The opening of TDECU Stadium was supposed to be a moment for Houston to celebrate. Instead, on this day in 2014, the Cougars were left with a 27-7 loss to UTSA and a night that went sideways fast.
UH went nearly 59 minutes without scoring and never found a rhythm against a Roadrunners team that controlled the game from start to finish. Tony Levine, who had received a hush-hush contract extension in May, was left with what many consider the worst loss in school history.
After the game, Levine tried to put a positive spin on the setting, saying, “This was a great atmosphere, really, until the game started.” At least some fans walked away with a commemorative coin.
The problems started with the offense. In his second stint as Levine’s OC, Travis Bush pushed quarterback John O’Korn to add 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason, and the move backfired quickly. O’Korn looked less mobile, less accurate, and less confident, and his mechanics only got worse from there.
Houston was out of sorts in every phase. UTSA held the Cougars to -26 rushing yards on 23 carries, one of the ugliest numbers in program history.
O’Korn finished 21 of 43 with four interceptions and was sacked four times before being benched. By then, the Roadrunners were already ahead 27-0.
Larry Coker’s team also dominated the clock, holding the ball for almost 38 minutes overall and an eye-popping 12:59 in the third quarter alone. Even with that advantage, UTSA managed only 106 yards in the period.
Billy Cosh eventually steadied Houston just enough to get on the board, leading a 12-play, 70-yard touchdown drive. By that point, though, the largest on-campus crowd in school history had thinned to just a few hundred people, there to watch the shutout finally disappear.
The defeat marked Levine’s fifth loss to a directional school in 25 games as head coach. It also was the fifth time Houston had been held to one touchdown or fewer during his tenure. That happened again in October against UCF, but that time Levine finally turned to Greg Ward.
The aftermath kept moving. 101 days after the UTSA loss, Levine was fired by Houston. 25 days later, Ward helped spark an incredible comeback over Pitt in the Armed Forces Bowl and then led the alma mater.
Two months after that, John O’Korn transferred to Michigan.
In Other News...
Houston Is Turning TDECU Into A Bigger Game Day Event
Houston is trying to make TDECU Stadium feel like more than just a place to watch football this fall. Houston Athletics has rolled out new Coogs Unlimited VIP game-day experiences for home games, giving fans a chance to get closer to the action with pregame runouts, stadium tours, mascot interactions and other extras priced from $50 to $200.
The broader plan is to turn the entire Saturday routine into more of an event. Along with the new fan packages, Houston is adding a DJ, pyrotechnics, a relocated student section and expanded food and tailgating options as it looks to create a louder, busier atmosphere around the program. The biggest question now is how much all of those changes will actually change the feel once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Opens With A Chance To Prove Camp Was No Mirage
Houston has wrapped up fall camp and is headed into its season opener against Oregon State with a chance to show the progress it believes it made in August was real. Quarterback Conner Weigman and receiver Koby Young were among the players who stood out during camp, and the Cougars also leaned on experienced transfers to shore up the offensive line and secondary while sorting through several key position battles.
For a program looking to turn offseason optimism into something more concrete, the opener offers an early read on how much those gains can carry over once the pads are on for real. The roster now looks a little deeper and a little more settled than it did when camp began, but the bigger question is whether that translates immediately when Houston gets its first live test. [Read more 🡒]
Willie Fritz Has Houston Facing A Very Different Kind Of Pressure
Willie Fritz has spent two seasons turning Houston from a 4-8 team into one coming off a 10-win campaign and a Texas Bowl victory, and now the conversation around the program has shifted in a hurry. After the jump forward in his third season, the Cougars enter 2026 with a more familiar kind of attention - the kind that comes with expectations, not just progress - and with Conner Weigman and Amare Thomas among the pieces at the heart of the offense.
A preseason No. 23 ranking is a sign of how far Houston has come, but it also means there is less room for the kind of quiet buildup Fritz used to reshape the roster and staff. The Cougars have kept the continuity that matters most, with all three coordinators back and the defensive and offensive numbers improved across the board, so the question is no longer whether Houston belongs in the conversation. It is how long the Cougars can stay there when the season starts and the spotlight gets a little brighter. [Read more 🡒]