Houston Cougars Football: Going for Their First 9-0 Start in School History

(Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loco Photography, Copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved)

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2011 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (November 5, 2011) When the Houston Cougars take the field to face the University of Alabama-Birmingham Blazers on Saturday evening, they will be looking to go 9-0 for the first time in school history.

Saturday’s game is the eighth all-time meeting between Houston and UAB and each of those eight meetings have come as members of Conference USA .

UAB leads the series 4-3, but UH has won three of the last four contests, including a 49-10 win in Birmingham on Oct. 20, 2007


Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin is 1-0 vs. the Blazers, with that win coming in 2008 by a 45-20 margin at Robertson Stadium

Houston has scored 40 plus points against. the Blazers in all three of its wins, including 56 tallies during a 56-28 win at Robertson Stadium in 2003.

Current UAB head coach Neil Callaway spent four seasons at the University of Houston as the team’s offensive coordinator and offensive line coach (1993-96).

Houston quarterback Case Keenum leads the country with 3,219 yards passing and 32 TDs.

He has the country’s best TD-to-INT ratio in 2011 (32-3) and needs 267 yards passing on Saturday to break the NCAA career yardage record of 17,072 which is held by Hawaii’s Timmy Chang.

Keenum has 16,805 career passing yards. He already owns NCAA records for career TD passes (139), TD’s accounted for (159), total offense (17,692) and career 300 yard games (33).

Houston wide receiver Patrick Edwards produced the best receiving day in college football this season with 318 yards and five TDs on just seven catches in a 73-34 victory over Rice on Oct. 27.

He is also the first receiver in America to top 1,000 yards receiving and currently ranks No. 2 nationally in receiving yardage (1,069).

He leads the NCAA with 11 TD grabs in 2011 and is ranks No. 9 nationally in yards per catch (21.0) and is the first player in University of Houston history to top 1,000 yards receiving in three separate seasons.

Tied for the school record with 34 career TD grabs and is the school record holder for career receiving yardage (3,826).