The Cougars had a great night offensively, as they had over 600 yards combined in the air and on the ground. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar
On a Saturday night where expectations were at an all-time high for the Cougars, the UH faithful had a lot to cheer about after a monster 52-24 win.
The Cougars hosted the Tennessee Technical University Golden Eagles at TDECU and the hype around head coach Tom Herman and his team was finally released in some on-field action.
The Cougars got off to a hot start forcing the Golden Eagles into a three-and-out on the first drive of the game.
With their first possession of the Herman-era, the Cougars drove 56 yards in just over two minutes to put up the first touchdown of the season.
Junior quarterback Greg Ward Jr. scrambled out of the pocket for 19 yards to get the Cougars down to the 25, followed by a 21-yard rush to move inside the five-yard line.
Junior running back Ryan Jackson finished the drive for the Cougars with a one-yard touchdown run, putting the Cougars up early.
Tennessee Tech responded on the very next drive, as they drove all the way down to the Houston four-yard line, but a loss of 11 yards on a reverse slowed their momentum and the Eagles had to settle for a field goal.
The Cougars responded with another touchdown in their very next drive, as Ward recorded his first touchdown of the year with a three-yard rushing touchdown.
Early in the second quarter, the Golden Eagles put up their first touchdown of the night on a one-play drive which saw junior quarterback Jared Davis connect with sophomore receiver Brock McCoin for 71-yards and a score.
Again, the Cougars responded quickly as Ward escaped pressure in the pocket to scamper 41 yards for his second touchdown of the night.
UH also tacked on a field goal late in the second quarter as senior kicker Kyle Bullard hit a 26-yarder to put the Cougars up 24-10.
The second half saw the Cougars pull away.
In their second drive of the half, Ward connected with sophomore Kyle Postma for 29 yards and his first touchdown through the air, as the Cougars took a 21-point lead.
Houston tacked on a pair of scores in the fourth on a 14-yard rush by sophomore Javin Webb, and a one-yard rush by senior backup quarterback Adam Schulz following an Adrian McDonald interception.
The Golden Eagles responded to the Cougars when senior Willie Davis rushed for a one-yard touchdown to move the score to 45-17 in the fourth quarter.
Webb added his second rushing score of the night from three yards out with just under five minutes left in the fourth quarter, putting the Cougars up 52-17.
The Golden Eagles added one more touchdown in the last seconds of the game, when David connected to McCoin again for a 77-yard touchdown.
Despite a good game from Tennessee Tech, Houston dominated on the ground and came out with the win, with a final score of 52-24.
With the win, the Cougars open the season 1-0, and will be looking forward to their first road test of the season when they travel to face former conference-foe Louisville on September 12.
