Houston Texans to sign UH ex Case Keenum

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS It is being reported by Gallery Sports and Sports Radio 610 writer John McClain that the Houston Texans have agreed to sign former Houston Cougar Case Keenum to a two-year contract as their backup quarterback. The deal can't become official until the start of free agency on Wednesday. This will be Keenum's third tour with the Texans. He played in 2012-13 under Gary Kubiak and in 2014 under Bill O'Brien.

Case Keenum leads Texans to win over Baltimore in his first game back in Houston

Case Keenum (7)  at Houston Texans Training Camp
during Auguist, 2013.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2014 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 22, 2014)  With a new quarterback at the helm, the Houston Texans upset the Baltimore Ravens by the score of 25-13 at NRG Stadium in Houston on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014. With the wins, the Texans raised their season record to 8-7 and remain in the hunt for a wild-card playoff berth.

Leading the Texans on the field was former University of Houston and Houston Texans quarterback Case Keenum. Prior to this week, Keenum was on the practice squad of the St. Louis Rams. He was released from the Texans on August 31, 2104 and was picked up on waivers the next day by the Rams.

On Dec. 15, 2014, he was acquired from the Rams and was announced as the starting quarterback late Saturday evening (Dec. 20). The Texans have used four quarterbacks in 2014.

Keenum, who started preparing for the game on Monday, Dec. 15, completed 20-of-42 passes for 185 yards. He also rushed for 19 yards on four carries. The win was the first for Keenum, who was 0-8 in 2013 when he started the second half of the season for the Texans.

Andre Johnson caught six passes from Keenum for 65 yards, while Arian Foster carried the ball 25 times for 96 yards. J.J. Watt led the defense with eight tackles, seven of them solo, along with one sack.

With one game to go in the regular season, the Texans will begin to prepare for the 3-12 Jacksonville Jaguars, which they will play on Dec. 28 with a 12 noon CST kickoff at NRG Stadium.  The Texans are currently in 2^nd place in the AFC South, behind the 9-4-1 Cincinnati Bengals, who play Denver on Monday night, Dec. 22 at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.

St. Louis Rams claim Case Keenum

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2014 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (September 1, 2014) ESPN's Adam Schefter, via his Twitter account, is reporting that former Houston Texans and University of Houston quarterback Case Keenum has been claimed on waivers by the St. Louis Rams on Monday, September 1, 2014.

Keenum (shown at right) was released by the Texans early Sunday morning after the Texans traded the New England Patriots for quarterback Ryan Mallett.

The native of Abilene, Texas, who played his high school ball at Wiley High School, Keenum, started eight games for the Texans in 2013, throwing for nine touchdowns while completing 54 percent of his passes for 1,760 yards.

Keenum will likely fill the backup role for the Rams, behind Shaun Hill, due to the season ending injury sustained by Sam Bradford.

Southern Mississippi product Austin Davis will join Hill and Keenum as the signal callers.
Keenum and the Rams will kickoff their 2014 regular on Sunday, September 7, 2014 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Houston Texans release quarterback Case Keenum

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2014 TexSport Publications

Case Keenum was reelased by the Houston Texans on Sunday, Augist 31, 2014.Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images

HOUSTON, TEXAS (September 1, 2014) It was reported by the Houston Chronicle and various news outlets around the Houston area on Saturday, August 30, 2014 that the Houston Texans has traded the New England Patriots for back-up quarterback Ryan Mallett.
 

As a result, the Texans have released quarterback Case Keenum.

Keenum, who started eight games for the Texans in 2013, completed 54 percent of his passes for 1,760 yards, in addition to nine touchdowns and was a college standout for the University of Houston, from 2006 to 2011.

Mallett, who played for the Patriots from 2011 to 2013, saw limited action as Tom Brady's backup.

In his three season with New England, Mallett played a total of four games, competing 1-of-4 passes for 25 yards and one interceptions, while rushing eight times for a loss of nine yards.

During two pre-season games in 2014 for New England, Mallett completed 9-of-14 passes for 106 yards and one touchdown; against Philadelphia.

For the Texans, Mallett will be vying for the backup job, along with rookie Tom Savage, behind Ryan Fitzpatrick.

The Texans kickoff their 2014 regular season on Sunday, September 7, 2014 against the Washington Redskins.

Houston Texans end losing streak; down Atlanta Falcons in preseason action

 

The Houston Texans offense was on hitting on all
cylinders against the Atlanta Falcons.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved 

By Robert H KellyCopyright 2014 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (August 17, 2014) It had been 336 days since the Houston Texans won a football game; and those 336 days have been hard for players, coaches and fans alike.

The 15-game losing streak is over technically over, as the Texans used a solid offensive and defensive attack to down the Atlanta Falcons by the score of 32-7 at NRG Stadium in Houston on Saturday, August 16, 2014.

In actuality, this preseason game does not count on the Texans' won-loss record, by a victory is a victory, at least to the fans of the Battle Red, Deep Steel Blue, and Liberty White.

Head coach Bill O'Brien was still content to start Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback and he played the entire first quarter, just as he did in the Texans' first preseason game against Arizona.

Versus the Cardinals, Fitzpatrick completed 6-for-14 passes for 55 yards and threw two interceptions.

The Texans were the first to get on the scoreboard; with 1:23 left in the first quarter.



Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) took control of the
Houston Texans offense against the Falcons.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved 

Fitzpatrick handed off to rookie fullback Alfred Blue, who plowed one yard for the score, with Randy Bullock's splitting of the uprights for the extra point, from the 25-yard line, to make the score 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The scoring drive was 69 yards on 12 plays and lasted 6:19.

Fitzpatrick was replaced by rookie Tom Savage for the second quarter.

Fitzpatrick completed 4-of-6 passes for 33 yards and rushed for 10 yards in the first quarter.

The Falcons tied the score at the 1:32 mark in the second quarter when third string quarterback Sean Renfree completed a 12-yard pass to wide receive Devin Hester.

After the score, O'Brien opted to return Fitzpatrick to the game for the remainder of the half, where he engineered a seven play, 74 yard scoring drive that lasted 1:13 and ended with an eight yard pass to wide receiver DeVire Posey.

Bullock's extra point was wide to the right; making the score 13-7 at the end of the half.

In the final drive of the half, Fitzpatrick completed 5-for-6 passes for 63 yards and carried the ball once for 15 yards. He finished the game competing nine of 12 passes for 97 yards.

O'Brien commented on Fitzpatrick's play during the post-game press conference with the credentialed media.

“He is getting comfortable with the system. It was a good step in the right direction.”

Case Keenum started the second half and drove the ball 58 yards in 10 plays before the Texans had to settle for a 40-yard field goal by Bullock; making the score 16-7 with 10:20 left in the third quarter.

After a series of downs, the Falcons had their backs against the end zone, and on a fourth and eight play at their own four yard line, Matt Bosher dropped back into the end zone to punt the ball; which was tipped by Texans' tight end Anthony Denham.

Running back Jonathan Grimes recovered the loose ball and scampered 17-yards for the score. Bullock's extra point was good to give the Texans a 23-7 lead with 14:03 remaining in the game.

The Houston Texans Cheerleaders were on hand
to keep the fans "involved" in the game.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved 

The Texans added an insurance touchdown at the 6:46 mark of the fourth quarter when rookie corner back Andre Hal stepped in front of a T.J. Yates errant pass, intended for rookie wide receiver Julian Jones, and returned the ball 64 yards for the score.

Bullock again went wide right from 33 yards out on the extra point, to make keep the score at 29-7.

Yates was again picked off at the 5:43 mark by linebacker Max Bullough, who returned the ball to the Falcon's 15-yard line.

Savage returned to the game as quarterback and who went three-and-out before settling for a 33-yard field goal by Chris Boswell; making the score 32-7.

Keenum finished the game with six completions on 12 attempts for 81 yards while throwing one interception, while Savage was 4-for-5 for eight yards.

Defensively, the Texans' number one draft pick, Jadeveon Clowney, saw limited action in the game.

However he rattled some of the Falcons' cages with a big sack of Matt Ryan and two major tackles on Ryan and running back Antone Smith.

The Texans' next preseason opponent with be against Denver on August 23. They will return home for their final preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, August

Houston to face Atlanta in second test of preseason

J.J. Watt signs an autograph for a young fan after
Thursday's practice session.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved
 

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2014 TexSport Publications

 

HOUSTON, TEXAS (August 15, 2014) With the Houston Texans beginning their current preseason schedule with a 32-0 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, many fans are wondering if 2015 is just going to be a reboot of 2013, where the Texans went 2-14.

There have been a few changes on Kirby Street, with a new head coach, new offensive and defensive coordinators and a new starting quarterback, but what most people witnessed against Cardinals didn't seem like much of anything had changed.

New head coach Bill O’Brien has implements changes designed to bring the Texans back to the top of the league and eventually lead them to the playoffs.

Houston will take to the grass inside NRG Stadium for their first home exhibition gave of 2014 against the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday, August 16, 2014

The Falcons arrived in Houston on Tuesday, August 12 in preparation for the matchup; which includes three combined training sessions on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Being able to practice with the team they are going to face on Saturday certainly should provide players from both teams to excell and catch the eyes of the coaches and staff who will determine if they will make it past the final roster cuts and be able to play the regular season.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was signed as a free agent on March 20, 2014, started at quarterback and played the entire first half, completed six of 14 passes for 55 yards while throwing two interceptions.

Case Keenum is working to regain his starting
role as quarterback in 2014.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved

Former Houston Cougars quarterback and Texans starting quarterback from 2013, Case Keenum completed three of five passes for 29 yards.

He played the entire third quarter with rookie Tom Savage competing two of three passes for 14 yards.

The offense could not seem to get the ball moving down the field; only generating 172 net yards and possessing the ball a little less than 18 minutes on offense.

The only bright side from the game was the defensive duo of defensive end J.J. Watt and rookie linebacker Jadeveon Clowney.

With each player seeing limited action, they both picked up a solo tackle, with Watt adding a sack to his preseason statistics.

The duo were involved on every play and their penetration and aggressiveness will certainly help the Texans as the preseason continues and the regular season begins.

The Falcons are coming off a 16-13 preseason win over the Miami Dolphins and a 4-12 record in 20-13.

Game time on Saturday is set for 7 p.m. CDT in Houston.

Case Keenum Leads Houston to 37-7 Win Over SMU; Season Record Now 11-0

(UH quarterback Case Keenum completed 30-of-45 passes for 318 yards and one touchdown in the Cougars' win over SMU. Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loco Photography, Copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved)

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2011 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (November 19, 2011) In a game that saw the Houston Cougars (11-0, 7-0 C-USA) facing a stubborn SMU Mustangs squad; the Cougars managed to keep their record unblemished by downing the Mustangs 37-7 in front of 32,207 fan at Robertson Stadium in Houston.

The Mustangs fall to 6-5 for the season and 4-3 in conference play.

The scene was electric on Saturday afternoon with the Mustangs facing a sea of red in the stands and a determined Houston team that get its first 11-0 start in school history.

Case Keenum continued to dazzle both the fans and the opposing team’s defense, completing 30-of-45 passes for 318 yard and one touchdown.

He also rushed for 21 yards and one touchdown.

The Houston offensive line had a bit of difficulty with the SMU defense, as they continuously pursued and pressured Keenum all afternoon.

Keenum was never caught behind the line for a loss, but he had to continually scramble and look for receivers while keeping the Mustang rushers at bay.

The Cougars scored first on a 28-yard field goal by Matt Hogan at the 9:02 mark in the first quarter to jump out to a 3-0 lead.

They came back in the second quarter with another Hogan field goal with 14:10 left in the half and a 36-yard touchdown run by Michael Hayes with 46 seconds remaining before halftime.

With those two scores, the Cougars took a 13-0 lead into the locker room at the halfway point.

Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin must have made some adjustments at halftime; or chewed a little player behind, because the Cougars came back like gangbusters and scored 10 points in the 3rd quarter.

At the 6:32 mark, Hogan nailed his 3rd field goal of the game; a 22-yard chip shot to take the score to 16-0 in favor of the Cougars.

The Cougars got another score with 30 seconds left in the 3rd quarter on a 12-yard pass from Case Keenum to Justin Johnson to make the score to 23-0.

SMU finally got on the board with 8:33 left in the game on an eight yard TD pass from J.J. McDermott to Darius Johnson.

The Cougars came right back in a bit over two minutes to allow Keenum to run the ball in for the score from the 16-yard line.

That made the score 30-7 with 6:17 left.

Houston added a final touchdown pass when Cotton Turner connected with Gino Collins on 43-yard pass for the score with 1:18 to go in the game.

The win sets up a crucial match up next Saturday when the Cougars travel to Oklahoma to face the 8-3 Tulsa Golden Hurricane for the Conference USA West title.

The Golden Hurricane is 7-0 in conference play and the winner of the game will advance to the C-USA championship game on December 3.

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).

Houston Cougars Football: Pregame Thoughts and Observations

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

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2011 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 21, 2011) With about 1.5 hours until kickoff of the Houston Cougars and the Marshall Thundering Herd, I can be found sitting in the press box at Robertson Stadium enjoying a plate of nachos and drink a Diet Coke.

Having all my pre-game coverage completed, it also gives me time to put my fingers on the keys of this old laptop and to expound on some observations I made while walking to the stadium from the satellite lot where I parked my old Chevy truck.

This weekend is homecoming. The air is full of the atmosphere of any typical football, except it multiplied to the Nth degree.

There is more bar-be-cue, beer and red and white that this place has seen in a long time.

Yes, it is like that at any Cougars game, but this is homecoming weekend.

Alumni come from all over to visit the campus and see the spectacle that this game has become.

The Cougars are 6-0. The last time they had won their first six games without a loss was 1990.

Quarterback Case Keenum is on track to break two more records this season.

He needs 130 yards to pass Hawai’i’s Timmy Chang on the NCAA FBS All-Time Total Offense list.

Unless the ground opens up and swallows the entire Cougar offensive squad, that record will be broken today.

He also needs three touchdown passes to pass Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell on the NCAA FBS All-Time Touchdown Passes list.

Harrell currently holds the record with 134 TD passes.

That record could also go down today. In fact, I would be willing to bet the rent money that it does.

But setting all that aside, The Rob is the place to be in Houston this weekend.

Talk is all round about the idea of Houston leaving Conference USA and joining the Big East Conference.

Other talk is going around about the Mountain West Conference and Conference USA combining in football for a “super” 32-team conference.

But as in everything, talk is cheap and rumors abound at every turn

If any of those proposals, rumors, and scuttlebutt becomes reality, there will be time to discuss the pros and cons of them later.

Today is about the Houston Cougars football team winning a game. Today is about homecoming. Today is about Case Keenum breaking two NCAA records.

In closing, today is about the next four hours and what happens on the green grass inside Robertson Stadium

Hosuton Cougars Football. There is nothing like it in Houston on October 21, 2011.

UHs Keenum Earns Player of the Week Honors

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

QB Return Performance Honored by C-USA and Rivals.com

HOUSTON, TEXAS (September 5, 2011) University of Houston senior quarterback Case Keenum took home the first Conference USA Offensive honor as he was named Player of the Week after his 310-yard, two touchdown passing performance in the Saturday’s win over UCLA.

This is the 10th all-time player of the week honor for Keenum, more than any football player in C-USA history. He also was honored by Rivals.com as the Player of the Week for Conference USA.

In his first game back since suffering a season-ending injury a year ago, Keenum threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns in Houston’s 38-34 victory over UCLA on Saturday. Keenum completed 75 percent of his passes with 30 completions on 40 attempts and committed no turnovers.

Keenum, who added 30 yards on the ground, currently ranks ninth nationally in total offense (340 yards). He orchestrated six scoring drives, all covering more than 55 yards, while leading two drives before the half that covered 130 total yards in a combined one minute and 20 seconds. Houston also converted 8-of-13 third-down conversions with Keenum at the helm.

The Cougars return to action on Saturday, Sept. 10 with their first road contest when they travel to Denton, Texas for a 6 p.m. matchup vs. North Texas.

Houston Cougar Quarterback Case Keenum Granted 6th Year Of Eligibility

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2011 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 15, 2011) The University of Houston and the NCAA have announced that Cougar quarterback Case Keenum has been granted a sixth year of eligibility.

Houston filed the appeal at season end for the sixth year of eligibility after Keenum suffered a season-ending torn ACL on Sept. 18 in a game vs. UCLA. Keenum also suffered a shoulder injury during his senior season in high school, which prohibited him from participating in competition as a true freshman.

Prior to the injury, Keenun was in the race to break NCAA career records for total offense, passing yards, touchdowns, pass attempts and completions. After two-plus games played in 2010, Keenum wrapped up the season with 14,448 career yards of total offense (7th), 13,586 passing yards (5th), 107 touchdown passes (8th), 1,626 pass attempts (10th), 1,118 pass completions (7th).

In a quote released via press release by the University of Houston, Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades stated "We are extremely happy for Case and his family. He is an exceptional person and his dedication to the University of Houston has been evident through this process. I want to thank the NCAA and Conference USA for their assistance in our appeal. There are so many people within the athletic department that worked tirelessly to make this successful, primarily our Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance Kevin Klotz. Without all these people, our efforts wouldn't have had such an exciting result."

Keenum passed for 274 yards and recorded 22 pass attempts vs. Texas State and with both he became the Houston career record holder in each, passing Kevin Kolb who played from 2003-2006, who currently played for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Keenum is the school record holder in passing yards, total offense, passing touchdowns, attempts and completions. Keenum also holds Houston's single-season records for completions, attempts, passing yards and total offense.

He finished eighth in the 2009 Heisman trophy voting, and led the nation in passing offense and total offense in 2009 and ranked No. 1 in total offense and second in passing in 2008. He led Houston to a No. 1 ranking in the NCAA in passing offense, total offense and scoring offense in 2009.

In addition, Keenum passed for 5,671 yards in 2009, the third-highest passing total in NCAA Division I-FBS single-season history and joined Texas Tech's Graham Harrell as one of only two players to pass for 5,000 yards in two seasons. He has 25 300-yard passing performances in his career and has led Houston to 14 career come-from-behind victories.

Houston Cougars Face Off Against Tulane With Terrance Broadway At Quarterback

(Terrance Broadway will be the first true freshman to start for Houston since 2003. Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loco Photography, Copyright 2010, All Rights Reserved)

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2010 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (September 25, 2010) On a hot and muggy afternoon in Houston, the conversation in the press box and the stand is “Will freshman quarterback Terrance Broadway be able to fill the shoes of Case Keenum?”

Houston Cougar head coach Kevin Sumlin named Broadway his starting quarterback earlier in the week, in an effort to revamp the offense after the loss of Keenum and backup quarterback Cotton Turner to injuries.

The Cougars (2-1 overall, 1-0 C-USA) face the Green Wave of Tulane (1-1 overall, 0-0 C-USA) at Houston’s Robertson.

The game is the 16th meeting between the two schools. Houston leads the series 11-4 and by a 5-2 margin at home.

UH is riding a seven-game winning streak against Tulane dating back to 2003.

That streak stands as the longest current winning streak between schools in Conference USA. The two teams have played all but one season since Houston joined Conference USA in 1996.

Broadway, who is the only player on the Houston roster from the state of Louisiana, is the first true freshman to start for the Cougars since Kevin Kolb in 2003.

Broadway saw action against UCLA, completing 5-of-8 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown.

UH has put together back-to-back sellout attendance marks of 32,119, the biggest crowds in Robertson Stadium history.

Game time is set for 2:30 pm CT and will be shown on television on CBS-CS.

Houston Cougars Lose Quarterbacks Case Keenum, Cotton Turner For Season

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2010 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (September 19, 2010) It has been reported via the University of Houston Department of Athletic Communications and a teleconference call with head coach Kevin Sumlin that senior starting quarterback Case Keenum will miss the remainder of 2010 with a season-ending torn ACL knee injury.

Additionally, junior back-up Cotton Turner suffered a fractured clavicle also resulting in the end of his play this year.

Both quarterbacks sustained injuries in UH’s game vs. UCLA on Saturday. Keenum left at the four-minute mark of the second quarter, while Turner went down at 4:09 in the third quarter.

“I am very disappointed for both these young men,” said Sumlin. “It’s hard to see them hurting right now. They both are a big part of this team and wanted to be contributors to its success this season. I think they can still do that with their off-the-field leadership.”

Keenum finished the season with 636 yards passing on a 66 percent completion percentage, while also throwing five touchdown passes.
With his 2010 numbers, he ranks among the top-10 in the NCAA in five career categories — 14,448 yards of total offense (7th nationally), 13,586 passing yards (5th nationally), 107 touchdown passes (8th nationally), 1,626 pass attempts (10th nationally), 1,118 pass completions (7th nationally).

Turner played in all three games, completing 74 percent of his passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns.

Turner was scheduled for surgery at 2:30pm Sunday, while Keenum was to be re-evaluated on Monday.

Sumlin indicated that Keenum’s injury was a “plant and slip” and not the result of contact.
He also stated in his Sunday teleconference call that he would name a starter early in the week, with Terrence Broadway and David Piland both in consideration for the job.

Broadway went 5 for 8 for 84 yards and one touchdown against UCLA.

Sumlin indicated that the plan for this season was to redshirt both Broadway and Pilant this season. He stated that like in most things, plans change.

Whoever is given the starting job, they will face a Tulane team that is currently 1-2for the season, coming off a 65-18 loss to Oklahoma State on Sept. 18.

I will post more on this as updated information becomes available.

Houston Cougars Vs. UCLA Bruins: Will Case Keenum Start For The Cougars?

(Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loco Photography, Copyright 2010, All Rights Reserved)

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2010 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (September 18, 2010) With less than 24 hours before game time, the question still remains, “Will quarterback Case Keenum start against UCLA on Saturday night?”

The fans want to know. The student body wants to know. The alumni want to know. And probably, Case Keenum wants to know.

The answer to these questions will come at game time; 7:00pm PT as the Cougars take the field at the Rose Bowl to face the Bruins.

Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin stated in his weekly press conference that Keenum’s status is day-to-day, while UH officials said Friday that his status remains a game-time decision.

Keenum left last Saturday’s game against UTEP with a concussion as a result of tackling a Miner ball carrier after throwing an interception.

At the weekly press conference, senior defensive back Jamal Robinson was asked if he had any advice for Keenum on tackling.

“I told him he might want to keep his head up next time. Next time we'll have him walk off the field instead of tackling people.”

Many Cougar supporters agree. If Keenum does not start, the quarterback duties would fall to backup man Cotton Turner.

Turner was the UH Offensive Player of the Week for the Cougars against UTEP. He has played in both UH games this year.

In those two games he went 17 of 21 for 141 yards and no interceptions while connecting for two touchdowns. His longest pass was 26 yards, while averaging 70.5 yards a game.

If Turner does start, he will be facing a Bruin team that is 0-2 for the season and does not want to lose their second home game in a row.

They lost to Kansas State 31-22 on the road in the season opener and dropped a Pac-10 conference game 25-0 to Stanford in the Rose Bowl.

No matter who starts, the Bruins will be bringing a barrage of attacks against whoever is leading the team on the field.

Expect UCLA to try immediately bringing as much pressure possible to see if Turner can make the quick decisions and backup those decisions by quickly delivering the ball.

The Cougars should not take UCLA lightly. They have a fine program with a fine tradition.

However, I don’t think Sumlin will risk losing Keenum for the season if he is not 100% able to perform.

After all, this is a non-conference game and plays no bearing on the Conference USA championship.

Turner is very capable of commanding the Cougars on the field and with the other players backing him up, things should go fairly well.

Keenum needs to take another week off to rest and prepare for Tulane on September 25.

In any case, everyone will know who is starting at quarterback for the Cougars on Saturday evening, about 9:00pm Houston time.

Houston Cougars Redeemed: Down UTEP Miners 54-24 At Robertson Stadium

(Case Keenum (7) went 15 for 24 for 279 yards before he left the game in the third quarter after taking an inadvertent blow to his helmet after throwing an interception. Photo by Darla Tamulitis, La Vita Loco Photography, Copyright 2010, All Rights Reserved)

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2010 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (September 11, 2010) The Houston Cougars showed they can score points with their ground game in their 54-24 win over Conference USA foe UTEP at Robertson Stadium in Houston on Friday night.

The Cougars scored six rushing touchdowns on 656 yards of total offense in raising their season record to 2-0 and 1-0 in conference.

Bryce Beall and Michael Hayes each scored rushing three touchdowns while running for 195 yards and 77 yards, respectively.

James Cleveland scored one touchdown in the air, with Matt Hogan kicked two field goals and six extra points to round out the scoring.

Quarterback Case Keenum was inured in the third quarter after a pass was intercepted by UTEP’s TraVaun Nixon.

Keenum attempted to make a tackle on the play and was slow to get up. He left the game after going 15 for 24 for 265 yards and one interception.

Backup quarterback Cotton Turner entered the game and quickly took over where Keenum left off.

He went 9 for 10 for 69 yards in the air with one touchdown.

The Miners got on the board early in the first quarter on a 7-yard pass touchdown pass from Trevor Vittatoe to Pierce Hunter.

They continued their scoring with a 22-yard Dakota Warren field goal in the second quarter.

Vittatoe connected with Donavan Kemp at the 7:35 mark of the third quarter for the second Miner touchdown.

He then connected with Kris Adams on a 5-yard pass in the fourth quarter to round out the Miner’s scoring.

Defensively, Houston cornerback Jamal Robinson had five solo tackles and four assists, with linebacker Matt Nicholson and safety Nick Saenz both tallying three solo tackles and five assists.

The game was the second straight home sellout for the Cougars, who are currently 2-0 for the season and 1-0 in conference play.

Houston will next travel to the west coast to take on UCLA at the Rose Bowl. They are 2-2 lifetime against the Bruins, with their last win coming in 1979 where the Cougars downed UCLA 24-16.

Game time is set for 7:30pm in California.

Keenum Named to O'Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List

HOUSTON, TEXAS (July 19, 2010) University of Houston senior quarterback Case Keenum received another preseason honor Wednesday when he was named to the 2010 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List.

The O'Brien Award is presented annually to the best college quarterback of the year and is the nation's oldest and most prestigious quarterback award. The O'Brien honors candidates who exemplify Davey O'Brien's enduring character while exhibiting teamwork, sportsmanship and leadership in both academics and athletics.

The watch list was compiled by a subset of The O'Brien National Selection Committee, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2010 college football season.

This was only the most recent preseason honor for Keenum. Earlier this month, he was honored as one of only 22 players to be named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List.

He was honored as a "Favorite" for both the College Football Performance Awards National Performer of the Year and the College Football Performance Awards Quarterback Trophy. In addition, the Abilene, Texas, native has been named to several Preseason All-America Teams.

Keenum and other Cougar student-athletes are expected to earn additional preseason honors and be named to other national award watch lists during the next few weeks.

A year ago, Keenum led the nation in total offense for the second straight season, averaging more than 400 yards per game. He posted a school-record 5,671 passing yards with 44 touchdowns and helped lead the Cougars to a 10-4 overall record and fifth consecutive bowl appearance.

With his passing yardage, he became only the second player in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision history with multiple 5,000-yard passing seasons during his career. He enters the 2010 season on the cusp of setting many NCAA Division I-FBS passing and total offense career records.








2010 DAVEY O'BRIEN NATIONAL QUARTERBACK AWARD WATCH LIST
Matt Barkley, USC
Zach Collaros, Cincinnati
Andy Dalton, TCU
Dwight Dasher, Middle Tennessee
Ricky Dobbs, Navy
Nathan Enderle, Idaho
Nick Foles, Arizona
Blaine Gabbert, Missouri
Robert Griffin, Baylor
Jacory Harris, Miami (Fla.)
Jerrod Johnson, Texas
Landry Jones, Oklahoma
Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
Case Keenum, Houston