#21/21 HOUSTON (11-2, 8-0 AAC)vs. AUBURN (6-6, 3-5 SEC)
Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021 n 11 a.m. CT n Birmingham, Ala. n Protective Stadium (45,000) n ESPN
Houston Cougars Notes
THE OPENING KICKOFF
• Houston has appeared in 14 bowl games in the last 17 seasons (2005-present), a mark that ranks second among programs in Texas (Texas A&M – 15). Houston’s 89 victories since 2011 also rank second among FBS schools in Texas (Texas A&M – 92).
• Houston is making its 28th bowl appearance. The Cougars are 11-15-1 all-time in bowl games and have dropped the last four (2016-present). Houston’s last bowl victory was a 38-24 win over No. 9/8 Florida State in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 31, 2015.
• Houston and Auburn are meeting for the seventh time in the history of the programs and first since 1973. The Cougars defeated the No. 12 Tigers, 36-7, in the lone bowl appearance between the programs, coming in the Bluebonnet Bowl on Dec. 31, 1969, from the Houston Astrodome.
• The Cougars are making their second appearance in the Birmingham Bowl. In its lone previous appearance, coming Jan. 4, 2014, against Vanderbilt, Houston rallied from 24 points down to tie the game before falling 41-24. The Cougars scored all 24 points in the third quarter, the most points in a period in Birmingham Bowl history.
• Houston has not faced an SEC program since Oct. 31, 2015, when it defeated Vanderbilt, 34-0 at TDECU Stadium. Since 1999, the Cougars are 5-4 against the SEC including wins against LSU (1999), Mississippi State (2003, 2005, 2009) and Vanderbilt (2015).
• Houston has won 11-plus games in a season five times in program history (2021, 2015, 2011, 1979, 1973). Houston’s five 10-plus win seasons since 2006 are tied for the second most among FBS programs in Texas, trailing only TCU (8).
• The Cougars have won 10-plus games following a losing season three times, going from 2-8 in 1975 to 10-2 in 1976; 5-7 in 2010 to 13-1 in 2011 and 3-5 in 2020 to 11-2 in 2021. Houston’s eight-game turnaround in the win column is the fifth-best nationally from 2020-21, trailing only Michigan (+10), Baylor (+9), Northern Illinois (+9) and Utah State (+9).
• Houston’s 11-game win streak was snapped last time out at No. 4 Cincinnati. The streak was the third longest in program history (12 –
Sept. 3-Nov. 25, 2011; Nov. 4, 1989-Nov. 3, 1990) and was the third-longest active streak in the country.
• Houston posted an 8-0 record in American Athletic Conference play, marking just the second undefeated conference season in program history (2021, 2011). Houston is the only FBS program in Texas to post multiple undefeated conference seasons since 2011.
• For the fifth time in program history, the Cougars went undefeated in road regular season games (2021, 2011, 1988, 1979, 1952). Houston went a perfect 6-0 in 2021, defeating Rice, Tulsa, Tulane, USF, Temple and UConn.
• Houston checks in at No. 21 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 21 in the AP Top 25. It marks the sixth consecutive week garnering a national ranking in both polls. Houston is ranked No. 20 in the latest CFP Selection Committee Poll, its highest mark since Nov. 22, 2016 (also at No. 20).
• Houston has not allowed a first quarter point in eight of 13 games, outscoring opponents 140-52 in the opening frame. Houston is 8-1
when leading after the first quarter in 2021 and 12-4 when leading after the opening period under Head Coach Dana Holgorsen.
• Houston leads the nation in third down conversion percentage defense (.256). The Cougars held Cincinnati to 0-for-8 on third downs.
TEAM NOTES
TUNE IN
Houston quarterback Clayton Tune is a semifinalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award which honors the top Division I offensive player with ties to the state of Texas.
Tune ranks 13th nationally in pass efficiency (160.0), 13th in completion % (68.5) , 14th in passing touchdowns (28) and 17th in passing yards (3,263).
Earlier this season, Tune went 191 passes without throwing an interception before being picked off in the third quarter against Memphis on Nov. 19. The 191 passes marked a career long for Tune. It is tied for the third longest in school history with Kevin Kolb (Sept. 9 to Oct. 21, 2006).
With 271 yards of total offense (250 pass, 21 rush) last time out at Cincinnati, Tune moved past Andre Ware (1987-89) into sixth in Houston career history with 8,303 yards.
FRESHMAN PHENOM
Houston running back Alton McCaskill is second in program history with 16 rushing touchdowns, trailing only Greg Ward Jr. (21 in 2015). The mark ranks ninth nationally and first among true freshmen.
McCaskill’s 17 total touchdowns (16 rushing, one receiving) are tied for the most by a true freshman in program history (Bryce Beall, 2008).
THIRD WARD DEFENSE
Termed the “Third Ward Defense,” the Cougars’ unit leads the nation in third down conversion % defense (.256), ranks fifth in team sacks (3.38), sixth in total defense (297.2), seventh in first downs defense (195), 11th in red zone defense (.733), 12th in rushing defense (105.7) and 14th in turnovers gained (23).
If the season ended today, Houston’s 105.7 rushing yards allowed/game would be the fewest since 2016 (100.5) and second fewest over the last 30 years. Houston’s 191.5 passing yards allowed/game would be the fewest since 1989 (166.4). Its 297.2 yards allowed/
game would be its fewest since 1988 (288.0).
Houston has held opponents under 100 rushing yards seven times this season — all coming in the last 11 games (Grambling, Tulsa, Tulane, ECU, SMU, Temple and UConn). Houston ranks 12th nationally in rushing defense (105.7).
In its regular season finale at UConn, Houston registered 14 tackles for loss and seven sacks. The 14 tackles for loss are the most for the program since at least 2000 and are the eighth-most by an FBS program this season.
TRENDING
Houston leads the nation in blocked kicks (6) and blocked punts (4). The Cougars are second in the country in kickoff return touchdowns (2) and eighth in punt return average (14.62).
Houston is one of six FBS teams ranked inside the Top 15 nationally for both scoring offense and total defense, joining Alabama, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Georgia and Michigan. The Cougars are averaging 37.3 points per game (15th) and holding opponents to
297.2 yards per contest (6th).
Houston is 24-21-1 all-time during the month of December.
This season the Cougars have scored 38 non-offensive points including two punt return touchdowns (12 points), two interception returns for a touchdown (12 points), two kickoff return touchdowns (12 points) and a safety (2 points).
The Cougars have tallied 20-plus points in all 13 games and posted 31-plus points in 10 of their last 12 contests.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
UH is one of seven schools in the AP Top 25 in Football (No. 21) and Men’s Basketball (No. 14), joining Alabama (FB: 1/MBB: 6), Baylor (FB: 6/MBB: 1), Ohio State (FB: 7/MBB: 15), Michigan State (FB: 11/MBB: 12), Arkansas (FB: 22/MBB: 24) and Kentucky (FB: 25/MBB: 21).
2021 marks the 26th season in which Houston Football was ranked for at least one week.
Sunday, Dec. 5 marked the 200th week in which Houston Football was ranked in the Associated Press poll.
Houston is 116-43-2 when competing as a ranked team.
A VICTORY WOULD …
Mark the third time Houston has won 12-plus games in a season (2011 – 13; 2015 – 13).
Snap a four-game bowl losing streak (2016-present) and move the Cougars to 12-15-1 all-time in bowl action.
Move Houston to 2-5 all-time against Auburn and 2-0 in bowl games.
Be Head Coach Dana Holgorsen’s first bowl victory since Jan. 2, 2016 (at West Virginia), vs. Arizona State in the Cactus Bowl.
WE SCORE MORE
Houston has scored in 269 consecutive games, the eighth-longest active streak in the FBS (Sept. 30, 2000-present).
The Cougars have also scored 10-plus points in 98 straight games (Sept. 6, 2014 – present).
MORE THAN A GAME
This season, Houston plays in memory of Vinny Robins, a 17-year-old senior from Barbers Hill High School who was connected with the program through Team IMPACT, a national nonprofit that pairs chronically ill children with local college teams.
He signed a national letter of intent to become an “honorary Cougar” less than a month before his passing. Houston rolled out the red carpet for Robins’ unofficial visit on July 15 and presented him with a red No. 13 jersey his favorite number — with his name on back.
On July 22, he signed a national letter of intent during a small ceremony inside TDECU Stadium.
Robins, who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at age 15, passed away on Aug. 10.
POSTSEASON PRAISE (FULL LIST: PAGE 21)
Twelve Houston student-athletes were named to The American’s all-conference team, the most since having as many in 2015.
Houston’s six first-team all-conference honorees marked the most for the program since joining The American and were the most first-team all-conference honorees for the program since 2011 as a member of Conference USA.
Cornerback Marcus Jones was named The American’s Special Teams Player of the Year and running back Alton McCaskill was
tabbed the league’s rookie of the year.
SACK AVE.
Cougars’ Head Coach Dana Holgorsen has declared “Sack Ave.” his favorite street in Houston.
The nickname for Houston’s defensive line has not come without reason. The Cougars rank fifth nationally in team sacks per game (3.38). In its regular season finale at UConn, Houston registered seven sacks and 14 tackles for loss.
On Oct. 7 at Tulane, Houston notched eight sacks, its highest single-game sack total since posting 11 sacks in a 36-10 win over #3/3 Louisville inside TDECU Stadium on Nov. 17, 2016.
Seventeen different players have registered a sack for Houston including 12 different defensive linemen. D’Anthony Jones is tied for The American lead with 0.58 per game while Logan Hall ranks fourth at 0.50.
IMPACT TRANSFERS
Cornerback Marcus Jones, who is tied for the NCAA career lead with nine return touchdowns and ranks second in the nation for
interceptions (5), transferred from Troy in 2019.
Jake Herslow, who has hauled in 31 passes for 415 yards and four scores, alongside an onside kick recovery and a blocked this season, played three seasons at Old Dominion before heading to Houston.
KeSean Carter, Ta’Zhawn Henry and Alex Hogan are a trio of key Texas Tech transfers. Carter, out for the season with injury, owns 26 receptions and 331 yards. Henry is second on the team with 526 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. Hogan led Houston with eight tackles against No. 19/16 SMU and has six pass breakups and two interceptions (and one touchdown) on the season.
In his first season with the program, Kody Russey was named a team captain and has started all 13 games at center.
Latrell Bankston, an Iowa State transfer, has 18 tackles and 4.0 sacks, despite missing time due to injury.
Damarion Williams (57 tackles – second on team) is in his third season with the team after transferring from Highland Community College. Deontay Anderson (54 tackles – third on team) is in his fourth year after transferring from Ole Miss.
FORGING AHEAD: BIG 12 CONFERENCE
In September, Houston accepted an invitation to join the Big 12 Conference. The Cougars, alongside Cincinnati, BYU and UCF, could join the league as soon as the fall of 2023.This will be the seventh conference in which Houston will compete.
On Dec. 4, fans received a first-hand look at the strength of the league as Houston faced Cincinnati in The American Championship and Baylor battled Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship. BYU, an independent, is 10-2 and ranked No. 12 in the AP Top 25.
Auburn Tigers Notes
FOOTBALL TRAVELS TO BIRMINGHAM
Auburn (6-6, 3-5) will face No. 21 Houston (11-2, 8-0 AAC) in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl on Tuesday, December 28, at Protective Stadium in Birmingham. ESPN will televise the 11:00 a.m. CT matchup, Auburn’s ninth consecutive bowl game.
IN BOWL GAMES
Auburn is making its 46th bowl appearance all-time, and its ninth straight, tying the school record for the most consecutive seasons in a bowl for the Tigers since going bowling nine straight years from 1982-90.
Auburn is 24-19-2 all-time in bowl games and 1-0 in the Birmingham Bowl, winning 31-10 over Memphis in 2015. The Tigers are 43-57-3 all-time in games played in Birmingham, most of those at Legion Field.
The Tigers have a 29-25-6 record against current members of the American Athletic Conference, including UCF, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, South Florida, SMU and Tulane. Auburn is 11-15-1 against ranked opponents in bowl games.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the seventh matchup all-time between Auburn and Houston on the gridiron. The teams first met in 1956, a 12-0 Auburn win in Auburn. The last matchup was in 1973, a 7-0 Auburn win in Auburn. The only previous postseason meeting between the schools was a 1969 Houston win by a 36-7 score in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston.
IN DECEMBER
Auburn is 23-25-2 (.480) all-time in December. Away from Auburn, the Tigers are 22-24-2 (.470). Auburn is 2-0 in games on December 28 all-time, a 34-10 Sun Bowl win over Arizona in 1968 and a 63-14 Music City Bowl win over Purdue in 2018.
KICKOFF COVERAGE
TE John Samuel Shenker is one catch and 33 yards away from breaking Auburn’s single-season record by a tight end for catches and receiving yards. He currently has 28 receptions and 359 receiving yards
Auburn is second in the SEC in net punting (42.59) and ranks 17th nationally in that statistic. Oscar Chapman is second among the league’s punters with a 44.8 punting average, 24th best nationally
The SEC coaches selected cornerback Roger McCreary as a first team all-conference honoree; linebacker Zakoby McClain and edge Derick Hall were second team all-SEC selections. Jarquez Hunter is on the SEC all-freshman team
Auburn is second in the SEC and is 12th nationally in team TFL at 7.67 per game (92 total TFL for the season)
The Tigers rank ninth nationally in 4thdown defense percentage (.360)
Auburn’s wins over Arkansas and Ole Miss were the Tigers’ first wins over ranked teams in consecutive games since the 2013 season
All-America cornerback Roger McCreary, a Reese’s Senior Bowl invitee, was among 18 semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award; he
has earned first team All-America honors from The Athletic, AP and ESPN
With 14 tackles and a career-best two sacks vs. Ole Miss, Zakoby McClain was the SEC, Lott IMPACT and Reese’s Senior Bowl Defensive player of the week. He was the first Tiger to record at least 14 tackles in consecutive games (also 15 at Arkansas) since Rudy Ford in 2016
Kicker Anders Carlson and center Nick Brahms are CoSIDA first team Academic All-Americans
THE HARSIN DEBUT
Head coach Bryan Harsin began his tenure on the Plains with a 60-10 victory over Akron. Harsin now holds an 82-30 career record (69-19 in seven seasons at Boise State; 7-5 in one season at Arkansas State). Auburn’s 60 points were the most by an Auburn coach in his first game; the previous best was 37 points in Gene Chizik’s opener vs. Louisiana Tech in 2009. Auburn’s 142 points in the first three contests set a new program record for the most points in a head coach’s first three games.
TOTAL OFFENSE
Auburn has scored 30 or more points six times this season including 60 and 62 point efforts in its first two games of the season. This is the third season Auburn scored at least 60 points in each of its first two games, along with 1932 and 1922. The Tigers have scored 30+ points in three of their last five SEC games.
Auburn overcame double-digit deficits to win consecutive games for the first time since 2010. The Tigers trailed Georgia State 24-12 before scoring the game’s last 22 points in a 34-24 victory, highlighted by a 13-play, 98-yard drive in the fourth quarter At LSU, Auburn was down 13-0 in the second quarter before rallying for a 24-19 victory, the Tigers’ first win in Baton Rouge since 1999. That was the Tigers’ largest come-from-behind win on the road since the 2010 Iron Bowl. The game-winning drive totaled 92 yards in 11 plays, capped by a 1-yard Jarquez Hunter TD run with 3:11 remaining.
Auburn’s 1,151 yards of total offense through the first two games to start the season were the most in recorded history, surpassing
the 2009 season (1,145).
Since 2001, Auburn is 161-33 (.8299) when scoring 20 or more points in a game. Dating back to 1993, Auburn is 217-41-1 (.843) when scoring 20 or more points. All-time, Auburn is 557-61-9 (.896) when scoring 20 points.
All-time, Auburn is 350-10 (.972) when scoring 30 points, 176-3 (.983) when scoring 40 points, 83-0 when scoring 50 points and 29-0
when scoring 60 points.
Auburn has scored in 116 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in school history. Auburn was last shut out by No. 2 Alabama
49-0 in Tuscaloosa in 2012.
Games Dates
149 10/4/1980-11/14/1992
116 8/31/2013-Current
Auburn piled up 613 total yards against Akron, 20th most in program history and the most since the Tigers gained 633 yards vs. Kent State in 2019. Those were the second most yards in an opener in program history. The most came against SW Louisiana in 1985 (695 yards).
The duo of Jarquez Hunter and Tank Bigsby is averaging 131.6 rushing yards per game this season (1,579 total yards) and has totaled 13 TD on the ground. Hunter ranks 12th among all FBS players and fifth among freshman averaging 7.09 yards per carry, which would rank eighth on Auburn’s single-season yards per carry list. Bigsby has five 100-yard games this season, while Hunter has two.
With 1,003 yards this season, sophomore Tank Bigsby has become Auburn’s first 1,000- yard rusher since Kerryon Johnson in 2017.
Bigsby rushed for 100 yards+ in the first three games this season; that gave him four consecutive 100-yard rushing games back through last season, the first Auburn RB to do so since Kerryon Johnson in 2017. The 48th player in Auburn history to rush for more than 1,000 career yards, he now ranks 23rd with 1,837 career yards and 15 career scores.
Against Alabama State, he rushed for 122 yards on 11 carries; his 51-yard run in the third quarter was a career long.
Against Akron, Bigsby led Auburn with 119 rushing yards and two scores in its season-opening win. He added 102 yards and two scores at Penn State and 140 yards rushing with a TD vs. Ole Miss. Bigsby’s 164 yards rishing on 22 carries at South Carolina with a 7-yard touchdown was the second-largest yardage total of his career.
In 2020, Bigsby, the SEC Freshman of the Year, was eighth in the SEC in all-purpose average (122.4/gm, third among FBS freshmen) and his 834 rushing yards ranked second among all FBS freshmen. Bigsby was the first Auburn player to average 6.0 yards per carry
since James Bostic in 1993.
True freshman Jarquez Hunter already ranks ninth among Auburn freshman rushers for a season with 580 yards. Hunter rushed for 147 yards on just eight carries against Alabama State, the highlight being a 94-yard touchdown run, the longest run in Auburn history; the previous long was 92 yards by Ralph O’Gwynn vs. Loyola in 1936. That record-setting run is tied for seventh longest in the nation this season. Hunter was SEC freshman of the week for his 65 yards rushing with the game-winning touchdown against LSU.
Against Akron, Hunter rushed for 110 yards and a nine-yard touchdown. He was the first Auburn freshman to rush for 100 yards in a
season opener since Onterio McCalebb (148 yds vs. Louisiana Tech in 2009). The last Auburn freshman to rush for 100 yards in a season opener before McCalebb? It was Bo Jackson vs. Wake Forest in 1982. McCalebb was also the last freshman to open the season with back-to-back 100-yard games at Auburn (148, La Tech and 114, Miss St) in 2009.
Shaun Shivers became Auburn’s 49th career 1,000-yard rusher against Georgia; he finished with 1,020 career rushing yards. Shivers’ five receptions for 38 yards at LSU were both career highs for the senior; he eclipsed those marks with six catches for 40 yards at Texas A&M. Shivers had 22 receptions for 163 yards and one receiving score for the season.
Auburn is averaging 241.2 passing yards per game, one of the most productive seasons through the air in Auburn history. With 2,894 passing yards to date, the Tigers have already posted the sixth-best total in Auburn history. With a bowl game, the Tigers are on pace for 3,135 passing yards, which would rank third in program history.
Quarterback Bo Nix passed for a career-high 377 yards on 27-of-41 passing with two touchdowns in the Tigers’ loss to Mississippi State last week. Nix suffered an ankle injury during the second half and will miss the remainder of the 2021 season.
Transfer QB T.J. Finley made his first start in an Auburn uniform at South Carolina, his sixth career start. As a true freshman in 2020 at LSU, Finley threw for 941 yards on 80-140 passing with five touchdowns and five interceptions. He rushed for 34 yards on 29 attempts with one touchdown.
Finley led LSU to wins over South Carolina and Arkansas. At South Carolina (10/24/20), Finley completed 17-21 passes for 265 yards
and two touchdowns (one interception), as the Tigers won, 52-24.
The South Carolina contest was the first time in 60 games, dating back to the 2016 season, that Auburn’s starting QB wasn’t named Jarrett Stidham or Bo Nix. The last time an Auburn signal caller besides Stidham or Nix started was Sean White against Oklahoma in
the 2017 Sugar Bowl. Nix went 628-1057 (59.4%) in his career for 7,251 yards and 39 passing scores.
He ranks second in career pass completions (628) and attempts (1,057), third in career passing yardage (7,251) and tied for fifth in career TD passes (39).
Against Mississippi State, he had a career-high 377 passing yards on 27-41 passing with two TDs. His 377 yards were the seventh most in Auburn history and the most since Nick Marshall’s school-record 456 passing yards at Alabama in 2014.
