SB Nation Dallas - SMU vs. Houston: Mustangs set scoring record in winhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48887/dallas-fave.png2012-10-18T23:29:48-05:00http://dallas.sbnation.com/rss/stream/32741472012-10-18T23:29:48-05:002012-10-18T23:29:48-05:00SMU lights up Houston, 72-42
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<figcaption>Ivan Pierre Aguirre-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>The SMU Mustangs scored 72 points, a school record, as they easily defeated Houston on Thursday.</p> <p>The <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/smu-mustangs" class="sbn-auto-link">SMU Mustangs</a> set a school record for points as they thrashed the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/houston-cougars" class="sbn-auto-link">Houston Cougars</a>, 72-42. The Mustangs were able to score 45 points off of nine Houston turnovers. SMU's defense had four interceptions that were returned for touchdowns, and there was a fumbled kickoff that SMU also was able to return for a score.</p>
<p>The difference in this game was the third quarter. Houston was scheduled to receive the ball to start the second half, but Ryan Jackson fumbled the ball and linebacker Kevin Pope returned it 20 yards for a SMU touchdown. Houston then turned the ball over on its next two possessions. SMU was able to get a field goal, and then <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/135295/darrian-wright" class="sbn-auto-link">Darrian Wright</a> returned an interception for a touchdown. That was 17 straight unanswered points within three minutes, which pretty much wrapped up the game for the Mustangs.</p>
<p>Houston would go onto score two more touchdowns in the third quarter, but SMU quarterback Garrett Gilbert was able to match both of those to keep the Cougars at arm's length.</p>
<p>While the SMU defense had a great night, their offense was able to put up some points on its own. Gilbert had a good night by completing 23-of-38 passes for 265 yards, plus he found the end zone four times. Running back <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/135294/zach-line">Zach Line</a> scored two touchdown while rushing for 113 yards.</p>
<p><b>Box Score Hero: </b>The SMU defense for its nine forced turnovers, with four interceptions returned for touchdowns.</p>
<p><b>Rankings Ramifications:</b> Neither team will have an effect on the rankings<b>.</b></p>
<p><b>But Did They Cover? </b>SMU easily covered the 2.5 points</p>
<p><b>Next Week's Schedule: </b>Houston will host UTEP on Oct. 27, and SMU will host Memphis on Oct. 27.</p>
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https://dallas.sbnation.com/smu-mustangs/2012/10/18/3524808/smu-vs-houston-final-score-recapJeremy Mauss2012-10-18T22:15:48-05:002012-10-18T22:15:48-05:00After 3 quarter, SMU leads Houston 59-28
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<p>The <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/smu-mustangs" class="sbn-auto-link">SMU Mustangs</a> found the end zone on special teams, defense and offense when they scored 31 points in the third quarter, and now are pouring it on as they lead the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/houston-cougars" class="sbn-auto-link">Houston Cougars</a> 59-28. The scoring started on the opening kick off, but the way SMU made it to the end zone was unconventional. SMU kicked off the ball, but Houston's Ryan Jackson fumbled the ball at their 20-yard line, and Kevin Pope scooped up the ball to score a touchdown for SMU.</p>
<p>The SMU defense came up huge in the third quarter as they picked off Houston quarterback <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/134831/bram-kohlhausen" class="sbn-auto-link">Bram Kohlhausen</a> three times, and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/135295/darrian-wright" class="sbn-auto-link">Darrian Wright</a> returned his interception for the Mustang's second touchdown of the quarter. That touchdown put SMU up 45-14, but Houston made a mini-run by scoring the next two touchdowns.</p>
<p>SMU's offense responded by scoring the final two touchdowns of the quarter. The first offensive touchdown was a 43-yard pass from Garrett Gilbert to <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/115819/keenan-holman" class="sbn-auto-link">Keenan Holman</a>, and the second was another Garrett pass to Darius Johnson for 24 yards.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/2012/10/18/3524574/houston-smu-game-score-updateJeremy Mauss2012-10-18T20:54:43-05:002012-10-18T20:54:43-05:00SMU leads Houston 28-14, at the half
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/smu-mustangs">SMU Mustangs</a> scored the final two touchdowns in a span of 37 seconds and now lead by a score of 28-14 at halftime over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/houston-cougars">Houston Cougars</a>. For most of the second quarter, the SMU offense was completely shut down; on their first two drives, they went three-and-out for a grand total of three yards.</p>
<p>SMU's third drive is when the offense came alive. The Mustangs started with the ball deep in their own territory and proceeded to drive 92 yards on just eight plays. The two big plays on this drive were a 30-yard pass from Garrett Gilbert to wide receiver Jeremy Johnson to get past midfield and a 29-yard run by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/135294/zach-line">Zach Line</a> to get in the red zone. The scoring play was a 18-yard touchdown pass to Johnson, which gave SMU a 21-14 lead.</p>
<p>The SMU defense forced its fourth turnover of the game when linebacker Taylor Reed intercepted Houston quarterback <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/115621/david-piland">David Piland</a> and proceeded to return the ball six yards, giving SMU a 14-point halftime lead.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/2012/10/18/3524170/houston-smu-game-score-updateJeremy Mauss2012-10-18T08:00:59-05:002012-10-18T08:00:59-05:00UH football: Big challenges, big goals
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<figcaption>Thomas B. Shea - Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>SMU isn't the only former SWC school current playing in C-USA who will be moving on to the Big East in 2013.</p> <p><i>SMU welcomes a familiar opponent to Gerald J. Ford Stadium on Thursday. There are more than a few similarities between SMU and UH, so I brought in Michael Porter, a UH grad and man about town in the Houston area, to talk about the difficulties the Cougars have had trying to build their program ever since the dissolution of the SWC in 1996. </i></p>
<p dir="ltr">The University of Houston has had its share of "BCS" football success, winning 4 Southwest Conference titles in 19 seasons. However, since the SWC dissolved, it has had sporadic success overshadowed by years of irrelevance, moving into the background behind UT and Texas A&M. And while the school has some inherent disadvantages it will have to overcome, it has also suffered from some self-inflicted wounds that it seems on the right track toward correcting.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The obvious way to close the gap is by having sustained success, which means having talent in place on a continuous basis. UH now finds itself on an unlevel playing field with its BCS conference counterparts in the recruiting battle. Recruiting is an extremely inexact science. When UH is stuck filling the majority of its class with players leftover after UT, A&M and other BCS programs fill theirs, it becomes that much more inexact.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The first and most glaring difference between a BCS team and a non-automatic qualifier is the amount of revenue the football programs generate. The Big 12's television agreement with ESPN pays each school $20 million per year. By comparison, C-USA's television agreement with Fox Sports pays $1 million per year.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Bowl game payouts are another enormous advantage for AQ schools. If UH wins its conference and is awarded C-USA's top bowl tie-in with a trip to the Liberty Bowl, it will receive $1.1 million. To match that payout, a SEC team need to only finish 8th in its conference. If an AQ team wins its conference and goes to a BCS game, it receives $18 million.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The programs that reap the benefits of the revenue disparities are able to build newer and superior facilities, which is one of the top bargaining chips used in recruiting and one of the most cited reasons concerning why UH loses recruits. With additional funding, AQ schools are able to pay more for coaches and select from a more proven coaching pool, often pulling coaches from successful non-AQ schools.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Hiring the correct head coach, and ensuring that the correct person is evaluating the talent being brought in to mold a program into a consistent winner, is almost as inexact a science as recruiting. Twice in the last decade, UH has began building momentum, only to have it's coaching staff poached along with potential recruits.</p>
<p dir="ltr">UH went from a 0-11 team to a conference champion in 5 years under Art Briles. But just as it appeared Briles was laying the foundation of a premier program, he and his star commit (<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/35519/robert-griffin-iii">Robert Griffin III</a>) left for Baylor.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Kevin Sumlin started his tenure 0-3, effectively dampening any momentum the UH program had from the Briles era. But last season, he had the Cougars at 12-0 and brought them to the forefront of the sport. However, the school was once again a victim of its own success, as Texas A&M hired Sumlin away before the bowl game. UH started the 2012 season 0-3 and again has to try to rebuild its momentum, all while hoping it has been lucky enough to hire a third successful coach in a row in Tony Levine.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Having a winning coach that gets hired away is a better alternative than having a losing coach that other programs do not desire, but UH must keep working toward making itself a destination program where coaches want to spend their careers. The school can have a great chance at attaining uninterrupted success, instead of the two steps forward-one step back results of the last decade, by creating continuity in the program. Moving to an AQ conference is a large step in that direction, but the extra money they will receive from the Big East's television contract won't be enough in and of itself.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In addition to the systemic issues facing UH, the Cougars will have to avoid making some of the mistakes they have made in the past. One the biggest mis-steps occurred during the Kim Helton era in the 1990s, when it stopped recruiting local Houston players and filled its team with junior college transfers. The easiest way to compete with the Longhorns and the Aggies in recruiting is to use the allure of staying at home and playing in front of families and friends. By removing itself from the hotbed of talent that exists in Houston, UH spiraled into a losing program and fan apathy set in to the degree that the program has not fully recovered. Apathy has led to generally unimpressive attendance numbers and a lack of alumni financial support, which further contributed to our facilities remaining inferior to our competitors.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Over the last few years, UH has made strides to begin creeping closer to the Longhorns and the Aggies. They have once again been recruiting the city of Houston heavily. And by installing a unique offense that is predicated almost entirely on speed, UH has been able to recruit to its system and win with 2 and 3 star prospects that possess in quickness what they lack in size. The gains in recruiting have led to more success on the field: UH has been to 6 bowl games in the last 7 years, which is more than A&M over that period and equal to UT.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Sustained success, in turn, has led to a more passionate fan base. Attendance is up significantly over the last 5 years compared to the previous 15, as are alumni donations. At the end of the 2012 season, UH will demolish its current stadium to make way for a larger new stadium, which will bring the program closer to its competition with regard to facilities. The school is also moving away from its previous status as a commuter school and will house around 10,000 students on campus by the end of 2013, which will help lend a permanent solution to ending fan apathy.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Being a UH fan over the last decade has been a frustrating process as the school tries to rebuild its program. Although evaluating the hurdles UH must overcome to create an elite program paints a very daunting picture, I can't help but be encouraged by the direction the program has taken over the last few years.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/smu-mustangs/2012/10/18/3519862/houston-vs-smu-2012-previewSB Nation College News2012-10-18T07:02:07-05:002012-10-18T07:02:07-05:00Houston vs. SMU: Game time, TV schedule, and odds
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<figcaption>Thomas B. Shea - Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Houston has won three in a row as it visits Gerald Ford Stadium on Thursday to take on SMU.</p> <p>The <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/smu-mustangs">SMU Mustangs</a> host the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/houston-cougars">Houston Cougars</a> on Thursday in Dallas, with an opportunity to move on quickly after a bad loss at Tulane on Saturday.</p>
<p>The Houston team SMU will be facing is on a streak, having won three straight games, including its first two conference games. The win streak has come against teams that are a combined 5-14, however. Despite losing NCAA record-setting quarterback <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/15573/case-keenum">Case Keenum</a>, the Cougars still have the nation's 11th-best offense in yard production. New quarterback <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/115621/david-piland">David Piland</a> is on pace to throw for more than 4,000 yards this season.</p>
<p>On the other side, SMU is likely feeling less confident. Last week, the Mustangs rallied from 20-6 down against the<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/tulane-green-wave"> Tulane Green Wave</a>, one of the statistically-worst teams in FBS, to take a 26-20 lead in the fourth quarter. But Tulane scored with 35 seconds left to steal a 27-26 win. The loss spoiled a 177-yard rushing effort from <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/135294/zach-line">Zach Line</a> for SMU's otherwise-poor ground game, which ranks 101st nationally. Quarterback <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77301/garrett-gilbert">Garrett Gilbert</a> is completing less than 50% of his passes for the year, and has thrown 11 interceptions through six games.</p>
<p><b>Date/Time</b>: Thurs., Oct. 18, 7 p.m. CT</p>
<p><b>TV</b>: Fox Sports Network</p>
<p><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/odds" target="_blank">Odds</a>: Houston by 5 points</p>
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https://dallas.sbnation.com/smu-mustangs/2012/10/18/3519792/smu-houston-2012-schedule-game-time-spreadBrett Hein2012-10-17T15:23:35-05:002012-10-17T15:23:35-05:00Tony Levine struggling in first year as UH coach
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<p>Tony Levine, the new University of Houston coach, has some big shoes to fill, as his two predecessors -- Art Briles and Kevin Sumlin -- both used their success with the Cougars to get jobs at BCS schools.</p>
<p>Levine, the Cougars special teams coach from 2008-2011, had no previous head coaching experience when he took over as the interim coach after Sumlin left for Texas A&M. He's already gone through some growing pains in the 2012 season.</p>
<p>Things got off to a disastrous start when Houston was upset by Texas State, an FCS school, which prompted Levine to sack Mike Nesbitt, the offensive coordinator he had personally brought in.</p>
<p>The next two weeks weren't any smoother, as the Cougars got off to an 0-3 start in non-conference play, a long fall for a team that had went 13-1 the year before.</p>
<p>However, they've rebounded in C-USA play, taking advantage of the weaker in-conference competition to move back to 3-3.</p>
<p>Sumlin and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/15573/case-keenum" class="sbn-auto-link">Case Keenum</a> helped Houston beat SMU, 37-7, last year, but it remains to be seen whether Levine can bring the program back to the heights they reached over the last decade.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/2012/10/17/3517946/tony-levine-houston-coachJonathan Tjarks2012-10-16T14:25:23-05:002012-10-16T14:25:23-05:00SMU vs. Houston Odds: Mustangs are TD underdogs
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<p>After a devastating road loss to previously winless Tulane dropped their season record to 2-4, SMU is <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2012/10/16/3510844/houston-cougars-vs-smu-mustangs-betting-odds-preview-trends-pick">a +6 point underdog </a>to a Houston team going through a transition process of their own in 2012.</p>
<p>With Case Keenum (finally) graduated and Kevin Sumlin now at Texas A&M, the 2012 version of the Cougars isn't nearly as good as last year's team that destroyed SMU 37-7 and nearly made a BCS bowl.</p>
<p>Houston started the year 0-3, including an embarrassing home loss to Texas State, an FCS team. However, they've righted the ship in C-USA play and come into Thursday's game on the Hilltop with a 3-3 record.</p>
<p>As a result, the game has huge ramifications for the conference title race, as SMU could get right back into the mix with a 2-1 mark in conference play or fall almost completely out of it.</p>
<p>Garrett Gilbert is still looking for a break-out game in his first season as the Mustangs starting QB, and if he doesn't get it going against a Houston defense ranked 89th in the country in points allowed, it might not happen at all.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/2012/10/16/3512872/smu-vs-houston-odds-line-spreadJonathan Tjarks2012-10-15T18:26:53-05:002012-10-15T18:26:53-05:00SMU looks to rebound against streaking Houston
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<figcaption>Thomas B. Shea - Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Houston has won three in a row as it visits Gerald Ford Stadium on Thursday.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/smu-mustangs">SMU Mustangs</a> host the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/houston-cougars">Houston Cougars</a> this Thursday in Dallas, with an opportunity to move on quickly after a bad loss at Tulane on Saturday.</p>
<p>SMU rallied from 20-6 down against the<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/tulane-green-wave" class="sbn-auto-link"> Green Wave</a>, one of the statistically-worst teams in FBS, to take a 26-20 lead in the fourth quarter. But Tulane scored with 35 seconds left to steal a 27-26 win. The loss spoiled a 177-yard rushing effort from <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/135294/zach-line">Zach Line</a> for SMU's otherwise-poor ground game, which ranks 101st nationally. Quarterback <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77301/garrett-gilbert">Garrett Gilbert</a> is completing less than 50% of his passes for the year, and has thrown 11 interceptions through six games.</p>
<p>After stumbling to an 0-3 start, Houston has now won three straight games, including its first two conference games. The win streak has come against teams who are a combined 5-14, however. Despite losing NCAA record-setting quarterback <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/15573/case-keenum">Case Keenum</a>, the Cougars still have the nation's 11th-best offense in yard production. New quarterback <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/115621/david-piland">David Piland</a> is on pace to throw for more than 4,000 yards this season.</p>
<p><b>Date/Time</b>: Thurs., Oct. 18, 7 p.m. CT</p>
<p><b>TV</b>: Fox Sports Network</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/odds">Odds</a>: Houston by 6 points.</p>
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https://dallas.sbnation.com/smu-mustangs/2012/10/15/3508708/smu-vs-houston-football-2012-news-updatesBrett Hein