Junior quarterback Greg Ward, Jr. was an offensive juggernaut for the Cougars on Saturday night, putting up 360 total yards. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar
This week, The Cougar sports staff talks about UH’s dominant win over Texas State University and how the Cougars will fare heading into the conference season.
How do you rate the Cougars’ performance this week?
Staff writer Shardanna Jones: Impressive. The game was theirs to control, and they did that. Although there were penalties and a few questionable mistakes, it isn’t anything that can’t and won’t be corrected going forward. There were many contributors—from the non-offensive scoring, to several different receivers seeing action—there were just playmakers all around. It was a complete and total team effort. Everyone was attempting to put their best foot forward. They played with swagger but also with heart, and that is impressive.
Staff writer Tevin Mills: The Cougars are winning more and more doubters over by the week. Their total domination of the Bobcats on both sides of the ball is a testament to the team’s growth in confidence. This was a game they should have won, but they still deserve credit for the performance Saturday night.
Do you put much stock in a win against a team like Texas State?
Staff writer J.D Smith: This performance showed that the Cougars are able to do what is expected of them against opponents of that quality. As opposed to the first game against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, they were able to get out to an early lead and hold on for a blowout victory. This game shows more about the mental strength of the team than it does anything else. They didn’t look past a smaller team after a big win.
Staff writer Bryce Dodds: While I don’t think that UH will continue to blow teams out by 40 points a night, I think there were some very promising things to pull from this game. I think it was a good game coming back from a bye-week, and it provided a bit of extra experience for the whole roster.
Who had the biggest impact performance of the night?
SJ: I would have to say Greg Ward, Jr. 17-21, 274 yards, four touchdowns and 91 yards rushing with two touchdowns. That speaks for itself and Ward gets the entire team going. He gets the offense going, and his teammates feed off of that. He basically said, ‘This is my team.’ He showed true leadership and looked like a Heisman contender.
TM: The impact coach Herman and coach Applewhite have made in Greg Ward’s progression cannot be overstated. Saturday night was a culminating moment for Ward if he hadn’t already proven his himself in the first two weeks.
Now that we’ve seen how the other teams in-conference are this season, where do you think the Cougars end up in the American Athletic Conference?
JS: The Cougars have a chance to win the American West and will come down to the game against Memphis with the winner in the driver’s seat for home field advantage of the AAC title game.
BD: The picture has become a bit clearer, and I think UH is one of the top four teams in the AAC, alongside University of Memphis, the United States Naval Academy and the University of Temple. There are a couple of sneaky good teams, but I think the Cougars control their own destiny, for the most part. It’s as simple as winning the games you’re supposed to, and you’ll have a chance to be in the championship game.
