The most encouraging thing about UH’s start isn’t just the record or the highlight plays. It’s the way the offense has changed shape in a short amount of time.
After three games, the Cougars look nothing like the group that was trying to survive early last season. The biggest reason is up front. The offensive line has gone from a major concern to a clear strength, and that jump has opened the door for everything else the offense is doing now.
The return of Alvin Ebosele and McKenzie Angenello, along with the additions of Shadre Hurst, Anthony Boswell, and Drew Terrill, was supposed to raise the floor. Instead, that group has gone beyond expectations.
Early last year, it was obvious OL coach Eman Naghavi had plenty of rebuilding to do. Even during the 4-0 start, the line was still a problem, and Texas Tech exposed it in week five.
That’s a very different story now. Through three games this season, UH’s pressure numbers are sharply better than they were a year ago, and the difference shows up in how the offense can function.
Last season, the Cougars were fighting just to keep the quarterback clean. This year, they’ve been far more stable against the rush, including against Texas Tech, where the line held up much better than it did in last year’s meeting.
That protection has helped UH turn into a much more aggressive offense. Instead of playing it safe, shortening games, and trying to avoid mistakes, the Cougars are attacking.
They’re creating more explosive plays, and the numbers back that up: through three games last year, UH had 30 explosive plays for 683 yards. This year, that number is up to 40 explosive plays for 910 yards.
The ground game has fueled a huge chunk of that burst. Re’Shaun Sanford is back and looks even more explosive, while Makhi Hughes has given UH one of the better backfield pairings the program has had in a long time. Out of those 40 explosive plays, 22 have come on the ground.
Quarterback Conner Weigman has also been exactly what UH hoped for. He’s playing like the version of himself people expected when he was one of the nation’s top recruits out of Bridgeland High School. A full offseason in the same offense, now in year two with the same coordinator, has clearly made a difference.
There’s been a similar easing of concern at tight end, where Patrick Overmyer has stepped into the spot left by Tanner Koziol and delivered a big season so far. On the perimeter, Amare Thomas remains an electric weapon.
Koby Young has flashed big-play ability with downfield grabs and some wild circus catches, though he still needs to clean up the easy ones. Trent Walker hasn’t been as involved as expected, but when the ball has found him, he’s been dependable, and his role is expected to grow.
UH’s offense has been one of the real stories of the early season because it’s not just producing - it’s doing so in a completely different way than it did last year. If that keeps up, a good team may be on its way to becoming even better.
In Other News...
Houston Just Became Part Of A Bigger Big 12 TV Debate
Texas Techs 28-26 win over Houston did more than shake up the Big 12 race. It also gave FOX a strong number to point to, with the game drawing 3.028 million viewers and peaking at 4.074 million on FOX College Football Friday. For a conference that has been willing to put league games in that window, Houston just wound up attached to a broadcast result that will matter far beyond one close finish.
FOX said the audience topped its average Friday night college football viewership from last season by 31%, and the networks current season average is already up as well. With several more Big 12 games set for Friday night on FOX, that kind of interest could end up carrying some weight when future scheduling decisions are made. [Read more 🡒]
Willie Fritz Returns To Georgia Southern With Houston Needing A Response
Willie Fritz heads back to familiar turf Saturday when Houston visits Georgia Southern, a reunion that comes with a little more edge because the Cougars need a response. Houston is ranked No. 25 and coming off a recent loss, so this trip is about more than nostalgia for Fritz, who knows the Eagles program well and now has a Top 25 team trying to steady itself in the early season.
Georgia Southern enters trying to bounce back from consecutive road defeats, and the setting adds another layer to a first-time meeting between the schools. It will also be the first time a Power Four program has played at Paulson Stadium, which gives the matchup a bit of history even before kickoff and leaves Houston with a chance to show whether its ranking still matches the standard Fritz expects. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Fans Finally See How Brutal This Schedule Could Be
Houstons 2026-27 basketball slate is now set, and it gives a pretty clear picture of just how demanding the season could be from start to finish. The Cougars will work through exhibition play, a non-conference stretch that includes a tournament in Las Vegas, and then settle into an 18-game Big 12 schedule that leaves little room for a soft landing.
The biggest stress points are easy to spot, starting with Alabama in the Jimmy V Classic and continuing through high-level tests against Texas Tech, Arizona, Kansas and Baylor. With multiple home-and-away series baked into the league schedule, Houston will spend plenty of time proving itself against familiar heavyweights, and the early reveal already suggests there will not be many easy nights for the Cougars. [Read more 🡒]