No. 22 Houston is back at TDECU Stadium on Saturday night, and the Cougars are looking for a cleaner second act after opening the season with a win.
Houston takes on Southern at 6 p.m. on ESPN+, with the Cougars trying to build on last Saturday’s 33-20 victory over Oregon State. That opener showed plenty of firepower - Houston piled up more than 500 yards - but it also came with issues in turnovers and defensive coverage that the team will want to tighten up here.
The Cougars come into the week up one spot in the AP Poll, now sitting at No. 22.
Southern, meanwhile, arrives from the Southwestern Athletic Conference as an FCS opponent in the first year of a rebuild. It’s the kind of non-conference matchup Houston can use to keep momentum moving in the right direction before Big 12 play begins.
This is also a rare meeting between the two programs. Houston has played Southern only twice and won both, including a 62-13 win on Aug. 30, 2013, at Reliant Stadium. More than 13 years have passed since the last time the Cougars and Jaguars lined up against each other.
Willie Fritz will be looking for another step forward from his team before that conference opener. Southern comes in at 1-1 after beating Kentucky State 34-15, and the Jaguars are being led by new head coach Marshall Faulk, the NFL Hall of Fame running back. Southern finished last in the SWAC in 2025.
We’ll have live updates throughout the game as it unfolds.
In Other News...
Houston Offense Faces One Big Test In A Game It Should Control
Week 2 should give Houston a chance to settle in and sharpen its offense against Southern, with the Cougars entering as the clear favorite in a game that, on paper, ought to be controlled from the start. The setup points to a ground-heavy approach, with the offensive plan likely built around keeping things simple, staying ahead of the chains and giving the staff a chance to see how the pieces fit when the game script leans heavily their way.
Amare Thomas is among the players who could benefit from that kind of environment, while Conner Weigman remains a key figure in how Houston wants to manage the offense. Keisean Henderson also sits in the picture as a young quarterback option the Cougars would like to evaluate more closely, and a lopsided game could create the kind of opportunity that tells Houston more about where it stands as it looks beyond Saturday. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Must Clean Up One Troubling Problem Before Big 12 Play
Houston heads into Week 2 with a win in hand, but the film from the opener left enough to worry about before Big 12 play arrives. In the close victory over Oregon State, the Cougars showed cracks in the secondary and struggled at times with tackling and coverage, the kind of problems that can turn a good start into a long afternoon once conference opponents start circling.
Willie Fritz did not sugarcoat the aftermath, pointing to mistakes the staff can clean up quickly if the response is sharp this week. Southern offers a chance to tighten the operation, settle the defense and reduce the self-inflicted damage that showed up in the opener, but the bigger question is whether Houston can make those corrections before the schedule gets much less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]