Overtime — UH vs. Rice by The Cougar

THE DAILY COUGAR

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

COVER STORY

GRABBING THE REIGNS With an injury to Piland, O’Korn has a chance to take command | page 8

PLAYMAKER Though he was a high school quarterback, sophomore safety Adrian McDonald has found his niche in the secondary | page 10

TAKING A BREAK Joining a new conference means UH temporarily loses an old rival | page 9

The Daily Cougar

8 \\ Thursday, September 19, 2013

Freshman quarterback poised to lead offense Christopher Shelton Sports editor

After freshman quarterback John O’Korn fumbled deep inside Temple territory, he jogged to the sideline expecting his head coach to yell at him. With 8:16 remaining in the game, the Cougars held only a 15-13 lead. The turnover gave Temple another opportunity to take the lead, but instead of shouting at his young quarterback and possibly shaking his confidence, Tony Levine instead offered a handshake and words of encouragement. “I met him at the sideline and put my hand out and shook his hand and said ‘That’s ok, don’t worry about that, we’ve got a lot of football left and we need you to help us win this football game,’” Levine said. “That’s a moment that’s critical in the stage he’s at — not that I’m going to be yelling at a bunch of quarterbacks coming off the field, but (especially with) him playing his second collegiate game on the road, on TV, in front of all his family and friends.” With the confidence of teammates and the coaching staff, O’Korn could get his chance to command the offense this week. After playing the entire second half against Temple, he could start his first career game Saturday in the Bayou Bucket. Junior quarterback

THE DAILY COUGAR

SECTION EDITOR Christopher Shelton COPY CHIEF David Bryant COPY EDITOR Ali Valach COVER PHOTOS Justin Tijerina Courtesy photo PRODUCTION Andres Garcia Farah Hasnie

ABOUT Overtime is produced by The Daily Cougar, the official student newspaper of the University of Houston. No part of the publication in print or online may be reproduced without the written consent of the Director of the Center for Student Media. To contact the CSM, call (713) 743-5350. CONTACT Editorial 713.743.5360 Advertising 713.743.5340

Freshman quarterback John O’Korn has thrown for 340 yards and three touchdowns in part-time action. | Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar David Piland suffered a head injury in the first half, and his status for Saturday’s contest is still uncertain. Levine said he would have no problems starting the 18-year-old because the moment is not too big for him, especially after O’Korn helped engineer a comeback victory during his first conference game on the road. “With the stage last week, having it on TV, actually where he is from with all his friends and family there,

2013 SCHEDULE SOUTHERN W, 62-13 @ TEMPLE W, 22-13 @ RICE Sept. 21 (Reliant) @ UTSA Sept. 28 MEMPHIS s) Oct. 12 (BBVA Compass) BYU Oct. 19 (Reliant) @ RUTGERS Oct. 26 SOUTH FLORIDA Oct. 31 (Reliant) @ CENTRAL FLORIDA A Nov. 09 @ LOUISVILLE Nov. 16 CINCINNATI Nov. 23 (Rice Stadium) SMU Nov. 29 (Reliant)

start, the bye week gave him a chance to get extra practice reps, which are valuable for a freshman. Sophomore offensive lineman Zach Johnson said O’Korn is still getting better. “Since he was a freshman, I don’t know how much they expected out of him coming in, but he’s really set the bar on his expectations,” Johnson said. “He’s done a really good job. He’s a heck of a competitor. He’s going to be really good.”

it was not too big for him,” Levine said. “He went in the game when we were losing, and he didn’t play a perfect game, I said that before, but he came back and led us to victory. He showed tremendous poise and leadership for a guy who has been here a couple of months.” O’Korn has better numbers than Piland so far this season. The freshman has 340 yards with three touchdowns and a 74 percent completion

percentage, while Piland has 220 yards and one touchdown. However, senior cornerback Zachary McMillian said both bring unique qualities to the position. “Piland is great at disguising what he does,” McMillian said. “If he wants to go right, he’s going to make you think he’s going left… O’Korn is good at throwing that deep ball. He can drop it right on the dime even with great coverage.” If O’Korn does pick up his first

CONFERENCE STANDINGS

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ON TV

AMERICAN

Houston

Louisville

UCF

Cincinnati

Rutgers

SATURDAY

NETWORK

TIME

Florida Intercontinental at Louisville

ESPN3

11 a.m.

UH at Rice

FSN

2 p.m.

Arkansas at Rutgers

ESPN

2:30 p.m.

Cincinnati at Miami (Ohio)

ESPN3

3 p.m.

Arkansas State at Memphis

ESPN3

3 30 p.m.

SMU at Texas A&M

ESPNU

6 p.m.

Michigan at Connecticut

ABC

7 p.m.

SMU

Connecticut

Memphis

South Florida

Temple

*The UH-Rice game will also be broadcast on 790 AM.

Thursday, September 19, 2013 // 9

The Daily Cougar

For now, rivalry game kicks bucket Kathleen Murrill Senior staff writer

UH alumnus Diego Lopez still remembers the 2011 Bayou Bucket where former quarterback Case Keenum threw for nine touchdowns in the rain. Soon though, such experiences may be a distant memory for UH fans. With the Cougars moving out of Conference USA and into the American Athletic Conference, dates have not been set for any future games with Rice University so the Bayou Bucket will go on hiatus. This leaves some students and alumni disappointed and upset at the loss of one of only two crosstown university rivalry games in the nation.

“It’s an absolute travesty,” Lopez said. “Rice is a great rival, and collegiate sports are great because of rivalries. That those are falling by the wayside because of money and conference realignment is awful. I will miss playing Rice.” The problem is with fitting in nonconference games into a rigid schedule that is often planned years in advance. Back in 1995, the teams faced the same problem and had to go on a four-season break after the dismantling of the Southwest Conference. On the field, the Cougars take pride in winning the crosstown matchup. Many of the players competed against each other in high school, and several on each team’s roster were recruited by the opposing school, said head coach

Tony Levine said. “You can truly throw the records out. Our young men are going to be ready to play, and certainly (Rice head) coach (David) Bailiff and the Rice student-athletes will be ready to play,” Levine said. “This is a highly competitive game, and the celebration that ensues when the game concludes is one you see in those rivalries where the winning team runs over, grabs it and begins to enjoy themselves on the field at the other program’s expense.” Both teams, though, say they remain interested in keeping this tradition going even if it may not be on an annual basis. Senior Spanish and history major Nick Heisig said if UH cancels this tradition, it should make

the replacement games worthwhile. “If they are going to schedule teams in place of that, they need to be marquee matchups that will bring national prominence to our program and city,” Heisig said. “Otherwise, cancelling a rivalry match for a small-time opponent is a massive letdown for the city as a whole.” Other students like senior logistics and supply chain management major Ross Coburn see the possible cancellation of this 42-year tradition as just a stepping stone as UH climbs onto bigger and better conferences. “It’s all part of the conference movement, so I’m not too upset,” Coburn said. “I’d rather have UH upgraded to a better conference than keep the Bayou Bucket.”

Head coach Tony Levine is 1-0 against Houston rival Rice during his career at UH. | File photo/The Daily Cougar

TOP 5 BAYOU BUCKET MOMENTS With UH and Rice in separate conferences again and non conference schedules set years in advance, the Bayou Bucket will take a four-year break. The battle for the Bayou Bucket is one of two rivalries in the nation that feature schools in the same city. Here are five moments that have help shape the highly contested rivalry.

August 1, 2002

UH SNAPS 15-GAME SLIDE

Quarterback Barrick Nealy ran for one touchdown and passed for another as UH snapped a 15-game losing streak with a 24-10 victory over Rice. It was UH’s first victory since a 33-30 tripleovertime win over Memphis on Oct. 21, 2000. — 2002 Houstonian

September 06, 2006

KOLB STEERS COMEBACK

Quarterback Kevin Kolb threw two touchdowns in the fourth quarter as UH came from 16 points down to defeat Rice 31-30. He hit 22 of 35 for 233 yards and three touchdowns, including 7 of 13 for 88 yards in the fourth quarter. — 2007 Houstonian

October 13, 2007

AVERY SETS RECORDS

Wide receiver Donnie Avery set four UH and Conference USA records with 346 yards receiving and 427 all-purpose yards as the Cougars used a secondhalf comeback to knock off Rice 56-48 and retain the Bayou Bucket. — 2007 Houstonian

September 11, 1971

RIVALRY BEGINS

In 1971, UH faced Rice for the first time and squeezed out a 23-21 victory. Since, the Cougars have a 27-11 edge in the series. The Cougars and Owls have faced each other for more than 40 years with only one gap in competition. — 1971 Houstonian

October 27, 2011

KEENUM TAKES CHARGE

Quarterback Case Keenum caught fire after UH was down 17-7 late in the first quarter. He finished the night by setting an NCAA record with nine touchdown passes to stomp the Owls 73-14. Wide receiver Patrick Edwards hauled in five touchdowns. — File photo

Compiled by Andrew Valderas | Graphics by Andres Garcia

Stewart hopes to replicate success of freshman-year Jacob Arredondo Staff writer

Name: Trevon Stewart Position: Free safety Classification: Sophomore Hometown: Patterson, La. About: Stewart became a starter at safety during the third game of his freshman season. He was named to the Conference USA all-freshman team and was selected as a Freshman All-American

Number 23 was a blur, flashing across midfield while leading with a shoulder and providing big hits to Rice receivers. Last season’s Bayou Bucket was a breakout game for the sophomore star in the secondary, Trevon Stewart. He had 8 solo tackles along with two pass deflections. He has since been an essential piece of the Cougars’ defense which led to a Freshman All-American selection. The Daily Cougar: Last Season, you were selected as a Freshman All-American, what did you think of your season? Trevon Stewart: I had a good season, I wasn’t satisfied with it but my coaches put me in a good spot to make plays and my teammates put me in a good spot to make plays

and I just flew around. I really wasn’t thinking about getting All-American, I was just making plays and it came around for me. TDC: Before the season began last year, you predicted that you were going to become a Freshman All-American. What is your prediction this year? TS: I want to follow behind that and get all American and all conference but I’m just going to go out there and play, and if it comes around for me, it comes around. It’s allways good to set goals. I’m going to set the goals, my teammates and I are going to play hard and hopefully the same accolades come around for me. TDC: This season you have a new defensive coordinator. How has it been this season? TS: It’s been going great. Since

(David) Gibbs stepped up here and became our new defensive coordinator everything been going great, he taught me a lot about the game. He taught our players a lot, we fly around to the ball and we all respect him. I have a lot of respect for Coach Gibbs and I’m just going to do whatever it takes to help him win.” TDC: What is his plan for you? TS: He wants me to learn a lot of different positions, like both safeties, both corners and nickel back. So hopefully in the next level, I can play any position. He just wants us to do great and he thinks we will have a bright future. TDC: How do you feel about the multiple system defenses? TS: It’s good to learn a lot of different defenses, NFL scouts look at all that. It’s good how he moves us around a lot and puts people in

different positions. TDC: Has he expected any leadership out of you? Do you expect yourself to become a leader on the team? TS: “Definitely, even coming in from last year I thought I was a leader, then after getting AllAmerican I expected more out of myself. They just wanted me to be a leader not just on the field, with my play, but vocally. So I’ve stepped up more and I have a lot of goals set for myself and for my players also. So I keep talking and keep everybody up. TDC: Your signature on the field is your dreads, what do the dreads mean to you? TS: I think they give me power. I feel like The Predator when I’m out there. It’s cool that everybody knows me by my dreads so I got to keep flowing and keep flying around.

The Daily Cougar

10 \\ Thursday, September 19, 2013

Despite loss of Sims, backs become strength Christopher Shelton Sports editor

Sophomore safety Adrian McDonald has become one of the team’s best tacklers, which helps keep him on the field even during special teams, head coach Tony Levine said. | Courtesy of UH Athletics

Versatility enables impact Andrew Valderas Assistant sports editor

No matter where he is on the field, sophomore safety Adrian McDonald — or “A-Mac,” as his teammates and coaches call him — has a knack for finding the ball. Up 15-13 at Temple on Sept. 7, the defense dialed up a play to prevent a possible game-winning drive. McDonald answered the call. With 1:37 remaining in the game, the defense was in Cover-2, and McDonald played the middle of the field; Temple quarterback Connor Reilly attempted to hit his receiver on a deep post route but was undercut by McDonald as he intercepted the ball at its highest point. “Some players have got it, and there are some that don’t,” said defensive backs coach Zac Spavital. “He’s like a magnet. Usually, as a defensive back, you’ll touch it no more than one or two times a game, if you’re lucky. He’s a guy that is always trying to get around it at practice, and that’s why he’s good at what he does.” Normally, when a defender intercepts a ball when their team is ahead with less than two minutes remaining, he’ll purposely fall to the ground and won’t risk fumbling it back to the other team, but McDonald chose to return the interception. Athleticism McDonald followed his blocks and made a series of jukes and cutbacks to evade tacklers en route to a 40-yard return that ended at the Temple 12-yard line. “I just like being in the open field and making people miss,” McDonald said. “I was just trying to make a play, but at the end of the run, I just thought I needed to ‘get down, be safe, let my offense take a knee

and let’s just get out of Philly.’” McDonald has previous experience running with the football. Dual-threat quarterback McDonald attended Eisenhower High School in Lawton, Okla. There, he orchestrated the option-offense as a dual-threat quarterback with his agility and ability to run well in the open field. In his combined junior and senior seasons, he racked up more than 2,300 yards rushing and tallied a total of 28 touchdowns. McDonald didn’t get a lot of attention from colleges to play quarterback because he never played in a traditional offensive system. His 5-foot-10 frame also wasn’t appealing to them, he said. College decisions The United States Naval Academy was the only school that offered him a scholarship to play quarterback. McDonald, whose father has served in the military, said he thought about playing for Navy, but ultimately declined because he wasn’t interested in serving a required active duty service of five years upon graduation. However, McDonald didn’t mind playing a different position in college, as long as he was put in a position to make plays for his team, he said. McDonald initially committed to Wyoming as a defensive back; however, two weeks before signing day, he declined the offer because the distance was too far from home. He decided to attend UH, instead, because they were the closest school to his home to offer him a scholarship. When McDonald, along with his mother and brother, talked to head coach Tony Levine about possible positions to play, he

initially hoped to play slot receiver so he could make plays in the open field. “We’re always up-front and honest with our recruits,” Levine said. “We were clear with him by saying, ‘We want you to come to the University of Houston as a skilled player,’ and we very quickly determined he would play on the defensive side of the ball.” Play maker The coaching staff intended to redshirt McDonald, but with his development on special teams and the ability to make plays, he ended up starting the last three games of the 2012 season and competing in nine. He had interceptions against UTEP and Marshall and forced two fumbles and recovered another against Tulane. “We knew he had all the intangibles of a great athlete,” Spavital said. “The advantage of getting a high school quarterback is that they’re smart and just a pure student of the game.” One of his forced fumbles occurred when he chased down and poked the ball out from behind a Tulane receiver who had a clear path to the end zone — the same type of play that Arizona Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu made against the St. Louis Rams on Sept. 8, the day after McDonald’s game-clinching interception. McDonald said Mathieu, a former LSU All-American, is a player who possesses skills he idolizes as a constant playmaker. He also said he keeps Mathieu as a wallpaper on his cellphone to motivate him to achieve the same impact for the Cougars. “You’re talking about a true freshman (McDonald), who, a year ago, was a high-school option quarterback that is now intercepting passes and causing fumbles playing defense; that’s pretty special,” Levine said.

Two games into the season, the running backs who once seemed like a question mark have become a strength of the Cougars’ offense. Without junior running back Charles Sims, the Cougars’ leading rusher last season, sophomore running backs Kenneth Farrow and Ryan jackson have developed into a strong duo. The two-back tandem has combined for 417 yards and 6.8 yards per carry. Co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Travis Bush said Sims and Farrow accepted the challenge of carrying the load this offseason. “Once Charles left, they got fired up because they knew their time was here,” Bush said. “They’ve worked their tails off and watched and worked throughout the summer… I anticipate them having a great year.” The backfield was handed another challenge this week though. Farrow, the Cougars’ starter during the first two weeks, is doubtful against the Owls on Saturday. He was left off this week’s depth chart, which could mean more carries for Jackson, sophomore Justin Hicks and senior Kent Brooks if Farrow is unable to play. Hicks, who is a walk on that is still paying for his college, has been able to produce with limited carries. He has gained 68 yards on 15 carries. The team has confidence in Hicks’ and Brooks’ ability to contribute against Rice. “We’ve got a number of guys back there where it’s not a one-man show, and we keep guys fresh,” said head coach Tony Levine. “Certainly Kenneth Farrow is a sophomore captain, and that really speaks for itself. We’ll miss him if he can’t play this weekend, but we’ve got a number of guys I know our staff has complete confidence in, and their teammates do as well.” The competition between the talented position group has fostered a better stable of running backs who trust each other on and off the field. “We go out there and compete with each other, but we’re never selfish at all. The biggest thing is that we just pick each other up and guide each other throughout the whole process,” said Jackson, who has the third longest streak of 100 yard games in the nation. But more will be expected from

Sophomore running back Ryan Jackson has the third-longest streak of consecutive 100 yard games with three. | Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar

Sophomore running back Kenneth Farrow is doubtful for the Cougars’ contest against Rice this Saturday. | Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar

the backfield against Rice with Farrow possibly out. The team needs him to continue playing at a high level so the offense can continue running smoothly. With Jackson and Farrow producing, the defense is forced to contribute an extra defender near the line of scrimmage. Junior receiver Daniel Spencer said the running game’s success has made his job easier. “Whenever the linebackers start creeping up, we try to go right over the top of them, and that helps a lot,” Spencer said.

No.

Player

Att.

Yards

Avg

Long

Avg/G

Kenneth Farrow

179

87.5

Ryan Jackson

238

7.2

114.5