Written By Ryan Musich
HOUSTON, Texas-- -Hoping to keep their undefeated start to the season alive, Houston faced off against a prolific Texas Tech team. With an early start and a national television audience for their second consecutive home game, the Cougars were unable to finish the late comeback attempt, losing 27-24 to the Red Raiders.
Houston began the game with the ball and it was not a favorable start. After gaining 12 yards, quarterback Kyle Allen would throw an interception on his own side of the field that ended up giving the Red Raiders an amazing field position. Tech could not do much with that possession as Houston’s defense forced the Red Raiders offense to put only a field goal on the board to make it 3-0. Houston took over but the offense got stopped in its tracks. Tech’s defense showed that they were up for the tough task of containing this Houston offense early. The running game for Houston was not looking sharp early. Through two drives the Coogs Running Backs three carries for three yards. The next Red Raiders possession would be a slow and methodical one. It would be kept alive by a couple of Cougars penalties, and eventually, end up in another field goal by the Red Raiders which extended their lead to 6-0. Another punt would be in the cards for Houston on their next offensive possession. The Coogs defense almost has a turnover, but defensive back Isaiah Johnson’s would be interception was reversed as the refs said Johnson did not have complete control of the ball. Unfortunately, for Houston, the drive would be extended and Tech quarterback Nic Shimonek drove the Red Raiders offense down the field, and the drive was capped off by a Desmond Nisby 3-yard rushing score that would extend the Texas Tech lead to 13-0. Houston’s best drive of the first half occurred on their first drive of the 2nd quarter. John Leday started it off with a kick-off return that would go for 47-yards out to the Houston 47. Running back Duke Catalon would bust through the line for a 14-yard gain, and that would be the play of the drive. Unfortunately, the drive ended in just three points for the Coogs. To make the score 13-3 Tech. Houston’s crowd and the offense came alive after an interception of Shimonek. Allen would then find D’Eriq King on an 18-yard screen pass for the touchdown, pulling within three at 13-10. The Cougars defense came out firing on all cylinders to start the second half as Houston ramped up the pressure on Shimonek. The Red Raiders were forced to punt on their opening possession. The Coogs offense would also come out sharp until Kyle Allen was flushed out of the pocket and threw an interception in the Red Zone. Texas Tech tried to extend their lead on a drive that featured a 74-yard run by running back Tre King. However, the Red Raiders were held to a field goal attempt which was missed. It would be Tech’s 2nd missed field goal try of the game. The Red Raiders would finally get some points on the board in the second half as Shimonek floated a beautiful ball down the sideline to wide receiver Keke Coutee and the junior would take it 77-yards to the house. Texas Tech extended their lead to 20-10. Tech’s defense was solid the rest of the 2nd half as the Red Raiders would get pressure on Allen on what seemed to be every play. The Coogs defense eventually showed fatigue as the fourth quarter ran down. The Red Raiders offense took advantage. Running back Justin Stockton gained all 94 yards on a scoring possession for another Tech touchdown. After the Tech touchdown, The Coogs would enter Kyle Postma into the game for Allen. Postma mounted a comeback attempt for Houston rushing one into the end zone to make 27-17. Postma would throw another touchdown with little time remaining to make it 27-24. However, time was not on Houston’s side and that would be your final score. After the game, Coach Applewhite uttered an attention-grabbing quote. When asked if there’s officially a battle for the Quarterback position, Applewhite said, “There’s always a battle for the starting spot. Whether you guys (The media) see it on the outside or not. Whether it’s the QB position all the way down to the punter. There are always position spots up for grabs”. The Coogs next game will be next Saturday at Temple, and it will be the start of theirconference schedule. Written by Ryan Musich HOUSTON, Texas---With a convincing win in their home opener, the Houston Cougars will face off against another Lone Star State foe when the Texas Tech Red Raiders come to town. Both teams are coming off of wins in front of their home fans and this will be Tech’s first road contest of the season. Both teams also come in 2-0. The last time these 2 teams met in 2010, the Red Raiders won by a score of 35-20. The Coogs will be looking for Quarterback Kyle Allen to continue his hot start to his season. Allen went 31/33 for 309 yards and 2 touchdowns. The key stat for Allen and this Houston Passing Attack is that Allen had 0 turnovers. Houston should be able to exploit Tech’s soft Passing defense that has allowed 273 yards per game to start this season. The Rushing Attack for Houston will be looking to improve its play. Running Backs Duke Catalon and Dillon Birden will most likely be splitting carries for a backfield that has averaged 144 yards a game to start the season. This Cougars offense has gotten off to a Red hot start this season and Tech Coach Kliff Kingsbury has never been known for the play of his defense, so I don’t see a decline coming this week for this Cougars offense. Texas Tech is coming in off of a tight win against Arizona State 52-45. Quarterback Nic Shimonek threw 6 touchdowns while throwing for a mind-blowing 543 yards. Wide Receivers Keke Coutee (the country’s leading Wide Receiver) and Dylan Cantrell will be Shimonek’s main targets in the passing game if the Coogs allow this offense to get in a good rhythm. This weekend could be a different story for the Red Raiders though, as Houston has limited their opponent’s Quarterbacks to an average of 166 yards through the air. Though this will be the toughest test so far for this Coogs defense, I don’t expect to see anything different from this defense. Mainly because of the Houston Pass Rush. Guys like Ed Oliver Jr., Khalil Williams, and Matthew Adams will put a lot of pressure on that Offensive Line and force Shimonek to have to get the ball out early. At Head Coach Major Applewhite’s weekly press conference this week, Major acknowledged the passing attack saying, “The tradition continues. They can put a lot of points on the board. They also have very explosive Receivers”. Another thing that Applewhite mentioned that caught my attention was when asked about the Wide Receivers of Tech Major said, “They play great in space. Very confident football players. Great change in direction. Hard to tackle in space”. This week will for sure be the Coogs toughest contest so far to start the season, but I don’t see Tech having another 52-point outburst. If this game echoes the stats, Houston should hold this offense down and continue their Red Hot start to the season leading into their first American Conference game next week against Temple. Coogs roll 45-24.
Written by Ryan Musich
HOUSTON, Texas---From TDECU Stadium, the Houston Cougars made their much-anticipated home debut for the 2017-2018 season, as they faced off against their rivals the Rice Owls. It was Houston Head Coach Major Applewhite’s home debut with the Coogs, as well as Quarterback Kyle Allen’s home debut and they did not disappoint with a 38-3 victory to claim the Bayou Bucket.
Houston elected to defer to the 2nd half as they won the toss, and their defense would come out hot. Rice was unable to get anything going on the ground or through the air early on, and this lasted throughout the game. The Houston offense though would be a little rusty out of the gate as the Coogs were forced to punt on their first 2 drives of the game. However on the Cougars third possession, they were able to get on the board as Running Back Duke Catalon caught a screen pass from Kyle Allen and then ran the ball into the end zone to put the Cougars on top 7-0. The drive was highlighted by a 23-yard pass to wide receiver John Leday on a deep crossing route. Houston continued to make play’s as their defense would recover a fumble off of a Rice mishandled hand off. Unfortunately, Kyle Allen was unable to move the ball into the end zone and Houston would have to settle for a field goal that put Houston on top 10-0. More playmaking by the Cougars defense soon followed, as true freshman Payton Turner came up with an interception in Rice territory. The Coogs then capitalized off the great field position as running back Dillon Birden would take an inside carry to the house extending Houston’s lead to 17-0. As Rice continued to struggle, Houston’s offense would again put together another solid drive. This time highlighted by a 25-yard tunnel screen to wide receiver Linell Bonner. The drive was capped off with Duke Catalon punching it in for his 1st touchdown of the season to extend the Cougars show of dominance at 24-0. More turnovers from the Owls would ensue as All-American Ed Oliver forced a fumble by Sam Glaesmnan, which was easily recovered by the Coogs. The Houston offense would make good done with that turnover, as Kyle Allen found John Leday for a TD connection to extend the Coogs lead to 31-0. After another dominant possession by the Houston defense, Mulbah Car would run in another touchdown for the Cougars to officially make this one out of hand with Houston’s lead extended to 38-0, which is where it sat at the end of the half. . The domination by Houston was as evident on the scoreboard as it was inn the stat lines. Everything was working on both sides of the ball for Houston and Rice couldn’t get a stop or get anything going on offense. Houston held Rice to 70 total yards of total offense and forced 3 turnovers. Kyle Allen finished the half completing 24 of 26 passes for 242 yards and 2 TD’s through the air. Houston started the 2nd half hot, but nonthe less clearly put the brakes on the show. On the opening play of the seconds half, Kyle Allen would hit Linell Bonner for a 32-yard pass over the middle to put the ball quickly into Rice territory. However, after another first down play, the Owls defense would stiffen up and Houston would have to settle for a 46-yard field goal attempt that would be missed. This gave the Owls a small glimpse of momentum that would setup their best possession of the night to this point, as they got their running game going. The Owls drive started at their own 30-yard line, and they were able to quickly get the ball into Houston territory for the first time of the night. However, the drive would stall forcing a 43 yard fiel goal from Rice kicker Will Harrison which was missed. The next drive for the Coos would be Kyle Allen’s last as he led Houston down the field once more but was then taken out of the game in the middle of the drive. As Allen walked off the field he would be taken out to a huge standing ovation from the crowd at TDECU Stadium. Kyle Postma would enter the game, and Houston would turn it over on downs when they couldn’t punch the ball in from Rice’s 1-yard line. Houston continued to play conservative football the rest of the way as they would put their 2nd string units in on both sides of the ball, essentially calling off the “dogs”. Rice would break through though with just under 4 minutes remaining though as Rice’s kicker Will Harrison was knock through a 31-yard field goal as the Owls put together a 13 play 75 yard drive to end the game on a solid note making it 38-3 with Houston on top. This is an opinion. Rice was unable to do much Saturday night when they had the ball. That was in due cause from Matthew Adams, Garrett Davis, and the All-American Ed Oliver Jr. who led the Coogs defense statistically. However, the Cougars defense as a whole played flawless football Saturday. The Cougar offense also played tremendous football. Kyle Allen led the way for the Houston offense, mainly held up by his first half performamce. Additionally coach Applewhite had to love the way the running game looked tonight with 3 rushing touchdowns from the running backs. The key stat that really stood out to me tonight though were the turnover numbers. Mainly for Houston quarterback Kyle Allen, limiting interception’s to 0, in comparison to the game against Arizona where he threw two. After the game, Major Applewhite was ecstatic about the win. Major touched on a few things that I found intriguing. He was excited that his 2nd and 3rd string personnel did well tonight on both sides of the ball. Applewhite said that Texas Tech will be a tough team to face since they have “Leetch type” offense. When asked what he saw from Kyle Allen this week in practice that might’ve led to Allen’s success tonight Applewhite said “Honestly….Kyle did not have a good week of practice.” Linebacker Matthew Adams when asked about how much this game meant to him he said simply “Hashtag for the City.” Written by Ryan Musich HOUSTON, Texas---Coming off of an impressive 19-16 win over the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson, Arizona, the University of Houston Cougars will face off against the Rice Owls in the Bayou Bucket game in what is the Coogs home opener. This will only be the Cougars 2nd game under new Head Coach Major Applewhite as the team’s originally scheduled season opener against University of Texas-San Antonio was cancelled due to the carnage of Hurricane Harvey. This will be Rice’s 3rd game of the season as they’re 1-1 and coming off of a win against UTEP 31-14. Houston and Coach Applewhite had a good reason to be happy after the win Saturday night, as A&M transfer Quarterback Kyle Allen threw for 225 yards and a touchdown. Allen is taking over for Greg Ward Jr. who graduated this past summer. Allen also threw 2 interceptions but that’s not bad in a debut with a new team. The defense also played well as Pre-Season All American Ed Oliver tied for the team lead in tackles with 11. The defense played well and their night was capped off with a Garrett Davis interception of Arizona Quarterback Khalil Tate in the final 4 minutes of the game. The Cougars rushing attack was on full display against Arizona as Running Backs Duke Catalon and Dillon Birden 161 yards on 32 carries. As good as the Cougars played Saturday, Coach Major Applewhite thought they could’ve played with a little bit more effort, “I talked to the coaches after the game that I thought we could’ve played with some more effort. Especially when it comes to taking the foot off of the gas”. And when asked what a rivalry like this means to a player, Applewhite uttered 2 simple words, “Bragging rights”. After a complete thrashing against Stanford opening weekend, Rice will be looking to build on their win last week against UTEP. Rice’s rushing attack was fierce last weekend as 18 of the 31 points scored by the Owls were of the rushing variety. Rice’s Quarterback play was solid from Sam Glaesmann, who threw for 131 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for a touchdown. Rice’s defense was stellar as they held the Miners to 14 points. The defense was led by Junior Defensive End Blain Padgett. The Owls have a tough task ahead as this Cougars team will be hyped up for their home opener at TDECU Stadium. Not to mention the Bayou Bucket will be on the line. My prediction for this one is that the University of Houston offense will be on fire and the defense will be flying all over the field. Houston takes this one 35-14.
UH Athletics Communications
School supply drive to take place Sept. 11-16 throughout the city of Houston.
HOUSTON – With the first FBS game of the 2017 season in the City of Houston set to take place next Saturday when Rice and Houston resume their battle for the Bayou Bucket, the two schools are teaming up to help keep #HoustonStrong. The athletic departments for the city’s two FBS programs will be accepting school supplies for HISD students, below seventh grade, at locations throughout the city and at TDECU Stadium prior to Saturday’s game. Donations for the drive will be collected Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Raising Cane’s locations below, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Houston Athletics Ticket Office at Schroeder Gate 1 of TDECU Stadium and from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the lobby of Tudor Fieldhouse on the Rice campus. · 5326 S Rice Ave. Houston, TX 77081 · 1902 Westheimer Rd Houston, TX 77098 · 7531 Westheimer Rd Houston, TX 77063 Fans can also help “Fill The Truck” as the two schools’ corporate partner Nissan will have two Titan trucks for fans to drop off supplies in located in Shasta Square, on the east end of TDECU Stadium, prior to Saturday’s Bayou Bucket game from 3-7 p.m. Supplies needed include the following: · Pencils · Pens · Notebooks · Colored Pencils · Folders · Binders · Backpacks · Crayons · Highlighters · Calculators · Cork Boards / Dry Erase Boards · Paper (notebook, copy, construction) -- UHCougars.com --
Written by Brett Korpi
On the football field when you see a teammate knocked down you extend your hand and help them get back up. With the devastation left behind by Hurricane Harvey to the city of Houston and throughout southeastern Texas, that trait has extended beyond the gridiron.
The destruction left behind by the storm and its almost 50 inches of rain forced the evacuation of close to 2 million people from the region, and has left over 32,000 people in shelters. Rescue teams are still working to find residents trapped due to the severe flooding. When the University of Houston and Rice University football teams needed shelter and facilities to practice fellow Texans were there to take them in, and put their rivalries to the side. The Cougars spent seven days in Austin at the University of Texas, returning home on Thursday. Before they headed back they held a collection in Austin. The drive was such a success they needed helped getting all the proceeds back to their community. That is where several more in-state programs stepped up to help. Texas, Texas State, Texas Tech, Baylor, UTSA, and SMU all volunteered their equipment trucks to get the vital supplies to Houston. The Owls were making the trip back home from their game in Sydney, Australia they were diverted to TCU in Fort Worth, they plan to head back to Houston Friday afternoon. Help hasn’t come from just in-state, across the country schools have shown there support. C-USA and AAC, the conferences that Rice and UH are respectively apart of, have set up initiatives at all of their member schools to help out those effected by Harvey. Many other schools across the country have set up fundraisers for the cause. Teams have also dawned decals on their helmets in support. UCLA, Ohio State, Indiana, Mississippi State, and many others will dawn an emblem representing Texas. NFL players and owners have also chipped into help NFL teams and owners have pledged to donate millions of dollars. Houston Texans star J.J. Watt has raised over $14 million through his foundation. Texans owner Rob McNair has donated $1 million. If you want to extend your hand to those in effected by Hurricane Harvey you can donate to the Houston Flood Relief Fund organized by J.J. Watt here: https://www.youcaring.com/victimsofhurricaneharvey-915053 The SkyBoat will be extending our hand as well. We will be sending clothes to Houston. If you would like to contribute please message us on Facebook or on Twitter @TheSkyBoat. Additionally, on of our staff members Asia McMillian has started a fund that 100% of the proceeds and donations will go to victims of the Harvey devastation click here for more info. |
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