2009 Conference USA Football Championship Game

2009 Conference USA Football Championship Game
Conference Championship
Houston Cougars East Carolina Pirates
(10–2) (8–4)
32 38
Head coach: 
Kevin Sumlin		 Head coach: 
Skip Holtz
APCoachesBCS
181821
1234Total
Houston 71201332
East Carolina 77101438
DateDecember 5, 2009
Season2009
StadiumDowdy–Ficklen Stadium
LocationGreenville, North Carolina
MVPDwayne Harris (WR, East Carolina)
FavoriteHouston by 2
RefereeR.G. Detillier
Attendance33,048
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN2
AnnouncersRon Franklin (play-by-play), Ed Cunningham (analyst)
2009 Conference USA football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
East Carolina x$   7 – 1     9 – 5  
UCF   6 – 2     8 – 5  
Southern Miss   5 – 3     7 – 6  
Marshall   4 – 4     7 – 6  
UAB   4 – 4     5 – 7  
Memphis   1 – 7     2 – 10  
West Division
Houston xy   6 – 2     10 – 4  
SMU x   6 – 2     8 – 5  
Tulsa   3 – 5     5 – 7  
UTEP   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Rice   2 – 6     2 – 10  
Tulane   1 – 7     3 – 9  
Championship: East Carolina 38, Houston 32
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2009 Conference USA Football Championship Game was played on December 5, 2009, between the East Carolina Pirates, the champion of Conference USA's East Division, and the West Division champion Houston Cougars at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina.

The game kicked off at 12:00 pm EST and was televised by ESPN2.[1] The Pirates were looking to be the first team in C-USA history to win back to back conference championships, while the Cougars led by Case Keenum looked to win their 2nd.

East Carolina won 38-32, earning both a second consecutive conference championship and trip to the Liberty Bowl. Case Keenum set a title game and C-USA record with 527 passing yards in the losing effort. He was two completions short of the all-time NCAA single-game record with 56 (Andy Schmitt had 58 for Eastern Michigan in a 2008 game).[2]

Game summary

The game was held at the Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina, the home field of East Carolina. Hosting privileges were determined by the better conference records; East Carolina finished C-USA play at 7–1, better than Houston's 6–2.[1]

Scoring summary

References

  1. ^ a b "Football Meets East Carolina in C-USA Championship Game on Saturday". University of Houston Athletics. December 3, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  2. ^ "East Carolina Defeats No. 18 Houston, 38-32". East Carolina University Athletics. December 5, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2025.


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