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Houston Football: 3 takeaways from Birmingham Bowl win over Auburn

By Connor Muldowney

Dec 28, 2021; Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Houston Cougars wide receiver Nathaniel Dell (1) is tacked by Auburn Tigers linebacker Cam Riley (35) and Auburn Tigers safety Donovan Kaufman (1) during the first half of the 2021 Birmingham Bowl at Protective Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2021; Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Houston Cougars wide receiver Nathaniel Dell (1) is tacked by Auburn Tigers linebacker Cam Riley (35) and Auburn Tigers safety Donovan Kaufman (1) during the first half of the 2021 Birmingham Bowl at Protective Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Houston football fought back to win the Birmingham Bowl after surrendering a lead late to Auburn. What did we learn from this one?

Dana Holgorsen and Houston football found themselves in a tough spot with under 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter of the 2021 Birmingham Bowl.

Auburn had gained some serious momentum and seemed to be shutting the Cougars’ offense down. Clayton Tune turned the ball over with a tough pick and then on a trick play where he went out as a receiver, Houston threw another critical interception. All hope seemed lost as Auburn was flexing its defensive muscle.

But Tune and the Cougars didn’t quit, driving the field late to score the go-ahead touchdown with 3:27 left in the game. Houston never looked back.

The Cougars downed the 6-6 Auburn Tigers to improve to 12-2 on the season. What did we learn from this big win by Holgorsen and Co.?

3. Alton McCaskill has a bright future ahead of him

Freshman running back Alton McCaskill isn’t exactly a household name because he plays in the Group of Five, but he’s going to be a problem for years to come.

The first-year back finished the season with over 900 yards and posted 78 on 14 carries and looked really good against a stout Auburn defense. He didn’t have a ton of long runs, but he was just consistent and any time you can average 5.6 yards per carry against a tough SEC defense, you know you’re legit.

McCaskill is going to take the AAC by storm until Houston makes that move to the Big 12, but he showed on Tuesday afternoon that he will have no problem against other Power Five defenses.

Strong start to a collegiate career by McCaskill.

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