Behind Enemy Lines: Houston Cougars

After West Virginia came up short in a 23-17 loss to TCU during homecoming weekend, they will be back on the road on for a 12PM ET kickoff against Houston on Saturday, November 1st. The Houston Cougars (7-1, 4-1) are ranked 22nd in the AP Poll heading into the matchup and are one of the great surprises across all of college football this season. Several outlets had them projected to finish last in the Big 12 Conference, while others considered them a near certainty to finish among the bottom few teams in the league. However, as the calendar turns to November, they are in contention for a spot in the Big 12 championship game, a place maybe nobody outside of their own locker room figured they would be.#22 Houston CougarsHow They Got HereHouston picked up non-conference wins over Stephen F. Austin, Rice, and Oregon State. In Big 12 play, Houston has proven to be a legitimate threat in this conference, boasting a 4-1 record thus far. They have wins over Colorado, Oklahoma State, and, most recently, Arizona and Arizona State in consecutive weeks.Houston’s lone loss on the season came against a talented Texas Tech team that blew the Cougars out in their home stadium, 35-11. Willie Fritz’s team was simply no match for the Red Raiders, who picked up 552 yards of total offense compared to just 267 for a Houston team that turned the ball over 3 times and converted on just 1-of-12 3rd down attempts. Since that October 4th loss, Houston has reeled off 3 wins against the aforementioned Oklahoma State, Arizona, and Arizona State.Numbers to Know18.6Houston’s defense is giving up just 18.6 points per game, ranking them 5th in the Big 12 in that department.58.6On the season, 58.6% of the team’s total receiving yards belong to 2 players, Amare Thomas and Tanner Kozoil. These two playmakers have been major contributors to an improved Houston offense.8Texas A&M transfer QB Connor Weigman has 8 rushing touchdowns on the season to go along with 354 yards. Last week, in the win over Arizona State, Weigman carried the ball 21 times for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns.4In each of their last two games (wins over Arizona and Arizona State), Houston’s defense has gotten after the quarterback. The Cougars have 4 sacks in each of the last two games. Eddie Walls III had a breakout game with 3 sacks and 3 TFLs last week against Arizona State. Keep an eye on #90 this Saturday afternoon.