1952 Houston Cougars football team
Although unsuccessful for a touchdown drive, the Cougars moved the ball far enough for Houston's Verle Cray to kick a field goal for the first score of the game on fourth down.Houston fullback Tommy Bailes scored the final touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, when he received a 60-yard pass.Houston's defense shined, as they held Oklahoma A&M's offense to a combined rushing and passing total of only 62 yards.In the first quarter of the game, Verle Cray kicked a field goal to give Houston an early lead.A&M continued with their lead until the fourth quarter when Houston's Sam McWhirter received a touchdown pass from Clatterbuck.Tulsa was heavily favored to win, as their dominant offense was considered the best in the nation and Houston's all-time series record against the Golden Hurricane was 0–2.Houston's defense came in handy against the Golden Hurricane, as they held their highly rated offense to only 200 yards of total rushing and passing.Following the defeat of Tulsa, Houston students blocked all entrances to campus buildings on the following Monday and declared a holiday for the university.Tulsa went on to earn a respectable 8–2–1 overall record, only losing one other time to powerhouse Florida, while defeating Kansas State, Texas Tech, and Arkansas.[15] In the second quarter, linebacker Paul Carr recovered a fumble from the Sun Devils on Arizona State's seven-yard line.Houston returned home to Rice Stadium for the rest of its season schedule with its next game against the nationally ranked Ole Miss of the Southeastern Conference.This was the second time in history that Houston had played against a nationally ranked opponent on the AP Poll, as the prior season the Cougars had been defeated by then #9 Baylor.After Ole Miss drove the ball to Houston's 9-yard line, Harold Lofton rushed to gain a touchdown.[21] However, Houston's Frank James blocked an extra point attempt to leave the score at 6–0 where it remained for the entirety of the game.Mississippi continued their winning streak for the remainder of the regular season, suffering only one loss overall to Georgia Tech in the Sugar Bowl.The Gator Bowl selection committee made a public comment that Houston was in the running for a bid in the 1952 edition of the game.[24] With the win against Baylor, Houston entered its first game as a nationally ranked team against conference opponent Detroit.Led by Dutch Clark, Detroit's starting lineup included nation-leading quarterback Ted Marchibroda, who would later serve as an NFL player and head coach.Players chosen by the Missouri Valley Conference as all-conference selections were Vic Hampel, Bob Chuoke, S. M. Meeks, J. D. Kimmel, Buddy Gillioz, Paul Carr, Sam Hopson, and Jackie Howton.
Houston Cougars footballMissouri Valley ConferenceClyde LeeSplit-TRice Stadium1952 Missouri Valley Conference football standingsOklahoma A&MDetroitWichitaAP PollUniversity of Houston1952 college football seasonCoaches PollJ. D. KimmelAll-AmericanSan Francisco 49ers1952 NFL draftTexas A&MHouston, TXArkansasRazorback StadiumFayetteville, ARLewis FieldStillwater, OKrivalryArizona StateGoodwin StadiumTempe, AZTexas TechJones StadiumLubbock, TXOle MissBaylorWyomingHoustonSouthwest ConferenceRaymond GeorgeTexarkanaJ.D. Kimmelprevious NFL draft1952 Arkansas Razorbacks football teamArkansas RazorbacksFayetteville, ArkansasOtis DouglasOklahoma Statekickoffturnoverfield goalfourth downfullbackBaylor BearsStillwater, OklahomaOklahoma State CowboysJennings B. WhitworthfumblesRoy G. Cullen BuildinghomecomingTulsa Golden HurricaneBuddy BrothersblowoutFloridaKansas StateTempe, ArizonaArizona State Sun DevilsBorder ConferenceClyde SmithIndianaSan Jose Stateshutoutdrives1952 Texas Tech Red Raiders football teamLubbock, TexasTexas Tech Red RaidersDeWitt WeaverSoutheastern ConferenceJohnny VaughtGator BowlGeorgia TechSugar BowlCotton DavidsonGeorge SauerSyracuseVillanovaDutch ClarkTed MarchibrodaBobby ClatterbuckPaul CarrHarden CooperLovette HillWayback MachineCentenaryHead coachLines coachEnds coachBackfield coach1953 NFL draftPaul "Rock" CarrLos Angeles RamsPittsburgh SteelersGreen Bay Packers1954 NFL draftDetroit LionsPhiladelphia EaglesNew York GiantsBlue–Gray Football ClassicEast–West Shrine GameAssociated PressNewspapers.comThe Tuscaloosa NewsDeseret NewsSt. Petersburg TimesSpartanburg Herald-JournalThe Miami NewsMilwaukee Journal SentinelSarasota Herald-TribuneKentucky New EraRome News-TribuneRobertson StadiumHouston AstrodomeReliant StadiumBBVA Compass StadiumTDECU StadiumBowl gamesShastaCougar Fight SongSpirit of Houston