On November 9, 1996, the Houston Cougars beat #20 Southern Miss, 56-49, in an overtime game at Robertson Stadium. The win propelled UH to the Conference USA title in their first year in the league.
The setting was unlikely: Kim Helton entered the 1996 season at 4-28-1, and the Coogs were 5-4 heading into the Homecoming game against USM. The Golden Eagles had allowed only 52 points in their four C-USA games and didn’t expect much trouble from a UH team that had scored just 54 points in its last three games.
The teams traded touchdowns for four quarters and combined for 1,049 yards of offense. UH trailed by a score at the half but knotted it up in the 3rd. USM scored early in the 4th, but Houston answered with an 11-play touchdown drive.
Southern Miss punted on their next possession, and Houston’s Charles West ran it back 87 yards for a TD to take the lead, 49-42. USM scored in the last minute to force overtime. UH received the ball, and after a first down, Antowain Smith scored from 12 yards out to make it 56-49.
On their possession, USM moved the ball, but the Cougars stopped them on fourth down, inches short of the goal line. Houston held on.
Smith ran for 231 yards and finished with a Houston-record six touchdowns (including 5 on the ground, also a UH record). In addition, USM QB Lee Roberts set a school record with 398 passing yards. Houston quarterback Chuck Clements also had a good day, going 20/29 for 297 yards and two TDs.
Houston and Southern Miss broke at least eight school records between them: Smith’s rushing and total touchdown marks, the most points scored by a UH player, the longest punt return in UH history, most passing yards for Southern Miss, most receptions and receiving yards for USM WR Kendrick Lee (10 catches, 260 yards), and most total points in a game for USM.
All four UH records set that day still stand 30 years later.
The Cougars were in a prime position to win C-USA after the victory but needed to beat Louisville a week later. In the Astrodome a week later, the Coogs jumped out to a 31-0 halftime lead over the Cardinals before cruising to an easy win. Houston finished its first season in Conference USA with a 4-1 league record, tying USM, but earned the Liberty Bowl invite based on the head-to-head win.
The Southern Miss game was UH’s first real Homecoming since 1950 (meaning a game held on campus at the University of Houston). UH has played every Homecoming on campus since then, except in 2013, when TDECU was under construction.
USM/UH Gallery
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