The Cougars swarming defense was the story of the night, forcing four turnovers and scoring on a pick-six. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar
The Cougars returned home on a rainy Saturday, after a two week road swing to play host to the Vanderbilt University Commodores.
Both teams got off to slow starts in a sloppy first quarter, with the Cougars and Commodores trading possession back and forth for most of the opening frame.
The Cougars finally got on the board, thanks to a big turnover forced by the defense.
Senior safety Adrian McDonald tipped a pass and picked it off, returning it to the five, before junior quarterback Greg Ward Jr. scrambled into the end zone from five yards out.
The Cougars added to that lead on their next drive, as junior Ty Cummings netted a 22-yard field goal to give the Cougars the 10-0 lead.
The Cougars got their second interception of the night on the Commodores next drive, when junior linebacker picked off the pass off a tip and returned it to the Vanderbilt 12-yard line.
This time, Ward did it with his arm, finding junior receiver Demarcus Ayers in the back of the end zone on a fade, extending the Cougars lead to 17-0.
The Cougars would score on their third consecutive drive, thanks to a 37-yard field goal from Cummings, giving the Cougars a 20-0 lead, which they took into the half.
The first half defense was strong for UH, as they held Vanderbilt to just 80 total yards in the half and just four first downs, while not allowing them to cross mid-field.
The defense continued their strong play in the second half, as senior cornerback William Jackson III picked off the Commodores and returned it 55 yards for the touchdown, pushing the lead to 27-0.
The Cougars forced a three-and-out on the following Commodore drive, and Ayers returned the punt 21 yards to set up the offense.
Senior running back Kenneth Farrow capped off the drive with a 15-yard rushing touchdown, again extending the lead to 34-0.
The Cougars spent most of the fourth quarter salting away the clock and defending their lead.
UH held the ball for most of the fourth quarter, including an almost-nine minute drive which helped to seal the game.
Ward went 15-23 passing for 221 yards and one touchdown, while adding one rushing touchdown with 74 yards rushing.
Farrow rushed 16 times for 82 yards in the win, as well as one touchdown, averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
Junior transfer receiver Chance Allen caught three passes on the night but tallied up 95 yards receiving.
The Cougars defense was a bright spot in the game, holding the Commodores to just 185 total yards on the game, while forcing four turnovers.
After the game, head coach Tom Herman talked about the job his defense did against the Vanderbilt offense.
“Really good job by our defense, obviously,” Herman said. “We knew we were going to have to lean on them quite a bit…hats off to the defense for keeping us in that game.”
UH earned its first shut out of the season in the win over Vanderbilt, holding them to 44 total yards through the air.
UH plays host to the University of Cincinnati next weekend, as they prepare for the thick of their conference season.
