I was disappointed when Briles left, but from what I'm hearing Sumlin could be just what the team needed. http://uhcougars.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/083008aaa.html Kevin Sumlin Era Officially Begins with 55-3 Win Over Southern Cougars set school record for points scored and margin of victory in coaching debut Aug. 30, 2008 Final Stats | Houston-Southern Game Book (Aug. 30, 2008) Get Acrobat Reader | Notes | Quotes | Photo Gallery HOUSTON - Sophomore quarterback Case Keenum made Saturday's coaching debut of Kevin Sumlin a memorable night, throwing for a career-high 392 yards and five touchdowns as the University of Houston football team notched an impressive 55-3 victory over Southern in front of 26,555 fans at Robertson Stadium. The Cougars (1-0) rolled up 615 yards of total offense, including 467 through the air, while the attendance marked the second most fans to watch a Houston season opener at Robertson Stadium. The 52-point victory was also the largest margin of victory in a Houston coaching debut, topping the previous best during a 42-point win (54-12) by former head coach Bill Meek against Montana on Sept. 17, 1955. Houston's offense got rolling early and was able to cash in on their second possession of the evening as a 14-yard pass from Keenum to Mark Hafner on a third-down attempt set UH up with a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line. One play later Andre Kohn put the first Cougar points of the year on the board with the short plunge into the end zone. Kohn finished as the contest's leading rusher with 56 yards on 11 carries, edging teammate Bryce Beall, who racked up 53 yards on only six rushes. Hafner, for his part, collected his second career 100-yard receiving game, ending play with a game-high 103 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches. Keenum, who completed his first 14 passing attempts of the game and finished 33-of-43, orchestrated a second straight scoring drive after the UH defense was able to force a Jaguar punt. The Cougar signal caller led the offensive unit into Southern territory, where a 20-yard Ben Bell field goal stretched the home lead to 10-0. A 30-yard pass from Keenum tipped off the hands of Kierrie Johnson but the Cougars caught a break as the ball fell into the waiting hands of sophomore receiver L.J. Castile in the back of the end zone for the third Cougar touchdown of the contest. The reception by Castile tied the longest of his young UH career. Southern's fourth drive of the day found the ball back in the hands of the Cougars as UH's Jake Ebner forced a fumble from the Jaguars' Corderi Gregory. The loose ball was pounced on by UH safety Kenneth Fontenette and just one play later Keenum and the Cougar offense made the Jaguars pay for the miscue. The sophomore quarterback from Abilene hooked up with Hafner, who raced 36 yards for the score to again give the home crowd something to cheer about by pressing the lead to 24-0. Following the quick strike, Southern made its first and only impression on the scoreboard, cutting the lead to 24-3. A 58-yard toss from Bryant Lee to Gregory set the Jaguars up with a first down at the UH 17-yard line. The Cougar defense would toughen up in the red zone, and the visitors would be forced to settle for a 36-yard field goal from Josh Duran. Houston's defense was stout throughout the contest, limiting Southern to only 35 rushing yards and 252 overall. Freshman linebacker Marcus McGraw led the way with 10 tackles on the night, while classmate Nick Saenz nabbed his first career interception late in the contest. Castile made his second visit to the end zone with under three minutes to play before halftime, after the Jaguars jumped early on the defensive line, Keenum threw a jump ball in the corner of the end zone. On the free play, Castile was able to leap high over the defender and make an acrobatic touchdown reception. The LaMarque product finished with five receptions for 83 yards, his most productive night since making the switch from quarterback to receiver prior to last season. The aerial assault continued before the intermission as another Southern punt the ball back into the hands of Keenum and the Cougar offense. This time it only took two plays for Houston to cash in, as Keenum found Patrick Edwards for a 27-yard gain and his first career touchdown, leaving the score 38-3 just moments before intermission. Following the break, the Cougars maintained their control of the contest by forcing a punt from the Jaguars that was blocked by Houston's Chaz Rodriguez, setting UH up with their first possession of the second half at the Southern 35-yard line. Once again it was the arm of Keenum that put points on the board for the Cougars, converting a third-and-goal situation from the one-yard line with a scoring toss to Hafner leaving the score 45-3. Bell's second field goal of the night, this on from 30-yards with 3:42 left to play in the third quarter pressed the UH advantage to 48-3. Back-up quarterback Blake Joseph added the fourth quarter's only score, finding Kierrie Johnson for a 59-yard touchdown. The touchdown and extra point gave the Cougars a 55-3 lead and marked the most points Houston has scored in a program history during a head coach's debut. The Cougars will take to the road for the first time in 2008 next weekend as they head to Stillwater, Okla., to take on Oklahoma State.
