Two seasons ago, sophomore quarterback Case Keenum could only watch as former UH standout Kevin Kolb worked his magic to propel the Cougars to their first appearance in the Conference USA championship game.
Flash forward, and Keenum has used his own magic to lead the Cougars to within one win of making a return trip.
Keenum engineered an improbable fourth-quarter comeback in Saturday’s regular-season home finale against Texas-El Paso, scoring on a 1-yard sneak with 41 seconds remaining to send the Cougars to a heart-stopping 42-37 win before a crowd of 18,134 at Robertson Stadium.
The Cougars, who trailed by as many as 19 points late in the third quarter, pulled off the largest comeback in program history by outscoring the Miners 26-9 in the fourth quarter.
"Wild would be an understatement," UH head coach Kevin Sumlin said. "UTEP came in here and played lights out in the first half. They were on a mission. They played very well tonight and we didn’t, but we made enough plays to win."
Keenum (41-of-51 passing, 480 yards, three passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns) provided most of the big plays, throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for another score in the fourth quarter while overcoming a crucial mistake to help the Cougars escape with their third consecutive victory and sixth in their last seven games.
UTEP sophomore quarterback Trevor Vittatoe, who threw for 362 yards and accounted for five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing), launched a Hail Mary toss as time expired, but it fell incomplete in the end zone.
The Cougars (7-4, 6-1 C-USA) remain in a three-way tie with Tulsa and crosstown rival Rice for first place in the C-USA West Division. Houston holds the tiebreaker over Tulsa because of its 70-30 win in their Nov. 15 meeting and can clinch the West title and a berth in the league championship game, which it would host, with a win over Rice in Saturday’s Bayou Bucket matchup at Rice Stadium.
Houston has beaten Rice in their last three meetings.
"This game is big, especially for our seniors," freshman running back Bryce Beall said. "I know if I was a senior, I would like to leave with a chance to play for a ring."
The seniors will perhaps have another chance at a ring, but it would not have been possible without two freshmen – Beall and wide receiver Tyron Carrier – coming up big against UTEP (5-6, 4-3 C-USA).
Beall racked up 263 all-purpose yards (167 rushing, 96 receiving) and scored two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving), bringing his season rushing total to 1,024. Carrier caught nine passes for 141 yards, including a dump pass from Keenum that was taken 62 yards for a touchdown with 13:50 left in the third quarter.
The defense started to put more pressure on Vittatoe and came up with more stops in the second half, allowing the offense to get back. Keenum took advantage of the assistance, giving the Cougars their first lead, 36-35, by hitting sophomore wideout Kierrie Johnson for a 16-yard touchdown with 4:54 left in the game.
Keenum then made easily his biggest mistake of game.
The Cougars went for two points on the point-after try, and Keenum scrambled to his right to look for an open receiver. In an act of desperation, he threw an off-balance floater to the other side of the field that was intercepted by UTEP senior defensive back Josh Ferguson, who sprinted to the other end zone for a defensive PAT that put the Miners ahead, 37-36.
"That was one of the stupidest throws I’ve ever made," Keenum said.
Fortunately for Keenum, the defense bailed him out, holding the Miners to a three-and-out on the ensuing drive. Senior defensive end Phillip Hunt provided the biggest play on that stop, sacking Vittatoe on a third-and-12 play, and the Cougars’ offense took over at its 41-yard line with 2:35 remaining.
That opened the door for Keenum to finish his magic act and set the stage for next weekend’s showdown against Rice.
"This is great for our team confidence," Hunt said of the win. "Our young guys rallied behind our seniors today and our seniors just upped the attitude. We just had the will to win, (and) we are going to prove it next week, too."
