2013 Houston Cougars football team
American college football season
The 2013 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston in the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season . It was the 68th year of season play for Houston. The season marked the first for the Cougars as a member of the American Athletic Conference . Due to construction of the new TDECU Stadium during the 2013 season, the team played its home games at other locations in Houston.
The season featured the Cougars’ continued Bayou Bucket Classic rivalry with the Rice Owls . The game again became a non-conference battle due to the departure from Conference USA for the Cougars following the 2012 season. The previous time the two teams met as non-conference foes was during the 2004 season when the Rice Owls was a member of the Western Athletic Conference. The 2013 Bayou Bucket Classic was played at Reliant Stadium.
They finished the season 8–5, 5–3 in American Athletic play to finish in fourth place. They were invited to the BBVA Compass Bowl where they were defeated by Vanderbilt.
Previous season
With a 5–7 overall record, the 2012 season was a step backward for the program, as it compiled only its second losing season since 2005. The team suffered an early season humiliating loss against Texas State in Houston's season opener, and offensive coordinator Mike Nesbitt was forced to resign after only one game. First year head coach Tony Levine promoted Travis Bush to fill the position. It was the final season that the team would play its home games at the on-campus Robertson Stadium , as it was closed and demolished soon after the season finished.
Preseason
Recruits
For the 2013 recruiting class, Houston attained its highest overall class ranking since 2010, and its second-highest ranking ever by Rivals.com . However, Scout.com only gave Houston its seventh-best overall ranking.
US college sports recruiting information for 2013 recruits
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
40‡
Commit date
Markeith Ambles WR
Yuma, Arizona
Arizona Western CC
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
203 lb (92 kg)
4.7
Apr 8, 2013
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 83
Demarcus Ayers WR
Lancaster, Texas
Lancaster HS
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
174 lb (79 kg)
4.44
Feb 4, 2013
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 76
Tyus Bowser DE
Tyler, Texas
John Tyler HS
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
4.60
Feb 5, 2013
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 74
Billy Cosh QB
Annapolis, Maryland
Butler CC
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
218 lb (99 kg)
N/A
Dec 3, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 76
Ty Cummings K
Southlake, Texas
Carroll HS
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
N/A
Apr 30, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 76
Emerald Faletuipapai OL
Gardena, California
Junípero Serra HS
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
337 lb (153 kg)
N/A
Dec 19, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 71
Nomluis Fruge LB
Houston, Texas
Furr HS
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
193 lb (88 kg)
N/A
Dec 13, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 68
Donald Gage WR
Zachary, Louisiana
Zachary HS
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
173 lb (78 kg)
4.45
Feb 1, 2013
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 78
Joseph Glenn RB
Giddings, Texas
Giddings HS
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
199 lb (90 kg)
4.5
Jul 22, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 78
Trevor Harris DE
Brooklyn, New York
ASA CC
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
237 lb (108 kg)
4.5
Dec 19, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A ESPN grade: NR
D'Juan Hines QB
Houston, Texas
Dekaney HS
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
4.5
Jun 22, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 76
Chauntez Jackson DE
Inglewood, California
Inglewood HS
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
237 lb (108 kg)
N/A
Jan 16, 2013
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 75
Chauntez Jackson DE
Inglewood, California
Inglewood HS
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
237 lb (108 kg)
N/A
Jan 16, 2013
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 75
Michael Jolivet DE
Beaumont, Texas
Navarro CC
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
247 lb (112 kg)
4.65
Jul 21, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 77
John Leday WR
Port Arthur, Texas
Memorial HS
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
183 lb (83 kg)
N/A
Dec 17, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A ESPN grade: NR
Kent London DB
Milpitas, California
Foothill CC
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
213 lb (97 kg)
4.5
Feb 7, 2013
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 73
Tyler McCloskey LB
Houston, Texas
Memorial HS
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
223 lb (101 kg)
N/A
Dec 21, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A ESPN grade: NR
John O'Korn QB
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
St. Thomas Aquinas HS
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
207 lb (94 kg)
4.7
Jun 22, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 77
Damien Parris OL
San Pablo, California
Contra Costa CC
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
290 lb (130 kg)
4.9
Dec 16, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 73
Deondre Skinner TE
Patterson, Louisiana
Patterson HS
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
4.9
Jan 13, 2013
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 77
Ja'Braylin Thomas OL
Weimar, Texas
Weimar HS
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
320 lb (150 kg)
N/A
May 16, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 76
Josh Thomas OL
Shreveport, Louisiana
Evangel Christian Academy HS
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
329 lb (149 kg)
N/A
Mar 31, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 73
Nick Thurman DT
Dallas, Texas
Lake Highlands High School HS
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
260 lb (120 kg)
N/A
Dec 17, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 73
Caleb Tucker LB
Monroe, Louisiana
Ouachita Parish HS
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
4.5
Dec 19, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 76
Turon Walker DB
Pleasant Hill, California
Diablo Valley CC
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
4.5
Dec 14, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 75
Greg Ward CB
Tyler, Texas
John Tyler HS
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
163 lb (74 kg)
4.5
Jun 20, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 76
Javin Webb RB
Shreveport, Louisiana
Evangel Christian Academy HS
5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
187 lb (85 kg)
N/A
Dec 16, 2012
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : ESPN grade: 70
Zach White DB
Desoto, Texas
Evangel Christian Academy HS
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
163 lb (74 kg)
4.5
Feb 4, 2013
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout : 62 Rivals : 50
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
Note : In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:
Schedule
Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance August 30 7:30 p.m. Southern * ESPN3 W 62–1326,205
September 7 11:00 a.m. at Temple AAN W 22–1327,328
September 21 2:00 p.m. vs. Rice * FSN W 31–2634,831
September 28 3:00 p.m. at UTSA * FSN W 59–2832,487
October 12 11:00 a.m. Memphis ESPNews W 25–1520,103
October 19 2:30 p.m. BYU * Reliant Stadium Houston, TX ESPNews L 46–4733,115
October 26 11:00 a.m. at Rutgers ESPNews W 49–1452,200
October 31 6:00 p.m. South Florida Reliant Stadium Houston, TX ESPN W 35–2322,707
November 9 6:00 p.m. at No. 21 UCF ESPN2 L 14–1944,665
November 16 6:00 p.m. at No. 13 Louisville ESPNU L 13–2053,027
November 23 11:00 a.m. Cincinnati BBVA Compass Stadium Houston, TX ESPNews L 17–2420,197
November 29 11:00 a.m. SMU Reliant Stadium Houston, TX ESPN2 W 34–023,210
January 4 12:00 p.m. vs. Vanderbilt * ESPN L 24–4142,717
[1] [2]
Coaching staff
2013 was head coach Tony Levine 's second full season in that position
Game summaries
UTSA
Houston at UTSA
1
2 3 4 Total
• Cougars
7
14 10 28
59
Roadrunners
7
14 7 0
28
Source:[3]
Scoring summary 1 8:40 UTSA Kam Jones 12-yard touchdown pass from Eric Soza, Sean Ianno kick good UTSA 7–0
1 1:42 UH Ryan Jackson 15-ard touchdown pass from John O'Korn, Richie Leone kick good Tied 7–7
2 13:07 UH Greg Ward Jr. 6-yard touchdown run, Richie Leone kick goodUH 14–7
2 5:45 UTSA Eric Soza 1-yard touchdown run, Sean Ianno kick good Tied 14–14
2 2:30 UH Xavier Maxwell 7-yard touchdown pass from John O'Korne, Richie Leone kick good UH 21–14
2 1:18 UTSA Earon Holmes 6-yard touchdown pass from Eric Soza, Sean Ianno kick good Tied 21–21
3 7:22 UH Richie Leone 25-yard Field Goal UH 24–21
3 3:11 UH Brandon Wilson 78-yard touchdown return off of blocked Field Goal, Richie Leone kick good UH 31–21
3 0:47 UTSA David Glasco II 2-yard touchdown run, Sean Ianno kick good UH 31–28
4 14:12 UH Xavier Maxwell 22-yard touchdown pass from John O'Korne, Richie Leone kick good UH 38–28
4 7:12 UH Deontay Greenbury 20-yard touchdown pass from John O'Korne, Richie Leone kick good UH 45–28
4 3:09 UH Justin Hicks 15-yard touchdown run, Richie Leone kick good UH 52–28
4 0:46 UH William Jackson 96-yard Interception return for a touchdown, Richie Leone kick good UH 59–28
BYU
BYU at Houston
1
2 3 4 Total
• BYU Cougars
24
10 0 13
47
UH Cougars
21
17 2 6
46
Sources:
Scoring summary
Quarter
Time
Drive
Team
Scoring information
Score
Plays
Yards
TOP
BYU
Houston
1
14:05
3
41
0:39
BYU
Jamaal Williams 15-yard touchdown run, Justin Sorensen kick good
7
0
1
10:03
8
68
1:27
BYU
41-yard field goal by Justin Sorensen
10
0
1
9:47
Houston
Demarcus Ayers 95 yard kickoff return for a touchdown, Richie Leone kick good
10
7
1
8:10
7
75
1:37
BYU
Ross Apo 11-yard touchdown reception from Taysom Hill , Justin Sorensen kick good
17
7
1
7:02
3
75
1:08
Houston
Xavier Maxwell 69-yard touchdown reception from Greg Ward Jr., Richie Leone kick good
17
14
1
5:57
Houston
Interception returned 29 yards for touchdown by Derrick Mathews, Richie Leone kick good
17
21
1
3:13
9
75
2:44
BYU
Ross Apo 18-yard touchdown reception from Taysom Hill , Justin Sorensen kick good
24
21
2
11:11
9
61
2:44
Houston
29-yard field goal by Richie Leone
24
24
2
9:38
3
52
0:51
Houston
Deontay Greenberry 6-yard touchdown reception from John O'Korn, Richie Leone kick good
24
31
2
3:57
10
76
2:38
BYU
Jamaal Williams 1-yard touchdown run, Justin Sorensen kick good
31
31
2
1:31
9
75
2:26
Houston
Daniel Spencer 41-yard touchdown reception from John O'Korn, Richie Leone kick good
31
38
2
0:00
8
73
1:31
BYU
20-yard field goal by Justin Sorensen
34
38
3
1:38
Houston
Derrick Mathews 2-yard safety
34
40
4
12:57
9
97
2:17
BYU
Cody Hoffman 25-yard touchdown reception from Taysom Hill , Justin Sorensen kick good
41
40
4
5:20
7
84
1:16
Houston
Deontay Greenberry 10-yard touchdown reception from John O'Korn, 2-point pass incomplete
41
46
4
1:08
3
48
0:42
BYU
Skyler Ridley 11-yard touchdown reception from Taysom Hill , 2-point run failed
47
46
"TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football .
47
46
Poll rankings
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Final AP — — — — — — — RV — — RV RV — — — — — Coaches — — — — — — — RV RV RV RV — — — — — — Harris Not released RV RV RV RV RV — — — — Not released BCS Not released — — — — — — — — Not released
References
Venues Bowls and rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons