Houston Cougars O-Line Faces Depth Concerns vs. West Virginia
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In his effort to revamp Houston's offense during the offseason, head coach Willie Fritz made the Cougars' offensive line one of his top priorities.
Fritz and his staff landed five offensive linemen from the transfer portal that have seen considerable time this season.
In 2024 the Cougars were near the bottom of the conference in both passing and rushing offense, largely in part due to instability in the trenches. This weekend, when West Virginia comes to town, Houston's offensive line depth could be tested once again with right guard Jason Brooks Jr. listed as doubtful in Wednesday's availability report.
Big 12 initial availability report for Houston-West Virginia pic.twitter.com/dCv0GZ2ydV
— Joseph Duarte (@Joseph_Duarte) October 30, 2025
With supposedly more offensive line depth than in years prior, Fritz and his staff likely believe they have the depth to keep their win streak alive against the Mountaineers.
A Vulnerable Mountaineer Defensive Front
While Houston's offensive line play might take a step back, the Cougars could still find some decent success against the Mountaineer defensive line this week.
Through their first eight game this season, West Virginia ranks towards the bottom of the conference in both rushing yards allowed and defensive sacks. In short, the Mountaineers struggle in both stopping the run and getting to the quarterback.
West Virginia's safeties and linebackers have had their fair share of work this season. When looking at the leaders in total tackles for the Mountaineers, four of the first six names come from their defensive secondary.
Nickelback Fred Perry and strong safety Darrian Lewis have combined for nearly 100 tackles at this point in the season. When your secondary is making the majority of the team's tackles on defense, it's a sign that something's wrong with your ability to stop the run.
As for getting to the quarterback, the Mountaineers have totaled 14 sacks on the season, averaging around 1.75 sacks per game. Chase Wilson, a linebacker who transferred from Colorado State, leads the defense with 3.0 sacks.
Wilson has been a standout player for West Virginia this season with two interceptions as well. If the Cougars can limit his impact on the game, they should still be able to move the football on offense.
Who's Next in Line at Right Guard?
If Brooks Jr. is unable to suit up against West Virginia on Saturday, either Cedric Melton or McKenzie Agnello will likely get the start at right guard.
Agnello has made eight appearances this season with five starts, which likely means that he will be seen somewhere on the offensive line this Saturday.
Another option for the Cougars coaching staff would be to slide Demetrius Hunter over to one of the guard positions, meaning that Agnello would get the start at center.
