COUGARS’ PLAYOFF HOPES TAKE A HIT WITH 46-40 LOSS AT NAVY.
Cougars undone by a porous defense, 3 turnovers as bid for unbeaten season ends
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — That sinking feeling the University of Houston felt Saturday afternoon?
It was Navy dropping the anchor on UH’s bid for an unbeaten season and shot at the College Football Playoff.
“This one hurts,” coach Tom Herman said after the unranked Midshipmen upset the sixthranked Cougars 46-40 at rainsoaked Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
It was just the second loss in 20 games under Herman for UH, all but ending any outside chance of a team from the so-called Group of Five playing for the national championship.
“We’re going to use this as motivation,” a visibly shaken Herman said. “Use the hurt, the pain, to never feel this feeling again. This feeling is awful. Losing is awful.”
Navy controlled the game with its triple-option attack, rolling up 306 yards against the nation’s toprated run defense.
The outcome, Herman said, felt eerily similar to the Cougars’ only other loss in the last 23 months.
Like that 20-17 loss to Connecticut last Nov. 21, Houston played without its top defensive player — linebacker Steven Taylor, who was suspended for the game for an unspecified violation of team policy.
And like that loss, the Cougars were undone by three turnovers — all by quarterback Greg Ward Jr. — that led to 17 points for the Midshipmen.
“It feels terrible,” said Ward, whose three touchdowns were offset by a pair of interceptions and fumble on a sack. “Anyone would feel terrible after a loss.”
Navy quarterback Will Worth rushed for a game-high 115 yards and a touchdown, often having his way against a UH defense that was without three starters. Along with Taylor, cornerback Brandon Wilson (lower left leg) and linebacker Tyus Bowser (fractured orbital bone) missed the game. Worth also caught the defense off guard with a pair of touchdown passes. Poor tackling proves costly
Houston entered the game allowing a nation-best 42 rushing yards per game. Navy shredded the UH defense, often picking up extra yards after contact thanks to poor tackling. The 306 rushing yards were more than the 210 the Cougars had allowed in the previous five games combined.
“That is the thing with option football, if one person messes up, it throws everything off,” defensive end Cameron Malveaux said. “From an execution standpoint, we needed to get everyone on the same page.”
With the game tied at 20 at halftime, things quickly unraveled for UH.
On the opening possession of the third quarter, Ward fumbled on a sack, setting up a 17-yard touchdown pass from Worth to Darryl Bonner. Three plays later, Ward had a pass picked off by Josiah Powell, his second interception of the game, that was returned 34 yards for a touchdown and 34-20 deficit.
Houston trailed 41-27 entering the fourth quarter — the secondlargest margin in Herman’s two seasons. Dillon Birden pulled the Cougars within 41-33 on a 2-yard touchdown run, but the point-after attempt was blocked — the first by the Midshipmen in six years.
Even for all the mistakes, UH still had a chance in the fourth quarter. Navy fullback Shawn White was stopped by linebacker Matthew Adams for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the UH16.
But after three unsuccessful plays, the Cougars elected to punt, and a bad snap by Byron Sampson sailed over punter Dane Roy’s head and out of the end zone for a safety and 43-33 deficit. Too little, too late
Ward pulled UH within 46-40 on a 17-yard touchdown pass to Chance Allen with 1:57 remaining. The Midshipmen recovered the onside kick.
With nine seconds left, Ward had a pass that fell incomplete. On the game’s final play, Ward completed a 14-yard pass to Steven Dunbar and, from there, UH attempted to lateral the ball before it rolled out of bounds.
That set off a wild celebration as most of the Brigade of Midshipmen — the student body of 4,400 — stormed the field to celebrate Navy’s biggest win since a 38-21 upset of No. 2 South Carolina in 1984.
The Midshipmen (4-1, 3-0) took sole possession of first place in the American Athletic Conference West Division. UH (5-1, 2-1) now will need some help just to make the league’s championship game.
“It should hurt,” UH tight end Tyler McCloskey said. “You should let it hurt. You never want to feel like this. The only way you can stop feeling like this if you can remember it so you make sure it never happens again.”