Houston Cougars Stock Watch After Week 9: Who's Up & Who's Down?

Which Houston Cougars have their stock rising or dropping after week nine against the Arizona State Sun Devils?

Houston Cougars defensive back Will James (15) celebrates a fumble recovery with Kentrell Webb (8) against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the first half at Mountain America Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Houston Cougars will be headed back home after a successful road trip out west, getting the defining victory of the Willie Fritz era so far, after defeating the reigning Big 12 champions, the Arizona State Sun Devils at home in Tempe, 24-16.

The Cougars got out to a fast start on Saturday night, shutting out the Sun Devils heading into the locker room for halftime, with a 10 to nothing lead. And right out of the locker room, the Coogs kept their foot on the gas, increasing their commanding lead to 24-0 heading into the final quarter of the matchup, where Arizona State managed to get something rolling on offense, scoring 16 points, but it was a little too late.

After the Cougars' impressive weekend performance, here's the weekly look at the players whose stocks are trending up. With the commanding win, this edition won't have any Cougars trending down, as Houston will look forward to another conference matchup as they return home to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers at TDECU Stadium at 11:00 a.m.

Trending Up

Conner Weigman, QB

Houston Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman (1) scrambles with the ball as they play against the ASU Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Much of the game's focus was obviously on the two quarterbacks, with Cougars' starting quarterback Conner Weigman and Arizona State's Sam Leavitt. Houston's signal caller more than up for the task on the road, with Weigman finishing the night with a combined 312 yards of total offense and three total touchdowns.

It was another efficient outing for Weigman, completing 17 of his 22 pass attempts for a 77 percent completion percentage, 201 passing yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Where the Coogs quarterback found most of his success was in the ground game, finishing the game as the Cougars' leading rusher with 111 yards on 21 carries, averaging 5.3 yards per carry and adding two additional scores on the ground.

Tanner Koziol, TE

Houston Cougars tight end Tanner Koziol (9) catches a touchdown pass against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the second half at Mountain America Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

While the Coogs found plenty of success on the ground, finishing the matchup with a combined 183 yards, tight end Tanner Koziol made his presence known on Saturday in the passing game. As he has been all season, the six-foot-seven target has been one of the Cougars' top weapons in the offense, and against the Sun Devils, he proved it once again by finishing the game as Houston's leading receiver with seven receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Eddie Walls III, DL

Houston Cougars defensive lineman Eddie Walls III (90) celebrates his defensive stop against the ASU Sun Devils. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cougars' defense took control of the game on Saturday, holding an explosive Sun Devils offense to zero points through three quarters, and one that didn't find their first points in the ball game into over 45 minutes had already passed.

One of the catalysts for the Coogs' impressive defensive performance was senior defensive linemen who lived in the Arizona State backfield, finishing the game with five tackles, three sacks, three tackles-for-loss, and a pass deflection.