The No. 25 Houston Cougars head into their next matchup trying to shake off a 28-26 loss to Texas Tech, and Georgia Southern arrives with its own frustration after falling to Jacksonville State, 31-27.
Georgia Southern is a team in transition, but it still brings some clear threats to the table. The Eagles finished 7-6 last season and capped that run with a 29-10 win over App State in the Birmingham Bowl. This year’s roster looks different, though, with plenty of new faces - including a quarterback who came from North Carolina.
That quarterback is Max Johnson, and he brings a real résumé with him. He stepped in as the starter when Conner Weigman was hurt during the 2023 season, and before that he started all 12 games at LSU in 2021, throwing for 2,815 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Through three games this season, Johnson has posted a passer rating of 119.67 with 712 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also put together a solid outing against Clemson, finishing with 244 yards, a touchdown and a 57.4 completion percentage.
Even with Georgia Southern sitting at 1-2, Johnson gives the Eagles a chance to challenge Houston’s secondary.
The passing game has another reliable piece in wide receiver Ashton Hollins, who leads Georgia Southern with 202 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He’s topped 90 receiving yards and scored in each of the first two games. His best showing came against Clemson, when he hauled in five catches for 97 yards and a touchdown.
On the other side of the ball, linebacker Rashon Myles Jr. has been the anchor for Georgia Southern’s defense. He leads the team with 26 tackles and made 13 stops against Clemson. Houston’s ground game has been efficient, but Myles could still create problems for Makhi Hughes and Re’Shawn Sanford at the second level.
That said, the biggest opening for Georgia Southern may be through the air. Houston has been stout against the run, allowing only 62.7 rushing yards per game, the best mark in the Big 12 according to ESPN. The issue comes in pass defense, where the Cougars rank second-to-last and give up 253 yards per game, just ahead of Texas Tech.
That’s the area Georgia Southern will try to attack. Houston has shown it can force turnovers, including two interceptions against Texas Tech, so the Eagles will need to stretch the field if they want to find success through the passing game.
In Other News...
Conner Weigman Put Houstons Painful Finish In A Bigger Perspective
Houstons Big 12 opener ended in the kind of finish that sticks with a team for a while, with a 28-26 loss to Texas Tech decided in the closing moments. Senior quarterback Conner Weigman was central to everything the Cougars did, finishing 27 of 38 for 282 yards and three touchdowns while adding 56 rushing yards, and he came within inches of forcing more football with a late two-point try.
Weigman did not shy away from the frustration of the moment, but he also put the result in a wider frame as Houston turns to the rest of its league schedule. The Cougars still have a long way to go in Big 12 play, and the bigger goal remains clear: stay in the hunt for a spot in the Big 12 Championship, even if the first chapter ended with a painful missed opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Fans Finally Have A First Real Look At Big 12 Opener
Houston fans will get their first real chance to circle a Big 12 home date when the Cougars host UCF on Oct. 3 at TDECU Stadium. The kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on ESPN2, and the program is leaning into the moment with its Built by Houston promotion, along with the teams Houston Blue uniforms for the occasion.
It gives the Cougars a clear early marker in conference play, coming just after a Week 4 non-conference game against Georgia Southern. With a new league slate taking shape and a familiar regional rival on the other side, the Oct. 3 opener already has the feel of a game that will help set the tone for the rest of Houstons Big 12 home schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Bill Yeomans First Houston Game Marked More Than A Debut Win
Bill Yeomans first game as Houstons head coach in 1962 was memorable long before the final score became part of Cougar lore. The Cougars beat Baylor 19-0, with sophomore running back Joe Lopasky scoring three touchdowns and defensive back Byron Beaver tying an NCAA record with five interceptions in a performance that set the tone for what Yeoman hoped the program could become.
There was another first woven into that afternoon, one that gave the win an added layer of meaning for Houston fans. The Cougars also took the field wearing the UH logo on their helmets for the first time, a small visual change that helped mark the start of a new era even as the bigger milestones on the field kept piling up. [Read more 🡒]