The Cougars jumped out of the gate early in a 42-14 victory over the Tulane Green Wave before a homecoming crowd of 23,522 on Saturday at Robertson Stadium.
A steady stream of scoring throughout the game would jettisoned Houston to victory in a game that had big implications. The Cougars (5-4, 4-1 Conference USA) are one win away from becoming bowl-eligible for the fifth time in the last six seasons and remain in contention for the C-USA Western Division championship.
Freshman running back Bryce Beall led the onslaught, rushing for 176 yards and scoring three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving). Sophomore quarterback Case Keenum threw for 284 yards and four touchdowns, and senior tight end Mark Hafner had a game-high 11 receptions for 91 yards.
The Cougars had no bigger quarter than the third, when they scored three touchdowns through the air to put Tulane (2-7, 1-4 C-USA) out of its misery.
Keenum hooked up with Chaz Rodriguez on a 38-yard touchdown that increased the Cougars’ lead to 28-7 with 13:31 left in the third quarter.
Four possessions later, Keenum led Houston on a 14-play, 95-yard drive, capping it with a 4-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Mark Hafner. On the drive, Keenum was 7-of-9 passing for 81 yards, including a 23-yard completion with sophomore running back Andre Kohn.
The Cougars’ final score of the night when Keenum hit junior wide receiver Tim Monroe for a 49-yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds left in the third quarter. It was Monroe’s first career touchdown.
Houston started strong in the first half, something that it hasn’t done very often this season. The Cougars rolled up 333 yards and 21 points by halftime.
Beall started the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. He later added a 19-yard touchdown reception and a 2-yard run in the second quarter. The two rushing touchdowns upped his season total to 10 and set a school record for most rushing touchdowns by a freshman in a season.
The Houston defense held its own. The Cougars allowed only 268 yards (61 rushing). The Green Wave scored their first touchdown with 10:03 left in the second quarter, but didn’t score again until 9:17 left in the game.
Penalties and turnovers were a problem for the Cougars on Saturday. Houston committed 12 penalties for 143 yards and had three turnovers (two fumbles, one interception).
Luckily for the Cougars, these would not come back to haunt them.
