Defending its turf
UH puts home win streak on line against Louisville.
Three years after its opening, it turns out TDECU Stadium’s most significant feature isn’t the postcard-worthy view of the downtown skyline.
No, it is a University of Houston football team that has not lost at home in more than two seasons and is preparing to host its highestranked opponent since the Reagan administration.
“It’s something we definitely take pride in,” safety Terrell Williams said. “We’re not going to let somebody come in and take our things. We definitely want to protect our home.”
The Cougars own the nation’s second-longest active home winning streak at 14, which goes back to the final month of the stadium’s inaugural season in 2014.
Navy owns the nation’s longest home winning streak at 15, taking over the top spot Saturday after Clemson lost to Pittsburgh to end its streak at 21.
UH’s streak will be put to the test Thursday night in a nationally televised game against Louisville, which is third in the Associated Press poll and likely to crack the top four in the College Football Playoff rankings when they’re announced Tuesday night.
Highest since UT in ’83
It will mark just the seventh time the Cougars have hosted a top-five opponent. The last occasion saw them narrowly lose to secondranked Texas 9-3 on Nov. 5, 1983.
TDECU Stadium won’t be confused with the louder, more hostile environments that are more than double the 40,000-seat capacity, and coach Tom Herman has had to plead for a full house on more than a few occasions.
After a mostly dreadful debut season (anybody remember the UTSA open house?), all the Cougars have done is win at the place nicknamed “The Cage.”
UH’s last loss at home was to Tulane on Nov. 8, 2014. Two weeks later, the Cougars beat Tulsa to begin their current streak, which includes a 13-0 home record under Herman. During that stretch, the Cougars are 7-4 in true road games and score a field goal less (40 to 37) on average.
“You don’t want to let somebody come into your house and beat you up, especially in front of your home fans and family,” wide receiver Chance Allen said. “We definitely don’t want to lose at home.”
Sold out since Sept. 19
There have been some close calls:
• A 33-30 win last season over Cincinnati wasn’t secured until four straight incomplete passes on the final drive.
• A week later, backup quarterback Kyle Postma engineered a 20-point fourth-quarter comeback to beat Memphis 35-34.
• And in back-to-back home games this season, the Cougars needed a goalline stand on the final play to preserve a 38-31 win over Tulsa, then rallied from a 21-point second-half deficit to beat Central Florida 3124.
The margin of victory for the Cougars during the winning streak is 19.3 points.
“There’s something special playing at home,” linebacker Steven Taylor said. “Our fans are incredible. (Defensive coordinator Todd) Orlando emphasizes not letting teams come in and get fat on us, which means running the ball on us and not controlling the game. We don’t want them to sit down and eat a big plate.”
The Louisville game has been sold out since Sept. 19 and will mark just the fifth capacity crowd in the stadium’s 21-game history.
Herman said the familiarity of being at home — everything from the locker room to where the team sleeps before a game — offers a significant advantage.
“If you look at any college football team, they are going to be better at home,” Herman said. “Everything is familiar, and you have the crowd on your side.”
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