Grading the Houston Cougars in Week 7 Blowout Win at Oklahoma State
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In wiping the slate clean from its Week 6 home blowout loss to Texas Tech, Houston football responded with a 39-17 blowout victory over Oklahoma State in its Big 12 road opener at Boone Pickens Stadium Saturday, putting the Cougars at their first 5-1 start since 2016 and one step closer to bowl eligibility as a member of the Big 12.
The 22-point win also became the Cougars' largest margin of victory as a member of the conference, leaving their season point differential at +70 as a result of taking advantage of the Cowboys' 42.6 points per game allowed rate.
To break down how Houston got back in the win column, we graded the Cougars on both sides of the ball.
Quarterback play and total offense: A
After posting just 267 total yards in Week 6 and only converting one third down against the dominance of Texas Tech's front seven, with the partial absence of junior quarterback Conner Weigman due to an upper-body injury he sustained in Week 6, the Cougars wasted no time in ripping through holes of its 16th-ranked Big 12 total defense.
Weigman's stint in NCAA concussion protocol as a result of the hit had no phase on his 306-yard outing on 21 of 30 in completions, which left him with a 177.7 passer rating. This bolstered in part by the continual downfield connections with junior wide receiver Amare Thomas.
Thomas topped Cougar receivers with 157 yards on seven catches, which put his tally out of the Week 4 bye week at 331 and at 441 on the season, sparking implications and conversations of a potential 1,000-yard season and his NFL-caliber play.
Add it all, and Houston left Boone Pickens Stadium with 485 total yards, averaging 6.1 yards per play, which should leave the Cougars primed offensively for their Week 8 homecoming matchup against Arizona.
Defensive line and secondary: B+
In response to allowing 552 total yards including 205 from nearly two combined 100-yard rushers, Houston's front seven and secondary anchored Oklahoma State near its 14.4 points per game rating.
After a rocky opening defensive possession in allowing a quick five-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, the Cougars held the Cowboys to just 149 yards for their remaining possessions, limiting redshirt senior wide receiver Sam Jackson V, who took snaps under center for Oklahoma State in the absence of redshirt freshman Zane Flores, to just 7 of 16 on 84 yards.
Amongst the front seven, senior weakside linebacker Jalen Garner, senior nose guard Carlos Allen, sophomore weakside linebacker Corey Platt Jr. and senior star back Marc Stampley II combined for 24 total tackles, part of which helped limit the Cowboys' run production to just 45 yards on 1.5 yards per carry.
This performance should Austin Armstrong's units primed for a test to face a slightly more balanced offensive matchup for Houston in Week 8, as Arizona averages 32.2 points per game compared to Houston's 29.2.
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.