Memorable moments mark 10 years in AAC
After 10 years, 97 games and plenty of memorable moments, Saturday marks the University of Houston’s final game in the American Athletic Conference.
Before the Cougars begin play in the Big 12, here are my picks for the football program’s top 10 moments/players since moving into the AAC in 2013:
10. Memphis Comeback II (2022)
It would be an understatement to say the Cougars needed this victory. Early in the fourth quarter on Oct. 7, UH trailed 26-7 and was in jeopardy of falling to 0-2 in AAC play. “Don’t stop believing,” quarterback Clayton Tune said in the huddle as the Cougars scored 26 fourth-quarter points and mounted the fifth-largest comeback in school history to stun the Tigers 33-32 at the Liberty Bowl. Tune threw a pair of touchdowns, both to KeSean Carter, in the final 77 seconds and the Cougars recovered an onside kick for easily the wildest win of the season.
9. Fourth-and-24 (2017)
It was the coronation of a King. After two seasons at receiver, D’Eriq King replaced Kyle Postma at quarterback early in the first half and engineered four touchdown drives as the Cougars upset No. 17 South Florida in 2017. With 1:07 remaining, no timeouts and fourth down-and-24, King heaved a desperation pass from near his own 30-yard line. Courtney Lark, with four defenders around him, made a 30-yard catch to keep the drive alive, and King finished the game-winning drive with a 20-yard run with 11 seconds left.
8. Eleven wins in a row (2022)
After a season-opening loss to Texas Tech, the Cougars reeled off 11 straight wins, finishing 8-0 in conference play and advancing to the AAC championship game. A win over Auburn in the Birmingham Bowl completed a 12-2 season that will be remembered as one of the best in school history.
7. Memphis Comeback I (2015)
Backup quarterback Kyle Postma wrote his name into UH football lore. After trailing 34-14 early in the fourth quarter, Postma — who replaced injured starter Greg Ward Jr. — led three scoring drives in the final 12 minutes as the Cougars improved to 10-0 with an improbable 35-34 win. The win was not sealed until Memphis kicker Jake Elliott’s 48-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right with 19 seconds left.
6. H-Town Takeover (2016)
It was all the rage as the popular slogan was plastered on social media and around TDECU Stadium. On signing day in February 2016, the Cougars’ H-Town Takeover class, headlined by five-star defensive linemen Ed Oliver, was rated No. 36 nationally, the highest in school history and best for a Group of Five program.
5. UH smothers Heisman favorite (2016)
In one of UH’s most dominating defensive performance in recent memory, the Cougars sacked eventual Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson 11 times in a 36-10 win over fifthranked Louisville. The Cardinals’ nation-leading offense was held 40 points below its season average, punted seven times and committed three turnovers.
4. Consensus All-Americans
The Cougars produced a pair of consensus All-Americans and national award winners during their time in the AAC — defensive tackle Ed Oliver and cornerback/kick returner Marcus Jones. In 2017, Oliver became the first sophomore to win the Outland Trophy as the nation’s top interior lineman and was a consensus All-America selection. He was taken ninth overall by the Buffalo Bills. In 2021, Jones wowed crowds with four kick returns (two punts, two kickoffs) for touchdowns and finished his career tied for the NCAA record with nine. He added five interceptions, played some at receiver and was named the winner of the Paul Hornung Award as the most versatile player in college football.
3. Comeback for the ages (2015)
Early in the fourth quarter, the Cougars trailed Pitt 31-6 in the Armed Forces Bowl. Behind Greg Ward Jr., UH scored 22 points — including two touchdowns by Deontay Greenberry — and converted two onside kicks and a two-point conversion, all in the final 3:41, for a 35-34 victory that was the largest ever for a bowl decided in regulation. “It was a miracle,” interim head coach David Gibbs said.
2. UH shocks No. 3 OU (2016)
With a national television audience, the Cougars delivered one of the most significant wins in school history — a thorough 33-23 beatdown of third-ranked Oklahoma in the season-opening Texas Kickoff at NRG Stadium. “We expected to win. We trained to win. It wasn’t about making a statement,” coach Tom Herman said of beating the defending Big 12 champions and College Football Playoff semifinalist. On the opening drive of the second half, OU kicker Austin Seibert was short on a 53-yard field goal try. UH’s Brandon Wilson caught the ball in the back of the end zone and took off along the right sideline for a 100-yard return for a 26-17 lead. The win catapulted the Cougars to No. 6 in the polls and early CFP contender.
1.“Coog Nation is back!” (2015)
An AAC championship. A 13-win season. The school’s first major bowl appearance in three decades. A magical 2015 season ended with a confetti-filled celebration inside the Georgia Dome after the No. 14 Cougars dominated ninth-ranked Florida State 38-24 in the Peach Bowl. Greg Ward Jr. had 305 yards total offense and three touchdowns. Defensively, the Cougars forced four turnovers, had three sacks and 11 tackles for loss. “Coog Nation is back!” Herman proclaimed during the trophy presentation.