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2021 Houston Cougars football team

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2021 Houston Cougars football
Birmingham Bowl champion
Birmingham Bowl, W 17–13 vs. Auburn
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 17
APNo. 17
Record12–2 (8–0 American)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorShannon Dawson (2nd, 3rd overall season)
Co-offensive coordinatorBrandon Jones (3rd season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorDoug Belk (1st, 3rd overall season)
Base defense4–2–5
Home stadiumTDECU Stadium
Seasons
← 2020
2022 →
2021 American Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 4 Cincinnati y$^   8 0     13 1  
No. 17 Houston y   8 0     12 2  
UCF   5 3     9 4  
East Carolina   5 3     7 5  
Tulsa   5 3     7 6  
SMU   4 4     8 4  
Memphis   3 5     6 6  
Navy   3 5     4 8  
Tulane   1 7     2 10  
South Florida   1 7     2 10  
Temple   1 7     3 9  
Championship: Cincinnati 35, Houston 20
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cougars played their home games at TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas, competing in the American Athletic Conference. They were led by third-year head coach Dana Holgorsen.

Preseason

[edit]

American Athletic Conference preseason media poll

[edit]

The American Athletic Conference preseason media poll was released at the virtual media day held August 4, 2021.[1] Cincinnati, who finished the 2020 season ranked No. 8 nationally, was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the 2021 preseason media poll.

Media poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Cincinnati 262 (22)
2 UCF 241 (2)
3 SMU 188
4 Houston 181
5 Memphis 168
6 Tulsa 153
7 Tulane 132
T-8 East Carolina 85
T-8 Navy 85
10 Temple 46
11 South Florida 43

Schedule

[edit]
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 46:00 p.m.vs. Texas Tech*ESPNL 21–3843,478
September 115:30 p.m.at Rice*
CBSSNW 44–726,253
September 186:00 p.m.Grambling State*
ESPN+W 45–022,998
September 256:00 p.m.Navy
  • TDECU Stadium
  • Houston, TX
ESPNUW 28–2025,054
October 16:30 p.m.at TulsaESPNW 45–1015,890
October 76:30 p.m.at TulaneESPNW 40–2215,026
October 238:20 p.m.East Carolinadagger
  • TDECU Stadium
  • Houston, TX
ESPNews αW 31–24 OT22,925
October 306:00 p.m.No. 19 SMU
ESPN2W 44–3725,676
November 66:30 p.m.at South FloridaESPNUW 54–4228,667
November 1311:00 a.m.at TempleESPN+W 37–818,440
November 198:00 p.m.MemphisNo. 24
  • TDECU Stadium
  • Houston, TX
ESPN2W 31–1328,712
November 2711:00 a.m.at UConn*No. 24CBSSNW 45–1712,685
December 43:00 p.m.at No. 4 CincinnatiNo. 21ABCL 20–3537,978
December 2811:00 a.m.vs. Auburn*No. 20ESPNW 17–1347,100

[2]

Notes

[edit]
This game was initially scheduled for ESPNU at 3:00 p.m. CT, but was moved to 8:20 p.m. CT on ESPNews because of a rain delay.[3]

Game summaries

[edit]

Vs. Texas Tech (Texas Kickoff)

[edit]
Texas Tech vs. Houston
1 234Total
Red Raiders 0 71714 38
Cougars 14 700 21
     
Line Over/under
HOU –2.5 63
Statistics Texas Tech Houston
First downs 15 15
Total yards 376 251
Rushing yards 145 77
Passing yards 231 174
Turnovers 1 4
Time of possession 23:23 36:37
Team Category Player Statistics
Texas Tech Passing Tyler Shough 17/24, 231 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Tahj Brooks 15 rushes, 134 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving Erik Ezukanma 7 receptions, 179 yards
Houston Passing Clayton Tune 27/38, 174 yards, 2 TDs, 4 INTs
Rushing Mulbah Car 13 rushes, 37 yards
Receiving Nathaniel Dell 7 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD

At Rice (Bayou Bucket Classic)

[edit]
Houston at Rice
1 234Total
Cougars 17 01413 44
Owls 0 700 7
  • Date: September 11, 2021
  • Location: Rice Stadium
    Houston, TX
  • Game start: 5:30 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time:  
  • Game attendance: 26,253
  • Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
  • Referee: Charles Lamertina
  • TV announcers (CBSSN): Dave Ryan (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (analyst), and Desmond Purnell (sideline)
    
Line Over/under
HOU –7.5 51
Statistics Houston Rice
First downs 23 15
Total yards 393 212
Rushing yards 144 126
Passing yards 249 86
Turnovers 0 3
Time of possession 32:01 27:59
Team Category Player Statistics
Houston Passing Clayton Tune 22/30, 236 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing Clayton Tune 9 rushes, 49 yards
Receiving Nathaniel Dell 7 receptions, 87 yards
Rice Passing Luke McCaffrey 9/19, 86 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs
Rushing Khalan Griffin 19 rushes, 86 yards
Receiving Jorden Myers 5 receptions, 41 yards, 1 TD

Grambling State

[edit]
Grambling State at Houston
1 234Total
Tigers 0 000 0
Cougars 7 14213 45
  • Date: September 18, 2021
  • Location: TDECU Stadium
    Houston, TX
  • Game start: 6:06 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 6 minutes
  • Game attendance: 22,998
  • Game weather: Sunny
  • Referee: Nate Black
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Alex Del Barrio (play–by–play) and Stanford Routt (analyst)
   
Line Over/under
HOU –41.0 52
Statistics Grambling State Houston
First downs 3 24
Total yards 102 422
Rushing yards 53 164
Passing yards 49 258
Turnovers 1 1
Time of possession 25:02 34:58
Team Category Player Statistics
Grambling State Passing Aldon Clark 5/12, 49 yards
Rushing Darqueze Brutton 9 rushes, 18 yards
Receiving Greg White 1 reception, 37 yards
Houston Passing Ike Ogbogu 14/22, 196 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing Alton McCaskill 16 rushes, 114 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving Nathaniel Dell 8 receptions, 134 yards, 2 TDs
[edit]
Navy at Houston
1 234Total
Midshipmen 7 1003 20
Cougars 7 0714 28
  • Date: September 25, 2021
  • Location: TDECU Stadium
    Houston, TX
  • Game start: 6:02 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 8 minutes
  • Game attendance: 25,054
  • Game weather: 85 °F (29 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: E 6 MPH
  • Referee: Hank Johns
  • TV announcers (ESPNU): Tiffany Greene (play-by-play) and Hutson Mason (analyst)
    
Line Over/under
HOU –20.0 47
Statistics Navy Houston
First downs 16 20
Total yards 300 384
Rushing yards 202 127
Passing yards 98 257
Turnovers 1 0
Time of possession 33:21 26:39
Team Category Player Statistics
Navy Passing Xavier Arline 3/6, 83 yards
Rushing Xavier Arline 19 rushes, 64 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Mychal Cooper 3 receptions, 83 yards
Houston Passing Clayton Tune 22/30, 257 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Alton McCaskill 17 rushes, 74 yards
Receiving Christian Trahan 4 receptions, 65 yards

At Tulsa

[edit]
Houston at Tulsa
1 234Total
Cougars 14 14710 45
Golden Hurricane 0 307 10
  • Date: October 1, 2021
  • Location: Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium
    Tulsa, OK
  • Game start: 6:30 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 32 minutes
  • Game attendance: 15,890
  • Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: W 2 MPH
  • Referee: Luke Richmond
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst) and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
     
Line Over/under
TLSA –3.5 54
Statistics Houston Tulsa
First downs 22 14
Total yards 405 289
Rushing yards 144 31
Passing yards 261 258
Turnovers 1 3
Time of possession 32:26 27:34
Team Category Player Statistics
Houston Passing Clayton Tune 17/24, 241 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Alton McCaskill 17 rushes, 77 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving Nathaniel Dell 6 receptions, 82 yards
Tulsa Passing Davis Brin 20/39, 258 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs
Rushing Anthony Watkins 8 rushes, 39 yards
Receiving Sam Crawford Jr. 5 receptions, 101 yards

At Tulane

[edit]
Houston at Tulane
1 234Total
Cougars 14 3914 40
Green Wave 0 1570 22
  • Date: October 7, 2021
  • Location: Yulman Stadium
    New Orleans, LA
  • Game start: 6:30 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 19 minutes
  • Game attendance: 15,026
  • Game weather: 83 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Mostly Sunny • Wind: NE 4 MPH
  • Referee: Tim Rich
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst) and Harry Lyles Jr. (sideline)
      
Line Over/under
HOU –6.5 60
Statistics Houston Tulane
First downs 18 17
Total yards 435 308
Rushing yards 147 94
Passing yards 288 214
Turnovers 0 1
Time of possession 31:34 28:26
Team Category Player Statistics
Houston Passing Clayton Tune 23/36, 288 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing Alton McCaskill 18 rushes, 93 yards, 1 TD
Receiving KeSean Carter 6 receptions, 69 yards
Tulane Passing Michael Pratt 20/30, 214 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing Cameron Carroll 13 rushes, 68 yards
Receiving Will Wallace 2 receptions, 54 yards, 1 TD

East Carolina

[edit]
East Carolina at Houston
1 234OTTotal
Pirates 10 00140 24
Cougars 17 7007 31
  • Date: October 23, 2021
  • Location: TDECU Stadium
    Houston, TX
  • Game start: 3:00 p.m. CDT (Kicked at 8:20 p.m. – delayed 5 hours and 20 minutes to kickoff due to lightning)
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 27 minutes
  • Game attendance: 22,925
  • Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: SE 9 MPH
  • Referee: Edwin Lee
  • TV announcers (ESPNews): Kevin Brown (play-by-play) and Hutson Mason (analyst)
     
Line Over/under
HOU –13.5 57
Statistics East Carolina Houston
First downs 20 16
Total yards 360 256
Rushing yards 82 87
Passing yards 278 169
Turnovers 3 1
Time of possession 29:13 30:47
Team Category Player Statistics
East Carolina Passing Holton Ahlers 23/37, 278 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing Keaton Mitchell 11 rushes, 38 yards
Receiving Tyler Snead 7 receptions, 114 yards
Houston Passing Clayton Tune 19/29, 169 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing Alton McCaskill 12 rushes, 60 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Christian Trahan 6 receptions, 68 yards, 1 TD

No. 19 SMU

[edit]
SMU at Houston
1 234Total
No. 19 Mustangs 7 13143 37
Cougars 17 6714 44
  • Date: October 30, 2021
  • Location: TDECU Stadium
    Houston, TX
  • Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 37 minutes
  • Game attendance: 25,676
  • Game weather: Temperature: 74 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NW 6 MPH
  • Referee: Charles Lamertina
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), Alyssa Lang (sideline)
          
Line Over/under
SMU –1.0 62
Statistics SMU Houston
First downs 18 23
Total yards 355 489
Rushing yards 50 77
Passing yards 305 412
Turnovers 1 1
Time of possession 24:37 35:23
Team Category Player Statistics
SMU Passing Tanner Mordecai 24/37, 305 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Tre Siggers 13 rushes, 44 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Danny Gray 5 receptions, 73 yards
Houston Passing Clayton Tune 27/37, 412 yards, 4 TDs
Rushing Ta'Zhawn Henry 21 rushes, 49 yards
Receiving Nathaniel Dell 9 receptions, 165 yards, 3 TDs

At South Florida

[edit]
Houston at South Florida
1 234Total
Cougars 9 17217 54
Bulls 14 1477 42
  • Date: November 6, 2021
  • Location: Raymond James Stadium
    Tampa, FL
  • Game start: 6:30 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time:  
  • Game attendance: 28,667
  • Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
  • Referee: Tim Rich
  • TV announcers (ESPNU): Mike Couzens (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst)
           
Line Over/under
HOU –13.5 53
Statistics Houston South Florida
First downs 30 23
Total yards 646 399
Rushing yards 261 110
Passing yards 385 289
Turnovers 0 2
Time of possession 33:07 26:53
Team Category Player Statistics
Houston Passing Clayton Tune 21/26, 385 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing Ta'Zhawn Henry 10 rushes, 130 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Nathaniel Dell 8 receptions, 164 yards, 1 TD
South Florida Passing Timmy McClain 22/46, 289 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
Rushing Timmy McClain 11 rushes, 46 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Xavier Weaver 6 receptions, 105 yards

At Temple

[edit]
Houston at Temple
1 234Total
Cougars 7 31413 37
Owls 0 008 8
  • Date: November 13, 2021
  • Location: Lincoln Financial Field
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Game start: 11:00 a.m. CST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 16 minutes
  • Game attendance: 18,440
  • Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: S 13 MPH
  • Referee: Edwin Lee
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Leger Douzable (analyst)
   
Line Over/under
HOU –25.0 53
Statistics Houston Temple
First downs 24 10
Total yards 446 218
Rushing yards 217 99
Passing yards 229 119
Turnovers 0 3
Time of possession 39:22 20:38
Team Category Player Statistics
Houston Passing Clayton Tune 21/34, 224 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing Alton McCaskill 21 rushes, 129 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving Seth Green 7 receptions, 74 yards, 1 TD
Temple Passing Justin Lynch 11/24, 119 yards, 2 INTs
Rushing Justin Lynch 14 rushes, 78 yards
Receiving Randle Jones 5 receptions, 36 yards

Memphis

[edit]
Memphis at Houston
1 234Total
Tigers 0 373 13
No. 24 Cougars 0 21010 31
  • Date: November 19, 2021
  • Location: TDECU Stadium
    Houston, TX
  • Game start: 8:00 p.m. CST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 40 minutes
  • Game attendance: 28,712
  • Game weather: • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: SE 4 MPH
  • Referee: Hank Johns
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst) and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
     
Line Over/under
HOU –9.5 59
Statistics Memphis Houston
First downs 24 25
Total yards 322 461
Rushing yards 106 197
Passing yards 216 264
Turnovers 2 2
Time of possession 25:34 34:26
Team Category Player Statistics
Memphis Passing Seth Henigan 21/45, 208 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing Rodrigues Clark 12 rushes, 32 yards
Receiving Calvin Austin 5 receptions, 103 yards
Houston Passing Clayton Tune 20/34, 264 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing Ta'Zhawn Henry 13 rushes, 73 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Nathaniel Dell 7 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD

At UConn

[edit]
Houston at UConn
1 234Total
No. 24 Cougars 7 14177 45
Huskies 0 1007 17
      
Line Over/under
HOU –32.0 54.5
Statistics Houston UConn
First downs 21 16
Total yards 472 238
Rushing yards 149 82
Passing yards 323 156
Turnovers 1 1
Time of possession 31:16 28:44
Team Category Player Statistics
Houston Passing Clayton Tune 21/30, 301 yards, 4 TDs
Rushing Alton McCaskill 9 rushes, 54 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Jake Herslow 5 receptions, 111 yards, 1 TD
UConn Passing Steven Krajewski 9/19, 79 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Steven Krajewski 8 rushes, 53 yards
Receiving Kevens Clercius 2 receptions, 64 yards, 1 TD

At No. 4 Cincinnati (AAC Championship game)

[edit]
2021 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game
1 234Total
No. 21 Cougars 10 307 20
No. 4 Bearcats 14 0210 35
     
Line Over/under
CIN –10.5 52.5
Statistics Houston Cincinnati
First downs 22 14
Total yards 336 400
Rushing yards 86 210
Passing yards 250 190
Turnovers 1 0
Time of possession 40:19 19:41
Team Category Player Statistics
Houston Passing Clayton Tune 17/26, 250 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Alton McCaskill 13 rushes, 39 yards
Receiving Nathaniel Dell 9 receptions, 152 yards, 1 TD
Cincinnati Passing Desmond Ridder 11/17, 190 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing Jerome Ford 18 rushes, 187 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving Alec Pierce 2 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD

Vs. Auburn (Birmingham Bowl)

[edit]
2021 Birmingham Bowl
1 234Total
No. 20 Cougars 7 307 17
Tigers 0 3100 13
  • Date: December 28, 2021
  • Location: Protective Stadium
    Birmingham, AL
  • Game start: 11:00 a.m. CST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 25 minutes
  • Game attendance: 47,100
  • Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind:
  • Referee: Michael Mothershed
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Eric Mac Lain (analyst) and Taylor Davis (sideline)
  
Line Over/under
AUB –2.0 49
Statistics Houston Auburn
First downs 19 15
Total yards 398 352
Rushing yards 115 125
Passing yards 283 227
Turnovers 2 0
Time of possession 29:50 30:10
Team Category Player Statistics
Houston Passing Clayton Tune 26/40, 283 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Alton McCaskill 14 rushes, 78 yards
Receiving Nathaniel Dell 10 receptions, 150 yards
Auburn Passing T. J. Finley 19/37, 227 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Tank Bigsby 16 rushes, 96 yards
Receiving Tank Bigsby 5 receptions, 68 yards

Rankings

[edit]
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
APRVRVRV20171719162117
CoachesRVRVRVRV19171716162117
CFPNot released24242120Not released

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Cincinnati Chosen as Favorite in American Preseason Media Poll". theAmerican.org. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  2. ^ "2021 Houston Cougars Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  3. ^ "Houston sits through 5-hour, 18-minute weather delay and OT before toppling East Carolina, 31-24". Underdog Dynasty. SB Nation. October 24, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.