Case Keenum

From 1988-1990, Houston was must watch TV as a college football fanatic. The Cougars posted a 28-6 record and ranked in the Top Twenty at the end of the season all three years. In 1989, QB Andre Ware won the Heisman trophy as the triggerman in the Cougars’ Run-and-Shoot offense with 4,699 passing yards and 46 touchdowns. In 1990, QB David Klingler took over behind center and passed for over 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns. Beginning in 1991, the Cougars posted only three seasons with a winning record over the next 15 campaigns.

By 2006, the program had turned around (10-4), and in 2007, redshirt freshman Case Keenum began to call signals for the Cougars. As a sophomore in 2008, Keenum kicked off a four-year run that has not been rivaled in college football history. Houston ranked No. 1 in total offense and No. 2 in passing yards per game behind Keenum’s pinpoint passes. He posted five 400-yard passing games and totaled 300-plus yards in a school-record 13 consecutive games, startking in 2007. When the season ended, he passed for over 5,000 yards and 44 aerial strikes.

In 2009, Keenum excelled once again. He established a single-season school record with 5,671 passing yards, which is tied for the fourth-best single season total in FBS history. He added 44 touchdown passes and threw for over 500 yards four times. Unfortunately, he endured an ACL injury the next season and only played in two full games.

As a redshirt senior in 2011, Keenum posted another 5,000-yard campaign while leading the Cougars to a 13-1 mark and bowl victory over Penn State. He set a career high with 48 touchdowns and completed over 70% of his passes for a second time. The former Cougar is the all-time leader in college football history in passing yards (19,217), completions (1,546) and tied for first in passing touchdowns (155). In three seasons, he surpassed 5,000 passing yards and posted over 40 touchdown passes. Keenum’s place in CFF history is immutable, and he is now a member of the inaugural CFF Hall of Fame Class.

By John Laub