HOUSTON (6 - 5) vs. KANSAS (6 - 5)
Week 15 Friday, 12/23/2005 8:00 PM
Fort Worth Bowl - Amon Carter Stadium - Fort Worth, TX
vs 
History
Houston is 7-7-1 in their 15 bowl appearances dating back to its initial bowl game in 1951. The Cougars are looking to snap a five-game losing streak in bowl games, since defeating Navy, 35-0, in the 1980 Garden State Bowl. In 2003, after a seven-year hiatus the Cougars returned to the postseason in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, losing a thrilling triple overtime affair, 54-48 on Christmas Day. This contest in Fort Worth marks the 10th time Houston has taken part in a bowl game in the state of Texas. UH has played four times in both Dallas and Houston and once in El Paso, and the Cougars are 4-4-1 in those games. Houston is also no stranger to Amon G. Carter Stadium, the site of the Fort Worth Bowl and home to the TCU Horned Frogs. The Cougars are 6-6 at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Their opponent, Kansas, will be playing their 10th bowl game and will be visiting Amon Carter for the 12th-time, but the first-time since 1996 when Glen Mason's final KU team posted a 52-17 win over TCU. The Jayhawks have played two bowl games in the state of Texas, the 1961 Bluebonnet Bowl vs. Rice and the 1975 Sun Bowl vs. Pittsburgh. This game also marks the third time the two teams have squared off on the gridiron. Houston is 0-2 against Kansas, including a 20-13 loss in Lawrence, Kan., on September 23, 1995.
Houston (6-5, 4-4 in C-USA)
Head Coach: Art Briles (Texas Tech '79)
Career Record: 16-19 (3rd year)
Record at UH: 16-19 (3rd year)
Kansas (6-5, 3-5 in Big 12)
Head Coach: Mark Mangino (Youngstown State, '87)
Career Record: 18-29 (4th year)
Record at KU: 18-29 (4th year)
Last Bowl: 2003 Tangerine (N.C. State 56, Kansas 26)
Houston Leaders:
Passing: Kevin Kolb, 234-376, 3,044 yards, 19 TDs
Rushing: Ryan Gilbert, 1,030 yards, 9 TDs
Receiving: Vincent Marshall, 69 rec., 927 yards, 6 Tds
Kansas Leaders:
Passing: Brian Luke, 85-168, 934 yards, 6 TDs
Rushing: Jon Cornish, 679 yards, 9 TDs
Receiving: Mark Simmons, 39 rec., 554 yards, 3 TDs
HOUSTON:
Houston is in a bowl game for the second time in three years under head coach Art Briles. Briles is the first Cougar coach to take this team to multiple bowl games since the legendary Bill Yeoman led UH to 11 bowl games from 1962 to 1984. Junior quarterback Kevin Kolb, is currently the No. 7 active NCAA passer, and senior running back Ryan Gilbert and senior wide receiver Vincent Marshall are the Cougar leaders. Kolb has passed for 3,034 yards and 19 scores this season to rank third on the Cougar's all-time career lists (8,941 and 55 TDs). Gilbert rushed for 1,030 yards and nine scores this season and Marshall caught 69 passes in 2005 for 927 yards and six scores. Historically, Houston is one of seven bowl teams that have produced a 3,000 yard passer (Kevin Kolb) and a 1,000-yard rusher (Ryan Gilbert). USC, Notre Dame, BYU, Fresno State, Northwestern and Akron are the others.
KANSAS:
Kansas is also in a bowl game for the second time in three years, as the Jayhawks lost to Philip Rivers and North Carolina State in the 2003 Tangerine Bowl. Kansas' offense is led by running backs junior Jon Cornish (679 yards, nine touchdowns) and senior Clark Green (641 yards, two touchdowns), who have combined for 1,120 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Jayhawks gained 2,008 yards passing this season behind senior quarterbacks Brian Luke (934, yards, six touchdowns, eight games) and Jason Swanson (918 yards, three touchdowns, five games). Receiving leaders are senior Mark Simmons (39 catches for 554 yards and three scores) and junior Brian Murph (29 catches, 290 yards, one touchdown). KU linebacker Nick Reid was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league in tackles per game at 9.6. The Jayhawks have held eight of their 11 opponents to 21 points or less. Kansas was 6-0 at Memorial Stadium this season, but 0-5 on the road or at neutral sites.
GAME NOTES: Both teams will be making their first bowl appearance since 2003 after each school finished the regular-season with 6-5 records. Both universities closed out the 2005 regular-season with victories to qualify for the college bowl scene, as Kansas upset No. 25 Iowa State 24-21 in overtime at Lawrence to derail the Cyclones' bid for the Big 12 North title. Houston defeated cross-town rivals Rice 35-18 at home in its season finale. Houston is seeking its first bowl victory since the 1980 Garden State Bowl, while Kansas last won a postseason game in the 1995 Aloha Bowl.
TRENDS
HOUSTON
The Cougars were 4-1 ATS and 3-2 SU outside of Houston during the regular season.
Houston is 3-0 ATS last three as an underdog. .
Houston has scored at least 20 points in every game this season and is 17-1 ATS as a non-conference dog when reaching that number.
KANSAS
Kansas is 0-5 SU and 1-4 ATS in 2005 in games played away from Lawrence.
Kansas is 1-13 ATS off a SU win when it allows 20 or more and the Jayhawks have only one SU win in their last 15 games away from home.
CONFERENCE AND BOWL TRENDS
Big XII teams 5-10 ATS in bowls past 2 seasons.
Analysis
Coming into this game, there should be little argument that Kansas has face superior competition beating the likes of Iowa State, Nebraska and Missouri to get here. Kansas's other wins were cupcake squads, Florida Atlantic, Appalachian State and Louisiana Tech. Although Houston gave Oregon a scare in the beginning of the season, their six wins came against the likes of Sam Houston State (not a division I-A school), Tulane, Tulsa, Mississippi State, Southern Miss and Rice.
This match-up features a classic battle of offense vs. defense, as Houston ranks No. 14 in the nation in total offense, while Kansas is ranked 19th in the nation in total defense. Houston's 14th ranked offensive can score quickly and frequently as 19 of QB Kevin Kolb's touchdown passes this season that were 40 yards or longer. However, in order to take advantage and utilize the "big play" game plan Houston will need to establish somewhat of a balanced attack behind senior running back Ryan Gilbert who rushed for 1,030 yards and nine scores. The problem for Houston is that they have not see a defense as good as the one they will be facing in this matchup. Kansas comes into this contest with the 19th ranked overall defense and the NCAA's second best (only Boston College was better this season) Rushing defense in the nation. The Jayhawks allowed only 3.33 yards per rush attempt. Kansas has also held eight of their 11 opponents to 21 points or less. The three opponents who broke the 21 point barrio were Texas Tech (30), Colorado (44), and Texas (66). If we just forget about the disaster against Texas (and we all know a motivated Texas team annihilates just about anyone in college football), the Jayhawks are finished the year allowing an incredible 64.1 (1.9 yards per carry) yards per game and have held five of their eleven opponents to less than 50 yards rushing. Even more amazingly was their statistic against a run oriented Nebraska team. Indeed, the Jayhawk's held Nebraska to a paltry 21 yards on 22 carries! So what does all this mean? Well, if Houston cannot establish the run to open up the passing lanes then they will be unable to utilize their strength in throwing the football which is where they might be able to take advantage of a Kansas secondary that was 67th in the NCAA against the pass averaging. To make matters worse for Kansas, CB Charles Gordon, the best player in the Jayhawk's secondary, is questionable for the game with a strained right shoulder.
The opposite from what was stated above will be in effect when Kansas has possession of the football, as we get to see a poor offense trying to move the ball on a terrible defense. Kansas checks in ranking 108th in moving the ball, and was outscored 152-47 away from home. Indeed, in eight Big 12 Conference games this season, Kansas was held to 14 or fewer points five times. Kansas used three different quarterbacks throughout the season, Brian Luke, Jason Swanson and Adam Barmann, and each one seemed to be worse then the other. All told the three Kansas QB's threw 19 interceptions and only nine touchdown passes combined. However, Kansas does have a tandem of running backs in Jon Cornish and Clark Green who combined for 1,320 yards on 262 carries and their success at running the football will in all likelihood be the key to who wins and covers the spread. Houston, against a schedule a much easier schedule, struggled to stop the run, allowing 5.0 yards per rush attempt. Look for Kansas to shorten this game by attacking the Houston run stopping unit keeping Houston's always dangerous offense off the field.
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