BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — More often than not, a player who is brought into a new system and new team takes a while to get properly acclimated, even if he was a household name.
In this case, junior wide receiver Markeith Ambles, a former five-star recruit who transferred from Arizona Western, made a positive impact for UH, hauling in a career-high and a team-high six catches for 105 yards and a touchdown in the Cougars’ 41-24 defeat to Vanderbilt in the BBVA Compass Bowl on Saturday.
Ambles played a huge role in the Cougars’ furious rally after being shut out, 24-0, in the first half. But the avalanche was just too much to overcome, as the team was outscored by 17 in the fourth quarter.
He nearly doubled his receiving total against the Commodores compared to the previous nine games (11 catches, 147 yards) since his debut in the third game of the season against Rice, in which he made one catch for 31 yards.
Ambles found it difficult when he first arrived at UH. In the nine games he played before Saturday, he was shut out from any catches in games against BYU and Rutgers and limited to one catch in five others.
“I felt out of place at first when I got here,” Ambles said to the Houston Chronicle. “I just knew if I worked hard, my time would come. I just had to be patient.”
The old saying “you practice how you play” proved true for Ambles. Head coach Tony Levine said he saw signs of improvement from Ambles as the season progressed, specifically in December, leading up to a stellar performance that had been long overdue.
“I felt like he had a chance to have a breakout game today,” Levine said after the loss. “Based on what he had done this season statistically, I think he certainly did. His confidence is as high as it has ever been. More than anything, the way he has been practicing, we knew that he had a chance to be effective in today’s game.”
Freshman John O’ Korn’s favorite receivers have been sophomore Deontay Greenberry and junior Daniel Spencer, both of whom have been making plays in the middle of the field. Ambles, an outside receiver who finished the season with the most yards per catch, will be expected to pick up where he left off after Saturday’s performance against an SEC team. His deep-threat ability will certainly help lift coverage and open opportunities for the other receivers, too.
Ambles finished the season with 17 catches for 252 yards. His first touchdown of the season came when he made an acrobatic catch in the back of the end zone, where he used good balance to keep one foot while tightly covered by a defender.
“It was awesome to see some of the hard work pay off at the end of the season,” Ambles said to the Chronicle.
