When the editors at AACFootballFever.com put out this week’s assignment sheet, today’s article was “What to Look for from the Houston Cougars Against Tulsa.”
At first, I wondered what they had against me. Or maybe they just wanted to issue a huge challenge. Because if anyone knows what to expect from the Coogs this week, I’d like to hear from you and buy you a steak dinner because you’ve earned it.
It’s been an absolute head-scratcher of a season in Houston. It all started with the loss to UTSA. After the UCF game, when the Cougars scored a measly 12 points, they beat Memphis on the road to begin a three-game winning streak. Things are going well, right? Yeah, then Tulane came to TDECU Stadium to hand Houston its third home loss of the season.
What’s going on around here?
When asked if the Tulane game was a reminder not to overlook opponents (Tulane had just two wins going into the game), Houston head coach Tony Levine said in his news conference this week:
“It does, unfortunately. I don’t want to show a lack of respect to Tulane, either, they played a tremendous football game. But you take them one at a time. A lot was being made that week, being a 5-way tie for first place, but I don’t think that became a distraction for our young men.”
So, here comes Tulsa, another team with just two wins. Another team Houston should walk all over Saturday afternoon. And, because it’s my assignment, I will try to solve the labyrinth, do long division, find Sasquatch, and figure out the Cougars.
The first thing I would expect is for Houston to run the ball, run the ball, then run the ball some more. During the three-game winning streak, the run game made the Cougars roar. Kenneth Farrow and Ryan Jackson were a two-headed monster eating up chunks of turf. The Coogs ran the ball 47 times in the 24-point whooping of USF. Then, suddenly and unexpectedly, the Cougars abandoned the run against Tulane. Instead, Greg Ward, Jr. was turned into a gunslinger; throwing the ball 45 times versus 32 runs. Nothing against Ward, who has done a great job taking over the quarterback job, but with Ward behind center, the Cougars are better when they’re balanced on offense.
I also expect this week, in practice, the coaching staff will be, once again, preaching the importance of turnovers. While the Coogs continued their record streak of forcing at least one turnover per game, they lost the turnover battle to the Green Wave. Ward threw four interceptions, including one on the final play of the game. Those gaffes were the very first thing Levine talked about in his postgame news conference last week.
“I talk about it every week. Our formula for winning starts with turnovers. Not creating them, by themselves, but winning the turnover margin. We did not do that today.”
Overall, I would expect to see Houston take the wind right out of the Golden Hurricane. Things are in shambles in Tulsa. This week, head coach Bill Blankenship, is answering more questions about his future than about this week’s game. The writing is on the wall, and all over social media.
Barring two big upsets, Tulsa will go from 19 wins in Blankenship’s first two years to 19 losses in two years since http://t.co/uX4HIVjkcw
— Kelly Hines (@KellyHinesTW) November 17, 2014
Combine the re-focus of the offense, the tropical depression that is the Golden Hurricane, and the fact it’s senior day for the Cougars, this should be a big win for Houston. But then again, I’ve thought I had the 2014 Cougars figured out before.
Edited By: Ali Balchunas
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