Hobbled backfield to lean on Mitchell

With the Houston backfield banged up, true freshman running back Davion Mitchell is expected to see increased playing time in Friday’s final regular-season game against Navy.

“He’s going to be more in our plans,” coach Major Applewhite said on Monday at his weekly news conference.

Starter Duke Catalon, who leads the team with 594 yards and eight touchdowns, has been playing with a sprained AC (acromial clavicular) joint injury. He re-injured the shoulder and missed the final three quarters of Saturday’s 20-17 loss to Tulane in New Orleans.

Mulbah Car is nursing knee and ankle injuries. Dillon Birden is out for the season with an elbow injury.

Applewhite said Catalon and Birden could play Friday.

“How long they’ll go and how healthy they’ll be, that will be determined as we go through the week,”

Applewhite said.

After six rushing attempts in a Week 2 win over Rice, Mitchell did not play in the next five games for the Cougars. He has seen action in the last three games, including two rushes for nine yards in the fourth quarter against Tulane.

Patrick Carr, a transfer from Colorado who has seen action in three games, could also play.

Oliver a finalist for Outland Trophy

On Monday, defensive tackle Ed Oliver was named a finalist for the Outland Trophy, presented to the nation’s top interior lineman.

The other finalists are Oklahoma offensive tackle Orlando Brown and Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson.

Oliver, who has a teamhigh 11 tackles for loss and 3½ sacks, is also a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy that goes to the nation’s top defensive player.

Applewhite reacts to Mayfield saga

UH coach Major Applewhite was asked about Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, who was caught by television cameras screaming profanities at Kansas players and grabbing his crotch.

OU coach Lincoln Riley announced on Monday that Mayfield, the favorite for the Heisman Trophy, won’t start Saturday’s home game against West Virginia. He’s also been stripped of his captain status for the game.

Applewhite, a former quarterback at the University of Texas, said games can be “intense” and backand-forth talk is common.

“Thank goodness you can’t read lips through a facemask most of the time,” Applewhite said. “There’s always things said after every play. That’s just part of it. Some of the other stuff, I don’t pay attention to. That’s just kind of extracurricular.”

Novikoff showing marked progress

Walk-on kicker Caden Novikoff has undergone a transformation since the spring.

Novikoff is 9-of-11 on field goals this season, an 81.8 percent success rate that ranks second in the American Athletic Conference. He has made his last seven field goals and all 37 extra-point attempts.

“If you would have watched him kick in the spring, you wouldn’t think it was the same person,” coach Major Applewhite said. “I saw a marked difference in fall camp than I did in the spring. It’s a credit to him for going out and working and getting better as the season has gone on.”