A new low: Army demolishes Houston, 70-14

This one was over early.

592 yards

70 points

Never close.

What more can you say about this game? Army took it to Houston, and the game was never in doubt. Army had 21 points before Houston could blink, and it was 63-7 in a hurry. Army rushed for 507 yards.

5. 0. 7.

Army quarterback Kelvin Hopkins rushed for 170 yards and five touchdowns against the Cougars defense. We knew Houston’s defense wasn’t great, but this was a new level of disappointment. The Cougars were without Ed Oliver, Jerard Carter, Isaiah Chambers, and Payton Turner, but the entire defensive unit looked awful. Army averaged 8.7 yards per carry, and it seemed like a Black Knights player was running free for most of the game. Even when the backups were in. Houston’s defense was bad, but it wasn’t like the offense did much better.

Yes, Houston scored 14 points, but seven of those came late in the game when it was already over. Clayton Tune finished 21-for-32 for 230 yards and one touchdown, and the Cougars rushed for just 87 total yards. It was a terrible result, but it now begs the question: what does Houston do going forward?

Major Applewhite is now 15-11 as the head coach of the Cougars, and has been outscored 137-51 in bowl games with an 0-3 record. It hasn’t gone well, that’s for sure. There won’t be a coaching change in the offseason, but it will be the hottest topic regarding Cougars football.

Giving up 70 points is sad. Only scoring 14 isn’t much better. It’s one thing if you’re playing a vastly superior opponent, but it wasn’t. Houston wasn’t ready for their bowl game, plain and simple. Injuries or not, you shouldn’t lose by 56. This becomes Major Applewhite’s most important offseason of his career, and he has quite a bit to do for the ship to get pointed in the right direction.