Like many college football fans, I spent Saturday night glued to ESPN’s College Football Final watching the recap of the day’s action. With UH’s 41-24 victory over No. 23 East Carolina University (the first over a ranked team since 1996), I hoped to hear Rece Davis, Lou Holtz and Mark May cover the Cougar upset. No such luck. Perhaps that is the price of a 2-3 start.
The lack of a report sent me to ESPN.com in search of statistics. One thing stood out: the continued production of UH’s starting quarterback Case Keenum, who was 37 of 45 passing for 401 yards (a career-high) and had 3 touchdowns and 1 interception in the Conference USA opener.
Keenum has been no stranger to great statistics during the 2008 season. He is the No. 1 ranked Division 1-A quarterback in the nation, according to CBSSports.com. His 19 touchdowns are tied for first with University of Tulsa’s David Johnson and his 1,920 yards rank above Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell for the top spot in the country.
Harrell, who will likely overtake Keenum before season’s end, has a sizable advantage as the leader of the Red Raider spread offense. Remember the likes of Sonnie Cumby, BJ Symons and Kliff Kingsbury? Their passing yards were astronomical as well. No disrespect to Harrell – he’s a prolific passer and great football player – but we all expect that from the Tech quarterback.
Case Keenum, only a sophomore, is keeping a struggling Cougar team afloat.
The memory of former UH quarterback Kevin Kolb, now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, lingers in the minds of many Cougar fans. During Kolb’s senior season, plenty of buzz surrounded the Kolb Heisman Watch. He even had his own billboard along Holman Street.
We have two and a half more seasons to watch Keenum. If his performance continues, we should expect similar excitement in the coming years.
UH football is certainly no mainstay on ESPN. As a 2-3 football team, it’s tough to make the case that they should be. If other fans want to hear Davis, Holtz and May talk about our beloved Cougars, Case Keenum need only increase one statistic – wins.
Goodwin, a history and political science junior, can be reached via [email protected]
