UH vs. Southern Aug. 30, W 55-3
Kevin Sumlin and the Cougars handed Southern a 52-point defeat in the highest-scoring game by a head coach in his debut in UH history. Houston’s quick offense put up 615 yards on the Jaguars in the 2008 season-opener.
UH at Oklahoma State, Sept. 6, L 56-37
Although Houston owned a 16-14 lead at halftime, the Cowboys responded and outscored Houston 42-21 in the second half for the win. OSU pounded Houston for 699 total yards, including 379 rushing yards to claim the victory.
UH vs. Air Force, Sept. 13, L 31-28
The Cougar football team, displaced by Hurricane Ike, faced the Falcons on the SMU campus in Dallas. Air Force completed just seven passes in the game but churned out 243 yards on the ground to Houston’s 163 to send the Cougars home with a loss.
UH at Colorado State , Sept. 20 , L 28-25
Houston was unable to make up ground as it got off to a late start against the Rams. Behind 28-17 in the fourth quarter, Houston completed a touchdown and a two-point conversion to pull within three points. The Cougar defense forced the Rams to punt on the next drive, but quarterback Case Keenum threw an interception with 8 seconds left to give Houston its third consecutive loss.
UH at East Carolina, Sept. 27, W 41-24
The Cougars battled back against ECU, upsetting the then-No. 23 ranked Pirates on the road in their first C-USA game of the season. Houston outscored the Pirates 21-10 in the first half and held the Pirates to 149 passing yards to get their first road win under Sumlin.
UH vs. UAB, Oct. 9, W 45-20
In just its second home game of the season, the Cougars overcame a 17-point deficit, tying a UH record, en route to victory. The Cougars outscored the Blazers 42-0 in the second half and earned 375 of their 549 total yards in the final two quarters.
UH at SMU, Oct. 18, W 44-38
Houston remained undefeated in C-USA by overcoming a 12-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat the Mustangs in Dallas. Freshman running back Bryce Beall added three touchdowns on the ground to Keenum’s 404 yards and two touchdowns.
UH at Marshall, Oct. 28, L 37-23
The Cougars suffered their first conference defeat at the hands of the Thundering Herd. Marshall held a 16-3 advantage after two quarters and never gave up their lead, extending it to 21 points in the third quarter. Keenum threw two interceptions in the Cougars’ nationally-televised loss.
UH vs. Tulane, Nov. 8, W 42-14
Houston rebounded from the road loss and defeated the Green Wave in its Homecoming game. The Cougars outpaced Tulane with 299 yards on the ground compared to the Green Wave’s 61 as Beall earned three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) in the win.
UH vs. Tulsa, Nov. 11, W 70-30
The Cougars earned their second upset of a nationally-ranked team by handing then-No. 24 Tulsa a 40-point victory at Robertson Stadium. Keenum finished with six touchdowns, a career and league record. With the win, Houston became bowl-eligible for the fourth consecutive season.
UH vs. UTEP, Nov. 22, W 42-37
In their last home game of the season, the Cougars pulled off the largest comeback victory in UH history, outscoring the Miners 26-9 in the fourth quarter to complete an undefeated season at home. Houston posted a season-high 700 offensive yards gainst the Miners.
UH at Rice, Nov. 29 L 56-42
Houston needed a win to advance to the C-USA Championship for the second time in three years, but the Owls reclaimed the Bayou Bucket for the first time since 2004 to end the Cougars’ regular season. With the loss, Houston set its sights on claiming its first bowl win since 1980.
