Houston has fired offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay with one game remaining in his first season, the school announced Tuesday.

Barbay's unit was last in the NCAA in both scoring (13.6 points per game) and red zone offense (57% of trips ended in score). The Cougars are one of six teams nationally averaging less than 300 yards per game and are converting just 26.8 percent of third downs. 

The offensive struggles sealed Houston's fate to miss a bowl game in a 20-10 slugfest loss to a normally high-powered Baylor last week, a microcosm of the entire year in which the defense has led the Big 12 conference in total yards allowed.

Barbay's offenses at Central Michigan and Appalachian State were both explosive (eighth nationally in plays of 40+ yards) and efficient (fifth nationally in negative plays). But he's now bounced from Mississippi State and Houston in back-to-back seasons where his units have ranked in the triple digits nationally in scoring.

Willie Fritz announced quarterbacks coach Shawn Bell will take over offensive playcalling while the school conducts a national search for an offensive coordinator.

This is a developing story