Student Publications
University of Houston
151C Communications Bldg
Houston, TX 77204-4015
713.743.5350

©1991-2007
Student Publications,
All rights reserved.

Last modified:

Contact:
ktruitt@uh.edu

Sports

Jacked Up

Defense does its job as Houston moves into first in Conference-USA

by CHRIS ELLIOTT
The Daily Cougar

Houston governed the trenches with an iron fist, dominating University of Tulsa on both sides of the ball with the demeanor of a totalitarian dictator facing a coup -- clemency was left out of the question. 

The Cougars had given up 92 yards and 10 points going into the second half of Saturday afternoon's game, and with the Conference USA title on the line, they refused to release the noose. The Tulsa Golden Hurricane fell 27-10 to the Cougars after being held to zero second-half points and 157 yards of total offense. 

"It feels great, because we work hard. We train to dominate the whole game," sophomore defensive tackle Ell Ash said. "It felt good to hold them to ten. The offense and defense were on the same page and we came out with the win."

For their efforts on the field, the Cougars (7-3, 5-1 C-USA) were awarded with a first place standing in Conference USA, bragging rights and a sigh of relief.

"It was huge," senior wide receiver Vincent Marshall, who set a new Houston career-receiving yardage record (3,359) during the game. "We knew they were going to come in ready to play. It was a big game for us. You could see it after the game. It was huge for the fans. I'm just glad we won the game." 

Marshall's 14-yard touchdown reception from senior signal caller Kevin Kolb, with five seconds left in the first half, put the Cougars up 17-10 and sent them into the locker room with enough momentum to hold Tulsa at bay for the entirety of the game.

Kolb, aided by the rushing combination of junior Anthony Alridge and senior Jackie Battle, who combined for 202 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, picked apart a Tulsa secondary. He was able to connect with his receiving corps down field, more often than not, and had a 15.25 yard-per-pass average. Junior receiver Donnie Avery was on the receiving end of three of Kolb's passes for 113 yards on the day.

The Golden Hurricane (7-2, 4-1 C-USA), who entered the game permitting a conference-low 262.5 yards per game, routinely surrendered field position as they gave up big play after big play. The Cougars picked up 471 yards of total offense. Kolb credits his team's success to the bullish performance of Houston's offensive line. The guys on the defensive side of the ball didn't do too bad either.

"Everybody knows, who watches football, that's where it starts," Kolb said. "That's were it ends and that's where you win the football games. (The linemen) did a great job on both sides.

"The defense played unbelievable. You've got to just give it to them all the way. We did what we had to do offensively. Special teams were solid, and the defense played magnificently. It was a good total team win and that's gotta feel the best," said Kolb. Houston's front seven would force Tulsa quarterback Paul Smith to try and convert on third and long situations by making plays at and behind the line of scrimmage. That strategy worked, as the Golden Hurricane faced ten third-down situations of five yards or more. 

"That was a goal of ours, because we knew coming into the game that they haven't been in a lot of third and long situations," senior cornerback Willie Gaston said, who ended the day with three tackles and one defended pass. "When it's third and long the defensive backs want to know we can put it on our backs, and we know we can make plays." 

Send comments to dcsports@mail.uh.edu