2019 Houston Cougars football team
The 2019 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cougars played their home games at TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas, and competed in the West Division of the American Athletic Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Dana Holgorsen. They finished the season 4–8, 2–6 in AAC play to finish in a tie for fifth-place in the West Division.
2019 Houston Cougars football | |
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Conference | American Athletic Conference |
West Division | |
2019 record | 4–8 (2–6 American) |
Head coach |
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Co-offensive coordinator | Marquel Blackwell (1st season) |
Co-offensive coordinator | Brandon Jones (1st season) |
Defensive coordinator | Joe Cauthen (1st season) |
Co-defensive coordinator | Doug Belk (1st season) |
Home stadium | TDECU Stadium (Capacity: 40,000) |
2019 American Athletic Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 21 Cincinnati xy | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 24 UCF | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Temple | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
South Florida | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
East Carolina | 1 | – | 7 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UConn | 0 | – | 8 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 17 Memphis xy$ | 7 | – | 1 | 12 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 20 Navy x | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SMU | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tulane | 3 | – | 5 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Houston | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tulsa | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Championship: Memphis 29, Cincinnati 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Previous season
The Cougars finished the 2018 season 8–5, 5–3 in AAC play to finish in a three-way tie for the West Division championship. After tiebreakers, they did not represent the West Division in the AAC Championship Game. They were invited to the Armed Forces Bowl where they lost to Army by a score of 14–70, in the process tying records for the most points given up (70) and the largest margin-of-loss (56) in NCAA bowl game history.[1] On December 30, Houston fired Major Applewhite after two seasons.[2]
Preseason
AAC media poll
The AAC media poll was released on July 16, 2019, with the Cougars predicted to finish second in the AAC West Division.[3]
Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
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1 | Memphis | 165 (15) |
2 | Houston | 162 (14) |
3 | Tulane | 108 |
4 | SMU | 87 (1) |
5 | Navy | 70 |
6 | Tulsa | 38 |
Predicted finish | Team | Votes |
---|---|---|
1 | UCF | 169 (19) |
2 | Cincinnati | 39 (11) |
3 | South Florida | 107 |
4 | Temple | 101 |
5 | East Carolina | 66 |
6 | UConn | 30 |
Preseason All-AAC teams
Houston placed six players to the All-AAC team, sanctioned by Athlon Sports.[4]
Offense 1st team
2nd team
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Defensive 2nd team
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Award watch lists
Listed in the order that they were released
Award | Player | Position | Year |
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Maxwell Award | D'Eriq King | QB | SR |
Davey O'Brien Award | D'Eriq King | QB | SR |
Biletnikoff Award | Marquez Stevenson | WR | SR |
Outland Trophy | Josh Jones | OT | SR |
Paul Hornung Award | Marquez Stevenson | WR | SR |
Walter Camp Player of the Year Award | D'Eriq King | QB | SR |
CFPA Performer of the Year Award | D'Eriq King | QB | SR |
Earl Campbell Award | D'Eriq King | QB | SR |
Manning Award | D'Eriq King | QB | SR |
Ted Hendricks Award | Isaiah Chambers | DL | JR |
Ray Guy Award | Dane Roy | P | SR |
Roster
2019 Houston Cougars football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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Roster |
Schedule
Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
September 1 | 6:30 p.m. | at No. 4 Oklahoma* | ABC | L 31–49 | 84,534 | |
September 7 | 7:00 p.m. | Prairie View A&M* | ESPN3 | W 37–17 | 29,360 | |
September 13 | 8:15 p.m. | vs. No. 20 Washington State* |
| ESPN | L 24–31 | 40,523 |
September 19 | 7:00 p.m. | at Tulane | ESPN | L 31–38 | 21,032 | |
September 28 | 6:30 p.m. | at North Texas* | CBSSN Facebook | W 46–25 | 30,123 | |
October 12 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 25 Cincinnati |
| ESPN2 | L 23–38 | 25,716 |
October 19 | 11:00 a.m. | at UConn | ESPNU | W 24–17 | 19,760 | |
October 24 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 16 SMU |
| ESPN | L 31–34 | 24,543 |
November 2 | 11:00 a.m. | at UCF | ESPN2 | L 29–44 | 41,361 | |
November 16 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 18 Memphis![]() |
| ESPN2 | L 27–45 | 25,149 |
November 23 | 6:30 p.m. | at Tulsa | ESPNU | W 24–14 | 16,120 | |
November 30 | 6:00 p.m. | Navy |
| ESPN2 | L 41–56 | 22,824 |
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- Schedule Source:[16]
Game summaries
Statistics | Houston | Oklahoma |
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First downs | 24 | 30 |
Total yards | 408 | 686 |
Rushing yards | 241 | 354 |
Passing yards | 167 | 332 |
Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
Time of possession | 31:40 | 28:20 |
at Oklahoma
Pregame line | Over/under |
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Oklahoma | –22.0 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Cougars | 0 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
No. 4 Sooners | 7 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 49 |
Game information | ||
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Statistics | Prairie View A&M | Houston |
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First downs | 18 | 20 |
Total yards | 318 | 380 |
Rushing yards | 70 | 236 |
Passing yards | 248 | 144 |
Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
Time of possession | 26:20 | 31:53 |
Prairie View A&M
Pregame line | Over/under |
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Houston | –36.0 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Panthers | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
Cougars | 24 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 37 |
Game information | ||
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Statistics | Washington State | Houston |
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First downs | 25 | 22 |
Total yards | 489 | 367 |
Rushing yards | 49 | 239 |
Passing yards | 440 | 128 |
Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
Time of possession | 32:06 | 27:54 |
vs. Washington State
Pregame line | Over/under |
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Washington State | –9.0 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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No. 20 WSU Cougars | 0 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 31 |
HOU Cougars | 0 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 24 |
Game information | ||
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Statistics | Houston | Tulane |
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First downs | 28 | 23 |
Total yards | 533 | 511 |
Rushing yards | 304 | 325 |
Passing yards | 229 | 186 |
Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
Time of possession | 31:36 | 28:24 |
at Tulane
Pregame line | Over/under |
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Tulane | –4.0 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cougars | 14 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 35 |
Green Wave | 7 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 38 |
Game information | ||
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Statistics | Houston | North Texas |
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First downs | 17 | 20 |
Total yards | 359 | 456 |
Rushing yards | 235 | 96 |
Passing yards | 124 | 360 |
Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
Time of possession | 27:02 | 32:58 |
at North Texas
Pregame line | Over/under |
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North Texas | –8.0 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Cougars | 14 | 3 | 14 | 15 | 46 |
Mean Green | 0 | 6 | 12 | 7 | 25 |
- Date: September 28
- Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 94 °F (34 °C); mostly cloudy
- Game attendance: 30,123
- Referee: Adam Savoie
- TV: Facebook Live
Game information | ||
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Statistics | Cincinnati | Houston |
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First downs | 17 | 16 |
Total yards | 394 | 424 |
Rushing yards | 131 | 190 |
Passing yards | 263 | 234 |
Turnovers | 1 | 5 |
Time of possession | 29:40 | 30:20 |
Cincinnati
Pregame line | Over/under |
---|---|
Cincinnati | –9.0 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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No. 25 Bearcats | 14 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 38 |
Cougars | 3 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 23 |
Game information | ||
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Statistics | Houston | UConn |
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First downs | 16 | 23 |
Total yards | 284 | 438 |
Rushing yards | 106 | 168 |
Passing yards | 178 | 270 |
Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
Time of possession | 24:00 | 36:00 |
at UConn
Pregame line | Over/under |
---|---|
Houston | –22.0 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Cougars | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
Huskies | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
Game information | ||
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Statistics | SMU | Houston |
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First downs | 22 | 22 |
Total yards | 385 | 510 |
Rushing yards | 182 | 103 |
Passing yards | 203 | 407 |
Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
Time of possession | 28:17 | 31:43 |
SMU
Pregame line | Over/under |
---|---|
SMU | –12.5 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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No. 16 Mustangs | 7 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 34 |
Cougars | 0 | 13 | 7 | 11 | 31 |
Game information | ||
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Statistics | Houston | UCF |
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First downs | 20 | 16 |
Total yards | 419 | 468 |
Rushing yards | 240 | 164 |
Passing yards | 179 | 304 |
Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
Time of possession | 41:31 | 18:29 |
at UCF
Pregame line | Over/under |
---|---|
UCF | –22.0 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Cougars | 17 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 29 |
Knights | 14 | 7 | 21 | 2 | 44 |
Game information | ||
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Statistics | Memphis | Houston |
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First downs | 29 | 14 |
Total yards | 531 | 256 |
Rushing yards | 164 | 99 |
Passing yards | 367 | 157 |
Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
Time of possession | 32:30 | 27:30 |
Memphis
Pregame line | Over/under |
---|---|
Memphis | –9.5 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 18 Tigers | 7 | 21 | 14 | 3 | 45 |
Cougars | 17 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
Game information | ||
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Statistics | Houston | Tulsa |
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First downs | 12 | 18 |
Total yards | 231 | 380 |
Rushing yards | 131 | -1 |
Passing yards | 100 | 381 |
Turnovers | 1 | 4 |
Time of possession | 35:42 | 24:18 |
at Tulsa
Pregame line | Over/under |
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Tulsa | –6.0 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Cougars | 0 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
Golden Hurricane | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Game information | ||
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Statistics | Navy | Houston |
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First downs | 20 | 21 |
Total yards | 554 | 527 |
Rushing yards | 447 | 134 |
Passing yards | 107 | 393 |
Turnovers | 0 | 5 |
Time of possession | 29:26 | 30:34 |
Navy
Pregame line | Over/under |
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Navy | –9.5 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Midshipmen | 21 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 56 |
Cougars | 14 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 41 |
Game information | ||
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Players drafted into the NFL
Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
3 | 72 | Josh Jones | OT | Arizona Cardinals |
References
- "Army West Point dominates en route to 70–14 victory". Armed Forces Bowl. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- Sallee, Barrett. "Houston fires coach Major Applewhite after just two seasons with the Cougars". cbssports.com. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
- "UCF chosen as Favorite in 2019 Preseason Media Poll". TheAmerican.org. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- Lassan, Steven. "American Athletic 2019 All-Conference Team". AthlonSports.com. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- "King Named to Maxwell Award Watch List". University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- "King Named to Davey O'Brien Award Watch List". University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- "Stevenson Named to Biletnikoff Award Watch List". University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- "Josh Jones Named to Outland Trophy Watch List". University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- "Stevenson Named to Paul Hornung Award Watch List". University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- "King Named to Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List". University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- "King Named to CFPA Performer of the Year Watch List". University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- "King Named to Earl Campbell Award Watch List". University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- "King Named to Manning Award Watch List". University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- "Chambers Named to Ted Hendricks Award Watch List". University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- "Roy Added to Ray Guy Award Watch List". University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- "2019 Houston Football Schedule Announced". University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved February 27, 2019.