Bonner’s third-quarter touchdown catch will go down as one of the best in Cougar football history. | Ajani Stewart/The Cougar
The Cougars showed they are an improved team from last year Thursday night as they routed the University of Connecticut Huskies by a score of 42-14.
Moving to 5-0 on the season, multiple players shined in the victory that was an all-around team effort. Here are some of the things we learned from the Cougar win:
Cougar fans were early and loud
A couple of years ago — or last season, even — it would be hard to imagine TDECU Stadium rocking on a Thursday night against a vanilla opponent.
That happened on Thursday.
The sellout crowd of 40,873 set the second-highest attendance mark in the stadium’s history. The student section was full with about 30 minutes before kickoff and the rest of the stadium progressively filled throughout the first quarter.
The Huskies had trouble hearing on multiple occasions when the team was on the student section side of the stadium. Quarterback Bryan Shirreff’s offense was visibly confused at times due to their inability to hear the play call, forcing the team to use a timeout or jump too early.
Having a full stadium and taking care of business in front of a nationally televised audience proved the country that UH is ready for a Power Five invitation.
Greg Ward Jr. is good — like, really good
Now in his third year as the Cougars lead signal caller, Ward is showing fans things they have not seen of him before.
Huskies linebacker Junior Joseph was slow to get off Ward after a Cougar touchdown pass in the third quarter. A Ward from previous years may have not taken offense to the disrespect, but not this time.
When he finally got the 245-pound linebacker off of him, the 185-pound Ward got to his feet and showed his displeasure by getting in Joseph’s face. Joseph’s actions earned a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
“I love it. He’s a competitive dude,” head coach Tom Herman said. “He wasn’t very happy about it. His fire and energy is very palpable this season, and I look forward to getting back to work with him again. He’s playing with a tremendous amount of confidence.”
Although noticeably small for the position, Ward’s toughness is not in question. The Tyler native has endured big hits all season long, but continues to rise to the occasion in each game.
Ward hobbled to the sideline, visibly in pain after being leveled following a failed trick play attempt. Instead of sitting out the remainder of the drive, he returned to action one play later and led the team down the field for six more points.
Ward would finish with a career-high in passing yards, 398, and two touchdowns via the pass before the game’s end. He was virtually flawless — completing 32 of his 38 passes.
Even with Ward’s injuries this season, he was fearless in the ground game. Ward baffled Huskies’ defenders all night with his unique running ability, highlighted by 65 rushing yards and two scores on the ground.
If it wasn’t for the unprecedented season Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson is having, Ward would be a top pick for the Heisman trophy to this point in the season.
Linell Bonner can catch just about anything
Many casual Cougar fans probably did not know who Bonner was a year ago. It’s not that way in 2016.
Bonner entered the scene with his highlight-reel sideline grab against the University of Oklahoma Sooners on Sept. 3 and has proceeded to be the team’s most dominant receiver this season.
Adding to his legend, Bonner snagged a diving one-handed touchdown catch in the back of the end zone. The snag was good enough to thrust the largely unknown wide into the No. 1 spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 for Thursday night.
Houston’s sports fans have seen catches similar to this one by Texans’ wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, someone whom Bonner is trying to mimic his game after.
“He’s my favorite receiver in the NFL right now. I really look up to him,” Bonner said. “Yes, you could say I was impersonating him.”
The catch will likely be in the memory of all who were in attendance for years to come.
Bonner finished his night with 12 catches for 159 yards and the impressive touchdown. For the season, the junior leads the team with 33 receptions and 439 yards in an offense that distributes the ball to a variety of players.
Look for Bonner to continue to dazzle.
