2023 Houston Cougars football team

2023 Houston Cougars football
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Record4–8 (2–7 Big 12)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorEman Naghavi (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorDoug Belk (3rd, 5th overall season)
Base defense4–2–5
Home stadiumTDECU Stadium
2023 Big 12 Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 3 Texas y$^   8 – 1     12 – 2  
No. 16 Oklahoma State y   7 – 2     10 – 4  
No. 15 Oklahoma   7 – 2     10 – 3  
Iowa State   6 – 3     7 – 6  
No. 18 Kansas State   6 – 3     9 – 4  
West Virginia   6 – 3     9 – 4  
Texas Tech   5 – 4     7 – 6  
No. 23 Kansas   5 – 4     9 – 4  
UCF   3 – 6     6 – 7  
TCU   3 – 6     5 – 7  
  2 – 7     4 – 8  
BYU   2 – 7     5 – 7  
Baylor   2 – 7     3 – 9  
Cincinnati   1 – 8     3 – 9  
Championship: Texas 49, Oklahoma State 21
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2023 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston in the Big 12 Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cougars were led by Dana Holgorsen in his fifth season as their head coach. The Cougars played their home games at TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Houston Cougars football team drew an average home attendance of 36,020 in 2023.[1]

In September 2021, Cincinnati, BYU, Houston, and UCF accepted bids to join the Big 12 Conference.[2] On June 10, 2022, the American Athletic Conference and the three American Athletic Conference schools set to depart from the league (Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF) announced that they had reached a buyout agreement with the conference that would allow those schools to join the Big 12 in 2023.[3] BYU had previously operated as an independent prior to accepting a membership invitation to join the Big 12.

On November 26, head coach Dana Holgorsen was fired.[4] He finished with a record of 31–28 in five seasons.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 26:00 p.m.UTSA*
FS1W 17–1437,862
September 96:00 p.m.at Rice*
NFLNL 41–43 2OT23,425
September 167:00 p.m.TCU
  • TDECU Stadium
  • Houston, TX
FOXL 13–3636,049
September 236:00 p.m.Sam Houston*
  • TDECU Stadium
  • Houston, TX
ESPN+W 38–735,044
September 302:30 p.m.at Texas Tech
FS2L 28–4953,308
October 126:00 p.m.West Virginia
  • TDECU Stadium
  • Houston, TX
FS1W 41–3932,152
October 213:00 p.m.No. 8 Texas
  • TDECU Stadium
  • Houston, TX
FOXL 24–3142,812
October 2811:00 a.m.at Kansas State
ESPN2L 0–4151,928
November 42:30 p.m.at Baylor
ESPN+W 25–24 OT41,180
November 116:00 p.m.Cincinnatidagger
  • TDECU Stadium
  • Houston, TX
FS1L 14–2434,312
November 183:00 p.m.No. 23 Oklahoma State
  • TDECU Stadium
  • Houston, TX
ESPN2L 30–4333,906
November 2511:00 a.m.at UCF
FS1L 13–2743,610

[5]

Game summaries

UTSA

1 2 3 4 Total
Roadrunners 7 0 0 7 14
Cougars 7 3 7 0 17
See also: 2023 UTSA Roadrunners football team

at Rice

See also: 2023 Rice Owls football team
Houston Cougars at Rice Owls – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OT2OTTotal
Cougars 0 7 0217641
Owls 21 7 007843

at Rice Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: September 9
  • Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 96 °F (36 °C)
  • Game attendance: 23,425
  • Referee: Derek Anderson
  • TV announcers (NFLN): Doug Sherman and Tyoka Jackson
Game information
First quarter
  • RICE – Luke McCaffrey 10-yard pass from JT Daniels (Tim Horn kick), 10:11. Owls 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 78 yards, 4:44.
  • RICE – Daelen Alexander 1-yard run (Tim Horn kick), 4:17. Owls 14–0. Drive: 7 plays, 39 yards, 4:08.
  • RICE – Luke McCaffrey 32-yard pass from JT Daniels (Tim Horn kick), 3:00. Owls 21–0. Drive: 3 plays, 69 yards, 0:50.

Second quarter

  • RICE – Braylen Walker 15-yard pass from JT Daniels (Tim Horn kick), 8:32. Owls 28–0. Drive: 11 plays, 92 yards, 6:14.
  • HOU – Matthew Golden 10-yard pass from Donovan Smith (Jack Martin kick), 2:42. Owls 28–7. Drive: 11 plays, 74 yards, 5:45.

Third quarter

  • No scoring plays

Fourth quarter

  • HOU – Donovan Smith 1-yard run (Jack Martin kick), 14:05. Owls 28–14. Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 1:24.
  • HOU – Stacy Sneed 14-yard run (Jack Martin kick), 3:46. Owls 28–21. Drive: 6 plays, 71 yards, 2:04.
  • HOU – Donovan Smith 1-yard run (Jack Martin kick), 0:15. Tied 28–28. Drive: 8 plays, 40 yards, 2:34.

Overtime

  • HOU – Matthew Golden 2-yard pass from Donovan Smith (Jack Martin kick). Cougars 35–28. Drive: 5 plays, 25 yards.
  • RICE – Daelen Alexander 3-yard run (Tim Horn kick). Tied 35–35. Drive: 5 plays, 25 yards.

Second overtime

  • RICE – Daelen Alexander 1-yard run (Daelen Alexander run). Owls 43–35. Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards.
  • HOU – Donovan Smith 2-yard run (pass failed). Owls 43–41. Drive: 5 plays, 25 yards.
Statistics HOU RICE
First downs 27 24
Total yards 443 470
Rushing yards 183 69
Passing yards 260 401
Turnovers 1 2
Time of possession 28:10 31:50
Team Category Player Statistics
Houston Passing Donovan Smith 24/42, 260 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Tony Mathis Jr. 8 rushes, 60 yards
Receiving Samuel Brown 9 receptions, 138 yards
Rice Passing JT Daniels 28/42, 401 yards, 3 TD, INT
Rushing Dean Connors 8 rushes, 48 yards
Receiving Luke McCaffrey 7 receptions, 99 yards, 2 TD

TCU

1 2 3 4 Total
Horned Frogs 7 13 9 7 36
Cougars 3 10 0 0 13
See also: 2023 TCU Horned Frogs football team

Sam Houston

See also: 2023 Sam Houston Bearkats football team
Sam Houston State Bearkats at Houston Cougars – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bearkats 7 0 007
Cougars 10 14 7738

at TDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: September 23
  • Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 94 °F (34 °C)
  • Game attendance: 35,044
  • Referee: Tutashinda Salaam
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Mark Neely, Ryan Leaf, and Shane Sparks
Game information
First quarter
  • HOU – Jack Martin 23-yard field goal, 9:05. Cougars 3–0. Drive: 13 plays, 69 yards, 5:55.
  • SHSU – Trapper Pannell 2-yard run (Colby Sessums kick), 6:02. Bearkats 7–3. Drive: 7 plays, 83 yards, 2:58.
  • HOU – Parker Jenkins 4-yard run (Jack Martin kick), 1:47. Cougars 10–7. Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 4:08.

Second quarter

  • HOU – Parker Jenkins 1-yard run (Jack Martin kick), 7:22. Cougars 17–7. Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards, 4:13.
  • HOU – Parker Jenkins 2-yard run (Jack Martin kick), 0:49. Cougars 24–7. Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 1:17.

Third quarter

  • HOU – Matthew Golden 6-yard pass from Donovan Smith (Jack Martin kick), 2:59. Cougars 31–7. Drive: 15 plays, 86 yards, 8:42.

Fourth quarter

  • HOU – Stacy Sneed 58-yard pass from Ui Ale (Jack Martin kick), 10:06. Cougars 38–7. Drive: 1 play, 58 yards, 0:10.
Statistics SHSU HOU
First downs 8 27
Total yards 178 538
Rushing yards 52 186
Passing yards 126 352
Turnovers 2 0
Time of possession 25:05 34:55
Team Category Player Statistics
Sam Houston State Passing Grant Gunnell 14/22, 100 yards, INT
Rushing Tobias Weaver 6 rushes, 18 yards
Receiving John Gentry 5 receptions, 32 yards
Houston Passing Donovan Smith 31/40, 294 yards, TD
Rushing Parker Jenkins 20 rushes, 105 yards, 3 TD
Receiving Matthew Golden 9 receptions, 92 yards, TD

at Texas Tech

See also: 2023 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team
Houston Cougars at Texas Tech Red Raiders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cougars 14 14 0028
Red Raiders 14 21 7749

at Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, Texas

  • Date: September 30
  • Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 85 °F (29 °C)
  • Game attendance: 53,308
  • Referee: David Alvarez
  • TV announcers (FS2): Dan Hellie and Petros Papadakis
Game information

West Virginia

1 2 3 4 Total
Mountaineers 10 0 7 22 39
Cougars 7 7 7 20 41
See also: 2023 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

No. 8 Texas

See also: 2023 Texas Longhorns football team
Team 1 234Total
• No. 8 Texas 14 737 31
Houston 0 1473 24
  • Date: October 21, 2023
  • Location: TDECU Stadium (Houston, TX)
  • Game start: 3:05 p.m.
  • Game attendance: 42,812
  • Game weather: Sunny, 93 °F (34 °C), wind SW at 5 mph (8.0 km/h)
  • Referee: Michael VanderVelde
  • TV announcers (FOX): Tim Brando and Spencer Tillman
Pregame line Over/under
Texas -23.5 61[8]
Statistics Texas Houston
First downs 19 20
Plays–yards 69–360 65–392
Rushes–yards 37–141 19–14
Passing yards 219 378
Passing: comp–att–int 25–32–0 32–46–1
Time of possession 31:58 28:02
Team Category Player Statistics
Texas Passing Quinn Ewers 23–29, 211 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Jonathon Brooks 20 carries, 99 yards
Receiving Xavier Worthy 6 receptions, 92 yards, 1 TD
Houston Passing Donovan Smith 32–46, 378 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Parker Jenkins 9 carries, 23 yards
Receiving Joseph Manjack IV 6 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD

at Kansas State

1 2 3 4 Total
Cougars 0 0 0 0 0
Wildcats 7 21 7 6 41
See also: 2023 Kansas State Wildcats football team

at Baylor

See also: 2023 Baylor Bears football team
Houston Cougars (3–5) vs. Baylor Bears (3–5)
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Houston 0 7 37825
Baylor 0 0 710724

at McLane Stadium • Waco, TX

  • Date: Saturday, November 4, 2023
  • Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: sunny • Temperature: 73°F
  • Game attendance: 41,180
  • Referee: Derek Anderson
  • TV: ESPN+
  • Pregame line: Baylor –2.5
Statistics Houston Baylor
First downs 21 22
Plays–yards 59–366 72–413
Rushes–yards 32–130 35–150
Passing yards 236 263
Passing: comp–att–int 21–27–2 29–37–1
Time of possession 26:39 33:21
Team Category Player Statistics
Houston Passing Donovan Smith 21–27, 236 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Donovan Smith 20 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Samuel Brown 9 receptions, 86 yards, 1 TD
Baylor Passing Blake Shapen 29–37, 263 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Dominic Richardson 11 carries, 51 yards
Receiving Drake Dabney 4 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD

Cincinnati

See also: 2023 Cincinnati Bearcats football team
Game Ten – Cincinnati Bearcats at Houston Cougars
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bearcats 7 7 3724
Cougars 0 7 0714

at TDECU Stadium • Houston, Texas

  • Date: Saturday, November 11, 2023
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: • Wind:
  • Game attendance: 34,312
  • Referee: David Alvarez
  • TV: FS1
  • Pregame line: • FPI odds to win: • Game summary:
Game information
First quarter
  • (8:43) CIN – Ryan Montgomery 7-yard pass from Emory Jones (Carter Brown kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 6:17; Cincinnati 7–0)
Second quarter
  • (14:04) HOU – Joseph Manjack IV 7 yard-pass from Donovan Smith (Jack Martin kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 83 yards, 4:57; Tied 7–7)
  • (8:04) CIN – Corey Kiner 1-yard run (Carter Brown kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 93 yards, 2:17; Cincinnati 14–7)
Third quarter
  • (8:25) CIN – Carter Brown 31-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 37 yards, 6:28; Cincinnati 17–7)
Fourth quarter
  • (8:47) CIN – Corey Kiner 5-yard run (Carter Brown kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 3:14; Cincinnati 24–7)
  • (3:22) HOU – Joseph Manjack IV 2-yard pass from Donovan Smith (Jack Martin kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:25; Cincinnati 24–14)
Statistics CIN HOU
First downs 22 12
Plays–yards 71–368 51–241
Rushes–yards 48–204 23–139
Passing yards 164 102
Passing: comp–att–int 17–23–0 16–28–0
Time of possession 36:55 23:05
Team Category Player Statistics
Cincinnati Passing Emory Jones 13/16, 131 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Corey Kiner 23 carries, 129 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Braden Smith 5 receptions, 69 yards
Houston Passing Donovan Smith 16/28, 102 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing Donovan Smith 13 carries, 88 yards
Receiving Joseph Manjack IV 4 receptions, 22 yards, 2 TD

No. 23 Oklahoma State

See also: 2023 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team
No. 23 Oklahoma State Cowboys (7–3) vs. Houston Cougars (4–6)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 23 Oklahoma State 3 16 141043
Houston 14 9 0730

at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX

  • Date: Saturday, November 18, 2023
  • Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: • Sunny Temperature: 74 °F (23 °C)
  • Game attendance: 33,906
  • Referee: Stephon Baron
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Brock Osweiler (analyst) Kayla Burton (sideline)
Game information
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Statistics OKST HOU
First downs 28 18
Total yards 501 393
Rushing yards 153 130
Passing yards 348 263
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 29–43–1 18–30–2
Time of possession 32:12 27:48
Team Category Player Statistics
Oklahoma State Passing Alan Bowman 29/43, 348 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Ollie Gordon II 25 carries, 164 yards, 3 TD
Receiving Brennan Presley 15 receptions, 189 yards
Houston Passing Donovan Smith 17/29, 235 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Donovan Smith 13 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Jonah Wilson 1 reception, 60 yards, 1 TD

at UCF

See also: 2023 UCF Knights football team
Houston Cougars at UCF Knights
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cougars 10 0 0313
Knights 6 7 14027

at FBC Mortgage Stadium, Orlando, FL

  • Date: November 25, 2023
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game attendance: 43,610
  • TV announcers (FS1): Eric Collins, Devin Gardner
  • Gamecast
Game information
Statistics HOU UCF
First downs 17 23
Total yards 259 476
Rushing yards 94 223
Passing yards 165 253
Turnovers 1 0
Time of possession 27:04 32:56
Team Category Player Statistics
Houston Passing Donovan Smith 12–20, 161 yards, 1 TD, I INT
Rushing Stacy Sneed 3 carries, 33 yards
Receiving Joseph Manjack IV 4 receptions, 74 yards
UCF Passing John Rhys Plumlee 23–27, 253 yards, 1 TD
Rushing R. J. Harvey 21 carries, 136 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Kobe Hudson 9 receptions, 98 yards

References

  1. ^ "2023 FBS Attendance Trends". D1.ticker. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  2. ^ "Big 12 Conference Adds Four New Members". Big12Sports.com. Big 12 Conference. September 10, 2021.
  3. ^ "American Announces Agreements With UCF, Cincinnati and Houston on Departure" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  4. ^ "Houston Fires Coach Dana Holgorsen After Loss to UCF".
  5. ^ "2023 Houston Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  6. ^ "Texas (6-1, 3-1) -vs- Houston (3-4, 1-3)". Austin, Texas: The University of Texas at Austin Athletics. October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  7. ^ Schultz, Brad (October 19, 2023). "College Football 2023: Week 8 Announcer Pairings". Saturday Blitz. Minute Media. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  8. ^ "Texas vs. Houston odds, spread: 2023 college football picks, Week 8 predictions from proven computer model". CBS. CBS Interactive. October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
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