UH football won its fifth straight game Thursday night, defeating Tulane to stay perfect in AAC play. | Courtesy of UH athletics
The Houston football team defeated the Tulane Green Wave 40-22 on the road to improve its record to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play.
After forcing a Tulane three-and-out on its first possession, the Cougars completed an 11 play, 76-yard drive capped off by an 11-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Clayton Tune to junior tight end Christian Trahan to go up 7-0.
The UH defense came up big on consecutive possessions, holding Tulane on 4th-and-3 to turn the ball over on downs.
The Cougars wasted no time after regaining possession, going 64 yards in seven plays as Tune found junior wide receiver Jeremy Singleton for a 17-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 14-0 with 0:22 left in the first quarter.
After both teams exchanged punts, Tulane got on the scoresheet following a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Michael Pratt to tight end Myrick James with a successful 2-point conversion to cut Houston’s lead to 14-8.
Senior kicker Dalton Witherspoon tacked on a 46-yard field goal to extend the Cougars’ lead to 17-8 before Tulane completed a six-play, 75-yard drive capped off by a 39-yard touchdown rush by running back Tyjae Spears to cut Houston’s lead to 17-15 heading into halftime.
The Green Wave stopped the Cougars on 4th-and-1 at the UH 29-yard line to halt their first possession of the second half.
Pratt connected with tight end Will Wallace on a 29-yard touchdown on the next play to take a 22-17.
After junior defensive lineman D’Anthony Jones forced and recovered a fumble, the Cougars drove down the field to set up a 24-yard goal to cut the Green Wave lead to 22-20.
The ensuing Cougars’ offensive possession saw them drive 80 yards on 11 plays finished by a 29-yard touchdown pass from Tune to Singleton to regain the lead for the Cougars at 26-22 after an unsuccessful 2-point conversion.
The Cougars’ defense pulled a stop on a 4th-and-2 to get Tulane off the field and only took six plays to extend their lead to 33-22 with a 4-yard rushing touchdown by junior running back Ta’Zhawn Henry.
With just over a minute left in the game, freshman running back Alton McCaskill broke loose for a 35-yard touchdown run to give Houston a 40-22.
Tune finished the game with 23 completions for 288 yards and three touchdowns, while Singleton ended the game with three receptions for 63 yards and two receiving touchdowns.
The Cougars will now return home for their next conference game where they will meet East Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 23 at TDECU Stadium.
