2016 Houston Cougars football team
The 2016 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the 69th year of season play for Houston. They were led by head coach Tom Herman during the regular season and played their home games at TDECU Stadium in Houston. The Houston Cougars football team is a member of the American Athletic Conference in its West Division. They finished the season 9–4, 5–3 in American Athletic play to finish in a tie for third place in the West Division. They were invited to the Las Vegas Bowl where they lost to San Diego State.
2016 Houston Cougars football | |
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Las Vegas Bowl, L 10–34 vs. San Diego State | |
Conference | American Athletic Conference |
West Division | |
2016 record | 9–4 (5–3 The American) |
Head coach | Tom Herman (Regular season, 2nd year) Major Applewhite (bowl game) |
Offensive coordinator | Major Applewhite (2nd season) |
Offensive scheme | Spread |
Defensive coordinator | Todd Orlando (2nd season) |
Base defense | 3–4 |
Captain | Cameron Malveaux Tyler McCloskey Greg Ward Jr. Brandon Wilson |
Home stadium | TDECU Stadium (Capacity: 40,000) |
2016 American Athletic Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Temple xy$ | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 19 South Florida x | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UCF | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cincinnati | 1 | – | 7 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UConn | 1 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
East Carolina | 1 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Navy xy | 7 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tulsa | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Memphis | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Houston | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SMU | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tulane | 1 | – | 7 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Championship: Temple 34, Navy 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On November 26, head coach Tom Herman resigned to become the head coach at Texas.[1] He finished at Houston with a two-year record of 22–4. Houston was led by new head coach Major Applewhite in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Previous season and offseason
In the 2015 season, the Houston Cougars finished 13–1, one of the greatest seasons in school history. The Cougars beat #20 Temple in the AAC Championship game and advanced to beat #9 Florida State 38–24 in the Peach Bowl, one of the New Year's Six bowls. The Cougars were ranked #8 in the final AP poll, which was their first final top-ten ranking since 1990, and their highest final ranking since the 1979 season.
Departures
Coaching departures
After serving as wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Houston for one year, Drew Mehringer was named as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Rutgers on December 14, 2015.[2]
Incoming transfers
2016 recruiting class
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40‡ | Commit date |
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Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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Walk-on recruits
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
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Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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National signing day was on Wednesday, February 3, 2016.
Returning starters
Offense
Defense
Special teams
Spring practice
The Houston Cougars football team held its annual Red and White Spring Game on Saturday, April 16, 2016, at TDECU Stadium. The defense (White) defeated the offense (Red) 74–72.[3]
Fall camp
Personnel
Roster
2016 Houston Cougars Football | ||||||||||
Quarterback
Tailback
Wide Receiver
Tight End
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Offensive Lineman
Defensive Line
Long Snappers
Placekicker
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Linebacker
Cornerback
Safety
Punter
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Coaching staff
Depth chart
The list of starters is to be announced.
Schedule
Houston played UCF, UConn, Tulane and Tulsa at home and Cincinnati, Memphis, Navy and SMU on the road. The conference schedule was released February 9.[4]
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
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September 3 | 11:00 a.m. | vs. No. 3 Oklahoma* | No. 15 | ABC | W 33–23 | 71,016 | |
September 10 | 11:00 a.m. | Lamar* | No. 6 |
| ASN | W 42–0 | 39,402 |
September 15 | 6:30 p.m. | at Cincinnati | No. 6 | ESPN | W 40–16 | 40,015 | |
September 24 | 6:00 p.m. | at Texas State* | No. 6 | ESPNU | W 64–3 | 33,133 | |
September 29 | 7:00 p.m. | UConn | No. 6 |
| ESPN | W 42–14 | 40,873 |
October 8 | 2:00 p.m. | at Navy | No. 6 | CBSSN | L 40–46 | 34,531 | |
October 15 | 6:00 p.m. | Tulsa | No. 13 |
| ESPN2 | W 38–31 | 38,221 |
October 22 | 6:00 p.m. | at SMU | No. 11 |
| ESPN2 | L 16–38 | 32,000 |
October 29 | 11:00 a.m. | UCF |
| ESPNU | W 31–24 | 35,846 | |
November 12 | 2:30 p.m. | Tulane |
| CBSSN | W 30–18 | 36,552 | |
November 17 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 3 Louisville* |
| ESPN | W 36–10 | 42,822 | |
November 25 | 11:00 a.m. | at Memphis | No. 18 | ABC | L 44–48 | 36,527 | |
December 17 | 2:30 p.m. | vs. San Diego State* | ABC | L 10–34 | 29,286 | ||
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- Schedule Source:[5]
Game summaries
vs. Oklahoma
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
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0–2 | 2004 | OKLA, 63–13 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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#3 Oklahoma | 10 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
#15 Houston | 3 | 16 | 14 | 0 | 33 |
at NRG Stadium • Houston,TX Texas Kickoff
- Date: September 3, 2016
- Game time: 11:07 a.m. CDT
- Game weather: Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Wind: Calm • Weather: Indoor
- Game attendance: 71,016
- Referee: Cooper Castleberry
- TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch (Play-by-play), Greg McElroy (color) & Tom Luginbill (sideline)
Game information | ||
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Lamar
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
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3–0 | 1983 | HOU, 42–35 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Lamar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
#6 Houston | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
at TDECU Stadium • Houston,TX
Game information | ||
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at Cincinnati
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
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14–10 | 2015 | HOU, 33–30 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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#6 Houston | 7 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 40 |
Cincinnati | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
at Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH
Game information | ||
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at Texas State
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
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2–4 | 2015 | HOU, 59–14 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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#6 Houston | 16 | 27 | 14 | 7 | 64 |
Texas State | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Bobcat Stadium • San Marcos, TX
Game information | ||
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UConn
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
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0–1 | 2015 | UCONN, 20–17 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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UConn | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
#6 Houston | 0 | 28 | 14 | 0 | 42 |
at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX
- Date: September 29, 2016
- Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
- Referee: C. Lamertina
- TV: ESPN
- Sources:UHCougars.com[14]
Game information |
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at Navy
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
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2–0 | 2015 | HOU, 52–31 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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#6 Houston | 10 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 40 |
Navy | 10 | 10 | 21 | 5 | 46 |
at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD
- Date: October 8, 2016
- Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT
- TV: ESPN
Game information |
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Tulsa
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
22–18 | 2015 | HOU, 38–24 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Tulsa | 3 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
#13 Houston | 10 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 38 |
at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX
- Date: October 15, 2016
- Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
at SMU
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
20–10–1 | 2015 | HOU, 49–28 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#11 Houston | 0 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 16 |
SMU | 7 | 21 | 0 | 10 | 38 |
at Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, TX
- Date: October 22, 2016
- Game time: 6:00pm CDT
UCF
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
2–5 | 2015 | HOU, 59–10 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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UCF | 7 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
Houston | 0 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 31 |
at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX
- Date: October 29, 2016
- Game time: TBD CDT
Tulane
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
15–5 | 2015 | HOU, 42–7 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tulane | 7 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 18 |
Houston | 14 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 30 |
at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX
- Date: November 12, 2016
- Game time: TBD CST
Louisville
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
8–8 | 2015 | HOU, 34–31 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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#3 Louisville | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
Houston | 10 | 21 | 0 | 5 | 36 |
at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX
- Date: November 17, 2016
- Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST
at Memphis
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
15–9 | 2015 | HOU, 35–34 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#18 Houston | 10 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 44 |
Memphis | 21 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 48 |
at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN
- Date: November 25, 2016
- Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
vs. San Diego State (Las Vegas Bowl)
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
2–0 | 1973 | HOU, 14–9 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Houston | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
San Diego | 0 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 34 |
at Sam Boyd Stadium • Whitney, NV
- Date: December 17, 2016
- Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
Rankings
Week | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final | ||||||||||||||||||||
AP | 15 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 11 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 18 | RV | RV | RV | ||||||||||||||||||||
Coaches | 13 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 11 | 24 | RV | RV | RV | 21 | RV | RV | NR | ||||||||||||||||||||
CFP | Not released | NR | NR | NR | 20 | 24 | NR | Not released |
References
- http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/11/texas_set_to_hire_houstons_tom.html
- http://www.scarletknights.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/drew_mehringer_995765.html
- Ward Jr., Johnson shine in Houston spring game by Kevin Cook. Cypress Creek Mirror, 19 Apr 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
- "American Athletic Conference Athletic Directors Conclude Winter Meetings". American Athletic Conference. SideArm Sports. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
- "2016 Houston Cougars Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
- "Oklahoma vs Houston (Sep 3,2016)". University of Oklahoma Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. September 3, 2016. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
- "Lamar vs Houston (Sep 10,2016)". Lamar Cardinals. September 10, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-12-08. Retrieved 2016-09-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Houston at Cincinnati(Sep 15,2016)". UHCougars.com. September 15, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
- "Houston at Texas State(Sep 24,2016)". UHCougars.com. September 15, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2016.