Houston coach Willie Fritz stands with hands on hips and his eyes on the ground. Image from matchup earlier in the season. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
Houston football has yet to win a game this season where they lost the turnover battle, their matchup on Nov. 15 against Arizona at the Arizona stadium.
The Cougars lost the ball four times with three fumbles and one interception, only snagging a single interception of their own from senior defensive back Hershey McLaurin in the fourth quarter.
The loss follows a trend for the Cougars, who have struggled after off weeks this season.
Their recent 42-14 loss to Kansas after a bye week was another example of the team’s challenges when returning to action after a week off. If taking into account the first week of the season and two games coming off a bye, the Cougars have been outscored 96-24.
“We have been doing a good job playing smart and being plus in turnover takeaway, we did not do that,” coach Willie Fritz said. “We had some foolish penalties.”
The rust showed from the start that it was anything but smooth, as their first two drives ended with two costly turnovers.
The first drive ended abruptly when freshman running back J’Marion Burnette coughed up the ball at the Arizona 45-yard line.
The Wildcats capitalized on the mistake and scored the game’s first touchdown when sophomore quarterback Noah Fifita threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
The Cougar took possession for the second time, but disaster struck when Burnette fought for an extra yard but fumbled the ball in the process.
Although the Cougar managed to recover, they came up short of the first down marker, turning the ball over.
Houston’s longest drive took shape at the start of the second when sophomore quarterback Zeon Chriss and redshirt freshman running back Re’Shaun Sanford II had some strong runs to get the Cougars to the Arizona 1-yard line, but it was not enough.
Even senior quarterback Donovan Smith entered the game but could not get the Cougars over the threshold. On fourth down, Chriss threw a pass that was broken up by an Arizona defender, marking a failed red zone trip for Houston.
Later in the quarter, junior wide receiver Mekhi Mews sparked excitement on the Houston sideline with what seemed to be a touchdown via a punt return. However, the play was called back due to a Houston penalty.
Houston went backward five yards before Chriss threw an interception into the hands of sophomore defensive back Genesis Smith at Arizona’s 39-yard line.
Arizona’s field goal attempt on the ensuing drive ended in disaster, as they fumbled the snap, giving Houston the ball back at their own 20-yard line with less than three minutes left. This gave the Cougars a crucial opportunity to take control.
UH pushed with senior kicker Jack Martin’s field goal attempt from 49 yards, changing the score bored to 7-3
Arizona’s senior kicker Tyler Loop hit a career-long field from 62 yards to end the half with a 10-3 advantage.
In the third, the Cougars attempted a fake punt to get some traction by sending out senior quarterback Holman Edwards. However, the pass to junior wide receiver Stephon Johnson fell short and went under review, resulting in a loss of downs.
At the start of the third, the Wildcats scored another touchdown with a 13-yard pass from Fifita to senior running back Quali Conley to give the Wildcats a 14 point lead
Conley scored another touchdown up the middle for a gain of 50 yards, which changed the score 27-3 with less than five minutes in the quarter.
On the Cougars’ last drive, Stanford fumbled the ball, killing Houston’s last hopes of scoring a touchdown. For the third time this season, the team walked off the field with no touchdowns to their name.
“We are just having a tough time getting any movement,” Fritz said. “We were hoping to start the second half well, but we didn’t.”
Carlos Allen finished with three tackles and 1.5 sacks, as Keith Cooper Jr. tallied six tackles and one sack of his own.
The Cougars are now 4-6 on the year and 3-4 in Big 12 play, and with only two games remaining, UH faces a crucial stretch to keep their bowl hopes alive.
Looking ahead, the Cougars’ next game is on Nov. 23 against the Baylor Bears. Houston will sport its blue uniforms while honoring its seniors.
