SirVincent’s departure leaves the Cougars weakened
Ronnie Turner
This is a no-brainer. The loss of senior right tackle SirVincent Rogers hurts the Cougars more than any other they’ve had this season. Combine the loss of this 6 foot 4 inch, 315-pound giant with a few others along the offensive line, and you have sophomore quarterback Case Keenum running more for his life than for yards these days.
While losing freshman Patrick Edwards was big, the Cougars have other explosive wideouts who can fill the void. Freshman running back Bryce Beall has stepped in nicely for Jackie Hinton Jr., but the Cougars’ offensive line doesn’t look the same without Rogers.
In the two games since Rogers went down, Keenum has been sacked seven times. In last Tuesday’s 37-23 loss to Marshall, he was sacked four times, and his mobility prevented at least two more sacks. The Thundering Herd simply overpowered the right side of the offensive line and didn’t need much effort to get to Keenum, which will surely hinder the Cougars in their last four regular-season games.
Loss of Ash clearly the most damaging of the season
James Rincon
Freshman wide receiver Patrick Edwards’ injury was as gruesome as it was public, but the pass-crazy Cougars have depth at wide receiver. The injury that will, and already has, hurt the UH football team the most is that of senior defensive tackle Ell Ash.
Marshall ripped the Cougars for 249 rushing yards without Ash’s 6 foot 5 inch, 275-pound presence on the D-line. While Ash is sidelined, opposing running backs’ holes will be a little wider, quarterbacks’ passing lanes will be a little clearer and the pocket will collapse slower.
UH doesn’t have many players like Ash. His NFL size has an intimidation factor that permeates beyond the statistic sheets. Without the big man in the middle, athletic Cougar linebackers who normally roam sideline to sideline will have to worry more about the gaps over center.
It’s trial by fire for Ash’s replacement, freshman defensive tackle David Hunter, and without Ash the Cougar defense is already feeling the burn.
Edwards’ televised tragedy will hurt Houston the most
Keith Cordero Jr.
The injury that will affect the Cougars the most is the loss of freshman wide receiver Patrick Edwards to a broken leg, hands-down.
Edwards is the team’s leading receiver with 634 yards on 46 catches and four touchdowns to anchor the team’s high-powered offense.
The loss will have impacts off the field. Everyone saw that this injury could have been prevented – the gruesome injury was televised Tuesday night on ESPN and a video has surfaced on the Internet – with the Cougars on their quest to become bowl eligible in their final four games. Edwards’ 79.2 yards per game will be missed by a slow-starting Cougar offense.
Sophomore quarterback Case Keenum will lose his favorite target and will have to continue to hit freshman wideout and former track star Tyrone Carrier.
This is big news. The offense talked about are minor injuries no one cares about.
Edwards was in the position to propel the team to a bowl game
Judge Dredd
Any other year, Judge Dredd would say the loss of SirVincent Rogers would be the most significant as far as the fluidity of the Cougars’ offense goes. This season is different.
Rogers’ impact on the offensive line cannot be denied, but this senior lineman has not been able to stay consistently healthy for the Cougars for at least two-and-a-half years.
Edwards looked like he would be the guy to take over where Vincent Marshall and Donnie Avery left off. As a freshman he displayed the hands and speed to kick "you know what" and take names each game.
Ash would probably scare the piss out of him if Judge Dredd saw the 6 foot 5 inch, 275-pound mass of muscle running at him full speed.
But since Judge Dredd has laser eyes and isn’t human enough to be intimidated, that’s a mute point.
The winner: Keith
