Dating back to 2005, Tulsa won the Western division of Conference USA four times while UH layed claim to three. | Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar
The Cougars (3-0) will look to build off Kenneth Farrow’s career game last season against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (2-1) to make it two in a row against the AAC rival this Saturday.
The senior captain set a career-high as he became the first Cougar since 2010 to score four rushing touchdowns in a single game in the 38-28 win over the Golden Hurricane at TDECU Stadium on Nov. 22, 2014.
The Cougars opened the game strong, taking the opening drive for 10 plays and 78 yards en route to a Farrow touchdown. The Houston defense then stopped a Tulsa fourth down conversion attempt and capitalized with another Farrow touchdown run, building a 14-0 lead.
The lead wouldn’t hold though as the Golden Hurricane were able to tie the game up at 21 midway through the third quarter. Houston pulled out the victory on the shoulders of Farrow and Ryan Jackson who each surpassed 100 rushing yards.
Greg Ward Jr. built on his impressive sophomore campaign with 227 yards and a touchdown to his then favorite target Steven Dunbar, who hauled in seven catches for 150 yards.
Saturday’s game looks to be another shootout featuring two of the top three teams in both scoring offense and passing offense in the AAC. Tulsa is coming off a hard-fought 52-38 loss to No. 16 Oklahoma in which they gained 603 total yards against a defense that had only given up 240 yards total in its first two games.
Houston will have a tough time stopping Tulsa’s receiving tandem of Keyarris Garrett and Keevan Lucas who both rank in the top-10 nationally in receiving yards per game. The duo have combined for 796 yards and six touchdowns on 45 receptions in their first three games.
The Cougars will be as opportunistic as always, looking to match last season’s performance where they tied the then NCAA-record by forcing a turnover in 33 straight games. Tulsa quarterback Dave Evans threw three interceptions, scoring three touchdowns off the turnovers. To UH’s benefit, Tulsa has been susceptible to turnovers so far this year as the team has thrown two interceptions and lost three fumbles.
Fans everywhere should be entertained as this game is predicted to be a high-flying offensive affair where a single mistake can cost each team greatly. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. Saturday on CBS Sports Network.
