2018 Houston Cougars football team

The 2018 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cougars played their home games at TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas, and competed in the West Division of the American Athletic Conference. They were led by second-year head coach Major Applewhite. They finished the season 8–5, 5–3 in AAC play to finish in a three-way tie for the West Division championship. After tiebreakers, they did not represent the West Division in the AAC Championship Game. They were invited to the Armed Forces Bowl where they lost to Army by a score of 14–70, in the process tying records for the most points given up (70) and the largest margin-of-loss (56) in NCAA bowl game history.^[1]

2018 Houston Cougars football
AAC West Division co-champion
Armed Forces Bowl, L 14–70 vs. Army
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Division	West Division
Record	8–5 (5–3 American)
Head coach	Major Applewhite (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Kendal Briles (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Hurry-up, no-huddle spread
Defensive coordinator	Mark D'Onofrio (2nd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	TDECU Stadium
Seasons ← 2017 2019 →

2018 American Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 11 UCF x$		8	–	0					12	–	1
Temple		7	–	1					8	–	5
No. 24 Cincinnati		6	–	2					11	–	2
South Florida		3	–	5					7	–	6
East Carolina		1	–	7					3	–	9
UConn		0	–	8					1	–	11
West Division
Memphis xy		5	–	3					8	–	6
Houston x		5	–	3					8	–	5
Tulane x		5	–	3					7	–	6
SMU		4	–	4					5	–	7
Navy		2	–	6					3	–	10
Tulsa		2	–	6					3	–	9
Championship: UCF 56, Memphis 41
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

On December 30, Houston fired Applewhite after 2 seasons.^[2]

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Award	Player	Position	Year
Lott Trophy[3]	Ed Oliver	DT	JR
Rimington Trophy[4]	Will Noble	C	SR
Chuck Bednarik Award[5]	Ed Oliver	DT	JR
Maxwell Award[6]	Ed Oliver	DT	JR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy[7]	Ed Oliver	DT	JR
Outland Trophy[8]	Will Noble	C	SR
	Ed Oliver	DT	JR
Ray Guy Award[9]	Dane Roy	P	JR
Wuerffel Trophy[10]	Mulbah Car	RB	JR
Walter Camp Award[11]	Ed Oliver	DT	JR
Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award[12]	D'Eriq King	QB	JR

AAC media poll

The AAC media poll was released on July 24, 2018, with the Cougars predicted to finish in second place in the AAC West Division.^[13]

Media poll (West)
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Memphis	171 (23)
2	Houston	146 (4)
3	Navy	129 (3)
4	SMU	72
5	Tulane	68
6	Tulsa	44

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	11:00 a.m.	at Rice*	Rice Stadium Houston, TX (rivalry)	CBSSN	W 45–27	26,390
September 8	11:00 a.m.	Arizona*	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	ABC/ESPN2	W 45–18	32,534
September 15	3:00 p.m.	at Texas Tech*	Jones AT&T Stadium Lubbock, TX (rivalry)	FOX	L 49–63	53,484
September 22	7:00 p.m.	Texas Southern*	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	ESPN3	W 70–14	29,970
October 4	7:00 p.m.	Tulsa	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX (rivalry)	ESPN	W 41–26	29,823
October 13	6:00 p.m.	at East Carolina	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC	CBSSN	W 42–20	29,851
October 20	2:30 p.m.	at Navy	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	CBSSN	W 49–36	33,924
October 27	2:30 p.m.	No. 21 South Florida	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	ABC/ESPN2	W 57–36	31,631
November 3	6:00 p.m.	at SMU	Gerald J. Ford Stadium Dallas, TX (rivalry)	ESPNU	L 31–45	23,654
November 10	6:00 p.m.	Temple	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	CBSSN	L 49–59	30,862
November 15	7:00 p.m.	Tulane	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	ESPN	W 48–17	24,209
November 23	11:00 a.m.	at Memphis	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	ABC	L 31–52	27,790
December 22	2:30 p.m.	vs. Army*	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX (Armed Forces Bowl)	ESPN	L 14–70	44,738
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after October 30) - Released prior to game All times are in Central time

Schedule Source:^[14]

Roster

2018 Houston Cougars football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 1 Bryson Smith  Fr WR 2 Keith Corbin Jr QB 3 Clayton Tune Fr QB 4 D'Eriq King Jr WR 5 Marquez Stevenson So WR 6 Kinte Hatton Sr WR 9 Courtney Lark Jr WR 10 Jeremy Singleton  Fr QB 12 Quinten Dormady Sr QB 14 Ike Ogbogu  Fr WR 15 Raelon Singleton Sr WR 17 Terry Mark Jr WR 19 Julon Williams Fr RB 21 Patrick Carr Jr RB 22 Terence Williams Sr RB 23 Chandler Smith So RB 25 Kelan Walker Fr WR 26 Ja'Kori Morgan Fr WR 27 Henry Thomas Fr RB 28 Josh Burrell Jr WR 30 Timon Nolan Jr RB 32 Kevrin Justice Jr RB 34 Mulbah Car Jr WR 36 James Homan Sr WR 37 Payton Pardee Jr WR 39 Andrew Segovia Jr TE 45 Spencer Wells Fr OL 52 Braylon Jones Jr OL 53 Hayden Mark So OL 56 Dixie Wooten III  Fr OL 60 Kordell Snyder So OL 62 Jarrid Williams Jr OL 64 Dennis Bardwell So OL 65 Bo Alexander Jr OL 66 Cole Miller So OL 69 Will Noble Sr OL 70 Jordan Boatman  Fr OL 71 Max Banes Fr OL 72 Mason Denley Sr OL 73 Kameron Lewis Fr OL 74 Josh Jones Jr OL 75 Jack Freeman Fr OL 76 Kameron Eloph Jr OL 77 Keenan Murphy So WR 80 Colton Cerday Jr WR 81 Tre'von Bradley Fr TE 82 Romello Brooker Sr WR 83 Peyton Sawyer Fr WR 84 Cole McGowan So TE 85 Christian Trahan Fr TE 86 Payton Haslam Sr TE 87 Sid Turnbull-Frazier Jr TE 88 Shane Creamer  Fr TE 89 Parker Eichenberger  Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 1 Garrett Davis Sr DB 2 Deontay Anderson So DB 3 Grant Stuard So LB 4 Leroy Godfrey Jr LB 5 Darrion Owens Sr DB 6 Khari Dotson Sr LB 8 Emeke Egbule Sr CB 9 Nick Watkins Sr DT 10 Ed Oliver Jr LB 12 David Anenih So CB 13 Joeal Williams Sr CB 14 Isaiah Johnson Sr CB 16 Ka'Darian Smith Jr CB 18 Alexander Myres Sr CB 19 Javian Smith So LB 20 Roman Brown Sr DB 21 Gleson Sprewell So LB 22 Austin Robinson Sr DE 23 Willie Smith III Fr LB 24 Donavan Mutin Fr DB 25 D. J. Small So LB 26 Elijah Gooden So LB 27 Amaud Willis-Dalton Fr DB 29 Darius Gilbert Jr LB 30 Alexander Duke  Fr LB 31 Derek Parish  Fr DB 33 Garrison Vaughn Fr DB 35 Johnathan Phenix Fr CB 36 Zaire Taylor Fr LB 37 Zamar Kirven Fr DB 39 Shaun Lewis  Fr LB 40 Jordan Carmouche So DB 41 Bradley Mbu Jr LB 43 Dekalen Goodson Fr LB 45 Jordan Milburn Jr LB 46 Melvin Larkins Fr DB 48 Torrey Richardson Fr DT 50 Aymiel Fleming Jr DL 51 Tariq Freeny So DE 52 Jerard Carter Sr LB 59 Jacob Daulong  Fr DL 80 Noah Jones  Fr DE 90 Zach Vaughan Sr DE 91 Tahj Brown Fr DL 92 Logan Hall Fr DL 94 Isaiah Chambers So DL 98 Payton Turner So DL 99 Blake Young Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 38 Dane Roy Jr K 42 Caden Novikoff Sr LS 44 Anthony Cantu Jr K 47 Dalton Witherspoon So LS 97 Nick Wildberger Jr	Head coach Major Applewhite (Texas) Coordinators/assistant coaches Kendal Briles (Houston) Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks Mark D'Onofrio (Penn State) Defensive coordinator James Casey (Rice) Special teams coordinator/tight ends Randy Clements (Stephen F. Austin) Run game coordinator/offensive line A. J. Blum (Ashland) Defensive line Dan Carrel (West Liberty) Outside linebackers Kenny Guiton (Ohio State) Wide receivers Lamar Morgan (Louisiana–Lafayette) Safeties Kenith Pope (Oklahoma) Running backs Paul Williams (Delaware) Cornerbacks Thomas Dunson (LSU) Defensive football analyst Kyle Robinson (Alabama) Special teams football analyst Malcolm Kelly (Oklahoma) Offensive football analyst Mason McClendon (Houston) Analyst Colton Freeman (Houston) Analyst Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: May 13, 2020

Game summaries

At Rice

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	3	14	14	14	45
Owls	7	17	3	0	27

See also: 2018 Rice Owls football team and Bayou Bucket Classic

^[15]

Arizona

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	0	10	8	18
Cougars	21	10	7	7	45

See also: 2018 Arizona Wildcats football team

^[16]

At Texas Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	21	7	14	7	49
Red Raiders	14	21	14	14	63

See also: 2018 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team

Texas Southern

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	0	0	7	7	14
Cougars	14	28	7	21	70

See also: 2018 Texas Southern Tigers football team

Tulsa

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Hurricane	13	0	10	3	26
Cougars	7	10	0	24	41

See also: 2018 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team and Houston–Tulsa football rivalry

At East Carolina

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	14	7	7	14	42
Pirates	0	3	3	14	20

See also: 2018 East Carolina Pirates football team

At Navy

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	7	14	14	14	49
Midshipmen	10	14	0	12	36

See also: 2018 Navy Midshipmen football team

South Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 21 Bulls	0	21	15	0	36
Cougars	14	14	15	14	57

See also: 2018 South Florida Bulls football team

At SMU

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 17 Cougars	0	14	3	14	31
Mustangs	10	21	7	7	45

See also: 2018 SMU Mustangs football team

Temple

	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	14	14	21	10	59
Cougars	7	7	21	14	49

See also: 2018 Temple Owls football team

Tulane

	1	2	3	4	Total
Green Wave	6	3	0	8	17
Cougars	14	17	10	7	48

See also: 2018 Tulane Green Wave football team

At Memphis

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	7	14	10	0	31
Tigers	3	14	14	21	52

See also: 2018 Memphis Tigers football team

Vs. Army (Armed Forces Bowl)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	0	7	0	7	14
No. 22 Black Knights	14	28	14	14	70

See also: 2018 Army Black Knights football team and 2018 Armed Forces Bowl

Players drafted into the NFL

See also: 2019 NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
1	9	Ed Oliver	DT	Buffalo Bills
4	129	Isaiah Johnson	CB	Oakland Raiders
6	200	Emeke Egbule	LB	Los Angeles Chargers

Rankings

Further information: 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	RV	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	17	RV	—	RV	—	—
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	17	RV	—	—	—
CFP	Not released										—	—	—	—	—	Not released

References

1. "Army West Point dominates en route to 70-14 victory". Armed Forces Bowl. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
2. Sallee, Barrett. "Houston fires coach Major Applewhite after just two seasons with the Cougars". cbssports.com. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
3. "2018 Watch List | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Honoring College Football's Defensive Best". lottimpacttrophy.org. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
4. "Rimington Trophy Press Release". May 30, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
5. "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
6. "2018 Maxwell Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
7. "2018 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
8. "22018 OUTLAND TROPHY WATCH LIST UNVEILED". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
9. "Ray Guy Award preseason watch list unveiled". July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
10. "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
11. Carbone, Al (July 27, 2018). "Walter Camp Football Foundation Announces 2018 Player of the Year Preseason "Watch List"". Retrieved July 30, 2018.
12. "2018 Nominations The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award" (PDF). August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
13. "UCF Tabbed as Favorite in 2018 Preseason Media Poll". TheAmerican.org. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
14. "2018 Houston Cougars Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
15. "Houston vs. Rice - Game Summary - September 1, 2018". ESPN. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
16. "Arizona vs. Houston - Game Summary - September 8, 2018". ESPN. Retrieved September 8, 2018.