Houston Outscores Navy, 49-36
Final: Houston over Navy, 49-36 (image: NavySports.com)
The Houston Cougars beat the Navy Midshipmen, 49-36, on Saturday afternoon in Annapolis. Led by a ferocious second half offense, Houston overcame a 24-21 deficit at halftime to improve to 6-1 (3-0 AAC). Navy fell to 2-5 (1-3 AAC), despite owning time of possession and gaining over 500 total yards.
Here’s a look at some of the team stats from the game.
Total Yards: Houston: 570… NAVY: 522
Passing Yards: Houston: 413… NAVY: 178
Rushing Yards: Houston: 157… NAVY: 344
Penalty Yards: Houston: 3 for 20 yards… NAVY: 3 for 32 yards
1st Downs: Houston: 29… NAVY: 26
3rd Downs: Houston: 8 of 10… NAVY: 9 of 18
4th Downs: Houston: 0 of 0… NAVY: 2 of 3
Time of Possession: Houston: 17:27… NAVY: 42:33
Notable Performances
Houston’s junior QB, D’Eriq King, had a phenomenal game. Throwing for 413 yards and 3 TDs, he completed 25 of 38 passes without an interception. Behind King, the Cougars gained 337 total yards in the first half and, at one point, scored 35 unanswered points.
Marquez Stevenson made eight catches for a total of 141 yards and ran for a TD for Houston. Courtney Lark caught a 65-yard TD pass from King. The Cougars’ TE, Romello Brooker, scored a TD on a 14-yard toss. Nick Watkins topped off the scoring for the AAC West leaders running an interception back 50-yards for six points late in the game.
For the second week in a row, Garret Lewis got the start for Navy under center. Malcolm Perry, returning to his slotback position, rushed for 97 yards, including a 32-yard TD run. Unfortunately for the Midshipmen, Perry missed the majority of the second half with an apparent leg injury.
Zach Abey came in on short yardage and ran the ball in for a TD. Tazh Maloy had perhaps his best day as a Midshipmen, scoring six on a 32-yard run. Bennett Moehring kicked a field goal and converted three extra-points to become Navy’s career leader in points scored by a kicker.
Final Thoughts
While the Mids played a strong first half and never gave up in the fourth quarter, Houston’s offense simply dominated Navy in the later stages of the game.
Bottom line: Navy played well, but Houston played great. The better team won.
Next Saturday night, Navy travels to San Diego to face #4 Notre Dame.
