Houston should have the kind of Week 2 game that lets its strengths show up fast, and Southern is walking into a matchup that already looks tilted in the Cougars’ favor. The Jaguars were the SWAC’s worst team a year ago, opened 2026 with a 30-17 loss to Alabama State in Week 0, and then followed that up by beating Division II Kentucky State while allowing 15 points. There have been a few encouraging signs, but this is still a major step up in class.
Southern did have a halftime lead against Alabama State, and the Hornets were one of the SWAC’s better teams last season. The Jaguars also brought back a number of key pieces, with quarterback Christian Johnson arriving from Hutchinson Community College, one of the top JUCO programs in the country. Johnson was Southern’s most effective runner against Alabama State, finishing with 81 rushing yards and a touchdown.
That dual-threat element is one of the few paths Southern has to make this interesting, and Houston has a defender built to mess with it. Nickelback Javion White posted three tackles and two sacks against Oregon State, which still found some success throwing the ball behind quarterback Braden Atkinson. If White can sit as a spy and stay on Johnson, that could take away one of Southern’s better offensive outlets.
The Jaguars also have a new voice with NFL pedigree. Head coach Marshall Faulk spent 12 years in the league and most recently coached running backs at Colorado.
One player who seems to be responding is Trey Holly, who has 137 rushing yards and two touchdowns along with 43 receiving yards on five catches through two games. Holly’s role has mattered even more after Barry Remo’s season-ending injury.
Holly’s next test is a tough one. Houston linebacker Jaden Yates earned an 84.2 run-defense grade against Oregon State and looks like he’s settling in quickly in Austin Armstrong’s defense. If Yates controls the middle, Southern’s ground game gets a lot harder to sustain.
Then there’s the matchup that could really open this up. Amare Thomas backed up the preseason buzz and award watch list attention with eight catches for 133 yards and a touchdown against Oregon State. Southern defensive back Tay James has been productive - he’s the only Jaguar with both a sack and an interception - but he’ll have his hands full trying to slow Thomas out of the slot.
It’s a brutal assignment for James, and Thomas is chasing 1,000 yards after just missing that mark last season. If Houston gets the kind of day its passing game suggests it can, this one could get out of hand quickly.
In Other News...
Houstons 2027 Class Is Starting To Look Like Another Sampson Reload
Houstons recruiting machine is rolling again, and the early look at the 2027 class already has the feel of another Kelvin Sampson reload. The latest piece is Derek Beau Daniels, a four-star power forward/center whose commitment gives the Cougars another highly regarded frontcourt building block and helps keep the class sitting at No. 1 nationally in 247Sports rankings.
For a program that has turned elite classes into sustained relevance, this is the kind of early momentum that matters. Houston has repeatedly paired top-end recruiting with player development and NBA-level production, and landing another nationally ranked big man only deepens the expectation that the next wave is already taking shape. The more interesting question now is how far the Cougars can push this class before it is finished. [Read more 🡒]
Conner Weigman Gave Houston A Passing Sign Fans Should Notice
Conner Weigmans passing numbers have given Houston a reason to keep paying attention as the season settles in. A look at his recent work shows a quarterback who is not just piling up completions, but doing it with a better adjusted completion percentage and a more aggressive average depth of target than many of the passers who have already faced FBS opponents. For a team trying to find more consistency through the air, that kind of profile matters because it suggests the Cougars are getting more than safe throws and short gains.
The most telling part is how his current season compares to where he was a year ago, with improvements showing up in both his overall passing metrics and specific game performances, including the matchup against Oregon State. Houston does not need a perfect stat line to feel encouraged, but it does need signs that the passing game is trending in the right direction. Weigmans recent work offers one of those signs, even if the fuller picture is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Backfield Suddenly Feels Like One Of This Teams Best Stories
Re'Shaun Sanford IIs comeback has already become one of the more compelling subplots in Houstons backfield. After suffering ACL injuries in both knees in consecutive seasons and missing the 2023 and 2025 seasons, the running back finally got back on the field in the 2026 opener against Oregon State and immediately reminded the Cougars what he can bring, breaking loose for a 56-yard touchdown run.
For a player who had to sit through so much rehabilitation, the return carried real weight beyond one highlight play. Willie Fritz singled out Sanfords positive attitude through the long recovery process, and Houston can now see why that mattered so much, because his presence adds both a feel-good element and another layer to a backfield that suddenly looks like one of the teams better stories. [Read more 🡒]