Junior defensive lineman Derek Parish sacks Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan in UH’s victory over Memphis on Nov. 2021. | Steven Paulatanis/The Cougar
We now shift our focus to how each unit on the Houston defense performed during the 2021 season.
Up first, we look back at the UH defensive line.
Sack Avenue
The UH defensive line appropriately branded itself Sack Avenue at the beginning of the season because of how often the unit believed it would get to the opposing quarterback. And they lived up to the hype they created.
The Cougars recorded the fifth-most total sacks in the country and ranked No. 11 in sacks per game, averaging 3.21.
D’Anthony Jones led the team with seven sacks followed by Logan Hall, who is expected to be selected in one of the first two rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft, who recorded 6.5 sacks on the season.
Derek Parish had 5.5 sacks and David Anenih had 4.5 sacks. In total, the UH defensive line combined for 39 out of the Cougars’ 45 sacks on the season.
Stout against the run
Not only did the UH defensive line excel at putting pressure on the opposing quarterback, but the Cougars also ranked as one of the nation’s top run defenses.
While there were occasional struggles in stopping the run, most notably failing to contain Jerome Ford in American Athletic Conference Championship Game, the UH defensive line made it touch for its opponents to gain any traction on the ground.
UHÂ ranked 10th among all FBS teams in rush yards allowed per game (107.1) and yards allowed per rush (3.38).
Season Grade: A
