Fall Preview for the Houston Cougars
QB
#08 David Piland QB 6-3/200 RS
SO-1L Southlake, Texas--No stats in 2011.
#13 Crawford Jones QB 6-1/193 RS SR-2L Keller, Texas--12 games played.
3 carries for 13 yards. 1-2 passing for 18 yards.
#16 Bram Kohlhausen QB 6-2/205 RS FR-RS Houston, Texas--Redshirted in
2011.
#02 Drew Hollingshead QB 6-3/210 RS JR-SQ Rockwall, Texas--No stats in
2011.
#14 Aaron Johnson WR/QB 6-0/188 RS SO-1L Longview, Texas--No stats in
2011.
#?? Rex Dausin QB San Antonio, Texas Warren--Incoming freshman.
With the loss of record setting quarterback Case Keenum to graduation,
this is open season for the quarterback position. While redshirt senior
Crawford Jones is the only player with any experience, signs indicate that
redshirt sophomore David Piland is the current favorite for the position.
Kohlhausen and freshman Rex Dausin could also work themselves into the top 2 in
the depth chart with a strong summer.
RB
#05 Charles Sims RB 6-0/205 RS
JR-2L Houston, Texas--13 games played, 9 starts. 110 carries for 821 yards and
9 TD. 51 catches for 575 yards and 4 TD.
#40 Braxton Welford RB 5-11/195 RS SR-1L San Diego, Calif.--13 games
played. 21 carries for 83 yards and 1 TD. 4 catches for 21 yards.
#34 Randall Hollimon RB 6-1/200 RS SO-RS Houston, Texas--6 games
played. 9 carries for 38 yards. 1 tackle.
#47 Marcell Bates RB 5-9/180 RS SR-SQ Sugar Land, Texas--1 game played.
No stats in 2011.
#39 Chadwick Calloway RB 5-5/185 RS JR-SQ Houston, Texas--No stats in
2011.
#21 Brandon Ellison RB 6-0/211 RS FR-RS Houston, Texas--Redshirted in
2011.
#32 Kenneth Farrow RB 5-11/195 RS FR-RS Hurst, Texas--Redshirted in
2011.
#33 Kevin Wilson RB 5-11/192 RS FR-RS Daphne, Ala.--Redshirted in 2011.
#?? Terrance "Boda" Taylor RB
Diboll, Texas Diboll--Incoming freshman.
#?? Ryan Jackson RB Angleton, Texas Angleton--Incoming freshman.
#??Jontrey Tillman RB Baldwin,
La. West St. Mary--Incoming freshman.
Last season, redshirt junior Charles
Sims impressed many with a hefty 821 yards on the ground on only 110 carries to
go along with 51 catches on the season. Sims is essential to the success
post-Keenum for the Cougar offense. Redshirt senior Braxton Welford and
redshirt sophomore Randall Hollimon should also be able to get some playing
time at the running back position. With 3 redshirt freshmen and 3 true freshmen
added to the mix, there should be plenty of depth in running the ball this
fall.
TE
#85 Kenneth Bibbins, Jr. TE 6-4/236 RS SO-1L Sugar Land, Texas--No
stats in 2011.
#44 Desmond Pulliam TE 6-0/245 RS FR-RS Louise, Texas--Redshirted in
2011.
The tight end position was barely
utilized during the Keenum years giving way to more 4 wide receiver sets and
running the ball in passing formations. Things could change this fall as the
Cougars only given is the running game and adding another strong blocker on the
end of the line may allow Sims and others to have a more punishing rushing
attack than in the past.
WR
#89 Isaiah Sweeney WR 5-10/175
RS SR-2L Missouri City, Texas--7 games played. 1 kickoff return for 23 yards. 2
catches for 28 yards and 1 TD. 3 tackles.
#27 Daniel Spencer WR 6-0/193
SO-1L Grandview, Texas--13 games played. 12 catches for 171 yards and 2 TD. 12
tackles.
#04 Ronnie Williams WR 5-11/188
RS SR-2L Houston, Texas--14 games played, 1 start. 16 catches for 138 yards and
1 TD.
#09 Dewayne Peace WR 6-0/190
JR-1L Grand Prairie, Texas--11 games played, 1 start. 13 catches for 105 yards.
1 tackle.
#18 Mark Roberts WR 6-4/185 SO-1L Orange, Texas--11 games played. 6
catches for 136 yards. 1 kickoff return for 16 yards. 1 tackle.
#01 Darian Lazard WR 6-0/180 JR-2L Pearland, Texas--12 games played. 1
kickoff return for 15 yards. 8 catches for 72 yards.
#19 Shane Ros WR 5-11/200 JR-2L Katy, Texas--13 games played. 2
tackles. 1 fumble recovery.
#36 Gino Collins WR 5-11/185 RS SR-1L Houston, Texas--9 games played.
10 catches for 178 yards and 1 TD.
#32 Damian Payne WR 6-0/208 RS SO-1L Houston, Texas--10 games played. 5
tackles. 5 punt returns for 21.6 yard average and 1 TD.
#33 Marcus Williams WR 5-10/175 RS SR-SQ Houston, Texas--2 games
played. 2 catches for 11 yards. 1 tackle.
#37 Wayne Beadle WR 5-11/166 RS SO-SQ Houston, Texas--1 game played. No
stats in 2011.
#44 Brannon Beasley WR 5-10/180 SR-1L Portland, Ore.--9 games played. 8
tackles.
#82 Chance Blackmon WR 6-1/197 RS SR-1L Tatum, Texas--4 games played. 1
catch for 27 yards and 1 TD.
#80 Clyde Lee WR 6-1/171 RS FR-RS Houston, Texas--Redshirted in 2011.
#86 Casey Martin WR 5-9/170 RS FR-RS Huffman, Texas--Redshirted in
2011.
#?? Andrew Rodriguez WR Allen, Texas--Incoming freshman.
#?? Larry McDuffey WR Galena Park, Texas North Shore--Incoming
freshman.
#??Xavier Maxwell WR Humble,
Texas Humble/Blinn CC--JUCO transfer.
#?? Deontay Greenberry WR Fresno, California Washington Union--Incoming
freshman.
#?? Devin Parks WR Edna, Texas/Edna--Incoming freshman.
#?? Dominique Sanders--No information on player.
The Cougars pass happy offense
returns 9 wide receivers that caught at least one pass in 2011. Led by Sweeney,
Spencer, Williams, and Peace, expect the ball to be spread out all over the
field. As many as 10-12 different receivers could be making contributions this
fall either on the offensive side or on special teams.
OL
#76 Jacolby Ashworth LT 6-4/300
RS SR-3L Lufkin, Texas--14 games played, 14 starts.
#64 Ty Cloud LG 6-4/315 RS
JR-2L Highland Village, Texas--14 games
played, 14 starts.
#63 Kevin Forsch C 6-5/301 RS
JR-2L Tomball, Texas--14 games played, 14 starts.
#72 Emeka Okafor RG 6-5/315
SO-1L Sunnyvale, Texas--13 games played.
#74 Rowdy Harper RT 6-6/290 RS
SO-1L Broken Arrow, Okla.--14 games played, 14 starts.
#79 DeAnthony Sims LT 6-3/315 JR-2L Houston, Texas--7 games played.
#66 Austin Lunsford LG 6-3/295 RS SO-SQ Garrison, Texas--14 games
played. 1 kickoff return for 1 yard.
#58 Bryce Redman C 6-2/290 RS SO-1L Longview, Texas--14 games played.
#69 Ralph Oragwu RG 6-3/310 RS JR-2L Missouri City, Texas--9 games
played.
#75 Josh McNeill RT 6-6/305 JR-1L Magnolia, Texas--14 games played.
#68 James Burden OL 6-2/275 RS JR-SQ Deer Park, Texas--No stats in
2011.
#71 Zachary Johnson OL 6-7/300 RS FR-RS Norman, Okla.
#?? Mac Long OL Edna, Texas/Edna
#?? Blake Herman OL Needville,
Texas Needville
#?? Jacob Abels OL Sugar Land,
Texas Fort Bend Austin
Another reason for the avocation
of a more emphasized running attack this fall for the Cougars is the fact that
4 of the 5 offensive linemen started all 14 games in 2011. This is an
experienced and talented line that should be able to open big holes for the
running backs this fall. Best case scenario could see Sims end the season with
1300+ yards this fall.
DL
#90 Zeke Riser DE 6-4/270 RS
JR-2L LaVernia, Texas--14 games played, 4 starts. 17 tackles, 2.5 for loss. 0.5
sacks. 3 obu, 3 pd, 1 forced fumble.
#91 Radermon Scypion DT 6-4/275
SR-3L Port Arthur, Texas--7 games played. 5 tackles, 0.5 for loss. 0.5 sacks.
#99 Dominic Miller NT 6-3/301
SR-1L Houston, Texas--14 games played, 13 starts. 25 tackles, 2.5 for loss. 0.5
sacks.
#97 Eric Braswell DE 6-4/250 RS
SO-1L Killeen, Texas--14 games played, 11 starts. 47 tackles, 3.5 for loss. 2
pbu, 2 pd.
#45 Lloyd Allen DE 6-4/240 SR-1L Baton Rouge, La.--13 games played. 23
tackles, 4.5 for loss. 3.5 sacks.
#92 Joey Mbu DT 6-3/320 SO-1L Richmond, Texas--12 games played. 4
tackles, 1 for loss.
#93 Ameen Behbahani DT 6-2/290 SR-3L Plano, Texas--13 games played. 4
tackles.
#60 Alex Cooper DT 6-5/260 RS FR-RS Bellaire, Texas--Redshirted in
2011.
#98 Keithen English NT 6-2/315 RS FR-RS Dallas, Texas--Redshirted in
2011.
#59 Kelvin King DE 6-2/260 SR-3L Houston, Texas--14 games played, 3
starts. 26 tackles, 4 for loss. 2 sacks. 1 interception, 1 pd, 1 fumble
recovery.
#96 Jeremiah Farley DL 5-11/264 RS SO-1L Longview, Texas--1 game
played. No stats in 2011.
#46 David Mason DL 6-3/217 RS SR-SQ Columbus, Ohio--No stats in 2011.
#77 Chris Hill DL 6-4/285 RS SO-RS Houston, Texas--No stats in 2011.
#?? Cameron Malveaux DE Hamshire,
Texas Hamshire Fannett--Incoming freshman.
#?? Bryan Singleton DE Destrehan,
La. Destrehan--Incoming freshman.
#?? Tomme Mark DT Lufkin, Texas Lufkin--Incoming freshman.
#?? Donald Hopkins DT Lago Vista, Texas Lago Vista--Incoming freshman.
The Cougars have a defensive line
that was solid in 2011 but light on getting too much presure on the
quarterback. Riser and Braswell look to be the starters at defensive end but
only had a combined 0.5 sacks in 2011. Scypion and Miller man the inside and
got 0.5 sacks a piece in 2011. Senior Lloyd Allen leads the reserves in
rotation that should include Mbu, Behbahani, Cooper, English and King. King
should be able to move up the depth chart after a strong season last fall.
LB
#42 Phillip Steward SLB 6-2/230
SR-3L Missouri City, Texas--14 games played, 14 starts. 77 tackles, 8 for loss.
1.5 sacks, 6 interceptions, 6 pbu, 12 pd, 2 fumble recoveries.
#54 Everett Daniels MLB 6-0/210
SR-JC Sachse, Texas--13 games played. 38 tackles, 3.5 for loss. 1 pbu, 1 pd, 1
forced fumble.
#49 Derrick Mathews WLB 6-0/200
SO-1L Houston, Texas--14 games played, 14 starts. 106 tackles, 10 for loss. 1
sack, 3 interceptions, 3 pbu, 6 pd, 2 forced fumbles. 1 defensive touchdown.
#43 Austin Wilson SLB 6-2/218 JR-2L Tyler, Texas--11 games played. 7
tackles.
#50 Efrem Oliphant MLB 6-2/228 RS SO-1L Houston, Texas--No stats in
2011.
#38 George Bamfo WLB 5-11/215 RS JR-2L Rockwall, Texas--12 games
played. 15 tackles, 4 for loss. 3 sacks.
#06 William Moore LB 6-2/205 SO-1L Houston, Texas--8 games played. 7
tackles.
#31 Kris Johnston LB 6-0/220 RS SR-3L Texas City, Texas--9 games
played. 3 tackles.
#94 Adrian Harris LB 6-0/200 RS JR-SQ Lancaster, Texas--No stats in
2011.
#23 Xavier Brown LB 6-0/220 RS SO-RS Pearland, Texas--No stats in 2011.
#22 Miller Pierce LB 6-2/205 RS SO-SQ Waller, Texas--No stats in 2011.
#51 Jon Witten DE 6-2/230 RS SO-RS Houston, Texas--No stats in 2011.
#48 Andrew Hogan LB 5-10/205 RS FR-RS Keller, Texas--Reshirted in 2011.
#?? Trevon Randle LB League City, Texas Clear Springs HS/LSU--Transfer.
#?? Steven Aikens LB Arlington, Texas Juan Seguin--Incoming freshman.
#?? Steve Taylor LB Cedar Hill, Texas Cedar Hill--Incoming freshman.
#?? Thaddeus LaGrone LB Allen, Texas Allen--Incoming freshman.
#?? Davonte Thomas LB Aldine, Texas Eisenhower--Incoming freshman.
The Cougars have two of the
better linebackers in Conference USA with senior Phillip Steward and sophomore
Derrick Matthews. Steward had an incredible 6 interceptions from his strong
side linebacker spot to go along with 77 tackles on the season. Matthews led
the team with 106 tackles and added 3 interceptions as a true freshman for the
Cougar defense. Middle linebacker comes down to senior Everett Daniels and
redshirt sophomore Efrem Oliphant with Daniels holding the current top spot.
DB
#02 D.J. Hayden CB 6-0/190 SR-1L
Houston, Texas--13 games played, 12 starts. 66 tackles, 8 for loss. 1 sack, 2
interceptions, 11 pd, 13 pbu, 2 fumble recoveries, 5 forced fumbles. 1
defensive touchdown.
#10 Zachary McMillian CB 5-10/175
JR-2L Missouri City, Texas--13 games played, 13 starts. 44 tackles, 1 for loss.
1 interception, 7 pbu, 8 pd.
#24 Kent Brooks SS 5-11/200
JR-2L Humble, Texas--14 games played, 9 starts. 75 tackles, 0.5 for loss. 3
pbu, 3 pd, 2 fumble recoveries, 2 forced fumbles.
#20 Colton Valencia FS 5-10/190
RS JR-1L Missouri City, Texas--12 games played, 4 starts. 40 tackles, 1.5 for
loss. 2 pbu, 2 pd.
#12 Chevy Bennett CB 6-1/200 SR-1L Dallas, Texas--9 games played, 5
starts. 25 tackles, 1 for loss. 1 pbu, 1 pd.
#13 Thomas Bates CB 5-11/180 RS JR-2L Baytown, Texas--14 games played,
3 starts. 36 tackles, 1 for loss. 1 sack, 3 interceptions, 7 pbu, 10 pd.
#30 Earl Foster SS 6-0/190 RS FR-RS Houston, Texas--Redshirted in 2011.
#28 Jeffery Lewis FS 5-9/185 SR-3L Houston, Texas--14 games played. 21
tackles. 1 interception, 2 pbu, 3 pd.
#17 Chris Cermin DB 5-10/190 RS SR-2L Katy, Texas--6 games played. 2
tackles.
#25 Alex Tillman DB 5-9/175 RS SO-SQ Houston, Texas--4 games played. No
stats in 2011.
#29 Marcus Moody DB 5-11/185 RS SO-SQ Stafford, Texas--No stats in
2011.
#?? Trevon Stewart DB Patterson, La. Patterson--Incoming freshman.
#?? Jarrett Irving DB Spring, Texas Dekaney--Incoming freshman.
#?? Adrian McDonald DB Lawton,
Okla. Eisenhower--Incoming freshman.
#?? William Jackson DB Houston, Texas Wheatley--Incoming freshman.
Three juniors and a senior lead
an experienced Cougar secondary into 2012 with DJ Hayden and Zachary McMillian
at the corner back spots and a combined 110 tackles and 3 interceptions in
2011. Kent Brooks and Colton Valencia man the safety spots with a combined 115
tackles on the year last season. Backup cornerbacks Chevy Bennett and Thomas
Bates are more than capable backups with 66 tackles between the two in 2011.
Earl Foster and Jeffrey Lewis back up the safety spots with only Lewis having
any game experience. The rest of the secondary will either be redshirted or
find time on special teams in 2012.
K
#46 Matt Hogan K 6-1/200 RS
SR-3L Keller, Texas--14 games played. 13-17 field goals. 9-9 from inside the 30
yard line. Long of 38 yards. 91-92 extra points.
#39 Kyle Bullard K 6-0/160 RS FR-RS Boerne, Texas--Redshirted in 2011.
Redshirt senior Matt Hogan has a
strangle hold on the field goal kicking position after making a nice 13 of 17
attempts in 2011. The one complaint is that Hogan must improve his accuracy
from over 30 yards. he was only 4-8 from over 30 yards last season.
LS
#86 Brandon Hartson LS 6-3/250
RS SR-3L Fairfield, Texas--13 games played. 2 tackles.
#53 Nolan Frese LS 6-1/212 RS FR-RS Roanoke, Texas--Redshirted in 2011.
Redshirt senior Brandon Hartson
will be back this fall as the long snapper, playing a crucial role to the
kicking game and allowing both Hartson and Leone chances to be weapons for the
Cougars this fall.
P
#15 Richie Leone P/K 6-3/200
JR-2L Roswell, Ga.--14 games played. 51 punts for a 41.1 yard average. 15
inside the 20 yard line, 12 over 50 yards, 1 blocked. 35 kickoffs, 5
touchbacks.
#40 Sam Martin P 6-1/175
RS FR-RS Texas City, Texas--Redshirted in 2011.
Junior Richie Leone will be
returning as the punter after a nice 41.1 yard punt average in 2011. Leone
landed 15 of his 51 punts inside the 20 yard line while kicking 12 over 50
yards. Leone was also good at kicking off with 5 of 35 kickoffs being
touchbacks.
Overall, there is no way to
predict how things will go post-Keenum for Houston. When he fell to a knee
injury 2 years ago, the team fell apart and Houston ended with a losing record
and missed a bowl game. When Keenum came back, they only lost one game and
nearly made a BCS bowl in 2011. Whoever becomes the quarterback is very
important but Houston must revolve the offense around Sims and the other
running backs until the new quarterback is comfortable. With an out of
conference slate that is not exactly fear inducing, as well as getting Tulsa at
home, everything is set up for a successful first season after Case Keenum.
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