Houston Cougars Prevail; Weekly College Football Round Up

Week Seven of the college football season had its share of ups and downs. For the four major college football programs in Houston, the results were no exception. All four games were decided by seven points or less including one decided in double overtime at Houston Baptist University. The 13th-ranked University of Houston Cougars were the only ones to survive the weekend victoriously.

Week Seven of the college football season had its share of ups and downs. For the four major college football programs in Houston, the results were no exception. All four games were decided by seven points or less including one decided in double overtime at Houston Baptist University. The 13th-ranked University of Houston Cougars were the only ones to survive the weekend victoriously.

Houston Baptist Huskies loses heart breaker in double overtime 33-30

Not even a Tony Dawson touchdown run with 1:25 left to play would be enough to give Houston Baptist University a dramatic homecoming win as the Nicholls Colonels (3-3, 3-1) rallied in double overtime to defeat the Huskies 33-30 on Saturday night.

Dawson’s touchdown run capped a 14-play, 94-yard drive giving Houston a 27-24 lead but a defensive hold and a pass interference call on the Huskies defense on the ensuing Nicholls possession led to a game tying field goal by the Colonels David McKey with six seconds left in regulation.

The Houston defense, which had come up big in regulation save for the game tying field goal rose once more in the first overtime holding Nicholls to no points but the huskies offense could not win as Alec Chadwick’s 39-yard field goal that sailed wide left.

Chadwick did give Houston (2-4, 1-3) the lead in the second overtime connecting from 35 yards out before Nicholls pulled out the victory. Facing a fourth-and six-from the HBU 12, Colonels’ running back C.J. Ookpalobi went around the left side for the game winner.

Dawson led an offensive attack that rolled up 510 yards but it in the end it wasn’t quite enough.

The senior signal caller finished the night 19-of-35 for 165 yards and a touchdown. Dawson also led all rushers with 191 yards on 25 carries and a score.

University of Houston escapes Tulsa 38-31

One week after falling to the Naval Academy that has nearly ceased their thoughts of being in the national college football playoff picture, the Cougars slipped by unranked Tulsa 38-31. It took a game saving goal line tackle on the game’s final play to move the Cougars to 6-1.

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With 1:21 left to play, Houston’s Emeke Egbule’s 24-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown gave the 13th ranked Cougars the game winning score.

”I just knew I had to do something with it to keep us in the game,” Egbule said about his fumble recovery for score.

Houston had allowed Tulsa to rally twice from 14-point deficits before Egbule’s game winning heroics.

Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. continued his strong claim for Heisman consideration throwing for 254 yards and also accounting for 142 yards on the ground.

Walk-on running back Dillon Birden ran for 82 yards and three scores filling in for starter Duke Catalon. The Cy-Fair High graduate has seven touchdowns in three games since Catalon went down for concussion protocol.

Rice Owls fall short 14-13

While the Cougars were withstanding a furious last ditch effort by Tulsa, the Rice Owls on the other side of the city were coming up short with a furious finish of their own, losing 14-13 to UTSA.

The Owls led early after putting together their longest drive drive of the season on the game’s opening possession. Quarterback Tyler Stehling capped the 84-yard drive with a 13-yard burst into the end zone. Haden Tobola missed the extra point which would prove to be the margin of victory for UTSA.

Trailing the Roadrunners 14-13 with five minutes to play, Rice stopped UTSA at the Owls’ five-yard line and looked poised to take the lead before Tobola’s 42-yard field goal attempt sailed wide.

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The defense came through again holding UTSA to a three-and-out giving the Owls one last gasp with 20 seconds left and the ball at the Rice 36 yard line. Two plays later, UTSA dragged Kylen Granson down in-bounds and time ran out on the Owls most recent effort to break into the 2016 win column.

Former Crosby standout Austin Walter combined with fellow Rice running back Samuel Stewart banded together to lead the Owls’ ground game with 97 yards on 22 carries.

Texas Southern drops a 23-20 road decision

Hard luck continues to play the Texas Southern football team in 2016. The Tigers fell to 2-3 in games decided by four points or less this season as Alcorn State snapped TSU’s three game winning streak winning 23-20 on Saturday.

Quarterback Averion Hurts gave Texas Southern an early 14-7 lead throwing for one score and running for another before Alcorn rallied with 10 unanswered second quarter points and a 17-14 half time lead.

The Tigers could only manage two second half Eric Medina field goals thanks to Alcorn’s De’Lance Turner. With a special teams’ assignment on the docket, the junior blocked a TSU punt early in the fourth quarter and then scored the game winner from two yards out on the ensuing possession.

The Tigers had one last chance following Medina’s 35-yard field goal with 5:14 left on the clock but three incompletions sealed TSU’s fate on the road.

The college football season continues for three of the four local teams I mentioned next weekend as Rice will host Prairie View A&M in a non-conference match-up. HBU will be on the road against Southeastern Louisiana and Houston Cougars will be in Dallas to face SMU. Texas Southern will have the week off as they prepare to face the Sam Houston Bearcats Oct. 29th.

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