2 Huge Keys to Victory For Houston Cougars vs. West Virginia
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No. 22 Houston football, in an effort to stay in Big 12 title contention through Week 10, is hosting West Virginia Saturday at TDECU Stadium as the calendar flips to November and the release of the first College Football Playoff rankings inch closer.
Although West Virginia is 2-6 overall, has lost its first five Big 12 contests and has logged numerous injuries on its roster under the revival of coach Rich Rodriguez's tenure, nobody should shy away from the potential of some the Mountaineers' healthy offensive talent.
For the Cougars to avoid being the victim of a bottom-feeder upset that would ultimately take them out of conference and playoff contention, here are two keys to victory for No. 22 Houston on Saturday:
Carving through Mountaineers' defensive woes
If the Cougars want to put the game away in a complete effort in dealing with what the Mountaineers are billed with defensively, they must continue with the offensive brand of football that's propelled them to their current 4-1 conference mark.
With junior quarterback Conner Weigman having billed to the Maxwell Award watchlist after his 312-total yard performance in Week 9 at Arizona State, he'll look to bolster that accolade and his current 2025 resume of 1,581 yards on a rate of 8.2 per completion.
It's a near-perfect match to West Virginia's 8.3 passing yards per play allowed, so the complement of Weigman's once weekly award-winning offensive line, mixed with the speed of threats like junior wide receiver Amare Thomas against the Mountaineers' secondary, will allow for proper business to be taken care of.
On the ground, the Mountaineers allow a stout 4.4 yards per carry but surrender 175.7 rushing yards per game, in which the combination of Weigman's mobility and the output of senior running back Dean Connors should ideally feed on. With Weigman having logged his first career 100-yard rushing game, he and Connors are now rushing for 171.3 yards per game as the Cougars' two leaders on the ground.
Fox on the Fly: Containing Fox Jr. and Vaughn
Saturday's contest will also mark the third start for fifth-string true freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. amongst an injury-riddled signal caller room, and his 301-yard outing in the Mountaineers' Week 9 23-17 loss to eighth place TCU is something to take note of when faced with Houston's 36th ranked total defense.
Through nine weeks, the Cougars have allowed a near 40% third down conversion rate along with 357.1 total yards per game and 5.1 yards per play. Looking at performances in Weeks 8 and 9, they have to improve on their third down defense, even when the game is billed as "out of reach" to avoid any scares or sudden chunk plays that could flip the game in mere seconds.
The Cougars' secondary tallied 10 pass breakups in Tempe last weekend, and a similar caliber performance will be more than necessary to contain the Mountaineers' receiving leader in redshirt sophomore Cam Vaughn.
Vaughn has been key for West Virginia in terms of eating up field position with chunk plays to get into opponent territory, as although he has only logged three receiving touchdowns, he 's averaged 15.6 yards per reception.
Michael Carrara is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He attends the University of Houston, where he is a journalism major and a marketing minor. He is also a sports writer and reporter for the Daily Cougar, having covered baseball as an NCBWA member. You can find Michael on all major social media channels, including X on @michaelcoalec.