In 1993, Houston hosted SMU for Homecoming in a game that ended in a 28-28 tie. Kim Helton’s team fell behind 21-0 before tying it up, then tied it again at 28-28. Houston had a chance for the win but shanked a field goal with about a minute left.
The game could not have started worse for UH. After a quick UH punt, SMU scored a touchdown in three plays. Another punt, and SMU drives down the field again. 14-0 Ponies. Then the Coogs fumble the kickoff, and SMU recovers.
But the UH defense got off the field, and Jimmy Klingler put a drive together. But the first quarter ended on a Trace Craft missed 49-yard FG attempt from the hold of Clay Helton.
SMU scored on the 3rd drive of the second quarter, and after two penalties, UH started from their own 5. But Jimmy Klingler went to work: a 77-yard bomb to Ron Peters and, two plays later, a 9-yard TD to Daniel Adams.
Klingler found a rhythm in the third quarter: Keith Jack for 11, TiAndre Sanders for 14 and 18, and a 16-yard TD to Jack.
Early in the fourth, UH strikes again, tying it up at 21 all. On the next drive, SMU goes 88 yards in five plays to take a 28-21 lead. Klingler takes back over and leads UH to a score, a 12-yard TD pass to Jack. It was tied at 28.
SMU took two illegal procedures to start the next drive, ultimately punting with 4:36 left. After a big run, Klingler throws to Moffett to get UH to the 22. TiAndre Sanders runs for five, and the Coogs are in the red zone.
But UH was stuffed on 2nd and 3rd down and had to attempt a 36-yard FG. SMU called timeout to ice Craft, which worked: he shanked it left.
SMU took over and couldn’t do anything, and the game ended in a tie, the last for UH before the rule change in 1996.
“A tie feels the same as a loss,” Klingler said after the game. “You don’t come into a game expecting to tie.”
Helton’s team was a disaster with penalties, with nine accepted in the game and three more declined.
“Our biggest problem on defense today was that we had absolutely no substitutions,” first-year head coach Kim Helton said. “We had some kids out there for the first time, and it showed.”
After a win over Baylor on 10/2/1993, UH did not beat (or tie) anyone except SMU until 12/2/1995. The Cougars were 2-25-1 with two wins and a tie with SMU.
SMU has been UH’s Homecoming opponent nine times, the most in Cougar history (UH is 4-4-1 in those games). The second most is Tulsa with eight (5-3).
