THE DAILY COUGAR SPORTS MAGAZINE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2011
Heisman hope Quarterback Case Keenum is not just a darkhorse Heisman candidate // 2
Bright future A true freshman has been one of the top defensive performers // 7
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Senior quarterback Case Keenum deserves some votes to win the Heisman Trophy as the leader of the NCAA’s top-ranked offense. | Brianna Leigh Morrison/The Daily Cougar
THE COIN TOSS
Quarterback makes good Heisman Case Anyone who has followed the John No. 11-ranked Brannen Cougars knows senior quarterback Case Keenum is among the most elite players in college football. It would not be far-fetched for a player of his caliber to be mentioned when talking about the mot prestigious award in all of college sports — the Heisman Trophy. He may not deserve to win the award, but he certainly has earned an invitation to the ceremony Dec. 10 in New York. His current statistics would be a dream season for other collegiate quarterbacks. Keenum has completed more than 74 percent of his passes, and has thrown 37 touchdowns to just three interceptions. He is just 49 yards away from breaking the 4,000-yard mark for the year, and needs eight completions to become the all-time NCAA leader. There are a slew of other awards that Keenum is nominated for, and he will collect plenty of hardware for his recordbreaking season. In 1989, former quarterback Andre Ware is the only player in UH history to win the prestigious accolade. Even if Keenum did not come home with the trophy, him being recognized as a legitimate candidate would give the University even more of a buzz. Either way, Keenum will not consider his awards as an individual pat on the back — it will be celebrated as a triumph for the team. Subtract him from the UH roster, and this is simply not a team capable of going on a 10-game winning streak, which truly measures his value. Voters should not judge a candidate by the conference he plays in, or the postseason bowl game their team received a bid to.
They should think about what each team would look like without the Heisman candidate. Take last year, for example. After his injury the Cougars won three games in his absence while losing six. Outsiders are skeptical of the Cougars because they do not have the strongest schedule, but there is no denying how impressive Keenum’s numbers are. When describing UH, an often-repeated term is its “video-game offense.” Keenum is putting the final touches on an achievement-filled career while wearing red and white. At the end of his football career, he plans on becoming a coach and patrolling the sidelines, just like his father did. His on-field presence already makes Keenum similar to a coach, and he will probably be well-suited to call plays, hold a clipboard and wear a headset when the time comes. But before he becomes coach Keenum, he will more than likely wear another team’s uniform before his playing career is said and done. By no means will he be selected No. 1 overall in the 2012 NFL draft — and probably not in the first round — but he should receive an opportunity to prove himself on the next level. He has improved his stock with his accuracy and leadership. When playing in such a high-powered offense like UH has, critics will say his monster numbers are a by-product of the offensive philosophy. Keenum would tell you he is a system quarterback because he can play in any system. With less than a year to recover from a major knee injury and surgery, Keenum has been able to keep himself out of harm’s way. He is healthy for the most important part of the season, and pro scouts are not going to ignore his performances.
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The Daily Cougar
STARTINGLINEUP 12
2
Seniors circled in red.
24
Bennett (FS)
Brooks (SS)
Hayden (CB)
55 8
54
McGraw (LB)
10 McMillian (CB)
Mathews (LB)
Brown (LB)
42
97
Braswell (RE)
99
Miller (NT)
95
Steward (LB)
Hunter (LE)
DEFENSE OFFENSE
76
83
3
Edwards (WR)
Ashworth (LT)
64
Cloud (LG)
Johnson (WR)
70
7
63
Thompson (C)
74
Forsch (RG)
Harper (RT)
35
Keenum (QB)
5
88
Carrier (WR)
Smith (WR)
Sims (RB)
TEAM LEADERS Receiving
Passing Player
Comp
Att
Yds
TD
Int
Rtg
Keenum
279
376
3,951
37
3
193.3
Turner
46
73
588
4
1
146.0
Rushing
Player
Pass Defense
Tackles Rec
Yds
Avg
TD
Lg
Yds/G
Player
TOT
TFL.
Sacks
Player
Int
PD
TD
3
10
—
Carrier
69
771
11.2
5
54
77.1
McGraw
99
8.0
2.5
Bates
Edwards
61
1,277
20.9
14
70
127.7
Mathews
75
8.5
1.0
Steward
3
7
4
Johnson, J.
47
705
15.0
7
61
70.5
Brown
67
21.5
9.5
Hayden
2
7
1
Hayes
30
323
10.8
4
54
35.9
Steward
57
7.5
1.5
Mathews
2
3
1
McGraw
1
5
1
Player
Att
Yds
Avg
TD
Lg
Yds/G
Sims
27
392
14.5
3
84
43.6
Brooks
47
0.5
—
Sims
75
658
8.8
9
72
73.1
Smith, E.J.
26
281
10.8
2
52
28.1
Hayden
41
—
—
Hayes
94
553
5.9
7
71
61.4
Peace
13
105
8.1
0
26
15.0
McMillian
39
—
—
Beall
51
297
5.8
7
23
42.4
Spencer
11
160
14.5
2
41
17.8
Valencia
37
1.5
—
Player
FG
FGA
Lg.
Turner
9
70
7.8
2
35
10.0
Williams, R.
8
73
9.1
1
22
7.3
Saenz
37
1.5
—
Hogan
7
9
35
Kicking
Saturday, November 19, 2011
The Daily Cougar
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THEBIGBOARD // College football at a glance AP TOP 25 RK
TEAM
RECORD
PTS
1 LSU (60)
10-0
1500
2 Oklahoma State
10-0
1432
3 Alabama
9-1
4 Oregon
C-USA SCHEDULE
C-USA STANDINGS
SATURDAY
NETWORK
TIME
EAST
W
L
W
L
Tulsa at UTEP
CBS Sports Network
2:00 p.m. CT
(22) USM
9
1
5
1
1380
SMU at Houston
Fox Sports Network
2:30 p.m. CT
Marshall
4
6
3
3
9-1
1326
Tulane at Rice
None
2:30 p.m.
East Carolina
4
6
3
3
5 Oklahoma
8-1
1230
East Carolina at Central Florida
Fox Sports Network
6:00 p.m. CT
UCF
4
6
2
4
6 Arkansas
9-1
1217
7 Clemson
9-1
1075
Southern Miss. at UAB
CBS Sports Network
7:00 p.m. CT
8 Stanford
9-1
1071
9 Virginia Tech
9-1
1000
TV GUIDE
10 Boise State
8-1
880
11 Houston
10-0
867
SATURDAY, SEPT. 3
NETWORK
TIME (CT)
Nebraska at Michigan
ESPN
11 a.m.
Wisconsin at Illinois
ESPN2
11 a.m.
Citadel at South Carolina
ESPN3.com
11 a.m.
Louisville at Connecticut
ESPN3.com
11 a.m.
Cincinnati at Rutgers
ESPNU
11 a.m.
Kansas at Texas A&M
Fox Sports Network
11 a.m.
Indiana at Michigan State
BTN
11 a.m.
Minnesota at Northwestern
BTN
11 a.m.
Iowa at Purdue
BTN
11 a.m.
Kentucky at Georgia
ESPN3.com
11:21 a.m.
Georgia Tech at Duke
ESPN
11:30 a.m.
Samford at Auburn
ESPN3.com
Noon
Furman at Florida
ESPN3.com
Noon
Army at Temple
ESPN3.com
Noon
Georgia Southern at Alabama
ESPN
1 p.m.
New Mexico at Wyoming
MTN
1 p.m.
Maryland at Wake Forest
ESPN3.com
2 p.m.
Arkansas State at Middle Tennessee
ESPN3.com
2 p.m.
Tulsa at UTEP
CBS Sports
2 p.m.
Mississippi State at Arkansas
CBS
2:30 p.m.
Clemson at North Carolina State
ESPN
2:30 p.m.
Southern Methodist at Houston
Fox Sports Network
2:30 p.m.
Colorado State at TCU
Versus
2:30 p.m.
Penn State at Ohio State
ESPN
2:30 p.m.
Miami (FL) at South Florida
ESPN3.com
2:30 p.m.
Texas Tech at Missouri
ABC
2:30 p.m.
Navy at San Jose State
ESPN3.com
3 p.m.
Boston College at Notre Dame
NBC
3 p.m.
Utah State at Idaho
ESPN3.com
4 p.m.
UNLV at Air Force
MTN
5 p.m.
LSU at Ole Miss
ESPN
6 p.m.
UCF at East Carolina
Fox Sports Network
6 p.m.
Western Kentucky at North Texas
ESPN3.com
6 p.m.
Vanderbilt at Tennessee
ESPNU
6 p.m.
Virginia at Florida State
ESPN2
6:30 p.m.
Colorado at UCLA
Versus
6:30 p.m.
USC at Oregon
ABC
7 p.m.
Oklahoma at Baylor
ABC
7 p.m.
Boise State at San Diego State
CBS Sports
7 p.m.
12 Michigan State
8-2
767
13 Georgia
8-2
756
14 South Carolina
8-2
706
15 Wisconsin
8-2
676
16 Kansas State
8-2
629
17 Nebraska
8-2
583
18 USC
8-2
564
19 TCU
8-2
402
20 Michigan
8-2
381
21 Penn State
8-2
320
22 Southern Miss.
9-1
250
23 Florida State
7-3
107
24 Notre Dame
7-3
93
25 Baylor
6-3
68
Others receiving votes: Georgia Tech 66, West Virginia 47, Virginia 26, Cincinnati 24, Tulsa 22, Texas 11, Auburn 10, Arizona State 7, Washington 6, Georgia Southern 1
For our University, it is fantastic. Not just for football, but for our city. It is a window to the world for the University of Houston. It is great, especially for recruiting. It validates what we are trying to do. We want to compete for championships and be a top 25 program. — Kevin Sumlin, on having ESPN’s College GameDay come to campus.
UAB
2
8
2
5
Memphis
2
8
1
5
WEST
W
L
W
L
(11) Houston
10
0
6
0
Tulsa
7
3
6
0
SMU
6
4
4
2
Rice
3
7
2
4
UTEP
5
5
2
4
Tulane
2
9
1
6
COUGAR FLASHBACK
1988 Houstonian Yearbook
HOUSTON 30 TEXAS TECH 29
Cougars outlast Red Raiders in Lubbock André Ware found current co-offensive coordinator Jason Phillips in the end zone for a three-yard score with 2:03 remaining to give the Cougars a wild win in Lubbock. The snowy weather didn’t stop either team from strutting their stuff on offense, combining for 943 total yards. Phillips caught 11 balls for 157 yards. Ware threw for 348 yards and two touchdowns. The win helped UH lock up an invitation to play Washington State in the Aloha Bowl on Christmas Day. UH would finish 9-3 that season and 5-2 in conference play. — Cougar Sports Staff
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Freshman linebacker Derrick Mathews is the Cougars’ second-leading tackler with 75. His 8.5 tackles for a loss is also good for second on the team. | Courtesy of UH Athletics
PLAYER PROFILE
‘Young Pup’ tabbed as future of UH defense John Brannen
THE DAILY COUGAR At the start of the season the Cougars had three definite senior team captains. Quarterback Case Keenum, wide receiver Patrick Edwards and linebacker Marcus McGraw were all understandable picks for the job. But while the season was still young, it was a true freshman who rose through the ranks and was added as a second defensive captain. Freshman linebacker Derrick Mathews quickly established a presence in a defensive backfield that is already filled with talent. Through 10 games he is the second-leading tackler, registering 75, and is second in tackles for a loss with 8.5. He is also tied for second on the team with two interceptions — returning one for a touchdown in the Cougars’ 63-28 win against Marshall on Oct. 22. Had head coach Kevin Sumlin predicted he would get this level of production from Mathews, the decision to make him a captain would have been an obvious one. “He’s great,” McGraw said. “From the day he walked in he wanted to play. He didn’t have his mind on a redshirt. “It took three games and he pretty much had it under his belt. He knows what everybody expects of him. I treat him like a veteran now.” Having a lesser-experienced player perform at such a high level has given the Cougars even more motivation to be aggressive. “He’s just a great all-around athlete, and he pushes everybody around him,” McGraw said. “He pushes the older guys — when you see a young guy work hard it makes you want to work hard. When the young guys see him work hard, they want to be on his level. “Having a caliber of a player like that on the field, it raises everybody’s level.”
Mathews played at North Shore High School before becoming a Cougar. His career for the Mustangs made Texas Tech head coach Tommy Tuberville try to convince him to take his talents to Lubbock to be a Red Raider. But fortunately for the Cougars, Mathews chose to stay in Houston. “Derrick Mathews is really a unique situation,” Sumlin said. “We felt like in high school he was the best defensive player in town. I think coach Tuberville did too, that’s why he wouldn’t leave him alone until the end. There’s a reason for that. He’s a dynamic player. He is extremely athletic, very very fast MATHEWS continues on page 8
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Mathews’ two interceptions ties him with cornerback D.J. Hayden for the second-most on the team. Before UH, he attended North Shore High School. | Courtesy of UH Athletics
MATHEWS continued from page 7
and has a great grasp of what we’re trying to do. For a guy who just got here, we’ve been really pleased. After the second scrimmage in the fall he moved into the starting lineup, and has continued to progress every week.” It took time for Mathews to be comfortable with his teammates competitively and socially. Through the course of the season, his counterparts on defense have embraced him. “At first when you get here as a freshman you’re kind of quiet, but we opened him up a little bit,” McGraw said. “We welcomed him to the defense, and he’s a fun guy
...you may not be 6 anymore or see 20/20.
to be around. He’s my roommate on travel games. We sit there and talk all the time. We mess with him because he’s ‘in love.’ He has a girlfriend, and we like to joke with him about it.” With Mathews, McGraw, senior Sammy Brown and junior Phillip Steward the linebacker core has been a strong point for the Cougars. Just Mathews and Steward will return next season, but McGraw said Mathews will continue to excel as long as he relies on what has made him successful thus far. “I’m not going to say I’ve passed the torch to him,” McGraw said. “He’s going to come out here and be Derrick Mathews, he’s not looking to be anybody else.”
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