Grading The Houston Cougars' On Both Sides Of The Ball In Week 2 Win
In this story:
Houston football successfully captured the final Bayou Bucket on Saturday before the rivalry began its hiatus, and while their offensive efforts arrived late, the Cougars nonetheless made it a convincing result.
It was also the first time in consecutive seasons since 1973 and 1974 that the Cougars held the Owls to just one touchdown or single-digit scoring, while they were largely unaffected by the threat of Rice's 'gun choice' offense.
To decipher how Houston achieved the late yet comfortable 35-9 crosstown victory, we graded performances from both sides of the ball and in key position rooms.
Defensive line and secondary: A+
The Cougars' defensive efforts remained mostly unmatched from Week 1, in which they gave the other side of the ball new opportunities to capitalize on. They were mostly anchor for Rice offensively, as the Owls were held to 4-for-15 on third down conversions while also becoming victims of a forced fumble by junior defensive end Khalil Laufau.
A sight for sore eyes and satisfaction was the return of sophomore linebacker Corey Platt Jr. at the weakside. After missing 26 consecutive games due to two ACL injuries within the span of 10 months, Platt declared his return with a fourth-down sack of sophomore quarterback Chase Jenkins with 4:37 remaining.
These efforts prove the potential for defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong to match what was left behind from the departure of Shiel Wood heading into Big 12 play, as returners from 2024 play a complementary factor in climbing the ropes.
Quarterback and pass-catchers: B+
Junior quarterback Conner Weigman elevated from his Week 1 performance by 29 yards, although the Cougars' first six drives of the game stalled out, which included a first quarter that consisted of just 49 total yards of offense.
Despite the mostly stagnant first half for the passing game, Weigman unloaded in the second half and led the charge on three scoring drives, one of which he hurled a 74-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Stephon Johnson, after Johnson left Week 1 without a target. The drive was the bulk of what led Weigman to finish with 188 passing yards on the night.
Senior tight end Tanner Koziol still led in targets and receptions, finishing with 52 yards on the night, mostly as a result of quick screens during the Cougars' drives.
Although explosive, the trend of latency in scoring drives from within the passing game has to be curbed and could prove substantial in Houston's 2025 Big 12 campaign. So despite these efforts, timeliness is a factor in why the passing game gets a B+ grade.
On the ground: A
Senior running back Dean Connors led the Cougars' scoring efforts in a single category with two house call touchdowns, one of which came with only 40 seconds remaining in the first half, and a tally of 132 yards on the night in his Rice homecoming, having played on both sides of the Bayou Bucket.
Coach Willie Fritz mentioned in Week 1 leading up to the opener, that one running back will prove to be the "bellcow" or snap count leader. Connors, on a night where he averaged 10.2 yards per carry on various breakaways, proved that case with his production output and with the presence of a height-padded offensive line allowing the ability for him. If it consistently maintains this kind of performance, not even up to the exact scale every time, it could heavily compliment the ever-improving efficiency of the passing game.
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.