Houston Cougars vs Louisville Cardinals Match Player Stats On Sep 12, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Sep 12, 2015

Junior quarterback Greg Ward Jr. threw three touchdown passes, including the decisive 15-yard toss to junior wide receiver Demarcus Ayers, as Houston recorded a 34-31 victory over Louisville in a nonconference contest at Louisville, Ky.

Ward, who passed for 236 yards, guided the Cougars (2-0) to 17 fourth-quarter points and the winning score with 3:09 remaining. Senior running back Kenneth Farrow rushed for 109 yards and Ward added 98 as Houston rolled 462 yards of total offense.

Cardinals senior kicker John Wallace was short on a tying 53-yard field-goal attempt with 49 seconds left as Louisville dropped to 0-2. True freshman quarterback Lamar Jackson rushed for one score and passed for another but was pulled for sophomore quarterback Kyle Bolin in the final quarter.

The Cougars took a 20-17 lead on senior kicker Kyle Bullard's 21-yard field goal four seconds into the fourth quarter. Louisville then received a spark when Bolin replaced the ineffective Jackson and sophomore running back Jeremy Smith scored on a 3-yard run to cap a seven-play, 79-yard drive with 11:31 left to put the Cardinals ahead by four.

The Cougars answered on Ward's 22-yard scoring pass to sophomore wideout Linell Bonner with 9:24 left to retake the lead. Bolin found redshirt freshman tight end Mickey Crum from 29 yards out to give Louisville a 31-27 edge with 6:25 left and Houston again recovered with Ward throwing a 15-yard scoring pass to Ayers.

A 59-yard interception return by sophomore safety Chucky Williams set up Wallace's 36-yard field goal to give Louisville a 17-10 lead with 2:51 remaining in the third quarter. Houston junior Brandon Wilson returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards to knot the score 16 seconds later.

The teams traded first-quarter touchdowns as Ward tossed a 29-yard scoring pass to sophomore wide receiver Steven Dunbar with 11:21 left and Jackson scored on a 1-yard run to move Louisville into a tie with 7:19 remaining. Senior kicker Kyle Bullard's 41-yard field goal lifted the Cougars to a three-point lead before Jackson connected with senior wideout Ja'Quay Savage on a 6-yard score with 1:04 to go as the Cardinals led 14-10 at the break.