2024 Houston Cougars football team

2024 Houston Cougars football
2024 Houston Cougars football
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Record	2–4 (1–2 Big 12)
Head coach	Willie Fritz (1st season);
Offensive coordinator	Kevin Barbay (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro spread
Defensive coordinator	Shiel Wood (1st season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	TDECU Stadium
	Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

2024 Big 12 Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 17 BYU	2	–	0	5	–	0
No. 16 Iowa State	2	–	0	5	–	0
Colorado	2	–	0	4	–	1
Texas Tech	2	–	0	4	–	1
West Virginia	2	–	0	3	–	2
Arizona	1	–	0	3	–	1
Arizona State	1	–	1	4	–	1
No. 20 Kansas State	1	–	1	4	–	1
No. 18 Utah	1	–	1	4	–	1
UCF	1	–	1	3	–	2
Cincinnati	1	–	1	3	–	2
Houston	1	–	2	2	–	4
TCU	1	–	2	3	–	3
Oklahoma State	0	–	3	3	–	3
Baylor	0	–	3	2	–	4
Kansas	0	–	3	1	–	5
Championship: December 7, 2024
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of October 6, 2024 Rankings from AP Poll

The 2024 Houston Cougars football team represents the University of Houston in the Big 12 Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cougars are led by Willie Fritz in his first season as their head coach. The Cougars play their home games at TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	6:00 p.m.	UNLV*	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	FS1	L 7–27	25,750
September 7	6:45 p.m.	at No. 15 Oklahoma*	Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK	SECN	L 12–16	83,653
September 14	7:00 p.m.	Rice*	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX (rivalry)	ESPN+	W 33–7	28,146
September 21	11:00 a.m.	at Cincinnati	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	FS1	L 0–34	38,007
September 28	6:00 p.m.	No. 18 Iowa State	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	FS1	L 0–20	25,138
October 4	6:30 p.m.	at TCU	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX	ESPN	W 30–19	44,211
October 19		at Kansas	Arrowhead Stadium Kansas City, MO	TBA
October 26		Utah	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	TBA
November 2		Kansas State	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	TBA
November 15	9:15 p.m.	at Arizona	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	FS1
November 23		Baylor	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	TBA
November 30		at BYU	LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT	TBA
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after October 31) - Released prior to game All times are in Central time

^[3]

Game summaries

vs UNLV

UNLV Rebels (0–0) vs Houston Cougars (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Rebels	7	7	10	3	27
Cougars	0	0	0	7	7

at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX

Date: August 31, 2024
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Cloudy, 90 °F (32 °C)
Game attendance: 25,750
Referee: Michael VanderVelde
TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust (play-by-play) and Robert Smith (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

(8:10) UNLV – Jacob De Jesus 13-yard pass from Matthew Sluka, Caden Chittenden kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:26; UNLV 7–0)

Second quarter

(12:49) UNLV – Jacob De Jesus 24-yard pass from Matthew Sluka, Caden Chittenden kick (Drive: 5 plays, 55 yards, 1:58; UNLV 14–0)

Third quarter

(9:49) UNLV – Caden Chittenden 40-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 27 yards, 3:57; UNLV 17–0)
(5:23) UNLV – Jalen Catalon 36-yard interception return, Caden Chittenden kick (UNLV 24–0)

Fourth quarter

(5:00) UNLV – Caden Chittenden 34-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 2:14; UNLV 27–0)
(1:00) HOU – Joseph Manjack IV 2-yard pass from Ui Ale, Joseph Kim kick (Drive: 12 plays, 90 yards, 3:51; UNLV 27–7)

Statistics	UNLV	HOU
First downs	14	14
Total yards	308	247
Rushing yards	195	38
Passing yards	113	209
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	7–14–1	22–38–2
Time of possession	31:27	28:33

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UNLV	Passing	Matthew Sluka	6/13, 71 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Michael Allen	10 carries, 65 yards
	Receiving	Jaden Bradley	2 receptions, 60 yards
Houston	Passing	Donovan Smith	15/30, 135 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Parker Jenkins	2 carries, 17 yards
	Receiving	Mekhi Mews	3 receptions, 57 yards

at No. 15 Oklahoma

Houston Cougars (0–1) at No. 15 Oklahoma Sooners (1–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	3	3	6	0	12
No. 15 Sooners	7	7	0	2	16

at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, OK

Date: September 7, 2024
Game time: 6:45 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Sunny, 78 °F (26 °C)
Game attendance: 83,653
Referee: Stephen Baron
TV announcers (SEC Network): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), and Cole Cubelic (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

(12:59) OKLA – Brenen Thompson 10-yard pass from Jackson Arnold, Tyler Keltner kick (Drive: 1 play, 10 yards, 0:06; OKLA 7–0)
(4:29) HOU – Joseph Kim 43-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 63 yards, 8:25; OKLA 7–3)

Second quarter

(12:28) OKLA – Jake Roberts 11-yard pass from Jackson Arnold, Tyler Keltner kick (Drive: 8 plays, 81 yards, 3:11; OKLA 14–3)
(0:00) HOU – Joseph Kim 44-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, 1:17; OKLA 14–6)

Third quarter

(13:15) HOU – Joseph Manjack IV 44-yard pass from Donovan Smith, two-point conversion failed (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:45; OKLA 14–12)

Fourth quarter

(1:42) OKLA – Gracen Halton Safety (Drive: 1 play -5 yards, 0:04; OKLA 16–12)

Statistics	HOU	OKLA
First downs	18	15
Total yards	318	249
Rushing yards	58	75
Passing yards	260	174
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	24–28–1	19–32–1
Time of possession	35:03	24:57

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Houston	Passing	Donovan Smith	24/28, 260 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Stacy Sneed	11 carries, 33 yards
	Receiving	Joseph Manjack IV	3 receptions, 72 yards, TD
Oklahoma	Passing	Jackson Arnold	19/32, 174 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Jovantae Barnes	12 carries, 40 yards
	Receiving	Deion Burks	9 receptions, 53 yards

vs Rice

Rice Owls (1–1) vs Houston Cougars (0–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	0	0	0	7	7
Cougars	14	6	6	7	33

at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX

Date: September 14, 2024
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Clear, 92 °F (33 °C)
Game attendance: 28,146
Referee: Kevin Boitmann
TV announcers (ESPN+): Lowell Galindo (play-by-play), Fozzy Whittaker (analyst), and Tori Petry (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

(5:30) HOU – Stacy Sneed 65-yard rush, Joseph Kim kick (Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:34; HOU 7–0)
(3:49) HOU – Mekhi Mews 75-yard punt return, Joseph Kim kick (Drive: 3 plays, 7 yards, 1:41; HOU 14–0)

Second quarter

(7:29) HOU – Stephon Johnson 44-yard pass from Donovan Smith, Joseph Kim PAT failed (Drive: 1 play, 44 yards, 0:11; HOU 20–0)

Third quarter

(2:24) HOU – Donovan Smith 1-yard rush, two-point conversion failed (Drive: 1 play, 1 yard, 0:05; HOU 26–0)

Fourth quarter

(7:10) HOU – Donovan Smith 37-yard rush, Joseph Kim kick (Drive: 7 plays, 56 yards, 3:21; HOU 33–0)
(1:08) RICE – Dean Connors 4-yard rush, Enock Gota kick (Drive: 12 plays, 70 yards, 5:56; HOU 33–7)

Statistics	RICE	HOU
First downs	9	16
Total yards	159	379
Rushing yards	75	237
Passing yards	84	142
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	16–27–1	12–21–0
Time of possession	28:03	31:57

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Rice	Passing	E. J. Warner	12/21, 50 yards, INT
	Rushing	Dean Connors	11 carries, 32 yards, TD
	Receiving	Christian Francisco	2 receptions, 26 yards
Houston	Passing	Donovan Smith	12/21, 142 yards, TD
	Rushing	Stacy Sneed	7 carries, 82 yards, TD
	Receiving	Stephon Johnson	1 reception, 44 yards, TD

at Cincinnati

Houston Cougars (1–2) at Cincinnati Bearcats (2–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	0	0	0	0	0
Bearcats	14	10	7	3	34

at Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH

Date: September 21, 2024
Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 81 °F (27 °C) • Wind: NW at 2 miles per hour (3.2 km/h)
Game attendance: 38,007
Referee: David Alvarez
TV announcers (FS1): Dan Hellie (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

(10:46) CIN – Xzavier Henderson 19-yard pass from Brendan Sorsby, Nathan Hawks kick (Drive: 3 plays, 45 yards, 1:19; CIN 7–0)
(2:57) CIN – Corey Kiner 44-yard run, Nathan Hawks kick (Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 2:17; CIN 14–0)

Second quarter

(6:27) CIN – Xzavier Henderson 15-yard pass from Brendan Sorsby, Nathan Hawks kick (Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 7:11; CIN 21–0)
(1:51) CIN – Nathan Hawks 46-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 25 yards, 2:32; CIN 24–0)

Third quarter

(9:09) CIN – Brendan Sorsby 8-yard run, Nathan Hawks kick (Drive: 8 plays, 89 yards, 4:00; CIN 31–0)

Fourth quarter

(3:47) CIN – Nathan Hawks 34-yard field goal (Drive: 15 plays, 52 yards, 9:51; CIN 34–0)

Statistics	HOU	CIN
First downs	12	22
Total yards	233	362
Rushing yards	141	149
Passing yards	92	213
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	13–21–1	15–19–0
Time of possession	26:26	33:34

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Houston	Passing	Donovan Smith	11/16, 73 yards, INT
	Rushing	Re'Shaun Sanford II	6 carries, 62 yards
	Receiving	Joseph Manjack IV	2 receptions, 51 yards
Cincinnati	Passing	Brendan Sorsby	12/15, 188 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Corey Kiner	16 carries, 78 yards, TD
	Receiving	Sterling Berkhalter	3 receptions, 60 yards

vs No. 18 Iowa State

No. 18 Iowa State Cyclones (3–0) vs Houston Cougars (1–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 18 Cyclones	3	0	7	10	20
Cougars	0	0	0	0	0

at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX

Date: September 28, 2024
Game time: 6:00 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 92 °F (33 °C) • Wind: NW 10 mph
Game attendance: 25,138
Referee: Hank Johns
TV announcers (FS1): Eric Collins (play-by-play) and Spencer Tillman (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

(7:06) ISU – Kyle Konrardy 23-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 5:25; Iowa State 3–0)

Second quarter

No scoring plays

Third quarter

(2:12) ISU – Jayden Higgins 12-yard pass from Rocco Becht, Kyle Konrardy kick (Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:31; Iowa State 10–0)

Fourth quarter

(11:39) ISU – Kyle Konrardy 34-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 31 yards, 4:01; Iowa State 13–0)
(5:39) ISU – Abu Sama 77-yard run, Kyle Konrardy kick (Drive: 2 plays, 80 yards, 0:59; Iowa State 20–0)

Statistics	ISU	HOU
First downs	19	11
Total yards	393	241
Rushing yards	240	169
Passing yards	153	72
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	17–28–0	9–16–2
Time of possession	34:55	25:05

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa State	Passing	Rocco Becht	17/28, 153 yards, TD
	Rushing	Abu Sama	11 carries, 101 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jayden Higgins	8 receptions, 79 yards, TD
Houston	Passing	Donovan Smith	8/12, 71 yards, INT
	Rushing	Stacy Sneed	10 carries, 79 yards
	Receiving	Stephon Johnson	4 receptions, 42 yards

at TCU

Houston Cougars (1–4) at TCU Horned Frogs (3–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	7	17	0	6	30
Horned Frogs	0	6	6	7	19

at Amon G. Carter Stadium • Fort Worth, TX

Date: October 4, 2024
Game time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 88 °F (31 °C) • Wind: NE 9 mph
Game attendance: 44,211
Referee: Kevin Mar
TV announcers (ESPN): Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst) and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

(5:29) HOU – Devan Williams 8-yard pass from Zeon Chriss, Jack Martin kick (Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 4:12; Houston 7–0)

Second quarter

(13:38) HOU – Re'Shaun Sanford II 2-yard run, Jack Martin kick (Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 4:27; Houston 14–0)
(4:55) HOU – Jack Martin 34-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 3:34; Houston 17–0)
(2:18) TCU – Savion Williams 21-yard pass from Josh Hoover (Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 2:31; Houston 17–6)
(1:48) HOU – Zeon Chriss 71-yard run, Jack Martin kick (Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:30; Houston 24–6)

Third quarter

(5:27) TCU – Jeremy Payne 2-yard run (Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 4:11; Houston 24–12)

Fourth quarter

(13:35) HOU – Jack Martin 28-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 25 yards, 5:00; Houston 27–12)
(9:25) TCU – Jack Bech 29-yard pass from Josh Hoover, Kyle Lemmermann kick (Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 4:04; Houston 27–19)
(1:58) HOU – Jack Martin 27-yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 66 yards, 7:27; Houston 30–19)

Statistics	HOU	TCU
First downs	19	20
Total yards	361	299
Rushing yards	207	66
Passing yards	154	233
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	17–20–0	23–37–2
Time of possession	36:53	23:07

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Houston	Passing	Zeon Chriss	15/18, 141 yards, TD
	Rushing	Zeon Chriss	11 carries, 97 yards, TD
	Receiving	Maliq Carr	2 receptions, 39 yards
TCU	Passing	Josh Hoover	23/37, 233 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Cam Cook	14 carries, 77 yards
	Receiving	JP Richardson	9 receptions, 98 yards

at Kansas

Houston Cougars (2–4) at Kansas Jayhawks (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	0	0	0	0	0
Jayhawks	0	0	0	0	0

at Arrowhead Stadium • Kansas City, MO

Date: October 19, 2024
Game time: TBD
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	HOU	KAN
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Kansas	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Utah

Utah Utes (0–0) vs Houston Cougars (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Utes	0	0	0	0	0
Cougars	0	0	0	0	0

at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX

Date: October 26, 2024
Game time: TBD
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UTAH	HOU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Kansas State

Kansas State Wildcats (0–0) vs Houston Cougars (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	0	0	0	0
Cougars	0	0	0	0	0

at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX

Date: November 2, 2024
Game time: TBD
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	KSU	HOU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kansas State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Arizona

Houston Cougars (0–0) at Arizona Wildcats (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	0	0	0	0	0
Jayhawks	0	0	0	0	0

at Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ

Date: November 15, 2024
Game time: TBD
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	HOU	ARIZ
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Arizona	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Baylor

Baylor Bears (0–0) vs Houston Cougars (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	0	0	0	0
Cougars	0	0	0	0	0

at TDECU Stadium • Houston, TX

Date: November 23, 2024
Game time: TBD
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	BAY	HOU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Baylor	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at BYU

Houston Cougars (0–0) at BYU Cougars (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars (HOU)	0	0	0	0	0
Cougars (BYU)	0	0	0	0	0

at LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT

Date: November 30, 2024
Game time: TBD
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	HOU	BYU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
BYU	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

^ Schofield, Jimmy (July 2, 2024). "2024 Camp Preview: Offensive Line". 247Sports. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
^ Duarte, Joseph (April 23, 2024). "University of Houston: DL analysis after spring football". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
^ "2024 Houston Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved December 18, 2023.

[1] Schofield, Jimmy (July 2, 2024). "2024 Camp Preview: Offensive Line". 247Sports. Retrieved September 13, 2024.

[2] Duarte, Joseph (April 23, 2024). "University of Houston: DL analysis after spring football". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 13, 2024.

[3] "2024 Houston Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved December 18, 2023.

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v t e Houston Cougars football
Venues	Robertson Stadium (1946–1950, 1998–2012) Rice Stadium (1950–1964) Houston Astrodome (1965–1997) Reliant Stadium (2013) BBVA Compass Stadium (2013) TDECU Stadium (2014–present)
Bowls and rivalries	Bowl games Rice SMU Texas Tech Tulsa
Culture & lore	Shasta "Cougar Fight Song" Spirit of Houston Veer option The Comeback Victory 2022 SMU game
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024