2010 Houston Cougars football team

2010 Houston Cougars football
Conference	Conference USA West
2010 record	5–7 (4–4 C-USA)
Head coach	Kevin Sumlin
Offensive coordinator	Jason Phillips
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Brian Stewart
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Robertson Stadium (Capacity: 32,000)

2010 Conference USA football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
#21 UCF x$		7	–	1					11	–	3
East Carolina		5	–	3					6	–	7
Southern Miss		5	–	3					8	–	5
Marshall		4	–	4					5	–	7
UAB		3	–	5					4	–	8
Memphis		0	–	8					1	–	11
West Division
SMU xy		6	–	2					7	–	7
#24 Tulsa x		6	–	2					10	–	3
Houston		4	–	4					5	–	7
UTEP		3	–	5					6	–	7
Rice		3	–	5					4	–	8
Tulane		2	–	6					4	–	8
Championship: UCF 17, SMU 7
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant As of January 11, 2011; Rankings from AP Poll

The 2010 Houston Cougars football team (also known as the Houston Cougars, Houston, or UH) represented the University of Houston in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the 65th year of season play for Houston. The team was coached by third-year head football coach Kevin Sumlin, and played its home games at Robertson Stadium—a 32,000-seat stadium on campus in Houston. The program is a member of Conference USA in its West Division. Although ranked favorably early in the season, the team finished with a 5–7 record, (4–4 in C-USA play) after season-ending injuries to starting quarterback Case Keenum and other key players.

Previous season

The 2009 Houston Cougars team defeated the nationally ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys in their first match-up. Following the victory, the Cougars were ranked by the AP Poll for the first time in more than twenty years. The Cougars played the Texas Tech Red Raiders in front of a record-breaking 32,114 sold-out crowd at Robertson Stadium.

Pre-season

Recruits

Houston's 2010 recruiting class was highly rated relative to its previous seasons. Rated as the No. 45 best recruiting class in the nation ahead of TCU and behind Oregon State by Rivals.com, the 2010 class was Houston's highest-ever ranking by the site. Scout.com ranked Houston as #54, which was the highest Houston had been ranked since 2003, and the 3rd-highest-ever ranking by the site.

This was also the highest-rated recruiting class in Conference USA by both sites for the season.^[1][2] In terms of position, Houston ranked No. 13 in the nation by Scout.com for best average ratings of quarterbacks recruited.^[3] This reinforced the team's depth in the position, as senior Case Keenum was scheduled to compete in his last season in 2010.

2010 recruits
Name	Home town	High school / college	Height	Weight	40^‡	Commit date
Kenneth Bibbins TE	Sugar Land, Texas	Kempner	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	208 lb (94 kg)	4.72	Jul 14, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 75
Eric Braswell DE	Killeen, Texas	Shoemaker	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	233 lb (106 kg)	4.80	Jul 24, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Terrance Broadway QB	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Capitol	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	197 lb (89 kg)	4.65	Jul 24, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Kent Brooks DB	Humble, Texas	Atascocita	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	4.50	Mar 8, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Sammy Brown LB	Perkinston, Mississippi	Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C.	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	236 lb (107 kg)	4.60	Dec 7, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Xavier Brown RB	Pearland, Texas	Dawson	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	4.50	Dec 19, 2008
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 74
Alton Demby DB	Galena Park, Texas	North Shore	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	178 lb (81 kg)	4.50	Mar 18, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 76
Jeremiah Farley DE	Longview, Texas	Longview	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	233 lb (106 kg)	4.70	Apr 29, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Rowdy Harper OL	Broken Arrow, Oklahoma	Broken Arrow	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	268 lb (122 kg)	5.20	Sep 13, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Chris Hill OL	Houston, Texas	Yates	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	288 lb (131 kg)	N/A	Sep 13, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 71
Aaron Johnson QB	Longview, Texas	Longview	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	178 lb (81 kg)	4.60	Aug 7, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 73
Jordan Jolly WR	Missouri City, Texas	Elkins	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	169 lb (77 kg)	4.55	Jul 13, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
D.J. Jones DB	Cibolo, Texas	Steele	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	183 lb (83 kg)	4.50	Jul 24, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Darian Lazard QB	Pearland, Texas	Dawson	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	173 lb (78 kg)	4.58	Dec 18, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 76
Richie Leone K	Roswell, Georgia	Roswell	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	4.70	Jul 28, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 73
Austin Lunsford OL	Garrison, Texas	Garrison	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	293 lb (133 kg)	5.00	Jun 8, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Zach McMillian DB	Sugar Land, Texas	Dulles	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	155 lb (70 kg)	4.49	Jun 9, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 75
Efrem Oliphant LB	Houston, Texas	Langham	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.60	Apr 16, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 74
DeAndre Perry WR	Austin, Texas	Bowie	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	4.60	May 1, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
David Piland QB	Southlake, Texas	Carroll	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	178 lb (81 kg)	4.70	Aug 8, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 71
Bryce Redman OL	Longview, Texas	Longview	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	4.90	Jun 6, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 74
Dominique Sanders ATH	Fort Worth, Texas	Dunbar	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	193 lb (88 kg)	4.45	Jan 23, 2010
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Matangi Tonga DT	San Mateo, California	C. of San Mateo	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	283 lb (128 kg)	4.67	Jan 15, 2010
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Langston Williams WR	Arlington, Texas	Bowie	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	4.40	Jul 28, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Rodney Williams DT	Dallas, Texas	Skyline	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	N/A	May 28, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 75
Austin Wilson LB	Tyler, Texas	Lee	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	4.60	Sep 26, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Jon Witten LB	Houston, Texas	Clear Lake	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	209 lb (95 kg)	4.64	Mar 12, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 73
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 54   Rivals: 45
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Houston Commit List for 2010". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 19, 2010. "Houston: Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved May 19, 2010. "Houston Football Recruiting 2010". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 19, 2010. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved May 19, 2010. "2010 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 19, 2010.

Coaching staff

Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin

Name	Position	Alma mater (Year)
Kevin Sumlin	Head coach	Purdue (1986)
Jason Phillips	Offensive coordinator	Houston (1988)
Brian Stewart	Defensive coordinator	Northern Arizona (1992)
Tony Levine	Special teams	Minnesota (1996)
Kliff Kingsbury	Co-offensive coordinator	Texas Tech (2002)
Leon Burtnett	Linebackers	Southwestern College (1965)
Jim Jeffcoat	Defensive line	Arizona State (1982)
B.J. Anderson	Offensive line	Stephen F. Austin (1997)
Clarence McKinney	Running backs	Mary (1994)
Charles McMillian	Defensive backs	Utah State (1995)
Zac Spavital	Cornerbacks	Murray State (2004)

Top 25 rankings

During the pre-season, Houston was ranked in several notable top 25 polls. Sports Illustrated placed Houston at No. 21 in its power rankings list.^[4] Lindy's Sports ranked Houston as #23, and Phil Steele ranked the team as #24.^[5][6] Just outside the top 25, Sporting News ranked Houston as #26,^[7] and in the Coaches' Poll as #27.^[8]

Awards & award watch lists

Case Keenum

• Davey O'Brien Award watch list^[9]
• Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list^[10]
• Manning Award watch list^[11]
• Maxwell Award^[12]
• Walter Camp Award watch list^[12]
• Conference USA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year^[13]
• Conference USA Preseason offensive first team selection^[13]

Jamal Robinson

• Conference USA Preseason defensive first team selection^[13]

James Cleveland

• Fred Biletnikoff Award watch list^[14]
• Conference USA Preseason offensive first team selection^[13]

Marcus McGraw

• Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list^[15]
• Lombardi Award watch list^[16]
• Conference USA Preseason defensive first team selection^[13]

Patrick Edwards

• Fred Biletnikoff Award watch list^[14]

Tyron Carrier

• Fred Biletnikoff Award watch list^[14]
• Paul Hornung Award watch list^[17]
• Conference USA Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year^[13]
• Conference USA Preseason special teams first team selection^[13]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	7:00 PM	Texas State*		Robertson Stadium • Houston, TX		W 68–28	32,119[18]^A
September 10	9:15 PM	UTEP		Robertson Stadium • Houston, TX	ESPN	W 54–24	32,119[19]^B
September 18	9:30 PM	at UCLA*	#23	Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA	FSN	L 13–31	54,407[20]
September 25	2:30 PM	Tulane		Robertson Stadium • Houston, TX	CBSCS	W 42–23	32,007[21]
October 9	7:00 PM	Mississippi State*		Robertson Stadium • Houston, TX	CBSCS	L 24–47	32,067[22]
October 16	2:30 PM	at Rice		Rice Stadium • Houston, TX (Bayou Bucket Classic)	CSS	L 31–34	26,342[23]
October 23	2:30 PM	at SMU		Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, TX (Rivalry)	CBSCS	W 45–20	20,741[24]
October 30	6:00 PM	at Memphis		Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN	CSS	W 56–17	19,731[25]
November 5	7:00 PM	UCF		Robertson Stadium • Houston, TX	ESPN2	L 33–40	32,008[26]
November 13	7:00 PM	Tulsa		Robertson Stadium • Houston, TX	CBSCS	L 25–28	30,046[27]
November 20	6:00 PM	at Southern Miss		M. M. Roberts Stadium • Hattiesburg, MS		L 41–59	32,606[28]
November 27	7:00 PM	at Texas Tech*		Jones AT&T Stadium • Lubbock, TX	FSN	L 20–35	53,461[29]
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. ^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time.

• ^A Denotes the largest crowd to have watched a football game at Robertson Stadium in its current capacity, and the largest Houston had ever hosted on-campus. This broke the record set during last season versus Texas Tech.
• ^B Denotes a tie for largest crowd to have watched a football game at Robertson Stadium in its current capacity, and a tie for the largest Houston had ever hosted on-campus. This matched the attendance of the previous week.

Game notes

Texas State

Houston versus Texas State at a sold-out Robertson Stadium

	1	2	3	4	Total
Texas State	7	0	7	14	28
Houston	20	34	14	0	68

As a season opener, Houston met with Texas State of the Southland Conference (a Division I FCS conference) for the fourth time in history. However, the two teams had not competed against each other in over six decades, with the last game being in 1948.^[30] Texas State had been undefeated against Houston, and were led by fourth-year head coach Brad Wright.

Attendance was at an all-time high for Robertson Stadium, as 32,119 fans watched the game. The record-setting crowd at the stadium surpassed the previous season record against Texas Tech. This marked the largest home-opening crowd to watch the Cougars play since 37,652 fans watched Houston face California at the Astrodome on September 6, 1997. Quarterback Case Keenum set school records for both career passing yards and career pass attempts, surpassing then-current Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback Kevin Kolb.

UTEP

Houston's offense gets ready to start a drive from their end zone against UTEP

	1	2	3	4	Total
UTEP	7	3	7	7	24
Houston	14	17	6	17	54

Conference USA foe UTEP traveled to Robertson Stadium to face-off against Houston for the eighth time in history. Prior to UTEP's defeat, Houston's record against the team stood at 3–4.^[31] During the previous season, UTEP defeated No. 12 Houston to knock the team out of the national rankings for a period of time. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Mike Price who had previously served as head coach for Washington State with Kevin Sumlin as a graduate assistant. Attendance for the game was again at an all-time high, as the 32,119 fans in attendance tied the previous record from the game prior. The matchup was nationally televised on ESPN.

The Cougars' offensive strategy appeared to be more focused on rushing rather than the passing game Houston was known for. It was the first time the team had achieved 300 rushing yards in a game since compiling 377 yards against Texas Southern on November 24, 2007.^[31] After an interception thrown by senior Case Keenum to UTEP's Trauvan Nixon in the third quarter of the game, the quarterback attempted to tackle the opposing player. Keenum suffered a blow to the head, and was removed from the game. Back-up quarterback Cotton Turner took his place to carry on the win. It was later reported that Keenum was exhibiting symptoms of a mild concussion, but was showing dramatic improvement two days after the game. His condition was listed as being "day-to-day".^[32]

Following the game, Houston became nationally ranked for the first time since the previous season, as the Cougars entered both the AP Poll and Coaches' Poll as #23.^[33] Junior running back Bryce Beall was named the Conference USA offensive player of the week. Houston's record at 2–0, made it the only team in its conference division to remain undefeated overall, and allowed the team to take the number one spot in the standings.

UCLA

	1	2	3	4	Total
#23 Houston	3	0	0	10	13
UCLA	7	14	10	0	31

Matt Hogan kicked a 29-yard field goal to give the Cougars the first quarter lead. Johnathan Franklin answered with an 11-yard run for a Bruins 7–3 lead. The Bruins scored two touchdowns in the second quarter. Kevin Prince ran for a 2-yard touchdown and Franklin added a 1-yard run touchdown.

In the third quarter, UCLA had a 42-yard field goal by Kai Forbath, the 2009 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award winner, and a touchdown again by Franklin (12 yards). Houston scored twice in the fourth quarter, on James Cleveland's 10-yard pass from Terrance Broadway and on Matt Hogan's 31-yard field goal.

Two Houston quarterbacks, Case Keenum and Cotton Turner, were injured in the game and are out for the season.

UCLA's Patrick Larimore, who had a career-high and team-high 11 tackles (10 solos), including three for loss, forced a fumble and broke up a pass in the game was named Pac-10 Conference defensive player of the week. He was also named the FWAA/Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week.

Tulane

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tulane	0	14	3	6	23
Houston	7	21	0	14	42

First quarter scoring: Houston – Bryce Beall (3-yard run).

Second quarter scoring: Tulane - Cody Sparks (13-yard pass from Kevin Moore), Devin Figaro (36-yard pass from Moore); Houston – Beall (1-yard run, 1-yard run), Michael Hayes (1-yard run).

Third quarter scoring: Tulane - Cairo Santos (29-yard field goal).

Fourth quarter scoring: Tulane - Payten Jason (9-yard run); Houston - Beall (25-yard run), Loyce Means (42-yard interception return).

Poll rankings

Week-to-Week Rankings
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=receiving votes.

Poll	Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Final
AP	RV	RV	23	RV	RV	RV	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR
Coaches	RV	RV	23	RV	RV	RV	RV	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR
Harris	Not released						NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR
BCS	Not released							NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR

References

1. "Conference Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
2. "2010 Team Rankings". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
3. "Quarterback Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
4. Staples, Andy (May 4, 2010). "'Bama exits spring as No. 1 team". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on May 7, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
5. "Lindy's announces its 2010 preseason Top 25 and All-America teams". Lindy's Sports. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
6. Steele, Phil. "Phil Steele's College Football Preview". Retrieved May 24, 2010.
7. "UH football ranked No. 26 in "The Sporting News" preseason Poll". KHOU. June 3, 2010. Archived from the original on June 11, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
8. "2010 NCAA Football Rankings - Preseason". ESPN. Archived from the original on August 23, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
9. "Keenum Named to O'Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List". Houston Cougars athletics. July 14, 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
10. "Keenum Named to Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List". Houston Cougars athletics. July 4, 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
11. "Manning Award Adds Case Keenum to Watch List". Houston Cougars athletics. July 23, 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
12. "Keenum Named to Two More National Watch Lists". Houston Cougars athletics. August 9, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
13. "Five Cougars Named to Football Preseason All-Conference USA Team". Houston Cougars athletics. July 21, 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
14. "Three Cougar Receivers Named to Biletnikoff Watch List". Houston Cougars athletics. August 10, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
15. "Linebacker Marcus McGraw Named to Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List". Houston Cougars athletics. June 21, 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
16. "McGraw Named to Lombardi Award Watch List". Houston Cougars athletics. April 29, 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
17. "Carrier Named to Hornung Award Watch List". Houston Cougars athletics. August 17, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
18. "Texas State vs. Houston: Final Stats". Houston Cougars athletics. September 4, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
19. "=UTEP vs. Houston: Final Stats". Houston Cougars athletics. September 11, 2010. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
20. "Houston Cougars vs. UCLA Bruins Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
21. "Tulane Green Wave vs. Houston Cougars Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
22. "Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Houston Cougars Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2010. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
23. "Houston Cougars vs. Rice Owls Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
24. "Houston Cougars vs. Southern Methodist Mustangs Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
25. "Houston Cougars vs. Memphis Tigers Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
26. "UCF Knights vs. Houston Cougars Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
27. "Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Houston Cougars Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
28. "Houston Cougars vs. Southern Miss Golden Eagles Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
29. "Houston Cougars vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
30. "Football Postgame Notes vs. Texas State". Houston Cougars athletics. September 4, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
31. "Football Postgame Notes vs. UTEP". Houston Cougars athletics. September 11, 2010. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
32. "Case Keenum listed as day to day". ESPN.com. September 12, 2010. Archived from the original on September 18, 2010. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
33. Campbell, Steve (September 13, 2010). "UH's Beall rushes to C-USA player of week honor". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 14, 2010. Retrieved September 13, 2010.