dez Bryant for a score, but the Cougars scored 21 fourth quarter points with Bryce Beall scoring from one-yard out and catching a deflected pass for a six-yard score
Player of the Game: Houston QB Case Keenum completed 32-of-46 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. He also ran for a score.
Houston: Passing: Case Keenum, 32-46, 366 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Bryce Beall, 18-78, 1 TD, Receiving: Tyron Carrier, 7-111, 1 TD
Oklahoma State: Passing: Zac Robinson, 18-31, 240 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Beau Johnson, 9-82, 1 TD, Receiving: Dez Bryant, 5-85
What It All Means: Case Keenum now belongs on the Heisman short list. He'll get another shot at a big win with Texas Tech coming up, but this performance showed, at the very least, that he belongs in the discussion among the nation's best quarterbacks. He made a few mistakes and wasn't always sharp (getting really, really lucky on his last touchdown pass that should've been picked off), but he was cool, calm, and extremely productive. The defense wasn't a rock, but it forced the turnovers it needed to and it kept the high-powered Cowboy attack under wraps allowing just 434 yards. Now there's a week off to bask in the glow and prepare for the Red Raiders. If nothing else, this remains among the nation's most fun teams to watch.

Sept. 5
at Houston 55 ... Northwestern State 7
Case Keenum needed just over a half of work to throw four touchdown passes and run for another as Houston jumped out to a 41-7 halftime lead and a 48-7 lead before Keenum and the starters came out. Bryce Beall scored on a 17-yard run and a 15-yard catch, and Charles Sims scored on a 23-yard grab and a one-yard run in the rout. NSU got its touchdown on a one-yard Justin Aldredge run in the second quarter.
Player of the Game: Houston QB Case Keenum completed 23-of-30 passes for 359 yards and four touchdowns, and he ran for seven yards and a score.
Northwestern State: Passing: John Hundley, 22-34, 106 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: William Griffin, 10-63, Receiving: Darius Duffy, 6-43
Houston: Passing: Case Keenum, 23-30, 359 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Bryce Beall, 9-58, 1 TD, Receiving: Charles Sims, 6-128, 1 TD
What It All Means: It was a near-perfect performance in a tune-up for Oklahoma State. It might have been nothing more than a light scrimmage against a mediocre Northwestern State team, but Case Keenem still was razor-sharp and spread the ball around well. The running game only averaged 3.4 yards per carry, but the intensity was hardly there after Keenum lit up the scoreboard through the air. Phillip Steward paced the way for the defense with 13 tackles.