The Cougars rushing offense was firing against UCF, racking up 366 yards on the ground on just 48 attempts. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar
In this week’s roundtable, The Cougar sports staff breaks down UH’s win against the University of Central Florida and which Cougars stepped up their performance against the Knights.
How do you grade the Cougars’ play against UCF?
Staff writer Michael Calderon: I give the Cougars an A+ for the game. Sure, they started slow, with the exception of Brandon Wilson’s strip touchdown. But, they turned it around and dominated like a 21-point favorite should. Mostly, I give them credit for overcoming their own tendencies and falling into the trap game that this team would have in its recent past.
Staff writer Mervin Wright: The team gets an A-. They started slow and trailed 10-7 with 4:38 left in the first half. But a solid end to the half and dominance in all three phases through the second half helped the Cougars to an easy W.
How do you think the play of the defense has progressed this season?
Staff writer Shardanna Jones: The defense continuously impresses me. Game after game, they are making plays happen. Although they gave up yardage in the first quarter, they allowed only one touchdown. UCF was unable to score in the second, which makes it the second-straight game that UH did not allow any second-half points.
Staff writer Adam Coleman: So far, I think the defense is progressing nicely after somewhat struggling early on. Granted the level of competition hasn’t been all that great, but you can only play the teams in front of you. They have a great University of Memphis team coming to town soon, which could arguably be the toughest test of the season. Vanderbilt University won’t be a pushover either and should be a great tune up before the Tigers.
Who was the player of the game for you?
MC: After rushing for a career high 167 yards and three touchdowns, it has to be senior running back Kenneth Farrow. He was a force against a UCF defense and couldn’t be stopped as he set the tone for the offense. If the starters hadn’t been pulled late in the third quarter, he might still be running on them.
Does a win like this give you confidence going into the tough back end of the schedule?
AC: I wouldn’t say this game gives me any more confidence than I already had in this team. This was supposed to be an easy win and it was. The Cougars are now one of the 12 remaining undefeated teams in college football, and they’ve done it in a convincing fashion. If that doesn’t give you all the confidence you need in this team, I don’t know what will.
MW: A win like this is a great confidence boost going into the loaded back half of the schedule. Coming up are Vanderbilt and University of Cincinnati, two good teams with tough losses against some of the better teams in the nation, followed by Memphis, who is also undefeated. Confidence-boosting wins like this are sure to help a team know that they can make things happen.
Being 7-0 and No. 18 is fantastic, but if we can’t get the rampant penalties and sluggish first halves under control the next 5 games are going to look very different for us.