3 Keys to Victory For Houston Cougars vs. Arizona State
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3:15 PM Update: At the time this article was published, Arizona State receiver Jordan Tyson was still expected to play. He has since been ruled out with an injury.
The Houston Cougars will have to reset after their homecoming game victory over the Arizona Wildcats, where the Coogs survived with a walk-off field goal, earning Houston the win as they get ready to take on another conference matchup, this time taking on the other Arizona school, the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham has his program sitting as the No. 24 team in the country with a 5-2 record and a 3-1 mark in conference play. The Sun Devils will host the Cougars, with the team out west also riding a wave of momentum, as Arizona State comes off a statement victory, upsetting the No. 7 Texas Tech Red Raiders 26-22 last Saturday.
The Cougars will clash with the Sun Devils on the road, heading out to Tempe for the first time since 1980. A victory for the Coogs would be a statement win for Willie Fritz's program, which looks to build on earning bowl eligibility a week ago and become a real contender in the Big 12. If the Coogs look to pull off the upset, here are three keys to victory that the Cougars will have to focus on.
Get Conner Weigman Rolling
The Houston offense obviously runs on the arm of quarterback Conner Weigman, who has been rolling in the Cougars' last two matchups, completing 36 of his 53 pass attempts for a near 70 percent completion percentage, 470 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions in victories against Oklahoma State and Arizona.
Getting Weigman in a rhythm early will be crucial to settling in the quarterback on the road against the Sun Devils.
The Coogs will have to get their top weapons involved early, with leading wide receiver Amare Thomas and reliable target in tight end Tanner Koziol finding ways to be playmakers early in the ball game.
Contain the Arizona State Passing Offense
The Arizona State passing attack got a spark of momentum with the return of starting quarterback Sam Leavitt back into the lineup from injury. In the Sun Devils' big victory against Texas Tech, Leavitt completed 28 of his 47 pass attempts for 319 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions.
Aside from focusing on the quarterback, the Coogs will have to key in on the biggest offensive weapon on the Arizona State offense in wide receiver Jordyn Tyson. The wide receiver is the Big 12's leading receiver in just about every major statistic with 57 receptions for 628 yards and eight touchdowns.
Containing the dynamic duo of Leavitt and Tyson will be key for the Coogs, who head into the matchup is one of the better passing defenses in the conference, allowing 193.6 passing yards per game, which is the fifth-lowest mark in the Big 12.
Win the Ground Game
As always, the line of scrimmage will always be a battle that goes a long way in determining the winner of a matchup, and against the Sun Devils, it will be important for the Coogs to win that battle.
Houston's rushing attack is led by Weigman and by bell cow running back Dean Conners. Through seven games, Weigman has totaled 243 rushing yards on 66 attempts while also leading the team in rushing touchdowns with six.
While Conners is the Cougars' leading rusher with 538 yards and four touchdowns. The pair will be crucial as Arizona State has allowed the second fewest average yards per game in the Big 12, averaging 110.9 yards a game and has allowed just 3.6 yards per carry.
The Cougars' rushing defense is also one of the best in the conference, allowing the fourth fewest average yards per game, with just 123.6 yards allowed. The Arizona State rushing attack is the sixth-best in the Big 12, averaging 186.7 yards per game, led by running back Raleek Brown, who's currently the Big 12's second-leading rusher with 642 yards, averaging 5.8 yards per carry and three touchdowns.
