# 2013 Houston Cougars football team

The 2013 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston in the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the 68th year of season play for Houston. The season marked the first for the Cougars as a member of the American Athletic Conference. Due to construction of the new TDECU Stadium during the 2013 season, the team played its home games at other locations in Houston.
The season featured the Cougars’ continued Bayou Bucket Classic rivalry with the Rice Owls. The game again became a non-conference battle due to the departure from Conference USA for the Cougars following the 2012 season. The previous time the two teams met as non-conference foes was during the 2004 season when the Rice Owls was a member of the Western Athletic Conference. The 2013 Bayou Bucket Classic was played at Reliant Stadium.
They finished the season 8–5, 5–3 in American Athletic play to finish in fourth place. They were invited to the BBVA Compass Bowl where they were defeated by Vanderbilt.

## Preseason
### Recruits

For the 2013 recruiting class, Houston attained its highest overall class ranking since 2010, and its second-highest ranking ever by Rivals.com. However, Scout.com only gave Houston its seventh-best overall ranking.
College recruiting information (2013) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Markeith Ambles WR | Yuma, Arizona | Arizona Western CC | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | 4.7 | Apr 8, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 |||||||
| Demarcus Ayers WR | Lancaster, Texas | Lancaster HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 174 lb (79 kg) | 4.44 | Feb 4, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Tyus Bowser DE | Tyler, Texas | John Tyler HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 4.60 | Feb 5, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Billy Cosh QB | Annapolis, Maryland | Butler CC | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 218 lb (99 kg) | N/A | Dec 3, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Ty Cummings K | Southlake, Texas | Carroll HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | N/A | Apr 30, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Emerald Faletuipapai OL | Gardena, California | Junípero Serra HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 337 lb (153 kg) | N/A | Dec 19, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 71 |||||||
| Nomluis Fruge LB | Houston, Texas | Furr HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 193 lb (88 kg) | N/A | Dec 13, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 68 |||||||
| Donald Gage WR | Zachary, Louisiana | Zachary HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 173 lb (78 kg) | 4.45 | Feb 1, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Joseph Glenn RB | Giddings, Texas | Giddings HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 199 lb (90 kg) | 4.5 | Jul 22, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Trevor Harris DE | Brooklyn, New York | ASA CC | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 237 lb (108 kg) | 4.5 | Dec 19, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| D'Juan Hines QB | Houston, Texas | Dekaney HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 4.5 | Jun 22, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Chauntez Jackson DE | Inglewood, California | Inglewood HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 237 lb (108 kg) | N/A | Jan 16, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Chauntez Jackson DE | Inglewood, California | Inglewood HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 237 lb (108 kg) | N/A | Jan 16, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Michael Jolivet DE | Beaumont, Texas | Navarro CC | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 247 lb (112 kg) | 4.65 | Jul 21, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| John Leday WR | Port Arthur, Texas | Memorial HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | N/A | Dec 17, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Kent London DB | Milpitas, California | Foothill CC | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 213 lb (97 kg) | 4.5 | Feb 7, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Tyler McCloskey LB | Houston, Texas | Memorial HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 223 lb (101 kg) | N/A | Dec 21, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| John O'Korn QB | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | St. Thomas Aquinas HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 207 lb (94 kg) | 4.7 | Jun 22, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Damien Parris OL | San Pablo, California | Contra Costa CC | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 290 lb (130 kg) | 4.9 | Dec 16, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Deondre Skinner TE | Patterson, Louisiana | Patterson HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 4.9 | Jan 13, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Ja'Braylin Thomas OL | Weimar, Texas | Weimar HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 320 lb (150 kg) | N/A | May 16, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Josh Thomas OL | Shreveport, Louisiana | Evangel Christian Academy HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 329 lb (149 kg) | N/A | Mar 31, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Nick Thurman DT | Dallas, Texas | Lake Highlands High School HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 260 lb (120 kg) | N/A | Dec 17, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Caleb Tucker LB | Monroe, Louisiana | Ouachita Parish HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 4.5 | Dec 19, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Turon Walker DB | Pleasant Hill, California | Diablo Valley CC | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 4.5 | Dec 14, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Greg Ward CB | Tyler, Texas | John Tyler HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 163 lb (74 kg) | 4.5 | Jun 20, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Javin Webb RB | Shreveport, Louisiana | Evangel Christian Academy HS | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | N/A | Dec 16, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 70 |||||||
| Zach White DB | Desoto, Texas | Evangel Christian Academy HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 163 lb (74 kg) | 4.5 | Feb 4, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 62 Rivals: 50 |||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Houston Football Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 9, 2013. "Football Recruiting: Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved October 9, 2013. "Houston Cougars: Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 9, 2013. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved October 9, 2013. "2013 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 9, 2013. |||||||

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 30 | 7:30 p.m. | Southern* | Reliant StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN3 | W 62–13 | 26,205 |
| September 7 | 11:00 a.m. | at Temple | Lincoln Financial FieldPhiladelphia, PA | AAN | W 22–13 | 27,328 |
| September 21 | 2:00 p.m. | vs. Rice* | Reliant StadiumHouston, TX (Bayou Bucket Classic) | FSN | W 31–26 | 34,831 |
| September 28 | 3:00 p.m. | at UTSA* | AlamodomeSan Antonio, TX | FSN | W 59–28 | 32,487 |
| October 12 | 11:00 a.m. | Memphis | BBVA Compass StadiumHouston, TX | ESPNews | W 25–15 | 20,103 |
| October 19 | 2:30 p.m. | BYU* | Reliant StadiumHouston, TX | ESPNews | L 46–47 | 33,115 |
| October 26 | 11:00 a.m. | at Rutgers | High Point Solutions StadiumPiscataway, NJ | ESPNews | W 49–14 | 52,200 |
| October 31 | 6:00 p.m. | South Florida | Reliant StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN | W 35–23 | 22,707 |
| November 9 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 21 UCF | Bright House Networks StadiumOrlando, FL | ESPN2 | L 14–19 | 44,665 |
| November 16 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 13 Louisville | Papa John's Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ESPNU | L 13–20 | 53,027 |
| November 23 | 11:00 a.m. | Cincinnati | BBVA Compass StadiumHouston, TX | ESPNews | L 17–24 | 20,197 |
| November 29 | 11:00 a.m. | SMU | Reliant StadiumHouston, TX (rivalry) | ESPN2 | W 34–0 | 23,210 |
| January 4 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. Vanderbilt* | Legion FieldBirmingham, AL (BBVA Compass Bowl) | ESPN | L 24–41 | 42,717 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Alma mater (Year) |
| Tony Levine | Head coach | Minnesota (1995) |
| Doug Meacham | Offensive coordinator | Oklahoma State (1987) |
| David Gibbs | Defensive coordinator | Colorado (1990) |
| Jamie Christian | Special teams coordinator/Inside receivers/Tight ends | Central Washington (1999) |
| Glen Elarbee | Offensive line | Middle Tennessee (2002) |
| Ricky Logo | Defensive line | North Carolina State (1992) |
| Vernon Hargreaves | Linebackers | Connecticut (1986) |
| Brandon Middleton | Outside receivers | Houston (2004) |
| Zac Spavital | Defensive backs | Murray State (2004) |
| Brian Odom | Co-director of sports performance | Southeastern Oklahoma State (2004) |

## Game summaries
### UTSA

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Cougars | 7 | 14 | 10 | 28 | 59 |
| Roadrunners | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |

### BYU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • BYU Cougars | 24 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 47 |
| UH Cougars | 21 | 17 | 2 | 6 | 46 |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | BYU | Houston |
| 1 | 14:05 | 3 | 41 | 0:39 | BYU | Jamaal Williams 15-yard touchdown run, Justin Sorensen kick good | 7 | 0 |
| 1 | 10:03 | 8 | 68 | 1:27 | BYU | 41-yard field goal by Justin Sorensen | 10 | 0 |
| 1 | 9:47 | | | | Houston | Demarcus Ayers 95 yard kickoff return for a touchdown, Richie Leone kick good | 10 | 7 |
| 1 | 8:10 | 7 | 75 | 1:37 | BYU | Ross Apo 11-yard touchdown reception from Taysom Hill, Justin Sorensen kick good | 17 | 7 |
| 1 | 7:02 | 3 | 75 | 1:08 | Houston | Xavier Maxwell 69-yard touchdown reception from Greg Ward Jr., Richie Leone kick good | 17 | 14 |
| 1 | 5:57 | | | | Houston | Interception returned 29 yards for touchdown by Derrick Mathews, Richie Leone kick good | 17 | 21 |
| 1 | 3:13 | 9 | 75 | 2:44 | BYU | Ross Apo 18-yard touchdown reception from Taysom Hill, Justin Sorensen kick good | 24 | 21 |
| 2 | 11:11 | 9 | 61 | 2:44 | Houston | 29-yard field goal by Richie Leone | 24 | 24 |
| 2 | 9:38 | 3 | 52 | 0:51 | Houston | Deontay Greenberry 6-yard touchdown reception from John O'Korn, Richie Leone kick good | 24 | 31 |
| 2 | 3:57 | 10 | 76 | 2:38 | BYU | Jamaal Williams 1-yard touchdown run, Justin Sorensen kick good | 31 | 31 |
| 2 | 1:31 | 9 | 75 | 2:26 | Houston | Daniel Spencer 41-yard touchdown reception from John O'Korn, Richie Leone kick good | 31 | 38 |
| 2 | 0:00 | 8 | 73 | 1:31 | BYU | 20-yard field goal by Justin Sorensen | 34 | 38 |
| 3 | 1:38 | | | | Houston | Derrick Mathews 2-yard safety | 34 | 40 |
| 4 | 12:57 | 9 | 97 | 2:17 | BYU | Cody Hoffman 25-yard touchdown reception from Taysom Hill, Justin Sorensen kick good | 41 | 40 |
| 4 | 5:20 | 7 | 84 | 1:16 | Houston | Deontay Greenberry 10-yard touchdown reception from John O'Korn, 2-point pass incomplete | 41 | 46 |
| 4 | 1:08 | 3 | 48 | 0:42 | BYU | Skyler Ridley 11-yard touchdown reception from Taysom Hill, 2-point run failed | 47 | 46 |
| "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. | 47 | 46 |

## Poll rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | Not released |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |