The Houston Cougars lost more than just a bowl game in 2007—they lost a coaching staff and some of their best offensive skill players.
New head coach Kevin Sumlin, who helped coordinate a strong Oklahoma offense last season, is taking over a team that had one of the top offenses in the country a year ago.
After finishing 8-5 (6-2 C-USA), Houston is hoping that an improved defense is enough to reclaim a C-USA title, which they won just two years ago under Art Briles, who’s now at Baylor.
Houston Cougars
Coach: Kevin Sumlin (first year as head coach)
Key Returnees: QB Case Keenum, TE Mark Hafner, RG Michael Bloesch, WR L.J. Castile, LT SirVincent Rogers, DE Phillip Hunt, LB Cody Lubojasky, S Kenneth Fontenette, DT Tate Stewart.
Key Losses: RB Anthony Alridge, WR Donnie Avery, WR Jeron Harvey, WR Perry McDaniel, LB Trent Allen, LB Brendan Pahulu, S Rocky Schwartz
2008 Schedule
Aug. 30 Southern
Sep. 6 @ Oklahoma State
Sep. 13 Air Force
Sep. 20 @ Colorado State
Sep. 27 @ East Carolina
Oct. 9 UAB
Oct. 18 @ SMU
Oct. 28 @ Marshall
Nov. 8 Tulane
Nov. 15 Tulsa
Nov. 22 UTEP
Nov. 29 @ Rice
Key Game: Nov. 15 vs. Tulsa
Last year a 56-7 blowout loss at Tulsa cost the Cougars a shot at back-to-back conference championships. Once again the winner of this matchup should win the West Division. It’s clearly a battle of the best in the west, and this time there is a little bit of a revenge factor.
2008 Outlook
Sumlin will be without some key performers from an offense that finished the season ranked fourth nationally in total offense with 502 yards a game. The good news is that they do return a starter at the most important position on the field.
As a redshirt freshman, Case Keenum performed well in replacing Kevin Kolb at quarterback. Though his numbers were not eye-popping—2,259 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions—Keenum was efficient with a 68.5 completion percentage and a very respectable 147.61 quarterback rating.
Keenum also finished third on the team in rushing with 412 yards and nine touchdowns.
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