Five Biggest Takeaways From Houston's Win vs. Oregon State
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Houston started off the season with a solid, if flawed 33-20 victory against Oregon State in Week 1.
The Cougars had some worry in the first half until Re'Shaun Sanford broke free for a 56-yard touchdown run to put UH up nine.
Those doubts crept back in during the fourth quarter, when the Beavers cut the lead to six with 9:16 left with an AJ Newberry touchdown run.
Oregon State transfer quarterback Braden Atkinson had a great afternoon to the tune of 376 yards, including a touchdown pass, and had the Pac-12 squad right in the thick of things late.
Ultimately, though, Houston's running game was too dominant during a rainy day at TDECU Stadium.
And though Conner Weigman threw an interception, he had a touchdown on the ground and through the air, the latter courtesy of a relentless effort from Amare Thomas to turn a short-yardage situation into a highlight-reel 31-yard score to get on the board.
Here were the five main takeaways from a 13-point win that didn't truly reflect how close this matchup felt:
Houston's Offensive Line Came Together Quickly This Offseason
Weigman was sacked once. The Cougars had 228 rushing yards. Oregon State had two tackles for loss. Houston's backfield was nearly impenetrable.
If there's one area that couldn't be a weakness, and would've undermined great skill-position threats if it were, it was protection.
Luckily, left guard Shadre Hurst lived up to his billing as a popular preseason watch list pick at his position, and Alvin Ebosele and Drew Terrill put Beavers' edge rushers on islands.
The one sack was a result of Weigman not finding any of his reads and holding onto the ball too long.
This looks like an offensive line that could push this offense toward Big 12 contention if injuries don't strike the left side. The continuity perfectly mixed with the transfers.
Saturday couldn't have gone better for Houston in the offensive trenches.
Conner Weigman Has This Program in Good Hands
Weigman looked athletic and aggressive in moving the chains and commanding the offense. Goal-line pick aside, Weigman set an impeccable example, particularly with his ability to make something of broken plays.
He was evasive, particularly while juking defenders to get deep into the second level on one 21-yard run right before the half. That drive led to a field goal with 38 seconds left that put the Coogs up 12. Weigman was slipping the pressure from the Beavs' overmatched pass rush with ease.
Weigman completed 20 of 30 pass attempts and showed the kind of veteran situational wherewithal to trust in the program moving forward. At 10.17 yards per pass attempt, Weigman was slinging it against a secondary he might've been capable of tearing up more with better weather.
Keisean Henderson Gives Houston an Exciting Future at Quarterback
He only threw one pass because Weigman's helmet had come off after being tackled, but Keisean Henderson's one attempt was nearly a 24-yard touchdown toss to Trent Walker. It was slightly overthrown, but Henderson launched it from deep in the pocket.
In that one play, Henderson proved that the Cougars' future is in good hands once Weigman is out of eligibility.
UH Running Back Room May Be Able to Carry The Offense Certain Weeks
Looking ahead past Southern next weekend, Texas Tech looms in two weekends in what'll be the biggest test all year. If the passing game struggles up in Lubbock, dealing with 60,000 crazed Red Raider fans, or perhaps the conference's most menacing secondary, Slade Nagle now knows he can pound the ball and attempt to quiet the crowd.
Sanford (75 yards, one touchdown) and Makhi Hughes (98 yards, one touchdown) both found success between the tackles.
That may be sustainable, since Nagle and Hughes have produced magic before at Tulane.
Houston's Defense is a Work in Progress
Austin Armstrong's unit was a definitive sore spot on Saturday.
Atkinson had too much time to work today, too often. The secondary needs to tighten up. The pass rush needs to be more consistent.
Certainly, it wasn't all bad. JACK Latreveon McCutchin was frequently disruptive in the backfield with a sack and two solo tackles on the day, setting the edge masterfully to stop the run, and cornerback Javion White recorded two sacks himself. White was perhaps the biggest defensive surprise of the day.
The run defense was very strong. Oregon State's running backs had just 57 rushing yards on the afternoon.
Overall, this was not a good group effort, though. 20 points and 402 total yards from the Beavers' offense made for a tough Week 1 for Armstrong's group. They'll need to tighten things up before Big 12 play.
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Andrew Hughes is a freelance journalist based in Austin, Texas, who has bylines on Hardwood Houdini, Nothin' But Nets, and The Sporting News. His work has been featured in The Miami Herald, Bleacher Report, and Yahoo Sports. Andrew graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in print journalism in 2017 and has been a sports fan since 1993.
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