Junior defensive back Jeremiah Wilson in an NCAA football game against Iowa State on Sept. 28 in Houston, Texas. | Gillian Wisniewski/The Cougar
The Cougars will face the Kansas Jayhawks on Oct. 19 at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Cougars will enter this matchup with momentum after a 30-19 victory against TCU nearly two weeks ago.
The bye week provided the Cougars some much-needed recovery. However, it may not come without some unavoidable rust. Many questions still surround the Cougars, but now the only focus is securing their first back-to-back wins.
All eyes on offense
A significant amount of Houston’s last success can be credited to once backup quarterback sophomore Zeon Chriss, whose start injected life into the once-stagnant offense. Chriss completed 15 of 18 passes, including a 71-yard touchdown run.
This game was a 180 compared to most of Houston’s other games this season. The Cougar’s 30 points against TCU not only ended a two-game scoreless streak, but also became their second-highest scoring total of the season and marked only the third time this year that the team managed to break into double digits.
According to head coach Willie Fritz’s Monday press conference, Chriss is set to get another start for the Cougars. However, seeing some action from senior quarterback Donovan Smith.
Entering the TCU game there was a lot of discussion around Houston’s offensive production, the major being centered around Smith’s role as starting quarterback.
Smith, who’s averaged a completion percentage of 66.1% this season, has thrown for 694 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions over six games. Smith can complete passes, but his tendency to throw interceptions nearly makes him an offensive liability.
No matter who is playing at quarterback Fritz noted that limiting turnovers is a top priority.
“We’ve got to make sure that’s not us,” Fritz said, referencing mistakes he saw in other teams over the weekend. “Ball security is very, very important.”
The Big 12 is a conference known for its thrilling and high-scoring excitement. The Cougars should at least attempt to replicate the offensive success of their last game. A similar offensive approach will create exciting games and improve Houston’s chances of winning back-to-back games for the first time this season.
As UH faces off against the Jayhawks, attention will be on the offense with expectations to keep their momentum going. Additionally, a good offensive performance will relieve pressure off the defense, which has been forced to carry much of the burden and pick up slack this season.
Defensive consistency
The Cougars’ defense has not always been consistent, but for the most part, they have anchored the team.
There’ve been flashes of greatness, and their showcase against TCU displayed their potential. Junior safety A.J. Haulcy led the defense with two interceptions (his first interception setting up a touchdown), which earned him the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week award.
Senior defensive back Hershey McLaurin forced a key fumble late in the third quarter, which UH recovered deep into TCU territory Junior defensive lineman Carlos Allen and senior linebacker Michael Batton both recovered fumbles, and linebacker senior defensive lineman Zykeius Strong put an exclamation mark on the win with a strip sack on TCU’s final possession.
Houston’s defense was able to execute the game plan and bounce back after two frustrating losses.
Momentum shift
Houston’s victory over TCU was a much-needed energy shifter. After two consecutive losses to Cincinnati and Iowa State and a season-opening loss to UNLV, many have doubted the Cougars’ ability to compete with other Big 12 teams. However, their game against TCU shows possible untapped potential in Coach Fritz’s squad.
Houston’s defense stepped up even more than usual, but the addition of an offensive resurgence from UH provided the spark they needed to get out of their slump.
It took an arm and a leg from Houston to win their last game, but key offensive adjustments and takeaways secured the win.
With the Cougars looking to steal one on the road, ‘momentum’ is the word of the week. Playing even better than they did against TCU will be the only way they beat Kansas.
As we all know, things are a little different in the Big 12, but Houston is on the right side of history when competing in an NFL stadium. The Cougars have played 18 games in NFL stadiums, and are 14-4.
The opponent
The 1-5 Jay Hawks will hopefully offer the Cougars some relief before they continue the back end of their schedule. Also coming off a bye week, Kansas is on a five-game losing streak.
Despite coming into the season ranked No. 4 in the Big 12 preseason poll, the team is drastically underperforming.
Kansas has finished in several close games that have slipped away in the fourth quarter.
“The Jayhawks are talented on both sides of the ball, with players like running back Devin Neal and cornerback Cobee Bryant, but they have been unable to put it all together,” said Liam Carson, sports editor at the Kansan. “The season has been disappointing, but you can expect Kansas to use its talent to keep itself in most games.”
The game is scheduled to kick off Saturday, Oct. 19 at 2:30 pm CST.
