Houston 34, Louisville 31
When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, September 12, 2015
Where: Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky
Temperature:
64°
Head Official:
David Epperley
Attendance:
50019
By The Sports Xchange
Junior quarterback Greg Ward Jr. threw three touchdown passes, including the decisive 15-yard toss to junior wide receiver Demarcus Ayers, as Houston recorded a 34-31 victory over Louisville in a nonconference contest at Louisville, Ky.
Ward, who passed for 236 yards, guided the Cougars (2-0) to 17 fourth-quarter points and the winning score with 3:09 remaining. Senior running back Kenneth Farrow rushed for 109 yards and Ward added 98 as Houston rolled 462 yards of total offense.
Cardinals senior kicker John Wallace was short on a tying 53-yard field-goal attempt with 49 seconds left as Louisville dropped to 0-2. True freshman quarterback Lamar Jackson rushed for one score and passed for another but was pulled for sophomore quarterback Kyle Bolin in the final quarter.
The Cougars took a 20-17 lead on senior kicker Kyle Bullard's 21-yard field goal four seconds into the fourth quarter. Louisville then received a spark when Bolin replaced the ineffective Jackson and sophomore running back Jeremy Smith scored on a 3-yard run to cap a seven-play, 79-yard drive with 11:31 left to put the Cardinals ahead by four.
The Cougars answered on Ward's 22-yard scoring pass to sophomore wideout Linell Bonner with 9:24 left to retake the lead. Bolin found redshirt freshman tight end Mickey Crum from 29 yards out to give Louisville a 31-27 edge with 6:25 left and Houston again recovered with Ward throwing a 15-yard scoring pass to Ayers.
A 59-yard interception return by sophomore safety Chucky Williams set up Wallace's 36-yard field goal to give Louisville a 17-10 lead with 2:51 remaining in the third quarter. Houston junior Brandon Wilson returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards to knot the score 16 seconds later.
The teams traded first-quarter touchdowns as Ward tossed a 29-yard scoring pass to sophomore wide receiver Steven Dunbar with 11:21 left and Jackson scored on a 1-yard run to move Louisville into a tie with 7:19 remaining. Senior kicker Kyle Bullard's 41-yard field goal lifted the Cougars to a three-point lead before Jackson connected with senior wideout Ja'Quay Savage on a 6-yard score with 1:04 to go as the Cardinals led 14-10 at the break.
Top Game Performances
Receiving
Houston |
|
Louisville |
Steven Dunbar
|
Player |
Micky Crum
|
4 |
Receptions |
6 |
54 |
Yards |
103 |
13.5 |
Avg Yards |
17.2 |
1 |
Touchdowns |
1 |
0 |
Long |
0 |
Team Stats Summary
|
Yards |
Scoring |
Defense |
Team |
Tot |
Rus |
Pas |
TD |
FG |
INT |
Sck |
FF |
Houston
|
462 |
226 |
236 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
2.0 |
0 |
Louisville
|
395 |
70 |
325 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
2.0 |
0 |