The Cougar football team proved its high-octane offense also comes with a pretty good defense and special teams in Houston’s 70-30 win over then-No. 25 Tulsa.
A fourth down goal-line stop from the one-yard line by Houston in the first quarter was just a hint of things to come from the Cougar defense against Tulsa.
"I thought the goal-line stand was important, and our defense really rose to the occasion," head coach Kevin Sumlin said.
Sophomore quarterback Case Keenum lit it up, totaling an impressive seven touchdowns – six passing and one rushing – against the Golden Hurricane. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Tyron Carrier, who stepped in for injured redshirt freshman receiver Patrick Edwards, led Houston with 127 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and senior tight end Mark Hafner chipped in with eight catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns.
Everyone knew the offense would be there, but the defense walked all over the Golden Hurricane as well, holding Tulsa to 30 points against their season average of 52 points a contest going into the match with Houston.
The key to the game was the outstanding play of sophomore cornerback Loyce Means. The 5 foot 10 inch, 170 pound Means had the game of his life against the Golden Hurricane.
"We respect Tulsa. We had to be aggressive and physical because we can’t give them anything," Means said.
Means rose to the occasion against a high-powered Tulsa team and grabbed three interceptions, including a 69-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter.
"He is aggressive, and he is making some plays, including some big ones tonight," head coach Kevin Sumlin said.
Means jumped a short slant route and read Tulsa senior quarterback David Johnson like a book, intercepting his pass and narrowly out-running the quarterback en route to the end zone for his first career touchdown.
"Nothing was going to stop me," Means said. "I had to get it."
The interception return was just icing on the cake for the Cougars in their 40-point whupping of Tulsa, which has lost two consecutive games after an 8-0 start on the season.
A defense that held Tulsa to 0-2 on fourth downs also forced five turnovers in the game.
Carrier got the home crowd into the game with a huge special teams bolt late in the second quarter, running a kickoff return 93 yards for his third touchdown to give Houston a 42-17 lead going into the locker room. The return is tied for the sixth-longest kickoff return in UH history.
Junior punter Chase Turner also had a nice game despite punting only twice on the night. Turner recorded a career high with a 71-yard punt in the first quarter.
In addition to the huge game by Means, the defense stepped it up elsewhere. Junior linebacker C.J. Cavness had a team-high 16 tackles in his first career start.
Houston is in the midst of a three-game home stretch after beating Tulane 42-14 on Nov. 8. The Cougars have won five of their last six games after a 1-3 start on the season. In its last two games, Houston has outscored its opponents 112-44.
With the win against Tulsa, Houston (6-4, 5-1 C-USA) is now bowl-eligible and has a chance at taking the C-USA West division with wins in itslast two games against Texas-El Paso on Saturday and at Rice on Nov. 29.
