2023 Houston Cougars football team

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.

2023 Houston Cougars football
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Record	4–8 (2–7 Big 12)
Head coach	Dana Holgorsen (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	Eman Naghavi (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Doug Belk (3rd, 5th overall season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	TDECU Stadium
Seasons ← 2022 2024 →

2023 Big 12 Conference football standings

v t e	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
Houston		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

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*	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	FS1	W 17–14	37,862
September 9	6:00 p.m.	at Rice*	Rice Stadium Houston, TX (rivalry)	NFLN	L 41–43 2OT	23,425
September 16	7:00 p.m.	TCU	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	FOX	L 13–36	36,049
September 23	6:00 p.m.	Sam Houston*	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	ESPN+	W 38–7	35,044
September 30	2:30 p.m.	at Texas Tech	Jones AT&T Stadium Lubbock, TX (rivalry)	FS2	L 28–49	53,308
October 12	6:00 p.m.	West Virginia	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	FS1	W 41–39	32,152
October 21	3:00 p.m.	No. 8 Texas	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	FOX	L 24–31	42,812
October 28	11:00 a.m.	at Kansas State	Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Manhattan, KS	ESPN2	L 0–41	51,928
November 4	2:30 p.m.	at Baylor	McLane Stadium Waco, TX (rivalry)	ESPN+	W 25–24 OT	41,180
November 11	6:00 p.m.	Cincinnati	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	FS1	L 14–24	34,312
November 18	3:00 p.m.	No. 23 Oklahoma State	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	ESPN2	L 30–43	33,906
November 25	11:00 a.m.	at UCF	FBC Mortgage Stadium Orlando, FL	FS1	L 13–27	43,610
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after October 31) - Released prior to game All times are in Central time

^[4]

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

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	2OT	Total
Cougars	0	7	0	21	7	6	41
Owls	21	7	0	0	7	8	43

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.

Houston Cougars at Rice Owls – Game summary

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

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

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearkats	7	0	0	0	7
Cougars	10	14	7	7	38

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.

Sam Houston State Bearkats at Houston Cougars – Game summary

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

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

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	14	14	0	0	28
Red Raiders	14	21	7	7	49

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 HOU – Donovan Smith – 29/40, 335 yards, 4 TD TTU – Behren Morton – 14/22, 161 yards, 2 TD 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

Houston Cougars at Texas Tech Red Raiders – Game summary

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

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

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 8 Texas 14 7 3 7 31 Houston 0 14 7 3 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 Sources: [5][6]

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

See also: 2023 Kansas State Wildcats football team

at Baylor

See also: 2023 Baylor Bears football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Houston	0	7	3	7	8	25
Baylor	0	0	7	10	7	24

Houston Cougars (3–5) vs. Baylor Bears (3–5)

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

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

See also: 2023 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearcats	7	7	3	7	24
Cougars	0	7	0	7	14

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)

Game Ten – Cincinnati Bearcats at Houston Cougars

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:

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

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 23 Oklahoma State	3	16	14	10	43
Houston	14	9	0	7	30

Game information
First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

No. 23 Oklahoma State Cowboys (7–3) vs. Houston Cougars (4–6)

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)

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

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	10	0	0	3	13
Knights	6	7	14	0	27

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 UCF 77.9% Line UCF -15.5 Over/Under 61.5

Houston Cougars at UCF Knights

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

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. "Big 12 Conference Adds Four New Members". Big12Sports.com. Big 12 Conference. September 10, 2021.
2. "American Announces Agreements With UCF, Cincinnati and Houston on Departure" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
3. "Houston Fires Coach Dana Holgorsen After Loss to UCF".
4. "2023 Houston Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
5. "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.
6. Schultz, Brad (October 19, 2023). "College Football 2023: Week 8 Announcer Pairings". Saturday Blitz. Minute Media. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
7. "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.