UAB Blazers win American Athletic Conference title

Photo credit: American Athletic Conference, Used with permission

By Chris Price
Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (March 17, 2024) In a thrilling showdown at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, the No. 4 UAB Blazers clinched their first-ever American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship with an impressive 85-69 victory over the No. 11 Temple Owls.

The Blazers' Alejandro Vasquez lit up the court with an astounding 29 points, 21 of which he scored in a jaw-dropping first half performance. Vasquez's hot hand included sinking five remarkable 3-pointers, matching the championship record for most 3's in a single half. Meanwhile, Yaxel Lendeborg's stellar play throughout the tournament earned him the title of Most Outstanding Player, sealing the deal with his third double-double, racking up 14 points and an incredible 16 rebounds in the championship game. Lendeborg's dominance on the boards set a new championship record, surpassing the previous mark set in 2018.

Despite Temple's Hysier Miller's valiant effort, pouring in an impressive 32 points, it wasn't enough to overcome UAB's commanding lead. Miller's remarkable tournament performance saw him break records left and right, amassing 96 points over five games, as well as dishing out a record-breaking six assists in the championship game.

From the opening tip-off, UAB seized control of the game, storming to a 22-12 lead and maintaining their dominance to enter halftime with a commanding 43-27 advantage. Although Temple fought back to narrow the gap in the second half, UAB's lead proved insurmountable, securing their historic victory.

With the championship celebrations still echoing, attention swiftly turned to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. UAB earned a No. 12 seed and will clash with the No. 5 seed San Diego State in Spokane, Wash., while Florida Atlantic secured a No. 8 seed and will face off against No. 9 seed Northwestern in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Memphis Wins American Men’s Basketball Championship

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (March 12, 2023) Kendric Davis scored 31 points, including 14 in a big run before halftime, and second-seeded Memphis held on to beat No. 1 Houston 75-65 in the American Athletic Conference tournament championship game Sunday.

 

DeAndre Williams had 16 points and 13 rebounds for coach Penny Hardaway and the Tigers (26-8), who got the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid. They are going to March Madness for the second year in a row.

 

The Cougars (31-3) beat Memphis 71-53 in last year’s AAC tournament championship game, and won both regular-season matchups this season.

 

J’Wan Roberts had 12 points and 20 rebounds for Houston. Jamal Shead had 15 points on 3-of-14 shooting, and Jarace Walker had 13 points before fouling out.

 

The Cougars trailed by 18 at halftime, but got within 55-50 with 11:03 left after Shead scored eight points in a row for them in a two-minute span. His 3-pointer capped a 12-1 run, and he made another long-range shot before two free throws, but that was the closest Houston would get.

 

Memphis had taken control with a 16-2 run in the first half. Davis had all but two of those points and made two 3-pointers only 9 seconds apart.

 

That big spurt started on a fast-break layup by Davis with just under eight minutes left. Davis made a 3, and then Alex Lomax made a backcourt steal and passed to Davis at the top of the key for another 3. By time Davis made another fast-break layup with 3:36 left, the Tigers had doubled up Houston, 40-20.

 

Houston was selected as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region and will open the NCAA Tournament against No. 16 seed Northern Kentucky (22-12) in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 16 at 9:20 p.m. ET/8:20 p.m. CT on TNT. The Cougars are the first squad from The American to earn a No. 1 seed.

 

Memphis will be headed to Columbus, Ohio as the No. 8 seed in the East Region and will take on ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic (31-3) on Friday, March 17 at 9:20 p.m. ET/8:20 p.m. CT on TNT.

Houston Cougars overpowered by No. 18 USF in women's basketball action

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 9, 2021) The Houston Cougars women's basketball team was overpowered by 18/19 USF on Saturday evening inside the Yuengling Center, falling to the Bulls in a 80-51 decision. Two Cougars posted double-figure efforts, led by Miya Crump with a season-high 16 points. Daphane White led Houston on the boards with six rebounds. Dymond Gladney paced Houston with three assists, adding in a team-high four steals. 

Julia Blackshell-Fair was second on the team in scoring with 10 points, also racking up four steals. 

Houston forced USF to turn the ball over a season-high 21 times. The Houston bench outscored the Bulls bench 30-29. 

 USF had five players in double-figures, led by Maria Alvarez with 21 points. USF got out to an early lead after hitting 7 of its first 11 shots from the field. Jazmaine Lewis and Julia Blackshell-Fair provided an early spark for the Cougars. Lewis cleaned up the boards and scored two early baskets off second chance opportunities and Blackshell-Fair hit the driving lanes hard in the opening minutes of play. The Cougars found a rhythm late in the frame and embarked on a 9-0 scoring run, highlighted by back-to-back points off USF turnovers and two assists from Laila Blair to take a 21-20 lead at the break. 

Houston continued to force USF to make mistakes, but a Bull scoring surge midway through the second quarter resulted in a 34-34 stalemate with 3:56 left in the half. The Bulls continued to make shots from deep, but the Cougars kept things close with a strong defensive presence. As time winded down Blackshell-Fair remained aggressive and found her way to the free throw line with only seconds remaining. After making her second attempt at the charity stripe, she snagged the Cougars seventh steal of the night. Dymond Gladney capped off the play with a lay-up as the buzzer sound. 

The Bulls stifled the Cougar offense in the third quarter, as Houston was outscored 19-5 in the frame. In the fourth quarter, the Cougars offensive struggles continued as they were outscored 17-8.

UConn's Thompson wins men's hammer at The American championships

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2017 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (May 12, 2017) Connecticut freshmen Cameron Thompson connected for a throw of 60.23 meters (197 feet, 7 inches) to win his first-ever conference title in the hammer throw at the American Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships at the Tom Tellez Track on the campus of the University of Houston. In the first day of competition (May 12, 2017), his winning throw can on his third attempt, but unfortunately, was shorter than his conference-leading mark of 60.67 meters (199 feet, 0 inches). Thompson was followed in the standings by fellow freshmen Aleks Rapp in second place with a throw of 59.0 meters (193 feet, 10 inches) and the third-place performance of Houston senior Damon Thompson (58.71 meters; 192 feet, 7 inches).

The East Carolina Pirates picked up fourth and fifth place with the efforts of Adam Manns (57.81 meters; 189 feet, 8 inches) and Ryan Davis (55.87 meters; 83 feet 4 inches). South Florida placed sixth and seventh, with East Carolina scoring the eight place points. In running action, UConn’s Emily Durgon took top honors in the women’s 10,000-meter run. The senior broke her own meet record with the time of 34:28.06. The previous record of 34:30.49 was set at the conference meet in 2015. UCF’s Anne-Marie Blaney took the silver medal (34:31.42) while SMU’s Hannah Miller snagged the bronze (34:47.28). In the men’s 10,000 meter run, Tulsa went 1-2 with Henry Pearce taking the gold and Adam Roderique the silver. East Carolina’s Jorge Montes grabbed the bronze.

The championships continue on Saturday with field events at 3 p.m. and running events at 5:30 p.m.

Cincinnati's Annette Echikumwoke wins hammer throw at AAC Championships

Photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2017 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (May 12, 2017) Cincinnati’s Annette Echikumwoke completed only two legal throws, but her second throw of 60.97 meters (200 feet 0 inches) in the women’s hammer was good enough to win the first event of the 2017 American Athletic Conference Championships on Friday, May 12, 2017. The competition is being held on the Tom Tellez Track on the campus of the University of Houston will run through Sunday, May 14. Her winning thrown was short of her season best of 63.91 meters (208 feet, 8 inches) from April 15 of this year and broke her own meet record established at last year’s championships.

In second place was UCF’s Chelsea Gobourne with a throw of 59.45 meters (195 feet, 0 inches). Two Houston Cougar sophomores followed in the standings, with Mikaila Martin earning her place on the victory platform with a throw of 59.44 meters (195 feet, 0 inches). Teammate Taylor Scaife placed fourth at 59.10 meters (193 feet, 11 inches). Connecticut picked up fifth place points, followed by UCF in sixth, South Florida in seventh, and East Carolina in eighth. With their third and fourth place finish, Houston is tied with UCF for the lead in the team standing with 11 points. The finals in the men’s hammer, along with the women’s and men’s 10,000-meters will also be contested on Friday evening.

Houston takes American Athletic Conference swimming and diving title

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2017 TexSport Publications

(All photos by Robert H Kelly, Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved)

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 18, 2017) The Houston Cougars women’s swimming and diving team used six medal-platform finishes to power them to the 2017 American Athletic Conference Championships title at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center in Houston on Saturday, February 18, 2017. The conference championship was the first for the Cougars in program history. Head coach Ryan Wochomurka and diving coach Bob Gunter were selected as the Coach of the Year, with junior Micaela Bouter being awarded the Diver of the Meet honors. Houston scored 772 points in route to their title, followed by 2016 champion SMU with 676 points. Cincinnati (625), East Carolina (473), Connecticut (460) and Tulane (395) rounded out the team placing.

Wochomurka talked about the Cougars’ performance after the meet.

“Look around at everything we have at this university. We have one of the best facilities in the country. We’ve got the best administration in the country. We’ve got an athletic director who wants to jump in the pool with us at the end of the meet. Why can’t we play and be extremely relevant nationally? We’re just getting started. I’m excited for these kids and most importantly I’m excited for these seniors because they had a couple of years where they struggled, but they battled and they led us to this championship. We are not here today without our seniors.”

The Cougars who scored points and their placings are as follows:

1,650-Yard Freestyle

6. Hannah Herbst – 16:41.39

7. Connor Glenn – 16:53.00

200-Yard Backstroke

2. Eleanna Koutsouveli – 1:55.97

6. Laura Laderoute – 1:59.05

---

9. Jasmine Williams – 1:58.65

12. Jennifer Penneck – 2:01.22

100-Yard Freestyle

3. Ksenia Yuskova – 49.93

6. Zarena Brown – 50.49

8. Caitlin Horner – 50.88

200-Yard Breaststroke

2. Victoria Roubique – 2:12.50

4. Peyton Kondis – 2:13.68

5. Cameron Balkom – 2:14.60

200-Yard Butterfly

5. Sharo Rodriquez Rivera – 2:00.51

Platform Dive

2. Micaela Bouter – 213.00

3 Katelyn Abernathy – 202.80

7. Laurel Burrell – 158.00

400-Yard Freestyle Relay

3. Houston – 3:21.71

Zarena Brown, Laura Laderoute, Ksenia Yuskova, Caitlin Horner

Next up for Houston will be the NCAA Zone Diving Meet on March 6-8 in Columbia, Missouri, which will determine the qualifiers for the NCAA Championships on March 15-17 in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

Houston falls to No. 19 SMU in close-fought match

Photo by Darla Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2017
All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2017 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 18, 2017) After leading the SMU Mustangs by 13 points at the 10:23 mark in the first half, the Houston Cougars fell behind in second half scoring and dropped a 76-66 decision to their American Athletic Conference rival at Hofheinz Pavilion on Saturday February 18, 2017. The 8,479 fans in attendance saw the No. 19 Mustangs outscore the Cougars 50-36 in the second half to secure the win and remain atop the conference standings.

Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson talked about the game in the post-game presser.

“A big part of that game is when Rob Gray picked up his fourth foul with 12:40 to go, and obviously he was cooking. We do not have that type of team. They have other weapons. We have Damyean Dotson and Rob Gray. We cannot play without them for an extended stretch. We played great defense for large portions of the shot clock and the next thing you know, it’s a one-and-one. Sometimes that’s frustrating. That was a frustrating game. I am not disappointed in my guys’ effort. I am certainly disappointed that we lost. We were ready to play and well prepared mentally. Those guys did a good job of getting themselves ready to play. You have to make your one-and-ones, free throws and open shots. After all that, the Murphy’s Law that seemed to be working against us, with 5:14 to go we were tied. Rob sat over there for five minutes, and the problem was how well he was playing. He was starting to get it going. When we have Rob and Dotson going at the same time, we are good. Give SMU credit. That is a good team. They are ranked 19th, but they are better than that which tells you how good we are too. Let’s not act like this was not a game that could have went either way for a long time. Sometimes you have to get some breaks and sometimes you have to make your breaks. When the opportunity is there, you have to take advantage of it. We got beat by a good team. I would have liked to see some things a little bit different.”

Photo by Darla Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2017
All Rights Reserved

Houston had three players in double figures. Rob Gray led the way with 23 points, followed by Damyean Dotson with 19 and Galen Robinson, Jr. with 11. Gray also tallied six rebounds. The Mustangs were led by Semi Ojeleye with 22 points along with Ben Moore with 18 points and 13 rebounds. With the win, the Mustangs stay atop the conference standings with a 14-1 record. They are followed by Cincinnati in second place (13-1) and Houston (9-5). The Cougars will face fourth place Connecticut (8-5) on Wednesday, February 22 at home with an 8 p.m. tip off.

Houston downs Tulsa 64-61 in mid-week basketball action

Photo by Robert H Kelly

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2017 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 4, 2016) The Houston Cougars, without the services of Rob Gray, downed the Tulsa Golden Hurricane by the score of 64-61 at Hofheinz Pavilion on Wednesday, January 4, 2016. The win moved the Cougars to 3-0 in American Athletic Conference action sand sets up a Saturday, January 7 meeting with No. 22 Cincinnati. Houston was paced by Wes VanBeck, who was pressed into service in the starting lineup due to Gray’s illness scored a career-high 16 points along with going 10-for-10 from the free throw line. Tulsa dropped to 7-7 overall and 1-1 in American play with the loss. Damyean Dotson led the Cougars with 18 points, with Danrad Knowles and Galen Robinson Jr. adding 10 points each. Corey Henderson led Tulsa with 16 points.

Houston Cougars fall to Memphis Tigers 48-44 in hard-fought contest

Houston WR Linner Bonner (15) tries to pull away
from Memphis DB Jonathan Cook (14) after catching
one of his 17 passes against Memphis.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE (November 25, 2016) Bringing a number 18 national ranking and the winningest senior class in program history into Libertly Bowl Memorial Stadium was not enough for the Houston Cougars, as they dropped a 48-44 decision to the underdog Memphis Tigers on Friday, November 25, 2016. The Cougars finish the regular season with a 9-3 record; along with a 5-3 record in American Athletic Conference action. The Cougars will now wait for two crucial bits of information in the days to follow. First, what post-season bowl game they will be invited to play and second, whether head coach Tom Herman will be back at the helm of the Cougars for that anticipated bowl and the 2017 season.

Rumors circulated in the preceding days and hours leading up to Friday's matchup against these two conference rivals. Unconfirmed reports surfaced on the internet and social media that Herman and LSU had come to terms on a contract for the second-year head coach to lead the Tigers in 2017. Herman vigorously denounced the rumors, yet the spectre of his departure was a possibly a factor in the Cougars' loss. The Cougars' play of the field seemed uninspired in the first half and was a drastic departure from their play when they upset No. 3 Louisville on November 17. 

RB Duke Catalon (2) rushed for 60 yards and
one touchdown in addition to catching seven
passes for 41 yards against Memphis.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

The game started with a bang for the Tigers; when they scored 42 seconds into the game on a 67-yard pass from Riley Ferguson to Phil Mayhue. Houston answered three minutes later with a 41-yard Ty Cummings field goal. Memphis added two more TDs in the first quarter; a one-yard run by Doroland Dorceus and a two-yard pass from Ferguson to Mayhue. In between the two Memphis touchdown, Houston added a touchdown on a 10-yard run by Duke Catalon to close out the first 15 minutes of play with Memphis leading 21-10. The Cougars cut the Memphis lead to four points, six seconds into the second quarter with a Greg Ward, Jr. 29-yard pass to Tyler McCloskey. The Tigers responded with 13 unanswered points to give Memphis a 34-17 lead at halftime. Houston cut their deficit to seven in the third quarter with a Chance Allen 35-yard touchdown pass reception and a 25-yard Ty Cummings field goal. After a long drive that carried over from the third to fourth quarter, Houston added a 25-yard field goal by Cummings to cut the Tigers' lead to 34-30 with 13:07 remaining in the game. They finally took their first lead of the game at the 7:02 mark in the fourth quarter when Ward, Jr. hit Linell Donner with a 55-yard bomb for the score. Cummings added the extra point to give Houston a 37-34 lead. Then both teams went on a offensive frenzy; putting 21 points on the scoreboard in three minutes, 30 seconds.

Memphis responded to the Donner touchdown with their own touchdown to regain the lead a tad over three minutes later. Ferguson connected with Anthony Miller on a 35-yard pass play to regain a four-point lead (41-37). Houston received the the kickoff with 3:49 left in the game; driving 75 yards in seven plays; concluding with a three-yard touchdown pass from Ward, Jr. to Allen to regain the lead with the score of 44-41. The Tigers received the final kickoff of the game on their own 28 yard line with 1:29 remaining. Ferguson then went to work and moved the ball 72 yards in 1:05; scoring the game winning touchdown with 19 seconds left in the match. After that, all Houston could was run three play before time ran out.

Houston fans were very spirited at
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

Offensively, Houston tallied 624 yards of total offense, with Ward, Jr. accounting for 487 yards of those yards in the air. With four passing touchdowns, he has 52 career passing touchdowns which stands fifth in program history. Ward also recorded his seventh multi-TD passing game of 2016 and 16th of his career. 

Linell Bonner recorded his third touchdown reception this season and eighth of his career, on a 55-yard pass from Ward Jr. with 7:02 left to play giving Houston its first lead, 37-34. With 235 yards, Bonner finished his sixth game with at least 80-plus yards and became the 20th player in program history with a 200-yard receiving game. The mark also put him over the 1,000 yard threshold for the season, becoming the 19th player in Houston history to reach that mark.

Houston Cougars get win No. 8 with 30-18 victory over Tulane Green Wave

Greg Ward, Jr. lunges for the end zone for
Houston's second TD of the game.
Photo by Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (November 12, 2016) Jumping out to a 28-10 lead at halftime, the Houston Cougars went on to down the Tulane Green Wave by the score of 30-18 on John O’Quinn Field inside TDECU Stadium in Houston on Saturday, November 12, 2016. With the win, the Cougars move to 8-2 on the season and 5-2 in American Athletic Conference action. The loss moved the Green Wave to 3-7 in 2016 and 0-6 in conference play.

Houston first scored in the first quarter when JeremyWinchester recovered a fumble on a botched punt for six points. They added their second TD at the 6:27 mark of the first quarter on a five-yard Greg Ward, Jr. quarterback keeper. Tulane answered with 41 second remaining in the first period on a 21-yard pass from Glen Cuiellette to Darnell Mooney. With three kicking conversions after the TDs, Houston led 14-7 after 15 minutes of play. The Green wave cut the Houston lead to four when Andrew DiRocco booted a 41-yard field goal 1:21 into the second quarter. Houston responded six minutes later with a 16-yard pass reception from Ward, Jr. to Steven Dunbar for the Cougars’ third touchdown of the game. A little less than three minutes later, they increased their lead when Chance Allen was the

Photo by Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

recipient of another Ward, Jr. pass; this time a six-yarder for the score. That score closed out the first half with Houston leading 28-10. Tulane added to their point total with 4:27 remaining in the game on a 28-yard pass from Cuiellette to D.J. Owens. Houston tallied a team safety 42 seconds later to close out the scoring.

Ward Jr. completed 18-of-30 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns. Linell Bonner led all receivers with 97 yards in the air while Tulane’s Josh Rounds topped all rusher with 72 yards. Houston will have a short week as they next face No. 5 Louisville on Thursday, November 17 at home.

Second half rally leads Houston to 31-24 win over UCF

Photo by Robert H Kelly,
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 29, 2016) Trailing 21-3 at halftime, the No. 24 Houston Cougars scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to down the UCF Knights by the score of 31-24 in from of a crowd of 35,846 people at TDECU Stadium in Houston on Saturday, October 29, 2016. The win pushed the Cougars to 7-2 for the season.

After a three-and-out by UCF to begin the game, Houston took possession on their own 31-yard line. Quarterback Greg Ward Jr. received a bad snap, pushing the ball back to their 23-yard line.  Three plays later, Ward, Jr. was intercepted on a pass intended for Chance Allen. The Knights took over on their own 46-yard line. Quarterback McKenzie Milton then engineered a 54-yard, seven-play drive the generated the first score of the game when running back Adrian Killins carried the ball the final six yards for the drive for the score. Matthew Wright booted the extra point to give UCF a 7-0 lead after 5:44 of play.

After beginning their third drive of the game, Houston advanced the ball into Knight territory when Ward, Jr. was intercepted for the second time in the first half on a pass that was tipped at the line of scrimmage. The knights took over and were not able to generate much offense, eventually giving the ball back to the Cougars. Houston ended their long drive of the season, in minutes, with a 31-yard field goal by Ty Cummings. The Cougars’ scoring drive lasted 7:37, covering 66 yards in 19 plays. UCF increased their lead to 14-3 with 3:06 remaining in the first half on a one-yard touchdown run by Dontravious Wilson and the kicking conversion by Wright. The drive covered 82 yards in 11 plays and lasted 3:36. Houston received the ball on their 27-yard and quickly began to move down the field. Five plays later, Ward, Jr. was again intercepted, giving the Knights possession on the Houston 47-yard line. It took UCF four plays and 26 seconds to put another seven points on the board to give them a 21-3 at halftime.

The Knights kicked off the third quarter will a 41-yard field goal by Wright. The Cougars promptly scored two touchdowns to cut the Knights’ lead to 24-17 on a one-yard run by Ward, Jr. and a six-yard pass from Ward, Jr. to Romello Brooker. UCF started the third quarter with possession of the ball. After three plays, Milton was sacked for a 12-yard loss, causing him to fumble. The ball was recovered by safety Garrett Davis, giving the Cougars possession on the UCF 24-yard line. Houston used three plays to cover the 24 yards and tie the game with a Duke Catalon 11-yard TD rush and another Cummings kick with 12:55 remaining. Five minutes later they sealed the win with a 14-yard run by Ward, Jr.

Houston has three games remaining in their 2016 season, with the next two games at home. On Saturday, November 12, they will face Tulane on Homecoming weekend. They will follow that up with a Thursday, November 17 matchup against No. 5 Louisville and will close out the regular season when they travel to Memphis for a Friday, November 25 contest.

Houston Cougars stop Tulsa on last-second play to down the Golden Hurricane 38-31

Dillon Birden (25) scored three touchdowns in
Houston's 38-31 win over Tulsa.
Photo by Darla S Tamulitis,
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 15, 2016) With the Houston Cougars leading 38-31 and only seven seconds remaining in the game, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane had the ball on the Houston two-yard line on a second-and-goal play. All they needed to was punch the ball into the end zone and kick an extra point to send the game into overtime. However, as it is in so many sporting events, Houston had another idea and stopped Tulsa on the one-yard line to secure their sixth win of the season and move them to 3-1 in American Athletic Conference play. The 38,221 fans in attendance at Houston’s TDECU Stadium on Saturday, October 15, 2016 saw a classic struggle of two very good football teams that both desired a win, with only one walking away victorious.

Houston did not take long to begin their new winning streak, scoring after 2:23 of play when Dillon Birden carried the ball the final 17 yards of a 76-yard drive for the first touchdown of the game. Ty Cummings added the extra point to put the Cougars up 7-0. Tulsa responded five minutes later with a Redford Jones 32-yard field goal to cut Houston’s lead to 7-3. Cumming added a 33-yard field goal with 1:54 remaining in the first quarter to give Houston a 10-3 lead after 15 minutes of play.

In the second quarter, the Cougars added seven more points on a six-yard carry by Mulbar Car and another Cummings extra point. The Golden Hurricane scored two touchdowns in the final 2:55 of the first half to tie the score at 17. Corey Taylor scored on a two-yard run while Dane Evans rushed for a one-yard touchdown. Jones added both extra points to cap the scoring after 30 minutes of play.

Mulbar Car (34) scored the Cougars'
scored third TD in Houston's
38-31 win over Tulsa.
Photo by Darla S Tamulitis,
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

In the third quarter, both teams battled back-and-forth with neither team able to get an advantage until Houston marched down the field and took back the lead 24-17. Birden scored his second TD of the game on a six-yard run with 13 seconds to go in the quarter. Cummings added the extra point to close out the quarter. The Cougars extended their lead to 14 when Birden scored his third touchdown of the game; an eight-yard rush, and another kick by Cummings at the 8:29 mark in the fourth quarter. It took only 1:26 for the Golden Hurricane to again cut the Houston lead to seven on a 38-yard pass from Evans to Justin Hobbs and Jones’ extra point. With 3:31 left in the game, Tulsa tied the score at 31 on a three-yard run by James Flanders and another Jones conversion. Houston came right back and sealed the win with a 24-yard fumble recovery Emeke Egbule returning it for the score. Evans was sacked for a eight-yard loss on a first and ten play from their own 33-yard line. Houston now leads the series 23-18. Last year, Houston downed Tulsa by the score of 28-24 on October 3 in Tulsa.

Houston head coach Tom Herman discussed the defense's performance with the press after the game. 

On the confidence of the defensive after the last two games “They ran for under 100 yards and we’re built to stop the run. We’ve got to get better against the pass. Last week, from a defensive standpoint, we flushed that. Your defense is so different defending the triple option that we’ll worry about that the next time we play a triple-option team. It has no bearing on the way our defense played tonight because the alignment, assignments and techniques are all different. I didn’t sense any doubt from our defense. It’s apparent we’ve got to get better in our pass defense and coverage. Again, as statistics go, we dodged a statistic tonight. Which is, win or lose against Navy the last three or four years, teams’ winning percentages are awful the week after Navy. In 2014, teams were 1-11 the weeks after they played Navy, win or lose. I don’t know what the stat is this year, but I’m proud of our defense after getting so banged up in that game against Navy, then having to re-adjust the entire defensive scheme in such a short week. (Tulsa) is a really good offense and really tough to defend because of their scheme and the way they spread the field. We know we have to improve, there’s no doubt about that. To do it the week after playing Navy was very good.” 

The Cougars will hit the road next weekend to face instate rival SMU. The game is scheduled for a 6   p.m. kickoff at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Houston is 20-10-1 lifetime against the Mustangs. In 2015, the Cougars downed SMU 49-28 in front of 25,204 fans at Houston’s TDECU Stadium. After the win, Houston broke into the national rankings, debuting at No. 24 in the AP poll. 

Readers can view a slide show of photos from the game by Darla S Tamulitis of La Vita Loca Photography by clicking here.

Houston HC Tom Herman Press Conference: Houston Cougars 38, Tulsa Golden Hurricane 31

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WEEKLY FOOTBALL AWARD WINNERS

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND (September 26, 2016)The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s weekly football honors for the fourth week of the 2016 college football season.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Riley Ferguson • Jr. • QB • Memphis • Matthews, N.C.

Ferguson tied the American Athletic Conference single-game record for touchdown responsibility in the first half of the Tigers’ 77-3 win against Bowling Green. He staked the Tigers to a 35-3 first-quarter lead and a 56-3 halftime lead by completing 20 of 27 passes for 359 yards and six touchdowns and added a 1-yard rushing TD before exiting the game. Ferguson leads The American with 11 touchdown passes through three games.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jeremy Brady • Sr. • S • Tulsa • North Little Rock, Ark.

Brady came up with two key turnovers in the second half, helping Tulsa overcome a 31-0 deficit and take a 48-41 double-overtime win at Fresno State. He had an interception in the end zone as Fresno State threatened to build a two-touchdown lead, and he had a forced fumble and fumble recovery in the first overtime period to prevent the Bulldogs from scoring first.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Andrew DiRocco • Jr. • K • Tulane • Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

DiRocco made a career-high four field goals and scored 15 points to help Tulane to a 41-39 win against Louisiana in four overtimes. He forced a fourth OT period with a do-or-die 48-yard field goal in the third overtime and also had field goals of 22, 35 and 20 yards.

WEEKLY HONOR ROLL

Shaquem Griffin • Jr. • LB • UCF • St. Petersburg, Fla.

Had five tackles, 2.0 sacks, 3.0 tackles for loss and a pass breakup in a 53-14 win at Florida International.

D’Eriq King • Fr. • WR • Houston • Marvel, Texas

Had 234 all-purpose yards and figured in three touchdowns (one receiving, one passing, one kickoff return) in a 64-3 win at Texas State.

Jahad Thomas • Sr. • RB • Temple • Elizabeth, N.J.

Had 143 all-purpose yards and scored two rushing touchdowns in a 48-20 win against Charlotte.

Terren Encalade • So. • WR • Tulane • East Point à la Hache, La.

Had seven receptions for 103 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-39 four-overtime win against Louisiana.

D’Angelo Brewer • Jr. • RB • Tulsa • Tulsa, Okla.

Rushed for 252 yards on a conference-record 46 carries in a 48-41 double-OT win at Fresno State.

No. 16 Houston Cougars remain unbeaten with 35-34 win over No. 25 Memphis Tigers

Kenneth Farrow (35) added two touchdowns to
his season total with runs of seven and
ten yards in Houston's win over Memphis.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loco Photography
Copyright 2015 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2015 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (November 14, 2015) With a one-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Kyle Postma and an extra point by Ty Cummings with 1:27 remaining in the game, the No. 16 Houston Cougars remained unbeaten and downed the No. 25 Memphis Tigers by the score of 35-24 at TDECU Stadium in Houston on Saturday, November 14, 2015. The victory was the tenth of the season for the Cougars and first year head coach Tom Herman. With the win, the Cougars remain at the top of the American Athletic Conference West Division tied with Navy with 6-0 records.

The Tigers drew blood first at the 10:32 mark in the first quarter when the Houston defense stalled a 49-yard Memphis drive as they had to settle for a field goal. Jake Elliott’s kick gave the Tigers an early 3-0 lead. They added seven additional points 1:06 into the second quarter on a 38-yard pass from Paxton Lynch to Alan Cross to cap an eleven-play drive. Elliott added the kicking conversion to increase the Tigers’ lead to 10-0. Elliott added three additional point to the Tigers’ total with a 29-yard field goal at the 8:46 mark in the second quarter. Memphis added another touchdown and extra point with 1:52 remaining in the first half with a 61-yard pass from Lynch to Doroland Dorceus and another extra point by Elliott. Houston responded 75 seconds later with a touchdown and extra point of their own on a pass from Postma to Linell Bonner and a Cummings kicking conversion. The Cougar score closed out the first half with Memphis leading 20-7.

Jadeveon Clowney, Cecil Shorts, Alfred Blue and J.J. Watt
were on the sidelines at TDECU Stadium to view the
action between Houston and Memphis.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loco Photography
Copyright 2015 All Rights Reserved

Houston came out after halftime, taking possession of the ball in the second half and quickly scored on a seven-yard carry into the end zone by Kenneth Farrow and another kicking extra point by Cummings. Memphis came back four minutes later to add seven points to their total for the evening on a six-yard run by Dorceus and another Elliott extra point. With the final fifteen minutes to play in the game, Memphis held a 27-14 lead. Nine seconds into the fourth quarter, the Tigers capped a 12-play, 68-yard drive with a 25-yard run by Tevin Jones to take a 34-14 lead.

At that point, the game was all Houston as the Cougars ripped of 21 consecutive points to secure the win. Farrow carried the ball the final 10 yards of a 75-yard drive with 12:56 remaining in the game to cut the Tiger lead to 13. They scored again seven minutes later on a one-yard run by Javin Webb. Postma closed out the 21-point scoring run with the seven-yard quarterback keeper touchdown Cummings added the kicking extra points on the final three touchdowns.

Before leaving the game with an injury, starting quarterback Greg Ward, Jr. was 5-of-11 for 60 yards. Postma, who came into the game with 1:21 left in the second quarter completed 21-of-33 passes for 236 yards and one touchdown. He also carried the ball six times for 49 yard and one touchdown, including a 22-yard romp on a second and ten play in the fourth quarter. The 34 points by Memphis was the most allowed by the Houston defense this season.

With two regular season games remaining, the Cougars will next hit the road for a November 21 matchup against UConn. They will return to TDECU Stadium on November 27 for their final regular season game against No. 25 Navy. The Midshipmen are currently 6-0 in conference play with a 55-14 win over the SMU Mustangs on Saturday, November 14. They will next play the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Saturday, November 21.