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American college football season
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 .
In September 2021, Cincinnati , BYU , Houston , and UCF accepted bids to join the Big 12 Conference .[ 1] 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.[ 2] 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.[ 3] He finished with a record of 31–28 in five seasons.
Schedule
Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance September 2 6:00 p.m. UTSA * FS1 W 17–1437,862
September 9 6:00 p.m. at Rice * NFLN L 41–43 2OT 23,425
September 16 7:00 p.m. TCU FOX L 13–3636,049
September 23 6:00 p.m. Sam Houston * ESPN+ W 38–735,044
September 30 2:30 p.m. at Texas Tech FS2 L 28–4953,308
6:00 p.m. West Virginia FS1 W 41–3932,152
October 21 3:00 p.m. No. 8 Texas FOX L 24–3142,812
October 28 11:00 a.m. at Kansas State ESPN2 L 0–4151,928
November 4 2:30 p.m. at Baylor ESPN+ W 25–24 OT 41,180
November 11 6:00 p.m. Cincinnati FS1 L 14–2434,312
November 18 3:00 p.m. No. 23 Oklahoma State ESPN2 L 30–4333,906
November 25 11:00 a.m. at UCF FS1 L 13–2743,610
[ 4]
Game summaries
UTSA
1
2
3
4
Total
Roadrunners
7
0
0
7
14
Cougars
7
3
7
0
17
at Rice
Houston Cougars at Rice Owls – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 OT 2OT Total
Cougars
0
7
0 21 7 6 41
Owls
21
7
0 0 7 8 43
at Rice Stadium , Houston, Texas
Date : September 9Game time : 6:00 p.m. CDTGame weather : Sunny, 96 °F (36 °C)Game attendance : 23,425Referee : Derek AndersonTV 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
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
Sam Houston
Sam Houston State Bearkats at Houston Cougars – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Bearkats
7
0
0 0 7
Cougars
10
14
7 7 38
at TDECU Stadium , Houston, Texas
Date : September 23Game time : 6:00 p.m. CDTGame weather : Sunny, 94 °F (34 °C)Game attendance : 35,044Referee : Tutashinda SalaamTV 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
Houston Cougars at Texas Tech Red Raiders – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Cougars
14
14
0 0 28
Red Raiders
14
21
7 7 49
at Jones AT&T Stadium , Lubbock, Texas
Date : September 30Game time : 2:30 p.m. CDTGame weather : Sunny, 85 °F (29 °C)Game attendance : 53,308Referee : David AlvarezTV announcers (FS2 ) : Dan Hellie and Petros Papadakis
Game information
First quarter
HOU – Bryan Henry 6-yard pass from Donovan Smith (Jack Martin kick), 8:40. Cougars 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:20.
TTU – Drae McCray 100-yard kickoff return (Gino Garcia kick), 8:25. Tied 7–7.
HOU – Samuel Brown 16-yard pass from Donovan Smith (Jack Martin kick), 6:15. Cougars 14–7. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:10.
TTU – Tahj Brooks 7-yard run (Gino Garcia kick), 1:25. Tied 14–14. Drive: 12 plays, 74 yards, 4:50.
Second quarter
HOU – Joseph Manjack IV 49-yard pass from Donovan Smith (Jack Martin kick), 13:45. Cougars 21–14. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:40.
TTU – Loic Fouonji 25-yard pass from Behren Morton (Gino Garcia kick), 8:47. Tied 21–21. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 4:58.
TTU – Loic Fouonji 7-yard blocked punt return (Gino Garcia kick), 7:18. Red Raiders 28–21.
HOU – Dalton Carnes 41-yard pass from Donovan Smith (Jack Martin kick), 2:16. Tied 28–28. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 5:02.
TTU – Tahj Brooks 1-yard run (Gino Garcia kick), 0:44. Red Raiders 35–28. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 1:32.
Third quarter
TTU – Myles Price 11-yard pass from Behren Morton (Gino Garcia kick), 9:22. Red Raiders 42–28. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 0:48.
Fourth quarter
TTU – Cam'Ron Valdez 41-yard run (Gino Garcia kick), 8:47. Red Raiders 49–28. Drive: 5 plays, 55 yards, 3:07.
Top passers
Top rushers
HOU – Parker Jenkins – 13 rushes, 71 yards
TTU – Tahj Brooks – 22 rushes, 106 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
HOU – Samuel Brown – 9 receptions, 113 yards, TD
TTU – Myles Price – 5 receptions, 63 yards, TD
West Virginia
1
2
3
4
Total
Mountaineers
10
0
7
22
39
Cougars
7
7
7
20
41
No. 8 Texas
1
2 3 4 Total
• No. 8 Texas
14
7 3 7
31
Houston
0
14 7 3
24
Date: October 21, 2023Location: TDECU Stadium (Houston, TX )Game start: 3:05 p.m. Game attendance: 42,812Game weather: Sunny, 93 °F (34 °C), wind SW at 5 mph (8.0 km/h)Referee: Michael VanderVeldeTV announcers (FOX): Tim Brando and Spencer Tillman
Pregame line
Over/under
Texas -23.5
61[ 7]
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
Scoring summary
Quarter
Time
Drive
Team
Scoring information
Score
Plays
Yards
TOP
Texas
Houston
1st
10:02
11
75
04:58
Texas
Adonai Mitchell 14-yard touchdown reception from Quinn Ewers, Bert Auburn kick good
7
0
1st
06:56
4
62
01:36
Texas
Xavier Worthy 42-yard touchdown reception from Quinn Ewers, Bert Auburn kick good
14
0
2nd
12:49
9
58
04:31
Texas
Savion Red 1-yard touchdown run, Bert Auburn kick good
21
0
2nd
06:07
4
71
01:26
Houston
Matthew Golden 32-yard touchdown reception from Donovan Smith, Jack Martin kick good
21
7
2nd
00:26
9
75
02:07
Houston
Joseph Manjack IV 21-yard touchdown reception from Donovan Smith, Jack Martin kick good
21
14
3rd
12:29
6
49
02:24
Houston
Matthew Golden 3-yard touchdown reception from Donovan Smith, Jack Martin kick good
21
21
3rd
03:17
11
31
03:49
Texas
25-yard field goal by Bert Auburn
24
21
4th
07:43
7
68
03:49
Houston
40-yard field goal by Jack Martin
24
24
4th
05:37
6
53
01:58
Texas
CJ Baxter 16-yard touchdown run, Bert Auburn kick good
31
24
"TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football .
31
24
at Kansas State
1
2
3
4
Total
Cougars
0
0
0
0
0
Wildcats
7
21
7
6
41
at Baylor
Houston Cougars (3–5) vs. Baylor Bears (3–5)
Quarter
1
2
3 4 OT Total
Houston
0
7
3 7 8 25
Baylor
0
0
7 10 7 24
at McLane Stadium • Waco, TX
Date : Saturday, November 4, 2023Game time : 2:30 p.m. CDT Game weather : sunny • Temperature : 73°FGame attendance : 41,180Referee : Derek AndersonTV : ESPN+ Pregame line : Baylor –2.5
Scoring summary
Quarter
Time
Drive
Team
Scoring information
Score
Plays
Yards
TOP
Houston
Baylor
2nd
08:03
3
44
01:11
Houston
Samuel Brown 26-yard touchdown reception from Donovan Smith, Jack Martin kick good
7
0
3rd
06:16
14
67
08:44
Houston
31-yard field goal by Jack Martin
10
0
3rd
02:20
8
75
03:56
Baylor
Drake Dabney 38-yard touchdown reception from Blake Shapen, Isaiah Hankins kick good
10
7
4th
08:18
12
69
06:54
Baylor
27-yard field goal by Isaiah Hankins
10
10
4th
05:38
5
75
02:40
Houston
Tony Mathis Jr. 24-yard touchdown reception from Donovan Smith, Jack Martin kick good
17
10
4th
00:29
11
74
02:22
Baylor
Hawkins Polley 1-yard touchdown reception from Blake Shapen, Isaiah Hankins kick good
17
17
OT
–
4
25
–
Baylor
Dawson Pendergrass 1-yard touchdown run, Isaiah Hankins kick good
17
24
OT
–
7
40
–
Houston
Donovan Smith 1-yard touchdown run, 2-point run by Donovan Smith good
25
24
"TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football .
25
24
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
Game Ten – Cincinnati Bearcats at Houston Cougars
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Bearcats
7
7
3 7 24
Cougars
0
7
0 7 14
at TDECU Stadium • Houston, Texas
Date : Saturday, November 11, 2023Game time : 7:00 p.m. EDT Game weather : Cloudy • Temperature : • Wind :Game attendance : 34,312Referee : David AlvarezTV : 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
No. 23 Oklahoma State Cowboys (7–3) vs. Houston Cougars (4–6)
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
No. 23 Oklahoma State
3
16
14 10 43
Houston
14
9
0 7 30
at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX
Date : Saturday, November 18, 2023Game time : 3:00 p.m. CST Game weather : • Sunny Temperature : 74 °F (23 °C)Game attendance : 33,906Referee : Stephon BaronTV 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
Houston Cougars at UCF Knights
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Cougars
10
0
0 3 13
Knights
6
7
14 0 27
at FBC Mortgage Stadium , Orlando, FL
Date : November 25, 2023Game time : 12:00 p.m.Game attendance : 43,610TV announcers (FS1) : Eric Collins, Devin GardnerGamecast
Game information
First Quarter
Houston: Stephon Johnson 16-yard touchdown pass from Donovan Smith (Jack Martin kick), 10:34
UCF: John Rhys Plumlee 8-yard touchdown run (kick failed), 5:31
Houston: Jack Martin 32-yard field goal, 1:56
Second Quarter
UCF: Xavier Townsend 28-yard touchdown pass from John Rhys Plumlee (Colton Boomer kick), 12:58
Third Quarter
UCF: R.J. Harvey 21-yard touchdown run (Colton Boomer kick), 14:07
UCF: R.J. Harvey 2-yard touchdown run (Colton Boomer kick), 9:04
Fourth Quarter
Houston: Jack Martin 34-yard field goal, 10:08
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under
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
^ "Big 12 Conference Adds Four New Members" . Big12Sports.com . Big 12 Conference. September 10, 2021.
^ "American Announces Agreements With UCF, Cincinnati and Houston on Departure" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022 .
^ "Houston Fires Coach Dana Holgorsen After Loss to UCF" .
^ "2023 Houston Football Schedule" . FB Schedules. Retrieved January 9, 2023 .
^ "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 .
^ Schultz, Brad (October 19, 2023). "College Football 2023: Week 8 Announcer Pairings" . Saturday Blitz . Minute Media. Retrieved October 29, 2023 .
^ "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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