# 2020 Houston Cougars football team

The 2020 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cougars played their home games at TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas, and competed in the American Athletic Conference. They were led by second-year head coach Dana Holgorsen.

## Preseason
### Recruiting class

References:
College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Derek Bowman Offensive lineman | Magnolia, TX | Magnolia HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 270 lb (120 kg) | Dec 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Nathaniel Dell Wide receiver | Daytona Beach, FL | Mainland HS Independence CC | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 155 lb (70 kg) | Dec 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Darius Edmonds Wide receiver | Humble, TX | Atascocita HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Dec 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| James Faminu Offensive lineman | London, UK | London Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 350 lb (160 kg) | Dec 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| D'Anthony Jones Linebacker | Long Beach, CA | Leuzinger HS Long Beach CC | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 255 lb (116 kg) | Feb 5, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Sofian Massoud Quarterback | Katy, TX | Cypress Lakes HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Dec 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Ugonna Nnanna Offensive lineman | Arlington, TX | Seguin HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | Dec 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Chidozie "Dot" Nwankwo Defensive Tackle | Richmond, TX | Foster HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 293 lb (133 kg) | Dec 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Dylan Robinson Wide receiver | Humble, TX | Atascocita HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Dec 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Malik Robinson Linebacker | Snellville, GA | South Gwinnett HS North Carolina Fort Scott CC | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Dec 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Jayce Rogers Cornerback | Valdosta, GA | Valdosta HS Northwest Mississippi CC | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Dec 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Stacy Sneed Running back | Arlington, TX | Mansfield Timberview HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Dec 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| JoVanni Stewart Safety | Katy, TX | Katy HS West Virginia | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Dec 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Trevonte Sylvester Tight end | Breaux Bridge, LA | Breaux Bridge HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Dec 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Khiyon Wafer Wide receiver | Frisco, TX | Independence HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Feb 5, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Mike Welch Safety | Dickinson, TX | Dickinson HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Feb 5, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Laine Wilkins Punter | Perth, Australia | ProKick Australia | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | Dec 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ||||||
| Sedrick Williams Defensive Tackle | Houma, LA | Ellender Memorial HS Kilgore College | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 302 lb (137 kg) | Dec 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Reuben Unije Offensive lineman | Bradenton, FL | IMG Academy Illinois | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 303 lb (137 kg) | Feb 5, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||

### AAC preseason media poll

The preseason Poll was released September 1
Media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | UCF | 204 (10) |
| 2 | Cincinnati | 201 (7) |
| 3 | Memphis | 192 (2) |
| 4 | SMU | 146 |
| 5 | Navy | 125 (1) |
| 6 | Tulane | 118 |
| 7 | Houston | 114 |
| 8 | Temple | 88 |
| 9 | Tulsa | 49 |
| 10 | East Carolina | 42 |
| 11 | South Florida | 41 |

## Schedule

The 2020 Houston schedule, as originally released, was to consist of six home and four away games in the regular season. The Cougars were to play host to conference foes Tulane, UCF, South Florida, and Tulsa, and to travel to conference opponents Memphis, Navy, Cincinnati, and SMU.
The Cougars were scheduled to host two non-conference games, against North Texas (C-USA) and BYU (an FBS Independent). The home game against Rice was postponed on August 10, after Rice announced it was delaying the start of the season until September 26.
Houston had a game scheduled against Washington State, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On September 12 the American announced that the Houston/Memphis game scheduled for September 18 was postponed due to positive COVID-19 cases at Memphis, As a result of the Houston at Memphis game postponement, Houston was able to add a game at Baylor scheduled for September 19. On September 18, Baylor announced that the Houston versus Baylor game would be postponed due to Baylor not meeting the Big 12 Conference COVID-19 game cancellation thresholds.
After experiencing several COVID-19 cases through September 23, the North Texas Mean Green canceled the September 26 game against the Cougars.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 8 | 6:30 p.m. | Tulane | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN | W 49–31 | 8,164 |
| October 16 | 8:40 p.m. | No. 14 BYU* | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN | L 26–43 | 10,092 |
| October 24 | 2:30 p.m. | at Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, MD | CBSSN | W 37–21 | 3,600 |
| October 31 | 1:00 p.m. | UCF | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN+ | L 21–44 | 8,630 |
| November 7 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 6 Cincinnati | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH | ABC | L 10–38 | 0 |
| November 14 | 2:30 p.m. | South Florida | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN2 | W 56–21 | 8,266 |
| December 12 | 11:00 a.m. | at Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TN | ESPN+ | L 27–30 | 9,475 |
| December 24 | 2:30 p.m. | vs. Hawaii* | Toyota StadiumFrisco, TX (New Mexico Bowl) | ESPN | L 14–28 | 2,060 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 24 released prior to gameAll times are in Central time |||||||
    Schedule Source:

## Game summaries
### Tulane

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Green Wave | 17 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
| • Cougars | 7 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 49 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| HOU −6.5 | 58 |
| Statistics | Tulane | Houston |
| First downs | 16 | 22 |
| Total yards | 211 | 476 |
| Rushing yards | 70 | 157 |
| Passing yards | 141 | 319 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 5 |
| Time of possession | 28:47 | 31:13 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tulane | Passing | Michael Pratt | 11/25, 141 yards, 1 TD |
| Tulane | Rushing | Cameron Carroll | 18 carries, 34 yards |
| Tulane | Receiving | Duece Watts | 2 receptions, 50 yards |
| Houston | Passing | Clayton Tune | 20/33, 319 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs |
| Houston | Rushing | Kyle Porter | 11 carries, 57 yards, 1 TD |
| Houston | Receiving | Marquez Stevenson | 5 receptions, 118 yards, 1 TD |

### BYU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 14 BYU Cougars | 14 | 0 | 7 | 22 | 43 |
| HOU Cougars | 3 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 26 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| BYU −3.0 | 62 |
| Statistics | BYU | Houston |
| First downs | 23 | 28 |
| Total yards | 478 | 438 |
| Rushing yards | 78 | 128 |
| Passing yards | 400 | 310 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 25:48 | 34:12 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| BYU | Passing | Zach Wilson | 25/35, 400 yards, 4 TDs |
| BYU | Rushing | Zach Wilson | 9 carries, 40 yards |
| BYU | Receiving | Dax Milne | 9 receptions, 184 yards, 3 TDs |
| Houston | Passing | Clayton Tune | 21/31, 310 yards, 2 TDs |
| Houston | Rushing | Kyle Porter | 20 carries, 94 yards |
| Houston | Receiving | Christian Trahan | 3 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD |

### At Navy

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Cougars | 3 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 37 |
| Midshipmen | 7 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 21 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| HOU −15.5 | 56 |
| Statistics | Houston | Navy |
| First downs | 23 | 16 |
| Total yards | 420 | 372 |
| Rushing yards | 86 | 166 |
| Passing yards | 334 | 206 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 29:11 | 30:49 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Houston | Passing | Clayton Tune | 24/34, 316 yards, 3 TDs |
| Houston | Rushing | Kyle Porter | 21 carries, 52 yards, 1 TD |
| Houston | Receiving | Marquez Stevenson | 9 receptions, 129 yards, 2 TDs |
| Navy | Passing | Dalen Morris | 10/18, 206 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| Navy | Rushing | Nelson Smith | 11 carries, 51 yards |
| Navy | Receiving | Ryan Mitchell | 2 receptions, 94 yards, 1 TD |

### UCF

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Knights | 10 | 13 | 0 | 21 | 44 |
| Cougars | 7 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 21 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UCF –3.0 | 82 |
| Statistics | UCF | Houston |
| First downs | 32 | 26 |
| Total yards | 681 | 434 |
| Rushing yards | 353 | 165 |
| Passing yards | 328 | 269 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 27:19 | 32:41 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UCF | Passing | Dillon Gabriel | 19/33, 328 yards, 2 TDs |
| UCF | Rushing | Otis Anderson Jr. | 16 carries, 170 yards, 1 TD |
| UCF | Receiving | Jaylon Robinson | 5 receptions, 107 yards |
| Houston | Passing | Clayton Tune | 21/41, 263 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs |
| Houston | Rushing | Kyle Porter | 13 carries, 52 yards, 1 TD |
| Houston | Receiving | Nathaniel Dell | 6 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD |

### At Cincinnati

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| • No. 6 Bearcats | 7 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 38 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| CIN –12.5 | 51.5 |
| Statistics | Houston | Cincinnati |
| First downs | 15 | 24 |
| Total yards | 282 | 510 |
| Rushing yards | 93 | 342 |
| Passing yards | 189 | 168 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 27:31 | 32:29 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Houston | Passing | Clayton Tune | 20/34, 189 yards, 1 INT |
| Houston | Rushing | Kyle Porter | 16 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD |
| Houston | Receiving | Nathaniel Dell | 3 receptions, 60 yards |
| Cincinnati | Passing | Desmond Ridder | 17/27, 162 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Cincinnati | Rushing | Gerrid Doaks | 16 carries, 184 yards, 1 TD |
| Cincinnati | Receiving | Michael Young Jr. | 4 receptions, 47 yards |

### South Florida

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| • Cougars | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 56 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| HOU −14.5 | 58.5 |
| Statistics | South Florida | Houston |
| First downs | 23 | 25 |
| Total yards | 359 | 505 |
| Rushing yards | 136 | 319 |
| Passing yards | 223 | 186 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 31:01 | 28:59 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| South Florida | Passing | Jordan McCloud | 14–29, 180 yards, 1TD |
| South Florida | Rushing | Brian Battie | 13 carries, 86 yards |
| South Florida | Receiving | Bryce Miller | 5 receptions, 53 yards |
| Houston | Passing | Clayton Tune | 14–25, 165 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT |
| Houston | Rushing | Clayton Tune | 10 carries, 120 yards, 2TDs |
| Houston | Receiving | Keith Corbin | 4 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD |

### At Memphis

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 3 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 27 |
| • Tigers | 3 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 30 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| HOU –6.0 | 65 |
| Statistics | Houston | Memphis |
| First downs | 26 | 20 |
| Total yards | 409 | 310 |
| Rushing yards | 139 | 64 |
| Passing yards | 270 | 246 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 33:29 | 26:31 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Houston | Passing | Clayton Tune | 30/49, 270 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| Houston | Rushing | Kyle Porter | 15 carries, 70 yards |
| Houston | Receiving | Christian Trahan | 5 receptions, 84 yards |
| Memphis | Passing | Brady White | 22/35, 246 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| Memphis | Rushing | Asa Martin | 11 carries, 27 yards |
| Memphis | Receiving | Calvin Austin | 7 receptions, 74 yards, 1 TD |

### Vs. Hawaii (New Mexico Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Rainbow Warriors | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
| Cougars | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| HOU –7.0 | 61 |
| Statistics | Hawaii | Houston |
| First downs | 11 | 20 |
| Total yards | 267 | 307 |
| Rushing yards | 131 | 58 |
| Passing yards | 136 | 249 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 26:56 | 33:04 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Hawaii | Passing | Chevan Cordeiro | 15/23, 136 yards, 3 TDs |
| Hawaii | Rushing | Dae Dae Hunter | 12 carries, 44 yards |
| Hawaii | Receiving | Jared Smart | 3 receptions, 33 yards |
| Houston | Passing | Clayton Tune | 20/38, 216 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs |
| Houston | Rushing | Mulbah Car | 15 carries, 47 yards |
| Houston | Receiving | Nathaniel Dell | 6 receptions, 112 yards, 1 TD |

## 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 | — | —* | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Coaches | — | —* | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | Not released |

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL club |
| 1 | 28 | Payton Turner | DE | New Orleans Saints |
| 6 | 203 | Marquez Stevenson | WR | Buffalo Bills |
| 7 | 259 | Grant Stuard | LB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |