Junior quarterback Greg Ward Jr. won AAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after the win over SMU. | File photo/The Cougar
In their quest to stay perfect, the Cougars are set to face off against the Tulane University Green Wave in New Orleans Friday night.
UH enters the game at 5-0 overall and 2-0 in American Athletic Conference play, while Tulane currently sits at 2-3 and 1-1 in conference play.
The Cougars are ranked for the first time since 2011 after defending home field against the Southern Methodist University Mustangs last weekend, finding themselves at 24th in the nation in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.
In addition to their 24th ranking in the AP, the Cougars also sit just outside the top 25 of the Coaches Poll, receiving 75 points from voters.
The Cougars are also one of only three schools in the top 25 to also be in the top 25 in the NCAA in both rushing and passing offense.
UH will be looking for a measure of revenge after a homecoming loss suffered to Tulane last season, where a comeback bid was silenced in the final minutes of play by an interception.
The Green Wave will be without starting quarterback Tanner Lee when they face off against the Cougars on Friday night. They will instead start redshirt junior Devin Powell.
Following their play against SMU, both junior quarterback Greg Ward Jr. and junior linebacker Steven Taylor were honored with AAC Player of the Week honors, for offense and defense respectively. They will be looking to carry the momentum from their strong performances forward into this week.
The Cougars and the Green Wave will square off on Friday night at 8 p.m. in a prime-time game to be featured on ESPNU.
