Head coach John Jenkins, left, continued the Cougars tradition of the “Run and Shoot” offense and quarterback David Klingler flourished under the system. | Courtesy of Houstonian, 1990
The University of Houston athletics program is one of the most storied in the country, boasting a long, rich history of signature moments, players and achievements. Over the past few weeks, The Cougar staff has been taking a look back at some of the marque seasons that made the program into what it is today, and today we look back at the 1990 Cougar football team.
Fresh off a dominant 1989 season, head coach Jack Pardee and Heisman-winning quarterback Andre Ware both headed to the National Football League and left the football program in the hands of offensive coordinator John Jenkins and backup QB David Klingler.
There was plenty of uncertainty surrounding a team with a first-time head coach and a first-time starter taking over, but the 1990 season served as proof that Jenkins’ offensive system could roll on, despite the changes.
The Cougars got off to a hot start and seemingly picked up right where the 1989 squad left off, blowing out the University of Nevada Las Vegas Rebels 35-9 in their season opener.
From there, Houston appeared unstoppable, taking down every opponent in their way en route to an 8-0 start to the season and the number three ranking in the Associated Press polls.
National buzz was again surrounding UH as national championship contenders, but the Cougars met the end of their winning streak in Austin when they took on the 14th ranked University of Texas Longhorns.
The Cougars embarrassed Texas in the previous three meetings between the teams, racking up 173 total points at 57.7 points per game, and Texas was out for revenge.
Texas was able to slow the juggernaut UH offense, holding them to a season low 24 points and intercepting Klingler four times, while simultaneously rolling over the Cougar defense for 626 yards of total offense.
The 24-45 loss ended the Cougars chance at a perfect record and left Houston to finish second in the Southwest Conference behind the Longhorns.
The next week the Cougars bounced back in their biggest performance of the season against Eastern Washington University where Klingler threw a single-game record 11 touchdown passes in an 84-21 drumming at the Astrodome.
While the record stands today, Klingler’s numbers were seen by many as running up the score and may have negatively impacted the QB’s Heisman trophy campaign.
In the final game of the season, the Cougars edged out Arizona State 62-45 in the Coca-Cola Classic at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, where the teams combined for over 1,000 passing yards, with Klingler setting the NCAA record for the most passing yards in a single game with 716.
The team finished the season with a 10-1 record but, because of prior indiscretions under former head coach Bill Yeoman, was ineligible to participate in any bowl games.
Klingler, despite being statistically superior to his competition, was beaten out by Ty Detmer of Brigham Young University in the Heisman race.
The junior QB’s efforts were rewarded with a multitude of records in both the NCAA and the Cougar football program, and he took home the Sammy Baugh Trophy, awarded annually to the nation’s top college passer.
Though 1990 may lack some of the shine and hardware of the 1989 season, the team was still able to put up eye-popping numbers of their own when many thought a decline was certain.
Ultimately, that season marked the peak of the Run & Shoot offense under John Jenkins, as the Cougar football team fell into a drought the following years, reaching a winning record just twice from 1991 to 2006.
Coach Jenkins was an offensive genius. He is very supportive of the University to this day. We were lucky to have him when we did