It’s finally over.
Case Keenum ran for two touchdowns and threw for another and the Cougars wrapped up Sumlin’s first season with a 34-28 victory over Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl on Wednesday for their first bowl victory since 1980.
Houston (8-5) ended an eight-game bowl losing streak, avoiding a record the Cougars didn’t want to share with Notre Dame. The Irish won the Hawaii Bowl last week to end their NCAA-record bowl losing streak at nine.
“That bugged me. I made a big deal of it to the seniors,” Sumlin said. “For them not getting to the (Conference USA) championship game, losing the last regular season game, this was important for them to be remembered for something.”
In a rematch of a hurricane-disrupted game 3½ months ago that Air Force won, Houston never trailed after the Falcons fumbled the opening kickoff and Bryce Beall scored on a 1-yard run only 1½ minutes into the game.
But the Cougars had to overcome two fourth-quarter turnovers, including a fumble at the goal line by Beall, a freshman who ran for 135 yards on 22 carries.
Keenum was 22-of-33 passing for 252 yards. It ended his streak of 13 consecutive 300-yard games, but he still became only the second Houston quarterback to throw for more than 5,000 yards in a season. His 5,020 yards is second only to David Klingler’s 5,140 in 1990.
Air Force (8-5) didn’t get another chance after Tim Jefferson’s fourth-down pass from the Falcons’ 37 was batted down at the line by Cody Lubojasky with 2:34 remaining.
Beall appeared to break into the end zone early in the fourth quarter, but the ball popped loose. Officials initially marked him down at the 1, but a lengthy review ruled that he fumbled in the end zone and Air Force recovered.
The Falcons failed to get a first down, punting after Phillip Hunt’s school-record 34th career sack.
Houston then needed only three plays to score, Keenum hit Andre Kohn for a 13-yard TD for a 31-20 lead with 11 minutes left after Beall’s 24-yard burst up the middle.
But Keenum later had a pass that deflected off a receiver and was intercepted by Aaron Kirchoff. Fullback Jared Tew finished that drive with five straight carries for 27 yards, the last a 2-yard score that got the Falcons within 31-28 after a 2-point conversion.
Tew, getting his first career start because of an injury to starter Todd Newell, finished with 27 carries for 149 yards - only 30 yards fewer than he had in nine regular season games.
Jordan Mannisto then kicked his second field goal, a 37-yarder, before Air Force got its last chance.
