We’re at the halfway point of the Houston Cougars‘ season, and it’s safe to say this isn’t where most people thought they would be six games in—3-3 overall and 1-1 in the AAC, thanks to a big come-from-behind win on the road at Memphis.
But it’s how the Cougars got to this point that is befuddling. It started out with a stinker against UTSA, what could have (should have?) been a blowout by BYU, and another home loss to UCF to open up conference play. The dismantling of both Grambling State and UNLV went as expected.
The offense has been grounded. The defense, for the most part, is doing its thing. And head coach Tony Levine is making changes without publicly hitting the panic button. So let’s hand out some grades for the first half of the Houston season.
OFFENSE: C-
This was supposed to be the return of Houston’s high-flying offense. Quarterback John O’Korn was coming off a phenomenal freshman season and had a lot of weapons around him. Many felt O’Korn was next in the long line of Cougar quarterbacks who filled up the stat sheet. All of that seemed to end before the first quarter of the first game.
Now this offense is a week-to-week work in progress. The Coogs went to the run game to try to help O’Korn. It worked for a while but then they couldn’t move the ball against UCF. Now O’Korn is riding the bench as Greg Ward Jr. takes the helm. The one constant, no matter who is behind center, has been offensive line having problems in pass protection. Levine says Ward is a “dual-threat” quarterback, and maybe that’s a good thing because the line has been making QBs run for their lives.
The running backs and wide receivers have done a good job so far this season. Ward was making plays catching the ball before getting the call at QB. Running Backs Kenneth Farrow and Ryan Jackson are each averaging six yards per carry and have three touchdowns apiece.
DEFENSE: B+
Who knows where Houston would be without the defense being a turnover-forcing machine? This is one area that hasn’t changed from 2013. The “Third Ward” defense has 19 turnovers (11 interceptions and eight fumbles). Against Memphis the Coogs forced five turnovers, which was as many as the Tigers had in all their other games COMBINED.
The Cougars are giving up just 19.2 points a game, which would be much lower total if it weren’t for the BYU game where Houston had problems stopping the other Cougars (but then again, most teams have). Defensive Lineman Joey Mbu and Linebacker Efrem Oliphant both made our Midseason All-AAC team, and Adrian McDonald is second team. The defense has had its issues, but has been a solid, overall unit the Cougars and count on the rest of the season.
SPECIAL TEAMS: D
Yes, I know Kyle Bullard has made 12-of-13 field goals and accounted for all of Houston’s points against UCF. But Bullard has also missed three extra points. Yes, please feel free to take time and read that again… Bullard has missed three extra points. In this day and age that is simply inexcusable.
You also get a bad grade when, at any time in the season, your coach (who is a special teams guru) says the special teams is “the worst I’ve ever seen in 20 years of coaching.” That was Tony Levine after the BYU game.
The unit has also struggled in the return game and has splitting the punting duty between two guys. Not very special at all.
COACHING: B-
I’ll be the first to admit, it’s hard for guys like me to evaluate coaching considering I’ve never worn a headset or strolled the sidelines.
But that won’t stop me.
I have to give Levine and his staff credit for not being afraid to make changes. Something was clearly broken to start the season, so Levine tried to change the formula. Most of that came on the offensive side of the ball as we discussed earlier. However, despite being willing to make changes, sometimes those changes don’t seem to be misplaced. The biggest question mark for me is the Ward switch to QB. The problem doesn’t seem to be behind center, it is the center… and the guards… and the tackles. We’ll see how the changes pan out.
OVERALL: C
How else do you grade a team that is both .500 in conference and overall? It’s been a strange season so far for Houston. It looked confused against UTSA, outclassed against BYU, and flat against UCF. The win at Memphis could be the turning point of the season; the Cougars showed the ability to fight back, on the road no less, after falling behind 14-0 early.
But alas, I have to give a grade for what’s happened, not what could happen after a signature win. There are a lot of positives to look at in the first six games, but there are an equal amount of question marks.
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