# 2023 Houston Cougars football team

The 2023 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston in the Big 12 Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cougars were led by Dana Holgorsen in his fifth season as their head coach. The Cougars played their home games at TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Houston Cougars football team drew an average home attendance of 36,020 in 2023.
In September 2021, Cincinnati, BYU, Houston, and UCF accepted bids to join the Big 12 Conference. On June 10, 2022, the American Athletic Conference and the three American Athletic Conference schools set to depart from the league (Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF) announced that they had reached a buyout agreement with the conference that would allow those schools to join the Big 12 in 2023. BYU had previously operated as an independent prior to accepting a membership invitation to join the Big 12.
On November 26, head coach Dana Holgorsen was fired. He finished with a record of 31–28 in five seasons.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 6:00 p.m. | UTSA* | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX | FS1 | W 17–14 | 37,862 |
| September 9 | 6:00 p.m. | at Rice* | Rice StadiumHouston, TX (rivalry) | NFLN | L 41–43 $^{2OT}$ | 23,425 |
| September 16 | 7:00 p.m. | TCU | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX | FOX | L 13–36 | 36,049 |
| September 23 | 6:00 p.m. | Sam Houston* | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN+ | W 38–7 | 35,044 |
| September 30 | 2:30 p.m. | at Texas Tech | Jones AT&T StadiumLubbock, TX (rivalry) | FS2 | L 28–49 | 53,308 |
| October 12 | 6:00 p.m. | West Virginia | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX | FS1 | W 41–39 | 32,152 |
| October 21 | 3:00 p.m. | No. 8 Texas | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX | FOX | L 24–31 | 42,812 |
| October 28 | 11:00 a.m. | at Kansas State | Bill Snyder Family Football StadiumManhattan, KS | ESPN2 | L 0–41 | 51,928 |
| November 4 | 2:30 p.m. | at Baylor | McLane StadiumWaco, TX (rivalry) | ESPN+ | W 25–24 $^{OT}$ | 41,180 |
| November 11 | 6:00 p.m. | Cincinnati | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX | FS1 | L 14–24 | 34,312 |
| November 18 | 3:00 p.m. | No. 23 Oklahoma State | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN2 | L 30–43 | 33,906 |
| November 25 | 11:00 a.m. | at UCF | FBC Mortgage StadiumOrlando, FL | FS1 | L 13–27 | 43,610 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after October 31) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### UTSA

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Roadrunners | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Cougars | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |

### at Rice

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | Total |
| Cougars | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 41 |
| Owls | 21 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 43 |
at Rice Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: September 9
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 96 °F (36 °C)
* Game attendance: 23,425
* Referee: Derek Anderson
* TV announcers (NFLN): Doug Sherman and Tyoka Jackson
| Statistics | HOU | RICE |
| First downs | 27 | 24 |
| Total yards | 443 | 470 |
| Rushing yards | 183 | 69 |
| Passing yards | 260 | 401 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 28:10 | 31:50 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Houston | Passing | Donovan Smith | 24/42, 260 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Houston | Rushing | Tony Mathis Jr. | 8 rushes, 60 yards |
| Houston | Receiving | Samuel Brown | 9 receptions, 138 yards |
| Rice | Passing | JT Daniels | 28/42, 401 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Rice | Rushing | Dean Connors | 8 rushes, 48 yards |
| Rice | Receiving | Luke McCaffrey | 7 receptions, 99 yards, 2 TD |

### TCU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Horned Frogs | 7 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 36 |
| Cougars | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 13 |

### Sam Houston

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bearkats | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Cougars | 10 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
at TDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: September 23
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 94 °F (34 °C)
* Game attendance: 35,044
* Referee: Tutashinda Salaam
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Mark Neely, Ryan Leaf, and Shane Sparks
| Statistics | SHSU | HOU |
| First downs | 8 | 27 |
| Total yards | 178 | 538 |
| Rushing yards | 52 | 186 |
| Passing yards | 126 | 352 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 25:05 | 34:55 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Sam Houston State | Passing | Grant Gunnell | 14/22, 100 yards, INT |
| Sam Houston State | Rushing | Tobias Weaver | 6 rushes, 18 yards |
| Sam Houston State | Receiving | John Gentry | 5 receptions, 32 yards |
| Houston | Passing | Donovan Smith | 31/40, 294 yards, TD |
| Houston | Rushing | Parker Jenkins | 20 rushes, 105 yards, 3 TD |
| Houston | Receiving | Matthew Golden | 9 receptions, 92 yards, TD |

### at Texas Tech

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| Red Raiders | 14 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 49 |
at Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, Texas
* Date: September 30
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 85 °F (29 °C)
* Game attendance: 53,308
* Referee: David Alvarez
* TV announcers (FS2): Dan Hellie and Petros Papadakis
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Bryan Henry 6-yard pass from Donovan Smith (Jack Martin kick), 8:40. Cougars 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:20.
TTU – Drae McCray 100-yard kickoff return (Gino Garcia kick), 8:25. Tied 7–7.
HOU – Samuel Brown 16-yard pass from Donovan Smith (Jack Martin kick), 6:15. Cougars 14–7. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:10.
TTU – Tahj Brooks 7-yard run (Gino Garcia kick), 1:25. Tied 14–14. Drive: 12 plays, 74 yards, 4:50.
Second quarter
HOU – Joseph Manjack IV 49-yard pass from Donovan Smith (Jack Martin kick), 13:45. Cougars 21–14. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:40.
TTU – Loic Fouonji 25-yard pass from Behren Morton (Gino Garcia kick), 8:47. Tied 21–21. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 4:58.
TTU – Loic Fouonji 7-yard blocked punt return (Gino Garcia kick), 7:18. Red Raiders 28–21.
HOU – Dalton Carnes 41-yard pass from Donovan Smith (Jack Martin kick), 2:16. Tied 28–28. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 5:02.
TTU – Tahj Brooks 1-yard run (Gino Garcia kick), 0:44. Red Raiders 35–28. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 1:32.
Third quarter
TTU – Myles Price 11-yard pass from Behren Morton (Gino Garcia kick), 9:22. Red Raiders 42–28. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 0:48.
Fourth quarter
TTU – Cam'Ron Valdez 41-yard run (Gino Garcia kick), 8:47. Red Raiders 49–28. Drive: 5 plays, 55 yards, 3:07.
Top passers
HOU – Donovan Smith – 29/40, 335 yards, 4 TD
TTU – Behren Morton – 14/22, 161 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
HOU – Parker Jenkins – 13 rushes, 71 yards
TTU – Tahj Brooks – 22 rushes, 106 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
HOU – Samuel Brown – 9 receptions, 113 yards, TD
TTU – Myles Price – 5 receptions, 63 yards, TD :

### West Virginia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mountaineers | 10 | 0 | 7 | 22 | 39 |
| Cougars | 7 | 7 | 7 | 20 | 41 |

### No. 8 Texas

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 8 Texas | 14 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 31 |
| Houston | 0 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| Texas -23.5 | 61 |
| Statistics | Texas | Houston |
| First downs | 19 | 20 |
| Plays–yards | 69–360 | 65–392 |
| Rushes–yards | 37–141 | 19–14 |
| Passing yards | 219 | 378 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 25–32–0 | 32–46–1 |
| Time of possession | 31:58 | 28:02 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Texas | Passing | Quinn Ewers | 23–29, 211 yards, 2 TD |
| Texas | Rushing | Jonathon Brooks | 20 carries, 99 yards |
| Texas | Receiving | Xavier Worthy | 6 receptions, 92 yards, 1 TD |
| Houston | Passing | Donovan Smith | 32–46, 378 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Houston | Rushing | Parker Jenkins | 9 carries, 23 yards |
| Houston | Receiving | Joseph Manjack IV | 6 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Texas | Houston |
| 1st | 10:02 | 11 | 75 | 04:58 | Texas | Adonai Mitchell 14-yard touchdown reception from Quinn Ewers, Bert Auburn kick good | 7 | 0 |
| 1st | 06:56 | 4 | 62 | 01:36 | Texas | Xavier Worthy 42-yard touchdown reception from Quinn Ewers, Bert Auburn kick good | 14 | 0 |
| 2nd | 12:49 | 9 | 58 | 04:31 | Texas | Savion Red 1-yard touchdown run, Bert Auburn kick good | 21 | 0 |
| 2nd | 06:07 | 4 | 71 | 01:26 | Houston | Matthew Golden 32-yard touchdown reception from Donovan Smith, Jack Martin kick good | 21 | 7 |
| 2nd | 00:26 | 9 | 75 | 02:07 | Houston | Joseph Manjack IV 21-yard touchdown reception from Donovan Smith, Jack Martin kick good | 21 | 14 |
| 3rd | 12:29 | 6 | 49 | 02:24 | Houston | Matthew Golden 3-yard touchdown reception from Donovan Smith, Jack Martin kick good | 21 | 21 |
| 3rd | 03:17 | 11 | 31 | 03:49 | Texas | 25-yard field goal by Bert Auburn | 24 | 21 |
| 4th | 07:43 | 7 | 68 | 03:49 | Houston | 40-yard field goal by Jack Martin | 24 | 24 |
| 4th | 05:37 | 6 | 53 | 01:58 | Texas | CJ Baxter 16-yard touchdown run, Bert Auburn kick good | 31 | 24 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 31 | 24 |

### at Kansas State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 41 |

### at Baylor

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Houston | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 25 |
| Baylor | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 24 |
at McLane Stadium • Waco, TX
* Date: Saturday, November 4, 2023
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: sunny • Temperature: 73°F
* Game attendance: 41,180
* Referee: Derek Anderson
* TV: ESPN+
* Pregame line: Baylor –2.5
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Houston | Baylor |
| 2nd | 08:03 | 3 | 44 | 01:11 | Houston | Samuel Brown 26-yard touchdown reception from Donovan Smith, Jack Martin kick good | 7 | 0 |
| 3rd | 06:16 | 14 | 67 | 08:44 | Houston | 31-yard field goal by Jack Martin | 10 | 0 |
| 3rd | 02:20 | 8 | 75 | 03:56 | Baylor | Drake Dabney 38-yard touchdown reception from Blake Shapen, Isaiah Hankins kick good | 10 | 7 |
| 4th | 08:18 | 12 | 69 | 06:54 | Baylor | 27-yard field goal by Isaiah Hankins | 10 | 10 |
| 4th | 05:38 | 5 | 75 | 02:40 | Houston | Tony Mathis Jr. 24-yard touchdown reception from Donovan Smith, Jack Martin kick good | 17 | 10 |
| 4th | 00:29 | 11 | 74 | 02:22 | Baylor | Hawkins Polley 1-yard touchdown reception from Blake Shapen, Isaiah Hankins kick good | 17 | 17 |
| OT | – | 4 | 25 | – | Baylor | Dawson Pendergrass 1-yard touchdown run, Isaiah Hankins kick good | 17 | 24 |
| OT | – | 7 | 40 | – | Houston | Donovan Smith 1-yard touchdown run, 2-point run by Donovan Smith good | 25 | 24 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 25 | 24 |
| Statistics | Houston | Baylor |
| First downs | 21 | 22 |
| Plays–yards | 59–366 | 72–413 |
| Rushes–yards | 32–130 | 35–150 |
| Passing yards | 236 | 263 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 21–27–2 | 29–37–1 |
| Time of possession | 26:39 | 33:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Houston | Passing | Donovan Smith | 21–27, 236 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Houston | Rushing | Donovan Smith | 20 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD |
| Houston | Receiving | Samuel Brown | 9 receptions, 86 yards, 1 TD |
| Baylor | Passing | Blake Shapen | 29–37, 263 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Baylor | Rushing | Dominic Richardson | 11 carries, 51 yards |
| Baylor | Receiving | Drake Dabney | 4 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD |

### Cincinnati

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bearcats | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| Cougars | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at TDECU Stadium • Houston, Texas
* Date: Saturday, November 11, 2023
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: • Wind:
* Game attendance: 34,312
* Referee: David Alvarez
* TV: FS1
* Pregame line: • FPI odds to win: • Game summary:
| Statistics | CIN | HOU |
| First downs | 22 | 12 |
| Plays–yards | 71–368 | 51–241 |
| Rushes–yards | 48–204 | 23–139 |
| Passing yards | 164 | 102 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 17–23–0 | 16–28–0 |
| Time of possession | 36:55 | 23:05 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Cincinnati | Passing | Emory Jones | 13/16, 131 yards, 1 TD |
| Cincinnati | Rushing | Corey Kiner | 23 carries, 129 yards, 2 TD |
| Cincinnati | Receiving | Braden Smith | 5 receptions, 69 yards |
| Houston | Passing | Donovan Smith | 16/28, 102 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT |
| Houston | Rushing | Donovan Smith | 13 carries, 88 yards |
| Houston | Receiving | Joseph Manjack IV | 4 receptions, 22 yards, 2 TD |

### No. 23 Oklahoma State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 23 Oklahoma State | 3 | 16 | 14 | 10 | 43 |
| Houston | 14 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 30 |
at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX
* Date: Saturday, November 18, 2023
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: • Sunny Temperature: 74 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 33,906
* Referee: Stephon Baron
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Brock Osweiler (analyst) Kayla Burton (sideline)
| Statistics | OKST | HOU |
| First downs | 28 | 18 |
| Total yards | 501 | 393 |
| Rushing yards | 153 | 130 |
| Passing yards | 348 | 263 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 29–43–1 | 18–30–2 |
| Time of possession | 32:12 | 27:48 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Oklahoma State | Passing | Alan Bowman | 29/43, 348 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Oklahoma State | Rushing | Ollie Gordon II | 25 carries, 164 yards, 3 TD |
| Oklahoma State | Receiving | Brennan Presley | 15 receptions, 189 yards |
| Houston | Passing | Donovan Smith | 17/29, 235 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Houston | Rushing | Donovan Smith | 13 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD |
| Houston | Receiving | Jonah Wilson | 1 reception, 60 yards, 1 TD |

### at UCF

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 10 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Knights | 6 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 27 |
at FBC Mortgage Stadium, Orlando, FL
* Date: November 25, 2023
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* Game attendance: 43,610
* TV announcers (FS1): Eric Collins, Devin Gardner
* Gamecast
Game information :
First Quarter
Houston: Stephon Johnson 16-yard touchdown pass from Donovan Smith (Jack Martin kick), 10:34
UCF: John Rhys Plumlee 8-yard touchdown run (kick failed), 5:31
Houston: Jack Martin 32-yard field goal, 1:56
Second Quarter
UCF: Xavier Townsend 28-yard touchdown pass from John Rhys Plumlee (Colton Boomer kick), 12:58
Third Quarter
UCF: R.J. Harvey 21-yard touchdown run (Colton Boomer kick), 14:07
UCF: R.J. Harvey 2-yard touchdown run (Colton Boomer kick), 9:04
Fourth Quarter
Houston: Jack Martin 34-yard field goal, 10:08
Win Probability
UCF 77.9%
Line
UCF -15.5
Over/Under
61.5 :
| Statistics | HOU | UCF |
| First downs | 17 | 23 |
| Total yards | 259 | 476 |
| Rushing yards | 94 | 223 |
| Passing yards | 165 | 253 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 27:04 | 32:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Houston | Passing | Donovan Smith | 12–20, 161 yards, 1 TD, I INT |
| Houston | Rushing | Stacy Sneed | 3 carries, 33 yards |
| Houston | Receiving | Joseph Manjack IV | 4 receptions, 74 yards |
| UCF | Passing | John Rhys Plumlee | 23–27, 253 yards, 1 TD |
| UCF | Rushing | R. J. Harvey | 21 carries, 136 yards, 2 TD |
| UCF | Receiving | Kobe Hudson | 9 receptions, 98 yards |