| Infographic by Courtney Williams
When head coach Tom Herman took over the football program at Houston, the prospect of a high-octane offense rivaling that of the Cougars during the Case Keenum-era was on the minds of fans.
At his previous stop, Herman had helped lead a team through a tumultuous season, which saw injuries to the starting quarterback not once, but twice throughout the season. Herman eventually utilized the skills of a freshman quarterback to win the Big 10 Conference Championship game and roll to a College Football Playoff win.
The Cougars started off last season with a thud, dropping the season opener to the University of Texas at San Antonio Road runners 27-7, putting up just 208 total yards and -23 rushing yards, while turning over the ball six times.
From there, the offense went on to have relative success under former head coach Tony Levine, but still struggled in some games on their way to an 8-5 record.
So far this season, the Cougars set a blazing pace on offense, very similar to the one the Ohio State University Buckeyes set last season under the guidance of Herman.
When comparing the Cougars’ offensive output from the first five contests of this season to last year, it’s no question that Herman and his staff have made a direct and immediate impact on the UH sideline.
Through five games last season, the Cougars averaged 375 yards per game and 27.6 points per game, gaining 5.2 yards per play on average.
Herman and his staff upped the tempo on offense this season, running an average of 10 more plays per game, and it has paid dividends.
The Cougars are gaining 573.4 yards per game this season, an increase of almost 200 over last year, while putting up 46.4 points per game and 7.0 yards per play.
The Cougars’ offense displays an increased balance this season as it is averaging 287.2 yards gained through the air and 286.2 yards rushing per game.
Much of this success might be attributed to junior quarterback Greg Ward, Jr., whose increased poise in the pocket and scrambling ability helps open up the offense, both for his receivers and his running backs.
Last year, under the guidance of former quarterback John O’Korn and Ward, the Cougars averaged 220 yards passing per game, completing just 52 percent of their passes, and recorded six touchdowns to eight interceptions.
This season, with Ward as the main signal-caller, the passing efficiency has also taken a jump to 70 percent with more passes attempted this season than last.
UH has also scored eight touchdowns to just one interception this season, showing improved decision making from the quarterback position.
While senior running back Kenneth Farrow has had a difficult start to the year, not recording a touchdown until the fourth game of the season and only two 100-plus yard rushing games this year, the team as a whole has picked up the slack.
The Cougars have upped their rushing production to 287.2 per game from 155 yards per game last season, with a two-yard increase in yards per attempt, up to 5.6 per rush.
While the number of forced fumbles has increased this year, up to 11 from 10 through five games last season, the number of fumbles lost has dropped, down to just two this season.
The number of touchdowns has more than doubled as the Cougars have rushed for 21 scores this season, while last season they combined for just eight scores.
A large part of this is because of Ward’s rushing ability, when combined with his passing skill and efficiency, that has allowed him to rush for a team-high 11 touchdowns and 554 yards.
In addition to the increased efficiency in the passing game and rushing game, the Cougars have upped their efficiency on both third down and inside the red zone.
This year, the Cougars are converting their third down attempts at a pace of 51 percent, an increase of 16 percent from last year. The team is also converting 81 percent of its trips inside the red zone into scores, an increase of six percent.
One of the biggest areas the Cougars have helped themselves is in the penalty yards area.
While the Cougars opened the season with a string of games which saw nine penalties, seven penalties and 10 penalties, respectively, they have decreased their rate of infractions since then.
UH is averaging just seven penalties for a total of 59.8 yards per game, a 14-yard decrease from the previous year.
Despite the loss of many players in the wide receivers group and injuries along the offensive line, the experience gained from last season as well as the lessons of Herman and the new coaching staff have brought out the best in this offense.
The many playmakers along the offensive side of the ball, including Ward, Farrow, Jackson and junior wide receiver Demarcus Ayers, are making the most of their season. The group has helped the Cougars to a perfect record so far and a No. 24 ranking in the latest AP Poll, but will be looking for more improvement in the weeks to come.
