Houston Cougars

Head Coach

Kevin Sumlin	1st year
07-08	8-5
C-USA	6-2
FCR	44

Previous Season Wins

Head Coach - Kevin Sumlin is the new head man at Houston, he was formerly the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M and he will be replacing Art Briles who had rebuilt the Cougars into a C-USA power in his tenure at the helm. They return 11 starters but will need to replace much of last seasons 4th nationally ranked attack. The defense is solid and the fan base will expect the offensive firepower and the winning ways to continue.

Quarterback - At quarterback sophomore Case Keenum the C-USA Freshman of the Year returns, he threw for 2,259 yards and 14 TD’s and added 542 rushing last season. Keenum has quick feet and has the ability to make plays but lacks the arm strength to stretch the field, he’ll be pushed junior Blake Joseph for the starting spot this fall. Joseph has a better arm and showed this spring that he understands the offense, he put up mind boggling in the spring game going 37-41 fro 421 yards and five TD’s.

Running Backs - At running back sophomore Andre Kohn has made a push to be the starter when the Cougars break fall camp, Kohn rushed for only 147 TD’s last season but has the ability to get to the second level quickly. Also in the mix will be sophomore Terrance Ganaway and redshirt freshman Justin Johnson, Ganaway is more of a power back and saw significant time last year and had 550 yards rushing and scored six times

Receivers - The wide receivers must be replaced for the Cougars, athletic sophomore L.J. Castile has locked down one spot and he’ll be joined by junior Chris Gilbert and sophomore Chaz .Rodriguez on the outside. It’s a unit that is extremely green but in senior Mark Hafner, who’ll line at tight end, Houston has one proven pass catcher, he had 40 receptions for 445 yards and 3 TD’s last season.

Offensive Line - The Cougars are solid and experienced on the O-Line, senior left tackle SirVincent Rodgers has missed much of the last two seasons due to injury but coming out of spring he’s ready to go and hee’ll be the units leader. Other returning starters are seniors Sebastian Vollmer at right tackle, at right guard Michael Bloesch and at center, junior Carl Barnett. At left guard senior Isaiah Agson will get the call, he played in eleven games last season in a reserve role.

Defensive Line - Upfront the Cougars will switch to a four man front and they‘ll be led by 1st team All- C-USA defensive end Phillip Hunt, the senior had 10 ½ sacks last season and 55 tackles. Also returning will be seniors Tate Stewart at defensive tackle on the outside Eli Ash, they combined for 81 tackles and are stellar against the run. Senior Billy Hartford will be in the rotation on the outside and sophomore Isaiah Thompson has won the job at the nose guard.

Linebackers - Senior Cody Lubojsky returns in the middle and he’ll be joined by two newcomers on the outside in juniors Matt Nicholson on the strongside and on the weakside will be Tyrell Graham. Lubojsky had 59 tackles last season and will be in the running for C-USA honors this year, Nicholson has the size help against thr run and Graham has 4.5 speed which should be an asset against the pass.

Defensive Backs - It’s a senior dominated secondary led by 2nd team All- C-USA free safety Kenneth Fontenette who had 69 tackles last season and picked off four passes. Also returning is senior strong safety Ernest Miller and at one corner, junior Brandon Brinkley, the lone new starter will be senior Quinte Williams who recorded 23 tackles last season in a reserve role. They were the 55th ranked unit against the pass a year ago and an increase in the number of interceptions would be plus as the Cougars -7 in turnovers last season.

Special Teams - sophomore placekicker Jonathan Gibson junior punter Chase Turner

Schedule - The new head coach has a schedule that should insure that the Cougars are bowl bound once again. They travel to Oklahoma St in week two and after that the only tough game will be at East Carolina through nine games. Week 10 will bring Tulsa to town and in all probability the West crown will go to the winner. Houston will be in the hunt for the C-USA title and will finish the year with 9+ wins.