Houston Cougars Stock Watch After Week 5: Who's Up & Who's Down?
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The Houston Cougars looked to close the non-conference portion of their schedule with a momentum boost, as they've started the season unbeaten for the first time in nearly a decade and head into the remainder of conference play riding high.
And while the Cougars did manage to come away with a 27-24 victory over the Oregon State Beavers on Friday night, the victory was not as simple as Houston might have liked. The Beavers managed to control the game and head into the fourth quarter with the lead. However, the Cougars would be able to storm back with a pair of fourth-quarter passing touchdowns from quarterback Conner Weigman and then found the overtime victory.
Some players are improving, while others have taken a back seat. Here's a look at a couple of Cougars whose stocks are trending upwards or downwards. After Houston's close victory over the Beavers, and prepares for the heart of conference play, taking on their toughest matchup of the season, hosting the No. 11-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Trending Up
Amare Thomas, WR
The passing offense has not been the highlight of the Cougars through the first portion of the season, as six of their ten offensive touchdowns have come on the ground from either Weigman or running back Dean Connors; however, against the Beavers, junior wide receiver Amare Thomas made his presence felt with his best game of the season.
Weigman was able to connect with Thomas for six receptions for 104 yards, with the longest reception going for over 35 yards. Thomas has been mostly quite through the first weeks of the season as he nearly tied his reception and receiving yards total on the season against in just the single game against the Beavers, having eight catches for 110 yards prior to Friday.
Tanner Koziol, TE
One of the mainstays of the Cougars' offense has been senior tight end Tanner Koziol, as the big six-foot-seven target has been one of the go-to guys for Weigman. Koziol headed into Friday's game as the Cougars' leading receiver with 17 catches for 148 yards, and with his performance against Oregon State, he continued adding to his tally.
After six receptions for 86 yards and a clutch game-tying 50-yard touchdown catch and run. Koziol pushes his season totals up to 23 receptions for 234 yards and two touchdowns after the comeback victory over Oregon State, and continues to be one of the top weapons in the Cougars' offense.
Trending Down
Rush Defense
Houston's defense has been stout through the first few weeks of the season in particularly the Cougars' rush defense, which has been one of the strongholds of the Cougars' defense. Through three games, the Cougars had allowed 104 rushing yards per game with just three yards per carry and three rushing touchdowns.
Against Oregon State, however, Houston struggled to cover the run as the Beavers managed to run for a combined 189 yards as a team, and running back Cornell Hatcher Jr. led the way with 93 yards on 17 attempts and a touchdown on the ground.
