On Homecoming in 1967, Houston walked into the Astrodome and knocked off No. 5 Georgia, 15-14, in front of 53,356 fans - the biggest crowd in the building’s history at the time.
The Cougars had just come off a gut-punch the week before at Ole Miss, where they lost 14-13 after Bill Yeoman chose to go for two following a late touchdown and came up short at the goal line. That game set the tone for what was becoming a rough stretch on offense, and against Georgia the mistakes piled up even more. Houston turned it over five times, added an interception, and spent three quarters chasing a 14-0 deficit.
Even so, the Cougars kept pounding away on the ground. They moved the ball between the 20s but couldn’t finish drives until the fourth quarter, when consensus All-American guard Rich Stotter helped clear the way for Paul Gipson’s 25-yard touchdown run straight up the middle. Kenny Hebert added the extra point, and Houston was finally on the board, down 14-7.
Gipson kept carrying the load. He finished with a then-school-record 229 rushing yards, and Houston piled up 293 on the ground against Georgia, which came in with the nation’s top-ranked defense.
After a punt exchange, the Cougars took over at their own 30 and started to chip away. Gipson opened the series with a 13-yard run, then quarterback Dick Woodall hit Hebert at the Georgia 25. Hebert turned the catch into a touchdown, pulling Houston within one at 14-13.
Yeoman made the same call he had made a week earlier. He went for the conversion, and this time it worked.
Houston ran a sweep, Hebert delivered a key block, and Gipson got around the left end for the two-point conversion and the lead. That 15-14 edge held, and the Cougars had their second win over a top-five team.
“Our team showed a lot of character when everything seemed to be going wrong for us,” head coach Bill Yeoman said after the game. “We finally quit throwing the ball into the ground and put something together.”
Houston’s defense did its part, too. The Mad Dog Defense held Georgia to 168 yards of total offense, and the win sent the Cougars back into the AP Poll at No.
- It also capped a brutal run through SEC opponents, with Houston having beaten Mississippi State in Starkville before falling to Ole Miss and then taking down Georgia.
The game also left behind a trail of Georgia explanations that never quite matched the final score. Lewis Grizzard, who later became a famed writer and humorist, was then starting out as the UGA beat writer for the Athens Daily News and came to Houston to cover the game while still a UGA student.
Bill Stanfill, who would win the Outland Trophy the next year, said the Astrodome surface was “more like a pool table than a football field.”
Billy Payne, a Georgia receiver who later became chairman of Augusta National, said the Bulldogs got beat because “we were all just looking around (the Astrodome) and couldn’t believe what technology had done.” He also gave Houston credit, saying Georgia “got beat by a good team and a great running back, Paul Gibson.”
Another Georgia player later recalled how strange the setting felt: “None of us had ever experienced something like that before-playing football indoors on artificial turf. Some players were ripping up the turf and putting it inside their helmet to take home for a souvenir.”
Larry Munson remembered the scene from outside the stadium, saying he “will always remember pulling up to that huge Astrodome, and there were shoe salesmen all over the place.” He said they were trying to sell shoes to Georgia players because their regular cleats didn’t work well on the Astroturf.
The game also carried a strange place in Georgia history: it was the Bulldogs’ last regular-season game outside the Southeast until 2008.
In Other News...
Kelvin Sampson Already Sees One Big Test For This Houston Team
The No. 10 Cougars opened the season with a 94-55 win over La Salle at Fertitta Center, and Kelvin Sampson had plenty to like afterward, especially the way Houston defended and controlled the glass. The opener also offered an early look at some of the adjustments this group is making, including senior forward Joseph Tuglers move into a different spot in the frontcourt as the staff continues to sort out roles.
What stood out most was how Houston wanted to play offensively, with a clear emphasis on getting downhill and creating easier looks around the rim while also earning trips to the line. Sampson has already pointed to one major test ahead for this team, and it will be a useful measuring stick for a roster that looked sharp in its first outing but is still working through the details that matter once the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Has No Room For Another Slip Against Cincinnati
Houston heads into its matchup with Cincinnati looking to steady itself after a loss to Utah exposed some of the issues that can surface when the offense gets out of rhythm. The Cougars were held back in part by an injury to tight end Patrick Overmyer, and his absence was one of the factors that made the previous game harder to manage on that side of the ball.
Cincinnati brings its own uncertainty into the meeting, which only adds to the pressure on Houston to respond cleanly on both sides of the line. The Cougars need a sharper offensive showing and a more consistent defensive effort if they want to avoid letting another winnable game slip away. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Gets A Chance To Answer Its Utah Loss At Home
Cincinnatis trip to No. 17 Houston gives the Cougars a quick chance to move past their loss to No. 3 Utah and get back on track at home in a Big 12 matchup that should tell a lot about where both teams stand. Houston has been one of the leagues more efficient offenses, especially on third down, and its run defense has been a strength, while Cincinnati arrives with a rushing attack that can stress opponents if it gets rolling.
The Bearcats also bring plenty of urgency after their own setback against Utah, and both coaching staffs have stressed the same message this week: learn from what happened, then turn the page. For Houston, the focus is on protecting its home field and proving the Utah result was a detour, not a trend, while Cincinnati is trying to show it can travel and compete against a ranked opponent without letting defensive issues decide the night. [Read more 🡒]