the daily cougar SportS magazine
Saturday, September 3, 2011
In Case Senior quarterback shares his day-to-day activities // 4
Bruin trouble UCLA brings new look for showdown at Robertson // 6
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Saturday, September 3, 2011
the daily cougar SportS magazine
T h e Da i ly Co u g a r // o v e r t i m e
Providing a new perspective
section editors John Brannen Joshua Siegel
copy editors Jack Wehman Natasha Faircloth
guest writers Chris Nguyen Eric Peck Jacob Ruffman
logo design Lana Flores
page design Ben Muths
about overtime is produced by The Daily Cougar, the official student newspaper of the university of houston. it publishes for every home football game. No part of the publication in print or online may be reproduced without the written consent of the director of the Student Publications Department.
contact editorial 713-743-5360 Advertising 713-743-5340 Business office 713-743-5350 room 7, uC Satellite Student Publications university of houston houston, TX 77204-4015
the CoIn toss
John Brannen
Greetings football fans, welcome to Robertson Stadium and a brand-new season. Many of you reading this likely dismissed the struggles of last season by casually saying: “there’s always next year.” Well, that time has finally come. This is the inaugural edition of Overtime, and it is a new tradition The Daily Cougar wishes to continue for years to come. It will be distributed for free at home football games, with the purpose of giving readers insight on the Cougars, their opponent and general happenings in the wild world of college football. We want Overtime to serve you, the loyal followers of Cougar Nation, even if you give it a quick skim in the midst of your pregame festivities. Feel free to give us your feedback — we are easy to
contact by email, phone or your favorite social media website. Let us know how we can improve Overtime, and what kind of information you want to consume prior to kickoff. In order to inform readers about what UCLA is bringing to the table, we recruited the assistance of The Daily Bruin, UCLA’s student newspaper. The production of Overtime would not be possible if it was not for the contributions of the Bruins’ three talented sports writers Chris Nguyen, Eric Peck and Jacob Ruffman. It is an exciting time for sports at UH. Head coach Kevin Sumlin is entering his fourth year, and quarterback Case Keenum is back for his second chance at a senior season. The Cougars are itching for a chance to play in the Conference USA Championshp game. Their path will contain a fair share of challenging obstacles, but doing things the hard way is nothing new if you have ever followed UH teams. There are also 18 other seniors besides Keenum, and a stable of upstanding, talented student-
athletes who all have interesting background stories that need to be told. The Athletics Department has raised $60 million toward the construction of a new stadium to replace Robertson. Approximately $90 million is needed before ground breaks on the project, so it seems to be only a matter of time before there is some attractive new scenery on campus. Once the football stadium is taken care of, Hofheinz Pavilion will be the next building to receive renovations. Remember, it takes more than a successful football program to build a championship athletics department. Five of six home games at Robertson were sold out in 2010. It is the responsibility of the fans to make it a perfect six-for-six this year. Whether you are an alumni, member of the faculty or a student, you all can do your part to increase the profile of UH by simply showing up. Encourage your apathetic and uninvolved friends to experience the rush of a college football game — they won’t regret it.
FootBall sChedule
UCLA
2:30 p.m. September 3 Robertson Stadium @UNT
6:00 p.m. September 10
@Louisiana Tech 6:00 p.m. September 17
Georgia State
7:00 p.m. September 24
@UTEP
7:00 p.m. September 29
ECU
6:00 p.m. October 8
Marshall
3:30 p.m. October 22
Rice
7:00 p.m. October 27
@UAB
6:00 p.m. November 5
@Tulane
6:00 p.m. November 10
SMU
TBA November 19
@Tulsa
11:00 a.m. November 25
leaders in specialty soft and gas permeable lenses.
Special discounts for fulltime UH students
*** Students with Privite or MACORI insurance receive special discounts
!"#$%&'$()*#'*$)+$(,-&).#$/0$,#0$1&''-'*2$$$$3$$$$$Open to the public, Monday Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. To schedule an appointment, call 713.743.2015 or visit www.uei.uh.edu
Saturday, September 3, 2011
o v e r t i m e \\ T h e Da i ly Co u g a r
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3
With records in sight, Carrier returns to catch them John Brannen
The Daily Cougar The most easily identifiable constant in the UH offense for the past three seasons has been wide receiver and kick returner Tyron Carrier. The senior has recorded a reception in every game he has played in, good for 39 consecutive contests with at least one catch. In the spring, Carrier concluded his senior season in track. Instead of juggling classes, football and running, he can now trim his list of priorities to just two of those pursuits. As a sprinter Carrier qualified for the NCAA Championships three times. He said his work ethic was constantly tested trying to balance such a hectic schedule. “It ain’t easy,” Carrier said. “It’s not for everybody, I tell people that all the time. Going to three or four practices, it’s not that fun. There’s no social life. If you want to play two sports in college, make sure you want to do that, because your social life will hurt. “But track has been so important to me while I’ve been here. It did a lot of great things for me. It took me places I probably would Senior wide receiver and kick returner Tyron Carrier is 57 yards away from becoming the have never been. Thanks to coach all-time UH leader in all-purpose yardage. If he can run back two kickoffs for scores, he will Burrell and his staff for giving me
the opportunity to keep running and doing what I love doing.” The speedster has a chance to etch his name in the NCAA record books. He has six career kick returns for a touchdown, and if he takes one more to the house he will tie the all-time mark of former Clemson running back C.J. Spiller. Carrier wants to break the record, but he is more concerned
about the numbers in the win-loss column. “You have your individual goals, but if you have no championship or you don’t win a certain amount of games nobody remembers it,” he said. “It’s not important at all unless you win games. If we’re winning games those goals will happen, but we have to win before we talk about any of it.”
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Saturday, September 3, 2011
T h e Da i ly Co u g a r // o v e r t i m e
CoverStoRy
Get to know Case A day in the life of a star college quarterback
S
enior Quarterback Case Keenum needs little introduction. The sixth-year senior is poised to set multiple UH and NCAA records this season, and was named to five national award watch lists. The Daily Cougar spoke with Keenum to see what else he is up to besides film study and game preparation, and how life is as a newlywed. Q: What is the story behind you getting your signature jersey #7? Did you choose it after any players in particular? A: I was No. 18 in high school. I got down here and I was No. 12 my freshman year. It didn’t feel right. It didn’t fit me. The next year Kevin Kolb left, and I wanted to change numbers before I really got some playing time. I just decided to switch to 7. I liked John Elway, I liked a single digit. It seems like a lot of quarterbacks in the country are 7 right now. It caught on. Q: Whether it’s college or professional, who are some of your other favorite players to watch? A: In college it’s probably Kellen Moore from Boise State — he’s one of the favorite guys I like to watch. Andrew Luck is probably one of the best there is at the position. He makes a lot of tough throws, and makes them look really easy. In the NFL it’s Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning. They’re all pretty good at what they do, and you can learn a lot of stuff from them.
by John Brannen
Q: What sports teams did you like to follow as a kid? A: I was a Dallas Cowboys and a Rangers fan, and then just whoever my dad was coaching for. Q: You like to watch “How I Met Your Mother,” what are some of your other favorite TV shows? A: “How I Met Your Mother” is still right up there at the top. I’ve recently been watching “Arrested Development” even though it’s gone. I’ve Netflixed it. Some of the shows that I probably don’t like to admit that I watch is “True Blood.” It’s weird, but I just can’t stop watching that. Also anything on the Golf Channel, I‘m a golf fan. Q: What music do you listen to, who are you favorites? A: Right now I like Jack Johnson and Mumford and Sons. I just got a new Eric Church CD and a Matt Kearney CD. I recently found Spotify online. It’s pretty neat, it’s like iTunes and Pandora combined. I like using it. Q: Are you the type to plug in your headphones before games to stay motivated — is it part of your pregame routine? A: I used to listen to the same song before every game. It’s a praise and worship song called “Audience of One.” But I don’t rely on it. I don’t sit there and have to listen to crazy music to get going. Just whatever I’m feeling at the time. Q: Where are your favorite places in Houston to eat? A: I’m a Tex-Mex kind of guy. The original Ninfa’s, I went there the other day. There and Lupe Tortillas are my main two spots. I love Star Pizza. We (my wife and I) have our own places we always go that we don’t really stray far from. We’re finding some new ones though. Q: How has married life been, is it what you expected? A: It’s been really good. It’s nice to have someone to go home to every day, and to be there for. We can talk about everything, things I wouldn’t tell anybody else. My wife is my best friend more than anything.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
o v e r t i m e \\ T h e Da i ly Co u g a r
startIngLineUp 12
2
Seniors circled in red.
24
Bennett (FS)
Brooks (SS)
Hayden (CB)
55 8
McGraw (LB)
54
10 McMillian (CB)
Daniels (LB)
Brown (LB)
42
59
King (RE)
99
Smith (NT)
n
95
Steward (LB)
Hunter (LE)
deFense oFFense
76
83
Edwards (WR)
3
Ashworth (LT)
64
Cloud (LG)
Johnson (WR)
70
7
Thompson (C)
63
Forsch (RG)
74
Harper (RT)
35
Keenum (QB)
25
Carrier (WR)
Beall (RB)
splIttIng tIme/Injury report runnIng BaCk
25 michael 29 hAyES charles 5 SiMS bryce BEALL
saFety
24 colton 32 vALENCiA nick 41 SAENz kent BROOkS
reCeIver
89 darian 1 LAzARd mark 18 ROBERTS
isaiah SWEENEy
InjurIes
C radermon DL SCyPiON
blake SARgENT
88
Smith (WR)
5
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Saturday, September 3, 2011
T h e Da i ly Co u g a r // o v e r t i m e
theopposItIon
Bruins, Neuheisel feeling the pressure Chris Nguyen
The Daily bruin
Junior running back Johnathan Franklin is considered the Bruins’ most dangerous offensive weapon. In the passing game, the Cougars will have to deal with junior quarterbacks Kevin Prince and Tyler Brehaut — both are expected to receive playing time. | Courtesy of ASUCLA Photography
UCLA offense packs a pistol Eric Peck
The Daily bruin Boasting a new coordinator in Mike Johnson, UCLA’s offense will look to improve on a less than spectacular 2010 campaign. Johnson comes to the Bruins from the San Francisco 49ers, where he was the offensive coordinator last season. Head coach Rick Neuheisel worked with Johnson in the NFL during the 2006 and 2007 seasons when both were on the Baltimore Ravens’ coaching staff. Led by redshirt junior Johnathan Franklin, the Bruins’ running game is the strongest facet of their attack. Franklin is an elusive
back that has both the speed to get to the outside, and the strength to finish runs in the red zone. Juniors Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut are both vying for the starting spot at quarterback. Prince started five games last year and completed 44 percent of his passes before suffering a knee injury. Brehaut took over for the remainder of the season and completed 56 percent of his passes for 1296 yards and six touchdowns. The offensive line features three seniors in center Kai Maiava, guard Sean Sheller and tackle Mike Harris. Maiava, a transfer from Pac-12 newcomer Colorado, suffered a
broken ankle in last year’s fall scrimmage that sidelined him for the season. The Bruins will look for him to make an impact in both run blocking and pass protection. UCLA’s receiver corps averaged 141 yards per game and reeled in nine touchdowns last season. The Bruins return both starters in seniors Nelson Rosario and Taylor Embree while adding Notre Dame in redshirt sophomore Shaquelle Evans, who is eligible after sitting out a season due to transfer rules. With a new coordinator and a handful of new talent, UCLA’s offense will focus on staying healthy and consistent in order to improve on a poor showing last season.
Bruins expecting improvement with new coach Jacob Ruffman
The Daily bruin Starting at the top, UCLA has a new defensive coordinator in Joe Tresey. He was the defensive coordinator at Cincinnati and USF where he led units that finished in the top 25 in scoring defense. In the trenches, UCLA gets back redshirt junior defensive end Datone Jones, who broke his foot during fall camp last season and was lost for the year. Jones is a monster on the line, checking in at 6-foot-5-inches, 275 pounds. Because of the depth on the
line, the starting positions are fluid outside of Jones with a bevy of talent waiting in the wings. The linebacking core is probably the best group on UCLA’s defense. Redshirt junior middle linebacker Patrick Larimore is returning from a shoulder injury sustained midway through last season. When healthy, he is one of the best linebackers in the Pac-12. Joining him are seniors Sean Westgate and Glenn Love, who is the frontrunner to fill the spot vacated by Akeem Ayers. Westgate is undersized but has a knack for the game, evidenced by his 90 tackles and four sacks last season.
Love, a converted safety, is currently the starter at the strongside linebacker spot, but he’ll have to hold off sophomore Jordan Zumwalt. The secondary as a whole for UCLA was a liability for most of last season and in spite of Moore’s defection, they should be improved. The corner position is solid at the top with returning juniors Sheldon Price and Aaron Hester returning to their starting roles, but there is little depth with redshirt junior Andrew Abbott being the only other corner with starting experience as a Bruin. The safety position is possibly
the deepest position of all for the Bruins. Senior Tony Dye, UCLA’s leading tackler last season, is considered one of the top safeties in the nation. Sophomore Dietrich Riley is slated to replace Dye at strong safety while Dye will slide over to free safety. Dye and Riley are joined by junior Dalton Hilliard, redshirt freshman Tevin McDonald and redshirt sophomores Stan McKay and Alex Mascarenas. It is well-documented that this is a vital year for Rick Neuheisel at UCLA and if he succeeds, the new defense will be a major reason why.
There are many, many questions regarding UCLA as it heads into its first game of the 2011 season. Like, how is the defense going to cope with the loss of second round draft picks safety Rahim Moore and outside linebacker Akeem Ayers? How is the new coaching staff going to revitalize an offense that ranked 104th in scoring and 116th in yards in the air? And probably most importantly, who’s going to throw the damn ball? We may not know the answer to any of those questions, and we probably won’t until the Bruins take the field against the Houston Cougars. But one thing’s for sure — this season has to be different. Head coach Rick Neuheisel has the weight of the world on his back, and a seat infinitely hotter than the weather that UCLA fears when it touches down in Houston. Neuheisel is coming off his second 4-8 season out of three. Neuheisel has no choice but to be more versatile on the offensive end. He may not have Case Keenum under center, but it shouldn’t take much to improve last year’s dismal offensive performance. The Bruins’ new pistol offense proved its worth on the ground as Johnathan Franklin amassed 1,127 yards on the season. This year, however, that should change. There has been much more versatility in the play calling and formations during fall practice. UCLA’s defense gained a new coordinator in Joe Tresey. Now if you thought Neuheisel had a white-hot temper, take a listen to this guy. Tresey possesses a fury in his coaching you couldn’t find even if you pissed off Christian Bale. Despite losing two stalwarts, the Bruins regain a game-changer in redshirt junior defensive end Datone Jones from a foot injury. With NFL-caliber talent, Jones’ pass-rushing abilities will completely alter the way offenses will consider protection. Neuheisel and his Bruins have their backs against the wall, but their only choice is to retaliate. And in doing so, hopefully they can save the job of a coach many really want to succeed. He’s charismatic, a stellar recruiter and a Bruin. And more importantly, he knew how to throw the damn ball. Now it’s time for his quarterbacks to do the same for him.
Saturday, September 3, 2011 n 7
OVERTIME \\ T h e Da i ly Co u g a r
thebigboard // College football at a glance AP TOP 25 RK
Team
Record
Pts
1 Oklahoma (36)
0-0
1464
2 Alabama (17)
0-0
1439
3 Oregon (4)
0-0
1330
4 LSU (1)
0-0
1286
5 Boise State (2)
0-0
1200
6 Florida State
0-0
1168
7 Stanford
0-0
1091
8 Texas A&M
0-0
965
9 Oklahoma State
0-0
955
10 Nebraska
0-0
910
11 Wisconsin
0-0
12 South Carolina
0-0
tv guide Saturday, Sept. 3
Network
Time (ET)
Utah State at Auburn
ESPN2
Noon
Northwestern at Boston College
ESPNU
Noon
Akron at Ohio State
ESPN
Noon
Indiana State at Penn State
BTN
Noon
Middle Tennessee at Purdue
BTN
Noon
Tennessee Tech at Iowa
BTN
Noon
Kent State at Alabama
ESPN3.com
12:20 p.m.
Appalachian State at Virginia Tech
ESPN3.com
12:30 p.m.
Minnesota at USC
ABC
3:30 p.m.
900
Louisiana-Monroe at Florida State
ESPNU
3:30 p.m.
848
South Florida at Notre Dame
NBC
3:30 p.m.
ABC
3:30 p.m.
ESPN3.com
3:30 p.m.
13 Virginia Tech
0-0
821
Western Michigan at Michigan
14 TCU
0-0
690
James Madison at North Carolina
15 Arkansas
0-0
686
Troy at Clemson
ESPN3.com
3:30 p.m.
BTN
3:30 p.m.
16 Notre Dame
0-0
530
Arkansas State at Illinois
17 Michigan State
0-0
519
Brigham Young at Ole Miss
ESPN
4:45 p.m.
ESPN3.com
6 p.m.
18 Ohio State
0-0
443
Liberty at North Carolina State
19 Georgia
0-0
369
Buffalo at Pittsburgh
ESPN3.com
6 p.m.
20 Mississippi State
0-0
361
William & Mary at Virginia
ESPN3.com
6 p.m.
21 Missouri
0-0
258
Montana at Tennessee
ESPN3.com
6 p.m.
22 Florida
0-0
228
Florida Atlantic at Florida
ESPNU
7 p.m.
23 Auburn
0-0
219
Missouri State at Arkansas
ESPN3.com
7 p.m.
24 West Virginia
0-0
207
Richmond at Duke
ESPN3.com
7 p.m.
25 USC
0-0
160
Others receiving votes: Texas 114, Penn State 75, Arizona State 67, Miami (FL) 32, Utah 25, Southern Miss 20, Iowa 19, Brigham Young 15, North Carolina State 15, Air Force 14, Houston 13, Pittsburgh 9, Michigan 7, Tennessee 5, UCF 5, Northern Illinois 4, Hawaii 4, Tulsa 3, Arizona 2, Maryland 2, Nevada 1, Northwestern 1, Washington 1
cougar flashback
1989
Austin Peay at Cincinnati
ESPN3.com
7 p.m.
Army at Northern Illinois
ESPN3.com
7 p.m.
East Carolina at South Carolina
ESPN3.com
7 p.m.
Elon at Vanderbilt
ESPN3.com
7:30 p.m.
Rice at Texas
Longhorn Network
8 p.m.
Tulsa at Oklahoma
FX
8 p.m.
Boise State at Georgia
ESPN
8 p.m.
Oregon at LSU
ABC
8 p.m.
Colorado at Hawaii
ESPN2
10:15 p.m.
c-usa schedule Date
Matchup
Location
Channel
Time
Thu., Sep. 1
Mississippi State at Memphis
Memphis, Tenn.
FSN
7:00 p.m. CT
Sat., Sep. 3
Southeastern Louisiana at Tulane New Orleans, La.
1989 Houstonian Yearbook
Cougars 69, UNLV 0
UH takes fight out of Rebels Quarterback Andre Ware and the Cougars began their historic 1989 season by displaying the firepower of the Run and Shoot offense with a 69-0 rout at UNLV. Ware would throw for six touchdowns, five in the first half. The Cougars set 26 NCAA records on offense and Ware won the Heisman Trophy that year. Ware also guided UH to a 9-2 record, good for No. 14 in the final national rankings. — Cougar Sports Staff
Sun., Sep. 4
2:30 p.m. CT
UCLA at Houston
Houston
FSN
2:30 p.m. CT
Charleston Southern at UCF
Orlando, Fla.
BHSN
6:00 p.m. CT
Rice at Texas
Austin, Texas
Longhorn Network 6:00 p.m. CT
South Carolina at East Carolina
Charlotte, N.C.
FSN
6:00 p.m. CT
Tulsa at Oklahoma
Norman, Okla.
FX
7:00 p.m. CT
Stony Brook at UTEP
El Paso
TW El Paso
8:05 p.m. CT
Louisiana Tech at Southern Miss
Hattiesburg, Miss.
FSN
9:00 p.m. CT
Marshall at West Virginia
Morgantown, W.Va. ESPN
2:30 p.m. CT
SMU at Texas A&M
College Station
FSN
6:30 p.m. CT
Houston
CBSSN
2:30 p.m. CT
Southern Miss at Marshall
Huntington, W. Va.
CSS
2:30 p.m. CT
Tulsa at Tulane
New Orleans, La.
CST
2:30 p.m. CT
Virginia Tech at East Carolina
Greenville, N.C.
FSN
2:30 p.m. CT
Houston at North Texas
Denton
ESPN3.com
6:00 p.m. CT
Memphis at Arkansas State
Jonesboro, Ark.
UAB at Florida
Gainesville, Fla.
FSN
6:00 p.m. CT
UTEP at SMU
Dallas
FSN
6:00 p.m. CT
Boston College at UCF
Orlando, Fla.
CBSSN
7:00 p.m. CT
Sat., Sep. 10 Purdue at Rice
6:00 p.m. CT
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Saturday, September 3, 2011
T h e Da i ly Co u g a r // o v e r t i m e
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Complete Course Evaluation online for selected courses.