2009 Houston Cougars football team

American college football season August 2023 February 2026 2009 Houston Cougars Houston Cougars Logo (1999-2012).svg 150 Conference USA West C-USA 10–4 6–2 Kevin Sumlin 2nd Dana Holgorsen 2nd Spread John Skladany 2nd 4–3 Robertson Stadium(Capacity: 32,000) C-USA West Division co-champion C-USA Championship Game L 32–38 vs. East Carolina Armed Forces Bowl L 20–47 vs. Air Force The 2009 Houston Cougars football team, also known as the Houston Cougars, Houston, or UH, represented the University of Houston in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the 64th year of season play for Houston. The team was coached by second year head football coach, Kevin Sumlin. The team played its home games at Robertson Stadium, a 32,000-seat stadium on campus in Houston. The Cougars finished the season 10–4, 6–3 in CUSA play, were co–champions of the west division and lost to East Carolina 38–32 in the CUSA Championship Game. They were invited to the Armed Forces Bowl where they lost to Air Force 47–20. It was the second consecutive year that they had played Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. Preseason Spring practices The Cougars held Spring practices from March 24 to April 18, 2008.http://www.uhcougars.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/013009aaa.html 2009 Spring Football Dates Houston Cougars football June 13, 2009 On April 4, the team played a public scrimmage. The Cougars' annual Red-White Game, which was the conclusion of the Spring practices, was abruptly halted after the first ten minutes of gameplay due to rainy weather conditions.http://www.uhcougars.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/041809aaa.html Heavy Storms Bring UH Spring Practice To An End April 18, 2009 Houston Cougars football June 13, 2009 Recruiting yes yes 2009 George Bamfo LB Rockwall, Texas Rockwall-Heath HS 5 11 196 4.59 2009-01-29 2 3 40 Thomas Bates DB Baytown, Texas Lee HS 5 11 180 4.43 2008-03-14 3 2 77 Tyrone Campbell DT Channelview, Texas Channelview HS 6 1 266 5.05 2008-04-17 3 2 73 Jacky Candy DB Coffeyville, Kansas Coffeyville CC 6 1 198 4.50 2008-12-12 2 3 N/A Tyler Chambers ATH San Antonio, Texas Mac Arthur HS 6 4 222 4.70 2008-04-05 2 3 78 James Cleveland WR Athens, Texas Trinity Valley CC 6 1 200 4.50 2008-11-03 2 2 N/A Ty Cloud OL Flower Mound, Texas Marcus HS 6 4 290 4.95 2008-12-22 2 3 76 Jarve Dean OL Coffeyville, Kansas Coffeyville CC 6 3 325 5.10 2008-11-24 2 3 N/A A.J. Dugat WR Dayton, Texas Dayton HS 6 1 204 4.50 2008-07-31 4 3 75 Keenan Flax OL Houston, Texas Cypress Ridge HS 6 4 268 N/A 2008-11-20 2 2 74 Kevin Forsch OL Spring, Texas Spring HS 6 5 293 5.30 2008-09-05 2 2 75 Drew Hollingshead QB Rockwall, Texas Rockwall-Heath HS 6 3 195 4.81 2008-07-29 2 3 72 Darryl Jackson DT Houston, Texas Yates HS 6 4 265 N/A 2008-04-04 3 N/A N/A Kelvin King LB Alief, Texas Taylor HS 6 2 222 4.70 2008-05-19 2 2 69 Jeffrey Lewis RB Houston, Texas Madison HS 5 9 178 4.50 2009-02-01 2 2 40 Devin Mays DB San Francisco, California CC of San Francisco 5 11 173 4.43 2009-01-25 2 3 N/A Ralph Oragwu OL Missouri City, Texas Marshall HS 6 4 258 4.92 2008-02-28 3 2 69 Jared Pickett ATH Missouri City, Texas Marshall HS 5 9 168 4.68 2008-02-22 2 2 71 Zeke Riser DE La Vernia, Texas La Vernia HS 6 4 233 4.90 2008-11-08 2 2 40 Steven Robertson LB Cleveland, Texas Cleveland HS 6 2 228 4.70 2008-05-02 3 2 40 Radermon Scypion DE Port Arthur, Texas Memorial HS 6 4 213 4.95 2008-04-05 3 3 72 Charles Sims RB Houston, Texas Westbury HS 6 0 204 4.50 2008-05-15 3 3 75 DeAnthony Sims DT Houston, Texas Westbury HS 6 3 304 5.20 2008-11-11 2 3 71 Phillip Steward LB Sugar Land, Texas Hightower HS 6 1 210 N/A 2008-11-24 2 2 67 Broderick Thomas, Jr. ATH Houston, Texas Madison HS 6 3 180 N/A 2009-02-01 2 2 78 Roy Watts OL Corsicana, Texas Navarro 6 6 318 5.30 2008-12-17 3 4 N/A yes 2009 Houston Commit List for 2009 Houston: Commits Houston Football Recruiting 2009 houston 73 248 58 61 2009-07-11 yes Coaching staff thumb|Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin Name Position Alma mater (Year) Kevin Sumlin Head coach Purdue (1986) Dana Holgorsen Offensive coordinator Iowa Wesleyan (1992) John Skladany Defensive coordinator Central Connecticut State (1972) Jason Phillips Co-Offensive coordinator Houston (1988) Leon Burtnett Linebackers Southwestern College (1965) Jim Jeffcoat Defensive line Arizona State (1982) Joe Gilbert Offensive line Hamilton (1987) Tony Levine Special teams Minnesota (1996) Clarence McKinney Running backs Mary (1994) Charles McMillian Defensive backs Utah State (1995) Zac Spavital Cornerbacks Murray State (2004) Schedule 2009 AP Central September 5 6:00 pm w y Northwestern State Robertson Stadium Houston, TX 55–7 22,043http://www.uhcougars.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2009-2010/uhfb1.html Scoring Summary Houston Cougars athletics September 5, 2009 September 6, 2009 September 12 2:30 pm w y y Oklahoma State 5 Boone Pickens Stadium Stillwater, OK FSN 45–35 50,875http://www.okstate.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2009-2010/fb091209.html Scoring Summary Oklahoma State Cowboys athletics September 12, 2009 September 12, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20110606162238/http://www.okstate.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2009-2010/fb091209.html June 6, 2011 dead mdy-all September 26 8:15 pm w y 17 Texas Tech Robertson Stadium Houston, TX rivalry ESPN2 29–28 32,114http://www.uhcougars.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2009-2010/uhfb3.html Scoring Summary Houston Cougars athletics September 26, 2009 September 27, 2009A A October 3 8:05 pm l y 12 UTEP Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, TX 41–58 26,793http://utepathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2009-2010/100309.html Scoring summary UTEP Miners athletics October 3, 2009 October 4, 2009 October 10 11:30 am w y y Mississippi State Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS ESPNU 31–24 48,019http://www.mstateathletics.com/fls/16800/stats/fb/2009/ms1010.htm?DB_OEM_ID=16800 Scoring Summary Mississippi State Bulldogs athletics October 10, 2009 October 10, 2009 October 17 2:30 pm w y 23 Tulane Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA CBSCS 44–16 22,891http://www.tulanegreenwave.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2009-2010/tulane06.html Scoring Summary Tulane Green Wave athletics October 17, 2009 October 18, 2009 October 24 6:30 pm w y 17 SMU rivalry Robertson Stadium Houston, TX CBSCS 38–15 26,889http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/college/houston/6684719.html No. 17 UH cruises past Southern Methodist 38–15 Houston Chronicle October 24, 2009 October 24, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20091028033517/http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/college/houston/6684719.html October 28, 2009 live October 31 12:00 pm w 15 Southern Miss Robertson Stadium Houston, TX CSS 50–43 20,125http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/6696616.html Heisman hopeful Keenum helps Cougars survive Houston Chronicle October 31, 2009 October 31, 2009 November 7 6:30 pm w y 13 Tulsa H. A. Chapman Stadium Tulsa, OK CBSCS 46–45 20,243http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/college/6709557.html No. 13 UH stuns Tulsa 46–45 with last-second field goal Houston Chronicle November 7, 2009 November 7, 2009 November 14 11:00 am l y 13 UCF Bright House Networks Stadium Orlando, FL CBSCS 32–37 34,437http://ucfathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2009-2010/ucf10.html Scoring Summary November 14, 2009 November 15, 2009 UCF Knights athletics https://archive.today/20120720220147/http://ucfathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2009-2010/ucf10.html July 20, 2012 dead mdy-all November 21 12:00 pm w 24 Memphis Robertson Stadium Houston, TX CSS 55–14 22,036http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/college/houston/6732966.html Keenum throws 5 TDs in Cougars' 55–14 rout of Memphis Houston Chronicle November 21, 2009 November 21, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20091124093933/http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/college/houston/6732966.html November 24, 2009 live November 28 7:00 pm w 25 Rice rivalry Robertson Stadium Houston, TX CSS 73–14 28,243http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/college/6743420.html UH routs Rice 73–14, clinches West Houston Chronicle November 28, 2009 November 28, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20091202071249/http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/college/6743420.html December 2, 2009 live December 5 11:00 am l y 18 East Carolina C-USA Championship Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC ESPN2 32–38 33,048https://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore?gameId=293390151 Houston Cougars vs. East Carolina Pirates Box Score ESPN.com March 18, 2010 December 31 11:00 am l y y Air Force Armed Forces Bowl Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX ESPN 20–47 41,414https://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore?gameId=293652005 Houston Cougars vs. Air Force Falcons Box Score ESPN.com March 18, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100320131240/http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=293652005 March 20, 2010 live A ADenotes the largest crowd to have watched a football game at Robertson Stadium in its current capacity, and the largest Houston ever hosted on-campus. This was later broken the next season. Game summaries Northwestern State Northwestern State Demons football Northwestern State 0 7 0 0 7 Houston 28 13 7 7 55 The Northwestern State Demons of the Southland Conference traveled to Houston to meet with the Cougars for the first time in school history. Head coach Bradley Dale Peveto, a former Houston defensive coordinator and assistant head coach, led the Demons in his first game ever. With the first five touchdowns for Houston resulting from the Cougars' first five possessions, the Demons' first first down occurred only after the score was 28–0 in the home team's favor. With the game well in hand for the Cougars in the third quarter, starting quarterback Case Keenum was rested for the rest of the game. Oklahoma State 2009 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team Houston 10 14 0 21 45 #5 Oklahoma State 0 7 21 7 35 The Cougars traveled to Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater to face Oklahoma State (ranked 5th in the AP football poll and 6th in the Coaches' Poll). Houston came out of the gate with a touchdown and field goal in the first quarter, but Oklahoma State responded with a drive to the endzone in the beginning of the second quarter. However, Houston parlayed an onside kick into two more touchdowns to close the half. In the third quarter, Oklahoma State dominated, with touchdowns coming from rushes by Keith Toston and Beau Johnston. A punt return for 82 yards by Dez Bryant yielded another touchdown for Oklahoma State. However, the Cougars clawed back in the final quarter, with the help of a Case Keenum pass that turned into a tipped ball caught by Bryce Beall, and a Zac Robinson interception that was returned for a touchdown. Following the win, Houston was launched into the #21 ranked spot in the AP Poll, which marked the first time since 1991 in which the Cougars had been ranked in the top 25.https://www.espn.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/7039/sumlin-saw-houston-mature-this-weekend Sumlin saw Houston mature this weekend Watson, Graham September 14, 2009 ESPN September 14, 2009 Texas Tech thumb|Houston fans rush the field in celebration after defeating Texas Tech 2009 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team Texas Tech 7 14 7 0 #17 Houston 7 6 10 6 Houston faced-off against former Southwest Conference rivals, the Texas Tech Red Raiders, for the first time since the demise of that athletic conference following the 1995 season. The game also marked the first time that Houston hosted Texas Tech on-campus, as the Astrodome had served as the previous home for the Cougars during that era. During Houston's bye the week prior, AP and Coaches' Poll voters ranked the Cougars ahead in the polls to #17 and #23 respectively. It was the first time in eighteen years that Houston entered a game as a nationally ranked team.https://www.espn.com/college-football/preview?gameId=292690248 Texas Tech–Houston Preview ESPN October 14, 2009 Although attempting to recover from a loss to #2 Texas the week before, Texas Tech's starting quarterback Taylor Potts had passed for a career record of 46 passes for 420 yards. The game received heavy media coverage, and was broadcast nationally on ESPN2. After a complete sell-out of public game tickets by Houston athletics, 1,500 student guest tickets went on sale the Monday morning before the game. With students arriving around midnight to await box office opening, all student guest passes were gone within three hours.http://conferenceusa.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/092109aan.html Football Student Guest Tickets Sell Out in Three Hours Conference USA September 21, 2009 October 14, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20120226023832/http://conferenceusa.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/092109aan.html February 26, 2012 dead http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2009/09/uh-tech_ticket_lines.php Could This Be UH? Long Student Lines For Football Tickets? Connelly, Richard September 21, 2009 Houston Press October 14, 2009 The game marked a record attendance of 32,114 at Robertson Stadium in its current seating capacity including an appearance by U.S. Senator for Texas and gubernatorial candidate Kay Bailey Hutchison.http://chadhastyshow.podOmatic.com/entry/2009-09-28T09_44_56-07_00 Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison calls into The Chad Hasty Show September 26, 2009 KFYO October 14, 2009http://twitpic.com/jhmuw Kay with University of Houston cheerleaders at Saturday's win against Texas Tech Texans For Kay Bailey Hutchison October 14, 2009 October 28, 2009 Following a similar phenomenon from Monday, 5,500 students were allowed general admission into the game for no charge on gameday. Houston businessman Jim McIngvale donated a 9'x16' LED screen displaying the ESPN2 broadcast for use in the stadium parking lot during the game to accommodate the remainder of the University of Houston's 37,000 student enrollment who were unable to gain entry. UH Alumnus Hakeem Olajuwon facilitated the pre-game coin toss.https://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2009-09-27-texas-tech-houston_N.htm No. 23 Houston rallies for win against Texas Tech USA Today October 14, 2009 September 27, 2009 Fellow alumnus and former Cougars basketball coach Clyde Drexler was also in attendance. Although prior to the win, Texas Tech had been victors of the previous five meetings, the all-time record between the teams was updated to 18–10–1 with Houston leading. The Cougars' record improved to 3–0. UTEP 2009 UTEP Miners football team #12 Houston 10 7 3 21 UTEP 3 14 20 21 Following the home victory, Houston went on the road to El Paso, Texas to face conference foe UTEP for the seventh time in school history. Having moved five spots up to #12 in the AP Poll prior to the game, the undefeated Cougars were heavily favored to win. UTEP's record was 1–3, and were coming off a 64–7 loss to Texas. Despite a remarkable attempt by Houston, where Case Keenum threw for a career record of 536 passing yards with 5 touchdowns, the Cougars could not contain UTEP's run-style offense.http://www.uhcougars.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/100409aab.html Houston Drops C-USA Opener at UTEP, 58–41 Houston Cougars athletics October 4, 2009 November 23, 2009 UTEP running back Donald Buckram ran for a career-high of 262 yards against Houston as the Miners completed a 58-41 upset.http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=292762638 Buckram runs for a career-high 262 yards as UTEP takes down Houston ESPN October 3, 2009 November 23, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20091126020639/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=292762638 November 26, 2009 dead Houston's all-time record against UTEP fell to 3–4. The Cougars would fall completely out of both the AP Poll and Coaches' Poll top 25 rankings, but continued to receive votes. Mississippi State 2009 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team Houston 7 7 3 14 Mississippi State 7 10 0 7 Houston attempted to begin rebuilding after the UTEP upset in Starkville, Mississippi meeting with the Mississippi State Bulldogs. It was the fifteenth meeting between the two teams, where the Cougars held an 8–6 record over the Bulldogs who first competed against each other in 1956. The last time Mississippi State defeated Houston was in 1972, as the Cougars won the last two meetings. The game was nationally televised on ESPNU. The Bulldogs were able to contain Houston's offense to 17 points in three quarters and enter the fourth quarter in a tie game. The Cougars offense scored two touchdowns in rapid succession with six and four minutes to go in the game, and then conceded a touchdown run to Anthony Dixon with 1:22 to play. However, the Cougars were able to recover a Mississippi State onside kick attempt and went on to win the game.http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=292830344 Keenum, Houston rebound vs. Mississippi State ESPN October 10, 2009 November 24, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20091117024002/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=292830344 November 17, 2009 dead Following the win, the Cougars regained a place in the top 25 list for both the AP Poll and Coaches' Poll with a ranking of #23. Tulane 2009 Tulane Green Wave football team #23 Houston 3 6 20 15 Tulane 3 3 0 10 Houston completed its three-game road trip in New Orleans, Louisiana against the Tulane Green Wave. With a record of 5-1 after completing the game, Houston was off to the best start of a season since 2003.http://www.uhcougars.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/101709aab.html Tulane: Post Game Notes October 17, 2009 Houston Cougars athletics November 29, 2009 Having competed against each other for the first time in 1968, the Cougars held a 10-4 all-time record against Tulane, and had won their last seven games against the Green Wave. Heavily favored Houston started off the game slowly against Tulane's pass defense which stood as the best in Conference USA at the time, and the Cougars went into halftime leading only 9-6 against the Green Wave. However, in the second half the offense exploded for 20 unanswered points in the third quarter and 15 points in the fourth while conceding 10, and Houston left the Superdome a 44-16 winner. Following the game, Houston rose to #17 in the AP Poll and to #18 in the Harris and Coaches' Polls. When the initial BCS ranking came out the following Sunday Houston secured the #17 spot, marking the first week the Cougars were ranked in the BCS poll. SMU SMU 0 3 0 12 #17 Houston 14 10 7 7 2009 SMU Mustangs football team The Cougars returned to play in Houston for the first time since its September victory over Texas Tech to face the SMU Mustangs in their homecoming game. Another former Southwest Conference opponent, SMU was coached by second-year head coach June Jones. It was the 25th meeting between the teams, where Houston held a 15-9-1 record in the all-time series.http://www.uhcougars.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/102409aac.html 2009 Houston Cougars Football Postgame Notes: SMU Mustangs October 24, 2009 Houston Cougars athletics December 3, 2009 The game was nationally televised on the CBS College Sports network. Houston took advantage of two SMU turnovers early in the game and utilized an effective running game to take a 24-3 lead into halftime. SMU's turnover issues continued into the second quarter as Houston kept going to freshman Charles Sims on the ground. Sims finished the game with 15 carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Case Keenum finished with comparatively light duty, only collecting 233 yards and two touchdowns on 36 completions as Houston dispatched SMU 38-15. Following the victory, Houston moved up to #15 in the AP poll and to #16 in the Coaches' and Harris polls, but moved down to #18 in the BCS poll. Southern Miss thumb|left|Southern Miss at Houston USM 13 9 0 21 #18 Houston 7 23 3 17 2009 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team The Cougars continued the 2009 season with a Halloween showdown versus conference rival Southern Miss. Houston came into the game at 7-1 and on its best start since 1990, in the days of the Southwest Conference. The two teams last met in the 2006 Conference USA Football Championship. The game turned into a shootout early as neither defense proved able to slow down quarterbacks Martevious Young and Case Keenum. Southern Miss led early 13-7 at the end of the first quarter, but Houston collected 23 points on three touchdowns and a returned blocked extra point to go into halftime leading 30-22. The game slowed down somewhat in the second half as Houston extended the lead to 40-22 in the fourth quarter, but Southern Miss's Young led the Golden Eagles to a late game comeback, scoring three touchdowns in eight minutes to tie the game at 43 with only 57 seconds left. However, Houston's Keenum calmly led the Cougars down the field in a scene reminiscent of the Texas Tech game and needed only 36 seconds to complete a game-winning touchdown drive. Keenum passed for a career record 559 yards that day. Houston escaped out of Robertson Stadium that day with a 50-43 victory. The following day, Houston found itself ranked 13th in the AP poll, 15th in the Coaches', 14th in the Harris, and 15th overall in the BCS poll, an improvement in all rankings. Tulsa #15 Houston 14 10 10 12 Tulsa 14 7 17 7 2009 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team The 8-1 Cougars took to the road the following week to take on the ever-dangerous Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Houston came into the game with an 18-16 record all time versus Tulsa. The game took mostly the form of the previous game against Southern Miss, where neither team's defense were effective against potent passing attacks. The Cougars utilized a strong first half from wide receiver James Cleveland to go into halftime leading 24-21. Houston's defense nearly collapsed completely in the third quarter as Tulsa QB G.J. Kinne tore the Cougars apart in the air and on the ground, scoring three individual touchdowns in the third quarter. Houston's offense were able to keep up mostly with Tulsa, and the quarter ended with a 38-34 score favoring Tulsa. Tulsa's defense solidified somewhat in the fourth quarter, holding Houston out of the end zone on a goal line stand early and making Houston settle for a 26-yard field goal with eight minutes to play. Tulsa's offense then churned out one last scoring drive with three and a half minutes to play to bring the score to 45-37. Houston needed a touchdown with a two-point conversion on its last drive to tie the game. Keenum again led the Cougars down the field and threw a third touchdown pass to James Cleveland to bring UH to 45-43, but Keenum was sacked on the two-point conversion attempt. With only 21 seconds to play, Houston attempted a last gasp onside kick attempt which was successfully recovered by Tim Monroe. Keenum quickly brought the offense 27 yards down the field in three plays and then retired to give walkon freshman kicker Matt Hogan a chance to win the game on his leg. It was the first time Hogan had tried a field goal longer than 50 yards, but he booted the field goal down the middle as Houston escapes being upset once again, winning 46-45. The victory was the first one by game-winning field goal in school history. After the thrilling comeback, the Coaches' poll moved Houston to #12, the Harris to #13, and the BCS ranking remained unchanged at #15. Central Florida #15 Houston 10 7 0 15 UCF 0 10 13 14 2009 UCF Knights football team With visions of a possible top 10 ranking in the near future, the 9-1 Cougars traveled to Orlando, Florida to play the Knights of Central Florida. UCF had met Houston only two times before, each team winning a game. The game began as though heavily favored Houston would win in less dramatic fashion than normal, easily taking a 10-0 lead to the second quarter. However, in the second quarter UCF began going to the ground and exploiting serious weaknesses in the run defense exposed by games against Texas Tech and UTEP. UCF ground out yards and jealously kept the ball out of the hands of the dangerous Houston offense. Unable to cope with the punishing ground game, Houston scored only one kickoff return touchdown in the next two quarters and UCF took a 23-17 lead into the fourth quarter. UCF scored two more touchdowns, one rushing and one passing, early in the fourth to move to 37-20 while grinding down clock and keeping the ball in UCF possession. Houston's offense broke out only with three and a half minutes to play by way of a touchdown pass, and then another one with only ten seconds to play to bring the game to 37-32. However this time, Houston would not recover the last second onside kick and UCF completed the upset. The victory by UCF was the first against a Top 25 ranked opponent in school history. After the loss, Houston dropped far in the polls to #22 in the Coaches' and #23 in the Harris, with the BCS dropping Houston further to #24. Not only had any vision of a BCS Bowl for the Cougars disappeared, even the possibility of a conference title began to come into doubt as the loss put SMU in the lead for the CUSA West division title. Memphis Memphis 7 7 0 0 #24 Houston 21 21 13 0 2009 Memphis Tigers football team Houston returned to Robertson Stadium to lick their wounds of the previous week. The 1-9 Memphis Tigers were in town. Houston struck first, quickly, and often in the first half; Keenum completed 29 passes for 405 yards and 5 touchdowns before retiring just after halftime. Houston took a commanding 42-14 lead into halftime, and Houston tacked on two more touchdowns by way of a touchdown pass from backup quarterback Cotton Turner and a Charles Sims touchdown run to easily win 55-14. Memphis's two touchdowns came by way of running back Curtis Steele, indicating Houston had not fixed their major ground game issues. With the victory and a loss by SMU to Marshall earlier in the day, Houston ended the week as leader of CUSA West with only one game remaining. Houston's ranking recovered slightly the following day; the Coaches' and Harris polls placed the Cougars at #20 and the BCS at #23. Rice Rice 0 0 14 0 #23 Houston 24 35 7 7 2009 Rice Owls football team Bayou Bucket Classic The final game of the season was a Thanksgiving renewal of the rivalry with Rice, with the two teams playing for the Bayou Bucket. Houston came into the game with a 27-9 record versus the crosstown Owls. Much like the Memphis game, Houston's offense scored at will versus the Rice defense. Case Keenum scored only two touchdowns on 323 yards passing before hitting the showers at halftime, his Cougars leading 59-0. The game slowed down somewhat in the third quarter, and Houston extended its lead to 65-0 before Houston's reserves conceded two touchdowns. Houston's reserves added two touchdowns of their own, and the Cougars defended the Bayou Bucket 73-14. The 73 points was the most scored by any team in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS season. The victory also sealed a CUSA West title for the Cougars - though SMU won earlier in the day, Houston owned the tiebreaker by way of defeating the Mustangs in October. Houston's ranking improved two spots in all polls; the Coaches' and Harris polls placed the Cougars at #18 and the BCS at #21. File:Bayou Bucket Robertson stadium view.jpg 180 The 2009 Houston Cougars football team versus the Rice Owls during the Bayou Bucket Classic at Robertson Stadium The 2009 Bayou Bucket Classic at Robertson Stadium East Carolina (C-USA Championship) #21 Houston 7 12 0 13 East Carolina 7 7 10 14 2009 East Carolina Pirates football team 2009 Conference USA Football Championship Game The Cougars, representing CUSA West, traveled to Greenville, North Carolina for the Conference USA Championship against defending champion East Carolina. ECU employed the same strategy used by conference mates UTEP and UCF in their upsets of the Cougars - run the football often and grind the clock. Alongside that, the ECU run defense stopped the Cougar running game completely cold (only 30 yards total rushing), leaving Houston to rely on the skills of Case Keenum to carry them through. The Cougar passing game did have success for a while as Houston led at halftime 19-14, but the Pirate defense became more and more stifling as the day wore on, finally Keenum threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter which after translating to two ECU rushing touchdowns put the game out of reach. ECU became the first school to successfully defend a Conference USA title by a score of 38-32. With this loss, the Cougars dropped to #25 in the Harris and Coaches' polls and out of the BCS poll completely. Rumors persisted that Coach Sumlin was leaving for a position at Texas A&M. He continually denied those rumors which were proved true. The rumors of Sumlin leaving deeply affected how the Cougars played and it contributed to its loss. Later in December, it was announced Houston accepted an invitation to play in the 2009 Armed Forces Bowl. Air Force (Armed Forces Bowl) Air Force 14 10 10 13 Houston 0 6 14 0 2009 Air Force Falcons football team 2009 Armed Forces Bowl The 2009 Armed Forces Bowl was a rematch of the previous year's matchup between Houston and Air Force, which was itself a rematch of a 2008 regular season game. Houston won the bowl the previous season. Houston's inability to stop a running game was exploited worst of all by Air Force, who features a running-heavy triple offense. Air Force running backs marched up and down the field and chewed up 41 minutes of game time while the Air Force's pass defense, statistically #1 in the nation, sat back and intercepted Case Keenum's passes seemingly at will - Air Force collected six interceptions in all, a career worst for Keenum. Air Force led comfortably 24-6 at halftime and Houston proved little resistance in the second half, losing in all 47-20. Houston had now lost nine of ten bowl games dating back to 1980. The loss removed Houston from every end-of-season poll. Poll rankings 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings + Week-to-Week RankingsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. 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 APRVRV211712RV2317151313242518RVNR CoachesRVNRRV2315RV231816151222201825 RV Harris Not released13RV231816141323201825 BCS Not released17181515242321NR Depth chart Spread 4-3 Yes No No Case Keenum Cotton Turner Bryce Beall Charles Sims Patrick Edwards L.J. Castile X Tyron Carrier Kierrie Johnson H James Cleveland Tim Monroe Y Chaz Rodriguez E.J. Smith Z Roy Watts Jaryd Anderson Jordan Shoemaker Jaryd Anderson Carl Barnett Blake Sargent Chris Thompson Kevin Forsch Jarve Dean Chris Thompson C.J. Cavness Jeremy Smith Marcus McGraw Nicholas Thurston Phillip Steward John Mcintyre Nick Saenz Tim Mercer Carson Blackmon Roisean Haynes Jamal Robinson Devin Mays Brandon Brinkley Loyce Means Radermon Scypion Tyrell Graham David Hunter Tyrone Campbell Isaiah Thompson Ameen Behbahani Zeke Riser Kelvin King III Matt Hogan Jordan Mannisto Chase Turner Jordan Mannisto Tyron Carrier A.J. Dugat Case Keenum References Houston Category:Houston Cougars football seasons Houston Cougars football Houston Cougars football