2020 Houston Cougars football team

The 2020 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cougars played their home games at TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas, and competed in the American Athletic Conference. They were led by second-year head coach Dana Holgorsen.

2020 Houston Cougars football
New Mexico Bowl, L 14–28 vs. Hawaii
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
2020 record3–5 (3–3 American)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorShannon Dawson (1st, 2nd overall season)
Co-offensive coordinatorBrandon Jones (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorJoe Cauthen (2nd season)
Co-defensive coordinatorDoug Belk (2nd season)
Home stadiumTDECU Stadium
(Capacity: 40,000)
2020 American Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 8 Cincinnati y$  6 –0     9 –1  
Tulsa y  6 –0     6 –3  
Memphis  5 –3     8 –3  
UCF  5 –3     6 –4  
SMU  4 –3     7 –3  
Houston  3 –3     3 –5  
Navy  3 –4     3 –7  
Tulane  3 –5     6 –6  
East Carolina  3 –5     3 –6  
Temple  1 –6     1 –6  
South Florida  0 –7     1 –8  
Championship: Cincinnati 27, Tulsa 24
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll.

Previous season
Main article: 2019 Houston Cougars football team

The Cougars finished the 2019 season 4–8, 2–6 in AAC play to finish in a tie for fifth-place in the West Division. They were not invited/did not qualify for any postseason play.

Preseason

Recruiting class

References:[1]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Derek Bowman
Offensive Lineman		 Magnolia, TX Magnolia HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 270 lb (120 kg) Dec 18, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Nathaniel Dell
Wide Receiver		 Daytona Beach, FL Mainland HS
Independence CC		 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Dec 18, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Darius Edmonds
Wide Receiver		 Humble, TX Atascocita HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Dec 18, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
James Faminu
Offensive Lineman		 London, UK London Academy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 350 lb (160 kg) Dec 18, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
D'Anthony Jones
Linebacker		 Long Beach, CA Leuzinger HS
Long Beach CC		 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Feb 5, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Sofian Massoud
Quarterback		 Katy, TX Cypress Lakes HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Dec 18, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Ugonna Nnanna
Offensive Lineman		 Arlington, TX Seguin HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Dec 18, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Chidozie "Dot" Nwankwo
Defensive Tackle		 Richmond, TX Foster HS 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 293 lb (133 kg) Dec 18, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Dylan Robinson
Wide Receiver		 Humble, TX Atascocita HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Dec 18, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Malik Robinson
Linebacker		 Snellville, GA South Gwinnett HS
North Carolina
Fort Scott CC		 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Dec 18, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jayce Rogers
Cornerback		 Valdosta, GA Valdosta HS
Northwest Mississippi CC		 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Dec 18, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Stacy Sneed
Running Back		 Arlington, TX Mansfield Timberview HS 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Dec 18, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
JoVanni Stewart
Safety		 Katy, TX Katy HS
West Virginia		 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Dec 18, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Trevonte Sylvester
Tight End		 Breaux Bridge, LA Breaux Bridge HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Dec 18, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Khiyon Wafer
Wide Receiver		 Frisco, TX Independence HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Feb 5, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Mike Welch
Safety		 Dickinson, TX Dickinson HS 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Feb 5, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Laine Wilkins
Punter		 Perth, Australia ProKick Australia 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 203 lb (92 kg) Dec 18, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:
Sedrick Williams
Defensive Tackle		 Houma, LA Ellender Memorial HS
Kilgore College		 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 302 lb (137 kg) Dec 18, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Reuben Unije
Offensive Lineman		 Bradenton, FL IMG Academy
Illinois		 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 303 lb (137 kg) Feb 5, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Award Player Position Year

AAC preseason media poll

The preseason Poll was released September 1[2]

Media poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1UCF204 (10)
2Cincinnati201 (7)
3Memphis192 (2)
4SMU146
5Navy125 (1)
6Tulane118
7Houston114
8Temple88
9Tulsa49
10East Carolina42
11South Florida41

Roster
2020 Houston Cougars football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
WR 1 Bryson Smith Jr
WR 2 Keith Corbin Sr
QB 3 Clayton Tune Jr
WR 5 Marquez Stevenson  Sr
QB 6 Logan Holgorsen So
QB 10 Sofian Massoud Fr
WR 12 Ke'Andre Street  Fr
WR 13 Jeremy Singleton Jr
QB 14 Ike Ogbogu Jr
RB 18 Chandler Smith Sr
WR 19 Julon Williams So
RB 22 Kyle Porter Sr
RB 23 James Fullbright III  Fr
WR 24 Jaylen Davis  Fr
WR 26 Ja'Kori Morgan So
WR 31 Jordan Cooper So
RB 34 Mulbah Car Sr
RB 37 Terrell Brown  Fr
WR 39 Andrew Segovia Sr
RB 40 Kelan Walker So
TE 43 DeKalen Goodson So
OL 52 Braylon Jones Sr
OL 62 Jarrid Williams Sr
OL 63 James Faminu Fr
OL 64 Dennis Bardwell Sr
OL 65 Gio Pancotti Sr
OL 67 Cam'Ron Johnson  Fr
OL 70 Jordan Boatman Jr
OL 71 Max Banes So
OL 73 Kameron Lewis So
OL 75 Jack Freeman So
OL 76 Patrick Paul  Fr
OL 77 Keenan Murphy Sr
OL 79 Chayse Todd  Fr
WR 80 Nathaniel Dell  Fr
WR 81 Tre'Von Bradley Jr
WR 83 Peyton Sawyer So
WR 84 Cole McGowan Sr
TE 85 Christian Trahan Jr
TE 88 Shane Creamer Jr
TE 89 Parker Eichenberger So
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
S 2 Deontay Anderson Sr
S 3 Grant Stuard Sr
CB 6 Damarion Williams Sr
S 9 Jovanni Stewart Sr
DL 12 David Anenih Sr
CB 13 Marcus Jones Jr
LB 14 Ronald Nunnery Fr
LB 15 Zamar Kirven Jr
CB 16 Jayce Rogers Jr
S 17 Hasaan Hypolite So
CB 18 Kelvin Clemmons Jr
CB 19 Javian Smith Jr
LB 20 Jordan Moore So
S 21 Gleson Sprewell Jr
DL 23 Willie Smith III So
LB 24 Donavan Mutin Jr
CB 25 D. J. Small Jr
LB 26 Elijah Gooden Jr
LB 27 Amaud Willis-Dalton Jr
S 28 Thabo Mwaniki Jr
CB 29 Colin Samuel Sr
DL 30 Alexander Duke Jr
DL 31 Derek Parish Jr
S 32 Gervarrius Owens Jr
S 33 Garrison Vaughn So
CB 34 Dylan Dixon  Fr
S 37 Deondre Dansby  Fr
CB 39 Shaun Lewis Jr
S 40 Brody Anderson So
LB 42 Terrance Edgeston Sr
LB 45 Malik Robinson Jr
DL 47 Taures Payne Sr
LB 48 Jordan Carmouche Jr
DL 50 Hakeem Ajijolaiya  Fr
LB 52 Ken Savanah  Fr
LB 59 Jacob Daulong Jr
DL 91 Benil Johnson So
DL 92 Logan Hall Jr
DL 93 Atlias Bell Jr
DL 94 Sedrick Williams Jr
DL 95 Jamykal Neal Jr
DL 96 Nelson Ceasar  Fr
DL 98 Payton Turner Sr
DL 99 Olivier Charles–Pierre Sr
 Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
P 22 Laine Wilkins Fr
LS 45 Spencer Wells So
LS 46 Davis Beal  Fr
K 47 Dalton Witherspoon Sr
K 51 Kyle Ramsey So
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Roster
Last update: May 23, 2020

Schedule

The 2020 Houston schedule consists of 6 home and 4 away games in the regular season. The Cougars will play host to conference foes Tulane, UCF, South Florida, and Tulsa. They will travel to conference opponents Memphis, Navy, Cincinnati, and SMU.

The Cougars are currently scheduled to host two non-conference games, against North Texas, (C-USA), and BYU (an FBS-Independent). The home game against Rice was postponed on August 10, after Rice announced it was delaying the start of the season until September 26.[3]

Houston had a game scheduled against Washington State, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]

On September 12 the American announced that the Houston/Memphis game scheduled for September 18 was Postponed due to positive COVID-19 cases at Memphis,[5] As a result of the Houston at Memphis game postponement, Houston was able to add a game at Baylor scheduled for September 19.[6] On September 18, Baylor announced that the Houston versus Baylor game would be postponed due to Baylor not meeting the Big 12 Conference COVID-19 game cancellation thresholds.[7]

After experiencing several COVID-19 cases through September 23, the North Texas Mean Green canceled the September 26 game against the Cougars.[8]

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
October 86:30 p.m.Tulane
ESPNW 49–318,164
October 168:30 p.m.No. 14 BYU*
  • TDECU Stadium
  • Houston, TX
ESPNL 26–4310,092
October 242:30 p.m.at Navy
CBSSNW 37–213,600
October 311:00 p.m.UCF
  • TDECU Stadium
  • Houston, TX
ESPN+L 21–448,630
November 72:30 p.m.at No. 6 Cincinnati
ABCL 10–380
November 142:30 p.m.South Florida
  • TDECU Stadium
  • Houston, TX
ESPN2W 56–218,266
December 1211:00 a.m.at Memphis
ESPN+L 27–309,475
December 242:30 p.m.vs. Hawaii*
ESPNL 14–282,060
Schedule Source:[9]

Game summaries
StatisticsTulaneHouston
First downs  
Total yards  
Rushing yards  
Passing yards  
Turnovers  
Time of possession  

Tulane
See also: 2020 Tulane Green Wave football team
Overall record Last ten meetings Last meeting Result
18–7 8–2 2019 TULN, 31–38
Pregame lineOver/under
  
Tulane at Houston – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Green Wave 17 7 7031
Cougars 7 14 21749

at TDECU Stadium, Houston, TX

  • Date: October 8
  • Game time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather:  
  • Game attendance: 8,164
  • Referee: Edwin Lee
  • TV: ESPN
Game information
StatisticsBYUHouston
First downs  
Total yards  
Rushing yards  
Passing yards  
Turnovers  
Time of possession  

BYU
See also: 2020 BYU Cougars football team
Pregame lineOver/under
  
Brigham Young at Houston – Game summary
1 2 Total
BYU Cougars 0
Houston Cougars 0

at TDECU Stadium, Houston, TX

  • Date: October 16
  • Game time: 8:30 p.m.CDT
  • Game weather:  
  • Game attendance:  
  • Referee:  
  • TV: ESPN
Game information
StatisticsHoustonNavy
First downs  
Total yards  
Rushing yards  
Passing yards  
Turnovers  
Time of possession  

at Navy
See also: 2020 Navy Midshipmen football team
Pregame lineOver/under
  
Houston at Navy – Game summary
1 2 Total
Cougars 0
Midshipmen 0

at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD

  • Date: October 24
  • Game time: TBA CDT
  • Game weather:  
  • Game attendance:  
  • Referee:  
  • TV:  
Game information
StatisticsUCFHouston
First downs  
Total yards  
Rushing yards  
Passing yards  
Turnovers  
Time of possession  

UCF
See also: 2020 UCF Knights football team
Pregame lineOver/under
  
Central Florida at Houston – Game summary
1 2 Total
Knights 0
Cougars 0

at TDECU Stadium, Houston, TX

  • Date: October 31
  • Game time: TBA CDT
  • Game weather:  
  • Game attendance:  
  • Referee:  
  • TV:  
Game information
StatisticsHoustonCincinnati
First downs  
Total yards  
Rushing yards  
Passing yards  
Turnovers  
Time of possession  

at Cincinnati
See also: 2020 Cincinnati Bearcats football team
Overall record Last ten Meetings Last meeting Result
15–11 3–7 2019 CIN, 23–38
Pregame lineOver/under
  
Houston at Cincinnati – Game summary
1 2 Total
Cougars 0
Bearcats 0

at Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, OH

  • Date: November 7
  • Game time: TBA CDT
  • Game weather:  
  • Game attendance:  
  • Referee:  
  • TV:  
Game information
StatisticsSouth FloridaHouston
First downs  
Total yards  
Rushing yards  
Passing yards  
Turnovers  
Time of possession  

South Florida
See also: 2020 South Florida Bulls football team
Pregame lineOver/under
  
South Florida at Houston – Game summary
1 2 Total
Bulls 0
Cougars 0

at TDECU Stadium, Houston, TX

  • Date: November 14
  • Game time: TBA CDT
  • Game weather:  
  • Game attendance:  
  • Referee:  
  • TV:  
Game information
StatisticsHoustonSMU
First downs  
Total yards  
Rushing yards  
Passing yards  
Turnovers  
Time of possession  

at SMU
See also: 2020 SMU Mustangs football team
Overall record Last ten Meetings Last meeting Result
21–13–1 6–4 2019 SMU, 31–34
Pregame lineOver/under
  
Houston at Southern Methodist – Game summary
1 2 Total
Cougars 0
Mustangs 0

at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, University Park, TX

  • Date: November 21
  • Game time: TBA CDT
  • Game weather:  
  • Game attendance:  
  • Referee:  
  • TV:  
Game information
StatisticsHoustonMemphis First downs  
Total yards  
Rushing yards  
Passing yards  
Turnovers  
Time of possession  

at Memphis
See also: 2020 Memphis Tigers football team
Overall record Last ten Meetings Last meeting Result
15–13 6–4 2019 MEM, 27–45
Pregame lineOver/under
  
Houston at Memphis – Game summary
1 2 Total
Cougars 0
Tigers 0

at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN

  • Date: December 5
  • Game time: CDT
  • Game weather:  
  • Game attendance:  
  • Referee:  
  • TV: TBA
Game information
StatisticsTulsaHouston
First downs  
Total yards  
Rushing yards  
Passing yards  
Turnovers  
Time of possession  

Tulsa
See also: 2020 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team
Overall record Last ten Meetings Last meeting Result
24–19 7–3 2018 TUL, 41–26
Pregame lineOver/under
  
Tulsa at Houston – Game summary
1 2 Total
Golden Hurricane 0
Cougars 0

at TDECU Stadium, Houston, TX

  • Game time: TBA CDT
  • Game weather:  
  • Game attendance:  
  • Referee:  
  • TV:  
Game information
StatisticsHoustonSMU
First downs  
Total yards  
Rushing yards  
Passing yards  
Turnovers  
Time of possession  

at SMU
See also: 2020 SMU Mustangs football team
Overall record Last ten Meetings Last meeting Result
21–13–1 6–4 2019 SMU, 31–34
Pregame lineOver/under
  
Houston at Southern Methodist – Game summary
1 2 Total
Cougars 0
Mustangs 0

at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, University Park, TX

  • Game time: TBA CDT
  • Game weather:  
  • Game attendance:  
  • Referee:  
  • TV:  
Game information

Rankings
Further information: 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final 
AP NR NR* RV  
Coaches NR NR* NR  
CFP Not released Not released

References
  1. "2020 National Signing Day". University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  2. "UCF Chosen as Favorite in American Preseason Media Poll". theAmerican.org. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  3. "Rice Delays Start of 2020 Football Season". riceowls.com. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  4. Bromberg, Nick. "Pac-12 follows Big Ten's lead and won't play non-conference games in 2020". Yahoo News. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  5. "American Announces Postponement of Houston-Memphis Football Game". theamerican.org. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  6. "Baylor Football to host Houston Sept. 19". baylorbears.com. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  7. "Baylor-Houston Match-Up Postponed". baylorbears.com. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  8. "Houston–North Texas game canceled". uhcougars.com. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  9. "2020 Houston Cougars Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.