Arizona State Loses Star WR For Matchup Against Houston
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The Houston Cougars look to continue their stellar season with a win against No. 24 Arizona State this Saturday in Tempe.
The Wildcats are coming off a big 26-22 win over No. 7 Texas Tech, but will be without their star receiver Jordyn Tyson for the game against Houston due to a hamstring injury.
With the news, Arizona State is now only favored by 6.5 points and will have to find production elsewhere without their top target.
What Tyson’s Injury Means For Houston
Tyson is the best receiver in the Big 12 Conference and he has been the Sun Devils best player this season. This year, the Allen, Texas native has 57 receptions for 628 yards and eight touchdowns.
He leads the conference at the wide receiver possion in almost every category and he is projected to be a top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Just last weekend against the Red Raiders, Tyson hauled in 10 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown against the conference’s best defense.
Without the star receiver, the Sun Devils have to find production from elsewhere in the offense against a tough Houston defense.
Who Will Fill In For Tyson?
Arizona State is led by sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt, who is one of the best quarterbacks in the conference.
Leavitt has thrown for 1,358 yards and nine touchdowns this season, but most of that production is from Tyson.
The next leading target for Arizona State is senior tight end Chamon Metayer, who has 21 receptions for 226 yards and a touchdown.
The only other player with double-digit receptions is junior running back Raleek Brown with 25 catches for 139 yards.
The Sun Devils are in big trouble with the inexperience at the receiver position and they have several receivers that will need to step up big time to beat Houston.
Freshman receiver Jaren Hamilton could be a guy to step up in Tyson’s absence. This season, he has four catches for 145 yards and averages 36.3 yards per reception.
Another receiver who will see more action is sophomore Derek Eusenio. He has seven catches for 111 yards this season.
With the loss of Tyson, the Sun Devils will have to lean on their ground game against a Houston defense that hasn't been the best at stopping the run.
Brown has had an outstanding season totaling 110 carries for 642 yards and three touchdowns this season and he is the top running back in the offense.
Junior running back Kanye Udoh will also get some carries to mix it up along with Leavitt, who has 284 rushing yards on the season.
Houston and Arizona State face off this Saturday at 7 p.m. at Mountain American Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram (@ashtonagrissom8) or Twitter (@ashtongrissom8).