Oregon State opens the season Saturday morning at No. 23 Houston, and the Cougars are carrying a different kind of energy into year 3 under Willie Fritz.
That’s the word from Houston Chronicle beat reporter Joseph Duarte, who sees real buzz around this team - buzz Houston hasn’t had since 2016, when it was coming off a New Year’s Six bowl win over Florida State. The reason is simple: Houston has a lot back, and the expectations are rising with it.
At the center of it all is quarterback Conner Weigman, along with all-Big 12 receiver Amare Thomas and a veteran secondary led by all-Big 12 cornerback Will James plus safeties Kentrell Webb and Jordan Allen. Duarte said Houston is being picked to contend in the Big 12 and could even be a dark-horse College Football Playoff team.
Offensively, don’t expect Fritz to suddenly change his stripes. Duarte said there shouldn’t be any obvious shift because the coach prefers a 50/50 run-pass split.
The backfield will feature Makhi Hughes, who piled up 1,378 and 1,401 yards and a combined 22 touchdowns in two seasons at Tulane before a brief, quiet stop at Oregon that lasted only four games. Re’Shaun Sanford II is also in the mix after coming back from a second torn ACL in three seasons.
The other big piece on offense is UTSA transfer Patrick Overmyer, who is stepping into the role left behind by Tanner Koziol. Duarte noted that Overmyer probably won’t match Koziol’s team-high 74 catches, but he is expected to be a frequent target and is viewed as an NFL prospect.
Houston also added another weapon in Trent Walker, and Duarte believes that gives the Cougars something they lacked last season: a clear No. 2 passing option. That should ease some of the burden on Thomas, who came just short of 1,000 yards a year ago.
Hughes, meanwhile, brings a physical edge; Duarte pointed out that 75% of his nearly 2,900 yards at Tulane came after contact. Sanford, he added, had a strong camp and could challenge Hughes for early work.
On defense, the pass rush is the place to watch. Duarte pointed to edge rusher Ashton Porter, who is back home in the Houston area after three seasons at Oregon, as a key piece of the Cougars’ pressure plan. Brandon Mack II is in that same conversation too, coming off a five-sack season and offering plenty of disruption off the edge.
There’s also a practical wrinkle for Saturday: the kickoff is expected to be hot, which Duarte said should favor Houston. He’ll be watching a rebuilt offensive line, one that added preseason All-America left guard Shadre Hurst, along with Weigman’s ability to distribute the ball across a deep receiver group.
And on the other side of the ball, Duarte sees a defense that could finish top 25 nationally.
His prediction: No. 23 Houston 35, Oregon State 14.
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