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Five things to look for against UCONN

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| Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

The No. 19 Houston Cougars will seek their 11th straight win when they face the University of Connecticut Huskies.

With the Cougars on the road for the weekend here are five things to look for when the Cougars take the field.

Coach Herman will not be lenient on either side of the ball

After having a close call at last week’s game against the University of Memphis, head coach Tom Herman isn’t going to take any chances against UConn, despite its 5-5 record.

Expect Herman to make a few changes in order to work out the kinks we saw against Memphis and have the Cougars performing at a higher level against UConn.

Defense is going to step up its game

Houston allowed 20 points in the first half of the game against Memphis. However, the defense managed to step up as it managed to keep the Tigers to just a touchdown in the second half.

Houston’s defense needs to play UConn with the same intensity it had against Memphis if it plans to keep its undefeated streak alive.

Offense will be more forceful on its drives

Houston’s offense had difficulty in the first half against a good Memphis defense. The Tigers managed to keep junior quarterback Greg Ward Jr. inside the pocket with little space to scramble.

Unfortunately, Ward was taken out of the game and it might have been a blessing in disguise as the Cougars’ backup quarterback, sophomore Kyle Postma, managed to bring the Cougars back from a 20-0 deficit for the win.

Whether it be Postma or Ward at the quarterback position, the Cougars’ offensive will be just as aggressive.

Double the flavor at the quarterback position

Despite his performance against Memphis, Ward proved he can be a threat with his dual play. But when the opposing team manages to figure out how to keep Ward at bay, we can expect a switch to a pocket-passer quarterback in the form of Postma.

Against the Tigers, Postma had a career night throwing of 21-33 with 236 passing yards, 49 rushing yards with a touchdown.

With both being able to perform, UConn may have its hands full as it tries to adjust the defense depending on who has the ball in its hands.

Another chance to move up the rankings

Although its focus is at UConn, Houston cannot help but think of the opponent that it will face when it comes home for its final game of the season. The Cougars host the No. 16 United States Naval Academy Midshipmen next — a team that dominated and gave Memphis its first loss of the season.

If victorious against the Huskies, the Cougars will have a challenge in their hands with a sold out crowd at TDECU Stadium as they will go for the victory against the Midshipmen and a chance to move up to the Top 15 of the Football College Playoff rankings.

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