Houston Cougars vs Texas State Bobcats Football Recap

Houston 68, Texas State 28

Another year is set to produce still more video-game numbers for Case Keenum. Saturday’s season opener did nothing to disabuse football experts of that notion.

Keenum, the non-BCS Heisman Trophy hopeful, had a record-setting… well, not a game, but a first half… for the Houston Cougars (1-0), who thrashed the Texas State Bobcats (0-1) 68-28.  Keenum threw for five first-half touchdown passes, as the Cougars jumped all over the Bobcats, outscoring the FCS squad 54-7 in the first half.  Keenum played only the first two quarters, completing 17-of-22 passes for 274 yards, setting school marks for career completions (1,098) and passing yards (13,179).   

Junior running back Michael Hayes did most of the work on Keenum’s first touchdown pass, taking a simple screen 40 yards for the score.  Keenum’s next TD pass, a 63-yard toss to junior wideout Patrick Edwards, was more worthy of a Heisman candidacy.  Keenum finished his short day of work by throwing three TD passes in the second quarter, leading a Cougar onslaught that saw the home team outscore the Bobcats 34-0 in the second quarter.

Junior running back Bryce Beall rushed for 48 yards and two TDs on only 5 carries.  Beall’s backfield mate Hayes had a rushing TD as well, to go along with 44 yards receiving and the 40- yard TD.  Nine different Houston players caught passes from either Keenum or second-half substitute Cotton Turner. 

The big thing Houston and Coach Kevin Sumlin will take from this not-very-significant and basically glorified scrimmage is that their first-string defense was very solid. Allowing just one first-half touchdown before the backups gave up 21 second-half points, UH’s defense didn’t spring leaks at most positions. True, the Cougars were playing an FCS cupcake, but they still didn’t embarrass themselves. Given that Conference USA is going to be a wild and high-scoring league this year – just as it always is – Houston’s defense holds the key to a C-USA title run. So far so good for the UH defensive gang of 11.

Houston defenders created four turnovers while limiting the visiting Bobcats on the scoreboard. Any time that UH can set up a short field for Keenum, the Coogs can minimize the workload on their offense. It’s obvious that Keenum can lead 90-yard drives, but he and the rest of the UH offense will find games more manageable (against better opposition) if they can get the ball near midfield on an appreciable number of occasions.

Houston starts Conference USA play next week, hosting UTEP (1-0) in a Friday night in-state scrap.  Texas State hosts the Southern Arkansas Muleriders (0-1) on Saturday.