Bill Yeoman’s Houston debut did more than start with a win. It introduced a new look, a defensive clinic and a freshman-sounding energy that immediately felt bigger than one September afternoon at Rice Stadium.
The Cougars shut out Baylor 19-0 in 1962, and the game gave Houston fans their first glimpse of the UH logo on the helmets. Yeoman pushed for it himself, wanting the school to be recognizable in newspaper photos and, on the rare occasion, in TV highlights. The interlocking UH stayed put for nearly 60 years, all the way until Dana Holgorsen added the script Cougars in the 2021 Birmingham Bowl.
On the field, Houston overwhelmed the Bears in every phase that mattered. The Cougar run defense limited Baylor to 21 rushing yards on 34 carries, while Houston piled up 163 yards on the ground. Billy Roland completed 7 of 10 passes for 96 yards, and Baylor’s quarterbacks finished with 12 completions to their own teammates and five to Byron Beaver.
Beaver’s night was historic. The defensive back matched an NCAA record with five interceptions, and that mark still stands today. He picked off Baylor passes to close out the Bears’ final two possessions in each half.
The offense had its own breakout star in sophomore running back Joe Lopasky, who scored three touchdowns in his first college game. He broke the scoring open in the second quarter on a five-yard run, then found the end zone again in the third and on the first play of the fourth quarter. Lopasky finished with 43 yards on 13 carries.
Afterward, Yeoman kept it simple, apple in hand, and said, “Our boys just wanted it more than they did,” Yeoman said after the game, munching on an apple. “We just ran basic stuff, and our boys did a remarkable job.”
The reaction from the press box matched the performance. Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter Galyn Wilkins opened his story with a line that captured the mood: “An army of relentless sophomores, down-right disrespectful of Baylor’s touted aerial game, spearheaded Houston University to a 19-0 conquest of the favored Bears.”
It was a sharp opening statement for Yeoman’s era, and a clean response to the memory of Baylor’s 19-0 win over Houston in the 1951 opener.
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