# 2016 Houston Cougars football team

The 2016 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the 69th year of season play for Houston. They were led by head coach Tom Herman during the regular season and played their home games at TDECU Stadium in Houston. The Houston Cougars football team is a member of the American Athletic Conference in its West Division. They finished the season 9–4, 5–3 in American Athletic play to finish in a tie for third place in the West Division. They were invited to the Las Vegas Bowl where they lost to San Diego State.
On November 26, head coach Tom Herman resigned to become the head coach at Texas. He finished at Houston with a two-year record of 22–4. Houston was led by new head coach Major Applewhite in the Las Vegas Bowl.

## Offseason
### Coaching departures

After serving as wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Houston for one year, Drew Mehringer was named as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Rutgers on December 14, 2015.

### 2016 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

#### Walk-on recruits

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||
National signing day was on Wednesday, February 3, 2016.

### Spring practice

The Houston Cougars football team held its annual Red and White Spring Game on Saturday, April 16, 2016, at TDECU Stadium. The defense (White) defeated the offense (Red) 74–72.

### Personnel
#### Roster
#### Depth chart

The list of starters is to be announced.

## Schedule

Houston played UCF, UConn, Tulane and Tulsa at home and Cincinnati, Memphis, Navy and SMU on the road. The conference schedule was released February 9.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 11:00 a.m. | vs. No. 3 Oklahoma* | No. 15 | NRG StadiumHouston, TX (Texas Kickoff) | ABC | W 33–23 | 71,016 |
| September 10 | 11:00 a.m. | Lamar* | No. 6 | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX | ASN | W 42–0 | 39,402 |
| September 15 | 6:30 p.m. | at Cincinnati | No. 6 | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH | ESPN | W 40–16 | 40,015 |
| September 24 | 6:00 p.m. | at Texas State* | No. 6 | Bobcat StadiumSan Marcos, TX | ESPNU | W 64–3 | 33,133 |
| September 29 | 7:00 p.m. | UConn | No. 6 | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN | W 42–14 | 40,873 |
| October 8 | 2:00 p.m. | at Navy | No. 6 | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, MD | CBSSN | L 40–46 | 34,531 |
| October 15 | 6:00 p.m. | Tulsa | No. 13 | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX (rivalry) | ESPN2 | W 38–31 | 38,221 |
| October 22 | 6:00 p.m. | at SMU | No. 11 | Gerald J. Ford StadiumDallas, TX (rivalry) | ESPN2 | L 16–38 | 32,000 |
| October 29 | 11:00 a.m. | UCF | | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX | ESPNU | W 31–24 | 35,846 |
| November 12 | 2:30 p.m. | Tulane | | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX | CBSSN | W 30–18 | 36,552 |
| November 17 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 5 Louisville* | | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN | W 36–10 | 42,822 |
| November 25 | 11:00 a.m. | at Memphis | No. 20 | Liberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TN | ABC | L 44–48 | 36,527 |
| December 17 | 2:30 p.m. | vs. San Diego State* | | Sam Boyd StadiumWhitney, NV (Las Vegas Bowl) | ABC | L 10–34 | 29,286 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 1) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||
    Schedule Source:

## Game summaries
### Vs. Oklahoma

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #3 Oklahoma | 10 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
| #15 Houston | 3 | 16 | 14 | 0 | 33 |
at NRG Stadium • Houston,TX Texas Kickoff
* Date: September 3, 2016
* Game time: 11:07 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Wind: Calm • Weather: Indoor
* Game attendance: 71,016
* Referee: Cooper Castleberry
* TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (color), & Tom Luginbill (sideline)
Game information :
First Quarter
OU 11:43 Joe Mixon 32 yd, Austin Seibert XP Good (OU 7–0)
HOU 8:13 Ty Cumings 25 yd field goal (OU 7–3)
OU 6:12 Austin Seibert 25 yd field goal (OU 10–3)
Second Quarter
HOU 14:56 Ty Cummings 26 yd field goal (OU 10–6)
HOU 10:12 Duke Catalon 15 yd pass from Greg Ward Jr.; Ty Cummings XP Good (HOU 13–10)
OU 8:37 Mark Andrews 64 yd pass from Baker Mayfield; Austin Seibert XP Good (OU 17–13)
HOU 4:33 Ty Cummings 33 yd field goal (OU 17–16)
HOU 0:00 Ty Cummings 47 yd field goal (HOU 19–17)
Third Quarter
HOU 8:28 Bradon Wilson 100 yd missed FG return;Ty Cummings XP Good (HOU 26–17)
HOU 2:15 T. McCloskey 2 yd pass from Greg Ward Jr.; Ty Cummings XP Good (HOU 33–17)
Fourth Quarter
OU 2:05 Mark Andrews 25 yd pass from Baker Mayfield; Baker Mayfield 2 pt conversion pass failed (HOU 33–23)
Top Passers
OU – Baker Mayfield – 24/33, 323 Yds ,2 TD
HOU – Greg Ward Jr. – 23/40, 321 YD, 2 TD
Top Rushers
OU– Joe Mixon – 6 attempts, 33 yards
HOU – Duke Catalon – 22 attempts, 88 yards
Top Receiving
OU – Mark Andrews – 3 receptions, 94 yards, 2 TD
HOU – Steven Dunbar – 7 receptions, 125 yards
Top Tacklers
OU– Will Johnson – 10 tackles
HOU – Brandon Wilson – 10 tackles :

### Lamar

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lamar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| #6 Houston | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
at TDECU Stadium • Houston,TX
* Date: September 10, 2016
* Game time: 05:25 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 88 °F (31 °C) • Wind: N 3 mph• Weather: Cloudy and Humid
* Game attendance: 39,402
* Referee: Rick Loumiet
* TV announcers (ESPN3): Brett Dolan and N.D. Kalu
* Sources:UHCougars.com LamarCardinals.com
Game information :
First Quarter
HOU 12:00 Kyle Postma 39 yd run; Ty Cummings XP good (HOU 7–0)
HOU 00:33 Kevrin Justice 1 yd run; Ty Cummings XP good (HOU 14–0)
Second Quarter
HOU 7:33 Mulbah Car 2 yd run; Ty Cummings XP good (HOU 21–0)
HOU 5:02 Kevrin Justice 1 yd run; Ty Cummings XP good (HOU 28–0)
Third Quarter
HOU 11:34 Kyle Postma 5 yd run; Ty Cummings XP good (HOU 35–0)
Fourth Quarter
HOU 11:12 Josh Burrell 2 yd run; Ty Cummings XP good (HOU 42–0)
Top Passers
LAMAR – Andrew Allen – 6/9, 44 yards
HOU – Kyle Postma – 14/25, 125 yards, 1 INT
Top Rushers
LAMAR – Kad Harrington – 15 attempts, 34 yards
HOU – Kevrin Justice – 27 attempts, 111 yards, 2 TD
Top Receiving
LAMAR – DeWan Thompson – 2 receptions, 25 yards
HOU – Linell Bonner – 3 receptions, 46 yards
Top Tacklers
LAMAR – Xavier Bethany – 14 tackles
HOU – Steven Taylor – 7 tackles :

### At Cincinnati

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #6 Houston | 7 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 40 |
| Cincinnati | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
at Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH
* Date: September 15, 2016
* Game time: 07:34 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind: Calm • Weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 40,015
* Referee: Adam Savoie
* TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Flemming, Jesse Palmer, and Laura Rutledge
* Sources:UHCougars.com
Game information :
First Quarter
HOU 08:00 Chance Allen 39 yd pass from Greg Ward Jr.; Ty Cummings XP good (HOU 7–0)
CIN 06:12 Devin Gray 61 yd pass from Hayden Moore; Andrew Gantz XP good (TIED 7–7)
Second Quarter
HOU 02:58 Ty Cummings 32 yd FG good (HOU 10–7)
CIN 00:04 Andrew Gantz 37 yd FG good (TIED 10–10)
Third Quarter
HOU 10:30 Team Safety (HOU 12–10)
Fourth Quarter
CIN 14:57 Nate Cole 4 yd pass from Hayden Moore (CIN 16–12)
HOU 11:45 Greg Ward Jr. 12 yd run; Ty Cummings XP good (HOU 19–16)
HOU 06:16 Greg Ward Jr. 3 yd run; Ty Cummings XP good (HOU 26–16)
HOU 03:47 Steven Taylor 74 yd interception return; Ty Cummings XP good (HOU 33–16)
HOU 03:40 Howard Wilson 28 yd interception return; Ty Cummings XP good (HOU 40–16)
Top Passers
HOU – Greg Ward Jr. – 24/36, 326 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
CIN – Hayden Moore – 21/37, 275 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Top Rushers
HOU – Greg Ward Jr. – 26 attempts, 109 yards, 2 TD
CIN – Mike Boone – 12 attempts, 31 yards
Top Receiving
HOU – Chance Allen – 5 receptions, 94 yards, 1 TD
CIN – Devin Gray – 4 receptions, 97 yards, 1 TD
Top Tacklers
HOU – Steven Taylor – 9 tackles, 1 INT
CIN – Antonio Kinard – 18 tackles :

### At Texas State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #6 Houston | 16 | 27 | 14 | 7 | 64 |
| Texas State | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Bobcat Stadium • San Marcos, TX
* Date: September 24, 2016
* Game time: 06:02 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: SE 13 mph • Weather: Clear
* Game attendance: 33,133
* Referee: Charles Lewis
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Anish Shroff, Ahmad Brooks, and Alex Chappell
* Sources:UHCougars.com
Game information :
First Quarter
HOU 10:25 Greg Ward Jr. 10 yd run; Ty Cummings XP failed (HOU 6–0)
HOU 05:10 D'Eriq King 48 yd pass from Greg Ward Jr.; Ty Cummings XP good (HOU 13–0)
HOU 02:06 Ty Cummings 31 yd FG good (HOU 16–0)
Second Quarter
HOU 13:25 Steven Dunbar 15 yd pass from D'Eriq King; Ty Cummings XP blocked (HOU 22–0)
HOU 10:40 Duke Catalon 13 yd run; Ty Cummings XP good (HOU 29–0)
TXST 06:59 James Sherman 32 yd FG (HOU 29–3)
HOU 04:01 Dillon Birden 2 yd run; Ty Cummings XP good (HOU 36–3)
HOU 00:29 Linell Bonner 5 yd pass from Greg Ward Jr.; Ty Cummings XP good (HOU 43–3)
Third Quarter
HOU 14:45 D'Eriq King 99 yd kickoff return; Ty Cummings XP good (HOU 50–3)
HOU 08:12 Kyle Postma 21 yd run; Ty Cummings XP good (HOU 57–3)
Fourth Quarter
HOU 03:56 Kyle Postma 1 yd run; Ty Cummings XP good (HOU 64–3)
Top Passers
HOU – Greg Ward Jr. –20/26, 289 yards, 2 TD
TXST – Tyler Jones – 17/30, 100 yards, 1 INT
Top Rushers
HOU – Duke Catalon – 10 attempts, 77 yards, 1 TD
TXST – Stedman Mayberry – 5 attempts, 24 yards
Top Receiving
HOU – Steven Dunbar – 5 receptions, 79 yards, 1 TD
TXST – Elijah King – 3 receptions, 31 yards
Top Tacklers
HOU – Garrett Davis – 7 tackles
TXST – Bryan London – 11 tackles :

### UConn

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| UConn | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| #6 Houston | 0 | 28 | 14 | 0 | 42 |
at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX
* Date: September 29, 2016
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C) • Wind: N 11 • Weather: Sunny and clear
* Game attendance: 40,873
* Referee: C. Lamertina
* TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Jesse Palmer (color), & Laura Rutledge (sideline)
* Sources:UHCougars.com
Game information :
Second Quarter
HOU • 14:20 • Greg Ward Jr. 30 yd run (Ty Cummings kick) • HOU 7–0
HOU • 09:11 • Dillon Birden 1 yd run (Ty Cummings kick) • HOU 14–0
HOU • 05:36 • T McCloskey 3 yd pass from Greg Ward Jr. (Ty Cummings kick) • HOU 21–0
HOU • 01:37 • Steven Dunbar 15 yd pass from Greg Ward Jr. (Ty Cummings kick) • HOU 28–0
UCONN • 00:30 • Noel Thomas 62 yd pass from Bryant Shirreffs (Bobby Puyol kick) • HOU 28–7
Third Quarter
HOU • 11:47 • Greg Ward Jr. 10 yd run (Ty Cummings kick) • HOU 35–7
HOU • 04:58 • Linell Bonner 4 yd pass from Greg Ward Jr. (Ty Cummings kick) • HOU 42–7
Fourth Quarter
UCONN • 08:42 • Bryant Shirreffs 1 yd run (Bobby Puyol kick) • HOU 42–14
Top Passers
HOU – Greg Ward Jr. 32/38, 389 yards, 3 TD
UCONN – Bryant Shirreffs 13/29, 239 yards, 1 TD
Top Rushers
HOU – Greg Ward Jr. 12 attempts, 65 yards, 2 TD
UCONN – Noel Thomas 3 attempts, 22 yards
Top Receiving
HOU – Linell Bonner 12 receptions, 159 yards, 1 TD
UCONN – Noel Thomas 6 receptions, 135 yards, 1 TD
Top Tacklers
HOU – K Williams 5 tackles
UCONN – Vontae Diggs 12 tackles :

### At Navy

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #6 Houston | 10 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 40 |
| Navy | 10 | 10 | 21 | 5 | 46 |
at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD
* Date: October 8, 2016
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 68 °F (20 °C) • Wind: NNE 5–10 MPH • Weather: Cloudy, Rain
* Game attendance: 34,531
* Referee: Adam Savoie
* TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): John Sadak (play-by-play), Randy Cross (color), and Sheehan Stanwick Burch (sideline)

### Tulsa

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tulsa | 3 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
| #13 Houston | 10 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 38 |
at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX
* Date: October 15, 2016
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 38,221
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Jason Benetti, Kelly Stouffer, and Paul Carcaterra

### At SMU

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #11 Houston | 0 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 16 |
| SMU | 7 | 21 | 0 | 10 | 38 |
at Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, TX
* Date: October 22, 2016
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 32,000
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Jason Benetti, Kelly Stouffer, and Paul Carcaterra

### UCF

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| UCF | 7 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
| Houston | 0 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 31 |
at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX
* Date: October 29, 2016
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 35,846
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Roy Philpott, Tom Ramsey, and Dawn Davenport

### Tulane

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tulane | 7 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 18 |
| Houston | 14 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 30 |
at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX
* Date: November 12, 2016
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 36,552
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Dave Ryan, Corey Chavous, and Melanie Collins

### Louisville

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #3 Louisville | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| Houston | 10 | 21 | 0 | 5 | 36 |
at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX
* Date: November 17, 2016
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 42,822
* TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Flemming, Jesse Palmer, and Allison Williams
Game information :
First quarter
(14:49) HOU – Duke Catalon 13-yard pass from Greg Ward Jr., Ty Cummings kick (HOU 7–0)
(0:49) HOU – Ty Cummings 33-yard field goal (HOU 10–0)
Second quarter
(12:18) HOU – Duke Catalon 13-yard pass from Greg Ward Jr., Ty Cummings kick (HOU 17–0)
(6:53) HOU – Duke Catalon 2-yard run, Ty Cummings kick (HOU 24–0)
(5:13) HOU – Chance Allen 50-yard pass from Linell Bonner, Ty Cummings kick (HOU 31–0)
Third quarter
(10:02) LOU – Cole Hikutini 12-yard pass from Lamar Jackson, Blanton Creque kick (HOU 31–7)
Fourth quarter
(14:51) LOU – Blanton Creque 26-yard field goal (HOU 31–10)
(5:57) HOU – Ty Cummings 46-yard field goal (HOU 34–10)
(3:55) HOU – Team Safety (HOU 36–10)
Top passers
LOU – Lamar Jackson – 20/43, 211 yards, TD
HOU – Greg Ward – 25/44, 233 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
LOU – Jeremy Smith – 6 carries, 49 yards
HOU – Duke Catalon – 14 carries, 39 yards, TD
Top receivers
LOU – Jaylen Smith – 3 receptions, 49 yards
HOU – Chance Allen – 4 receptions, 105 yards, TD :

### At Memphis

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #18 Houston | 10 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 44 |
| Memphis | 21 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 48 |
at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN
* Date: November 25, 2016
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
* Game attendance: 36,527
* TV announcers (ABC): Tom Hart, Andre Ware, and Cole Cubelic

### Vs. San Diego State (Las Vegas Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Houston | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| San Diego | 0 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 34 |
at Sam Boyd Stadium • Whitney, NV
* Date: December 17, 2016
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 29,286
* Referee: Daniel Gautreaux
* TV announcers (ABC/SportsUSA): Brent Musburger, Jesse Palmer, and Kaylee Hartung/Eli Gold and Gary Barnett
Game information :
First quarter
(6:38) HOU – Ty Cummings 31-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 24 yards, 3:31; Houston 3–0)
(1:22) HOU – Greg Ward Jr. 2-yard run, Ty Cummings kick (Drive: 10 plays, 74 yards, 3:50; Houston 10–0)
Second quarter
(6:28) SDSU – John Baron 23-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 4:26; Houston 10–3)
(1:29) SDSU – John Baron 28-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 26 yards, 2:52; Houston 10–6)
Third quarter
(3:14) SDSU – Donnel Pumphrey 32-yard run, John Baron kick (Drive: 4 plays, 68 yards, 1:54; San Diego State 13–10)
(0:56) SDSU – Ron Smith 54-yard interception return, John Baron kick (San Diego State 20–10)
Fourth quarter
(8:58) SDSU – Curtis Anderson 28-yard reception from Christian Chapman, John Baron kick (Drive: 1 play, 28 yards, 0:25; San Diego State 27–10)
(1:11) SDSU – Juw Washington 7-yard run, John Baron kick (Drive: 4 plays, 21 yards, 1:46; San Diego State 34–10)
Top passers
HOU – Greg Ward Jr. – 25/34, 229 yards, 4 INT
SDSU – Christian Chapman – 10/14, 128 yards, TD
Top rushers
HOU – Duke Catalon – 14 carries, 18 yards
SDSU – Donnel Pumphrey – 19 carries, 115 yards, TD
Top receivers
HOU – Brandon Wilson – 5 receptions, 52 yards
SDSU – David Wells – 4 receptions, 33 yards :

## 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 |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 15 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 11 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 18 | RV | RV | RV |
| Coaches | 13 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 11 | 24 | RV | RV | RV | 21 | RV | RV | — |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | 20 | 24 | — | Not released |