Senior corner back William Jackson III had strong night for the Cougars, including an interception return for a touchdown. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar
In this week’s round table, The Cougar sports staff discusses the shutout win over the Vanderbilt University Commodores and looks ahead to the next game against the University of Cincinnati.
How would you rate the Cougars play against Vanderbilt?
Sports editor Bryce Dodds: I’d give the team a B+. The defense looked strong again, but against a paltry Commodore offense, I expected nothing less. The four turnovers really speaks to me more than total yards allowed. The offense looked a little lost to begin with, but they found their groove. It was nice to see Greg Ward Jr. take a couple of sacks and hits and maintain composure.
Creative director Sean Alder: The Cougars really needed this game to go well moving forward. The Cougars were the favorite going into Saturday’s game. However, they needed to heavily outscore the Commodores to build up enough momentum in preparation of their homecoming game, and toughest challenge so far, the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Who was the player of the game?
Staff writer Dezmond Ewell: I believe the defense as a whole should get player of the game honors. They were a well-oiled machine as the front seven put heavy pressure on the Vanderbilt quarterbacks. The UH secondary covered receivers so well at times that Vandy’s quarterbacks didn’t know what to do. They also stuffed the run very well as they have been doing all season. Defense was definitely the key to this win.
BD: The defense definitely stood out as the best unit overall, but I’d say the player of the game was senior linebacker Elandon Roberts. He had 14 total tackles on the night, 1.5 tackles for loss, including half of a sack and a forced fumble. Roberts has proven his ability time and again this season, and his leadership in all aspects of the game really helped the Cougars on Saturday.
Did you expect the Cougars to dominate so easily?
DE: I believed that the Cougars would win, but I had no idea that they would dominate so well. Offense handled their responsibility well and got points on the board and the defense was absolutely amazing as they forced punts and turnovers all game long.
SA: I definitely thought the Cougars would do well this game, but the defense completely surpassed my expectations. The secondary has been slowly getting back up to par with last year’s performance, but I think Saturday’s showing of three interceptions and one touchdown is a good sign that the group is finally back.
What are your expectations for next week against Cincinnati?
BD: Cincinnati is one of those teams where the record doesn’t really do justice to the team. Their three losses this season have come against the University of Memphis, Temple University and Brigham Young University, and each conference loss was by just one possession. They’re going to give the Cougars a fight, but I expect UH to come out with the win, 38-31.
SA: The Cougars have performed at about the same level as the Bearcats for the past few years, so the games have always been interesting to watch. After a heavily disciplined week of practice, due to some sloppiness against the Commodores, I expect the Cougars to come out and work the hardest they have had to all year.
I think the real MVP was the stadium’s concourse for its ample rain protection.
Joking aside, it was great to see our defense start with their head in this game.
If they can carry that attitude into the Cincinnati game with a star offense of this season I have no doubt we’ll take that game.