If you still have a bitter taste left over from last year, the 2008 season can’t start soon enough.
Head coach Kevin Sumlin brought a 4-3 defensive scheme, vertical passing game and a commitment to special teams to wash away that taste.
The Red-White Game on Saturday afternoon at Robertson Stadium showed what’s in store for fall, and Sumlin seemed pleased with his team.
"I thought all in all it was pretty good," Sumlin said. "We had 15 practices, and we tried to get some practice work out of this, even though it was a game situation."
Sumlin said he liked what he saw on both sides of the ball.
"I was really pleased with the quarterbacks and their accuracy today. (We) protected the ball really well. We had one turnover that I could remember – a fumble. I thought our ball security was pretty good… and we caught the ball really well."
The offense dominated the annual spring game, winning 69-34 with an unconventional scoring system. The offense was rewarded one point for a first down and extra point, 2 points for a play that gained more than 30 yards, 3 points for field goals and 6 points for touchdowns.
Sophomore quarterback Case Keenum started the game with a two-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman wide receiver Patrick Edwards on the opening drive. Keenum finished 28-of-35 for 205 yards and two touchdowns.
On the second possession, junior quarterback Blake Joseph came in and didn’t miss a beat as he hit redshirt freshman running back Justin Johnson on a swing pattern for a 65-yard touchdown to put up the White team 22-1. Neither quarterback yielded a turnover.
Joseph hit the majority of his receivers with great accuracy, a skill he lacked last season. Joseph went 37-of-41 for 421 yards and five touchdowns and credits offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen for his success.
"Coach Holgorsen is working with me a lot with my footwork and how to put touch on the ball, and when to throw the ball hard and when not to," Joseph said.
The Cougars lost three key position players on offense – wide receivers Jeron Harvey and Donnie Avery and running back Anthony Alridge.
Houston will have to rely on a committee running attack by Johnson, sophomore Andre Kohn and sophomore Terrance Ganaway on the ground and receivers that didn’t see the field much, such as sophomore L.J. Castile and senior tight end Mark Hafner.
Kohn led the attack for the White team with 34 rushing yards on six carries. Johnson also had six carries and finished with 15 yards. Ganaway carried the ball once and netted -1 yards.
"We definitely have to come together, and it’s going to take all of us in the back field," Johnson said. "Quick (Alridge) was a good player and we’re going to miss him a lot, but we’re going to do our best to keep it rolling here. We got some good running backs and we’re going to come together and make it happen."
Hafner, who had 40 receptions for 445 yards and three touchdowns last season, finished the spring game with seven receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown. Sumlin said his experience would play a huge role this fall.
"Hafner is our leading receiver coming back," Sumlin said. "So he’s got to be real valuable for us from that standpoint. We got to develop those other guys… and we tried to (do that) today. We had some guys step up to the plate and perform."
Junior Chris Gilbert led the receivers with 11 catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Chaz Rodriguez added six receptions for 32 yards and caught a touchdown. Johnson had 84 yards on four receptions and a touchdown.
The unique scoring was a bit more intriguing on the defensive side. The Red team got 1 point for any stop and sack, 2 points for a three-and-out on the first possession of drives and a fourth down stop, 3 points for a turnover and 9 points for scoring on a turnover.
The defense forced one turnover and got to the quarterback seven times, led by junior linebacker Mamood Barbandi with two. Sophomore nose tackle Isaiah Thompson, junior defensive lineman Jasmine Martel, senior defensive tackle Billy Hartford and senior defensive end Phillip Hunt each recorded a sack.
"A couple plays, it was a give and take and (the offense) won a little bit, but the scoring system to me is kind of screwed up because they get a lot more points than we do," Hunt said jokingly. "But it’s all right, though, the offense is designed to get all the glory…. I think we played pretty good today as a defense."
Hunt recorded one sack on his first snap on the field. In March, Hunt was named to the Rotary Lombardi Preliminary Watch Listee for 2008, which awards best lineman for offense or defense, and he looked impressive in Sumlin’s 4-3 defense.
