No. 23 Houston opened its season with a 33-20 win over Oregon State on Sept. 5, but the final score did not tell the whole story. The Cougars got strong contributions from quarterback Conner Weigman, wide receiver Amare Thomas and running back Makhi Hughes, and the defense made enough stops to finish the job.
Still, one issue jumped off the field: Houston’s secondary was far too leaky in the passing game.
On paper, that group is supposed to be a strength in the Big 12. Several defensive backs are on preseason award watch lists or have picked up national attention, including Will James, who is on the Bronco Nagurski Award watch list.
And there were flashes of that talent in the opener. Javion White even came through with a sack of Oregon State quarterback Braden Atkinson that helped seal the win.
But Oregon State also found plenty of room to operate through the air. The Beavers ran 25 times for just 26 yards, so Houston clearly handled the ground game. The problem was what happened when Atkinson dropped back and let it fly.
The biggest breakdown came on a 71-yard strike to true freshman Jesse Legree, who caught the ball with no Houston defender anywhere near him. Legree turned that into a huge night, finishing with five catches for 136 yards and a touchdown. Later, Atkinson connected with freshman Cynai Thomas for 28 yards to move Oregon State off its own six-yard line.
Atkinson finished 29 of 48 for 376 yards and a touchdown, and Houston’s missed tackles only made things worse. Those extra yards kept Beaver drives alive and prevented the Cougars from really putting the clamps on the game.
Willie Fritz didn’t sugarcoat it after the game.
"I thought our tackling wasn't real crisp," Fritz said. "There were some simple pass concepts, route concepts, that we didn't do a very good job of covering and denying."
There was good work mixed in there, too. Houston denied Oregon State on three fourth-down tries and finished with 10 passes defended. But the next two weeks will tell a much bigger story about how ready that secondary really is.
Southern comes next, and that should give Houston a chance to settle in and clean things up. After that, the Cougars head to Lubbock, Texas, for a tougher test against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are a better overall team than Oregon State, and that makes the secondary’s issues impossible to ignore for long.
Fritz and defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong have work to do. The talent is there, but the unit has to start functioning like one.
In Other News...
Houstons Transfer Class Just Changed The Feel Of This Team
Houstons new transfer class wasted little time changing the mood around the program in its opener against Oregon State. Javion White posted the first two sacks of his career, linebacker Jaden Yates led the Cougars with eight tackles and graded out well against the run, and offensive newcomers like Makhi Hughes and Patrick Overmyer turned in productive debuts that gave the team useful early answers on both sides of the ball.
The early returns were especially encouraging up front, where the transfer offensive linemen held up well and helped settle the offense in its first live action together. There was a small catch, though, as right tackle Drew Terrill left early with an injury, a reminder that the depth chart is still a work in progress even as the new faces keep making their case. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Found An Early Formula Fans Will Want To See Again
Houstons season opener offered a little bit of everything it will want to build on, starting with Conner Weigman settling in quickly and giving the offense a steadier look in a 33-20 win over Oregon State. Around the country, other teams also got big first impressions from new faces, with Ohio State, Indiana and Alabama all rolling behind standout quarterback play, but Houstons performance came with the kind of balance that can travel once conference play tightens up.
Weigmans afternoon was especially encouraging because it wasnt just about one splash play or one drive. He helped the Cougars move the ball, make enough plays when the game was still in reach and keep the pressure on late, which is exactly the kind of early formula fans will want to see again as the schedule gets harder and the margin for error gets smaller. [Read more 🡒]