Today, in 1984, Houston beat No. 6 SMU, 29-20, at Texas Stadium. It was UH’s third straight win and put the Coogs in first in the SWC race.
Houston had lost to No. 9 Washington in Seattle and to Louisville at home earlier in the season (the Cardinals finished 2-9 in 1984), and fans were growing restless with the program. But the Cougars then beat Baylor in Waco and won a defensive battle over Texas A&M, 9-7.
They headed to SMU with a chance to lead the SWC, but that would be a big ask. Yeoman and staff knew they needed to dominate the run game to limit the talented Mustangs’ opportunities.
UH ran the ball 68 times for 237 yards. But Houston scored just two touchdowns and had to rely on kicker Mike Clendenen. He booted five field goals to secure the win. As the offense sputtered, Clendenen scored 26 of the team’s 38 points against the Aggies and Mustangs.
During the game, Clendenen became UH’s all-time leading scorer among kickers.
“I’ll tell you what happened,” Bobby Collins said after the game. “We got hold of a bunch of mad Cougars. That’s exactly what stopped us.”
The Ponies had won 29 of their last 30 regular-season games, including two SWC titles. Meanwhile, UH had lost its last 11 games against ranked opponents. The last win against a ranked team? January 1, 1980 – the 17-14 Cotton Bowl comeback win over Nebraska.
UH won the SWC in 1984 and went to the Cotton Bowl.
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