Today in 2007, Case Keenum made his first career start for Houston as the Cougars beat Tulane, 34-10, in the Superdome. It was UH’s sixth-straight Conference USA win, a school record.
The 2007 season began with Keenum and Blake Joseph still battling for the QB job. Joseph started the opener at Oregon, but Keenum played better that day. After an early off week, the Cougars went back on the road to Tulane. It was Keenum’s time to start.
Keenum drove the Coogs down the field on the first drive before it stalled and T.J. Lawrence booted a 33-yard field goal. Keenum drove the Coogs again on the second drive, but was intercepted in the end zone. The Coogs started their third drive from the four-yard line after Cody Lubojasky returned a 62-yard interception. Alridge punched it in on the first snap.
Keenum threw his only TD pass of the day early in the second quarter, as Mark Hafner caught it over the middle and scored. The 14-play, 64-yard drive was UH’s best of the day.
On the following drive, Keenum was intercepted again in the end zone, and Joseph entered the game.
Case played two more drives, but UH did not score on either. He ended up 13/21 for 185 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions, but head coach Art Briles seemed pleased with Keenum’s play.
“Case (Keenum) came out and started and made a couple of mistakes,” Briles said after the game.
“I felt like Case needed to get some more reps. It’s not a deal where we were feeling like Blake wasn’t doing well, because we thought Blake really did well. We felt like Case needed to get in there and get some plays. He actually did a really good job.”
The game was Houston’s fifth straight win in the series across four different stadiums in that span (2003: Tad Gormley in City Park in New Orleans; 2004: Robertson; 2005: Cajun Field due to Hurricane Katrina; 2006: Robertson; and the Superdome in 2007). It was also UH’s first win in a domed stadium since September 27, 1997, when they beat Minnesota in the Metrodome.
Anthony Alridge ran for 87 yards and a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass. In two seasons as a starter, Alridge ran for 242 yards against Tulane on 23 attempts and scored three touchdowns (four TDs total).
2007 was a strange season for the Cougars: they traveled across the country for the opener, were off in week two, and then on the road again the next week. UH only played three home games in September and October combined, then played three of the last four at home. The final road game, at Tulsa, would have put UH in position to play for the C-USA title for the second year in a row, but the Coogs laid an egg, 56-7. Three days after UH’s season ended, Baylor announced they were hiring Briles.
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