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
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2007 Houston Season
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2007 Houston Preview
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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.