Houston's Glaring Weakness Was Still Very Evident vs. Georgia Southern
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The Houston Cougars will soon be taking on UCF in the Big 12 season opener on Saturday, but there are some key lessons to be learned from Week 4's win over Georgia Southern in order to be successful going forward.
While the Cougars won 42-28 and also moved up five spots in the AP Poll to No. 20 in the country, it wasn't an ideal performance on defense at all. The secondary has been an issue throughout the first four weeks of the season, and it didn't look much better against a Sun Belt opponent.
Houston's Pass Defense Needs Work
Houston's defense allowed 355 total yards of offense to Georgia Southern on the road. 289 of those yards were through the air. The average yards per completion was 10.7. That is a lot, especially to a non-Power Four opponent.
Inconsistencies can happen on a weekly basis; however, Houston hasn't really improved in stopping deep passing plays since the season opener. Georgia Southern junior wide receiver Alex Taylor racked up six catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns.
While Houston gave up 28 to Texas Tech, giving up 28 to Georgia Southern isn't the same. Houston is currently ranked 15th out of 16 Big 12 teams in passing defense. The Cougars are allowing just over 262 passing yards per game, just ahead of West Virginia.
One of the main issues causing this has been the busts in coverage, something that coach Willie Fritz has said in almost every postgame press conference so far. Additionally, it's the dropped interceptions. Houston put down a couple of interceptions against Oregon State that would've changed the score even further in favor of the Cougars.
That was the case against Georgia Southern as well. Houston has honestly been in position to make plays on the ball, but isn't getting it done. Houston also couldn't get off the field on third and fourth down. The Cougars allowed the Eagles to go 3/4 on fourth down and 7/13 on third.
The Cougars' secondary was expected to be one of the strengths of the team and the defense. Instead, it's the one part of the game that has lagged behind.
Houston has the No. 1 scoring offense in the Big 12 and the top run defense in the conference as well. The Cougars have a lot of experience and talent in the secondary, but it hasn't translated to team play during the games. Redshirt junior cornerback Will James was considered to be one of the better corners in the Big 12. Fifth-year corner Jalen Mayo was a new transfer and has made plays.
However, James has missed some plays. Both the fifth-year safeties, Kentrell Webb and Jordan Allen haven't limited the gains over the top. Junior Javion White has been versatile. Once all the pieces connect, Houston's secondary can be much better and more reliable. The Cougars could also use more of a pass rush to help out the coverage, as they are having to guard for too long at times.
Right now, it needs to be focused on. The competition is only going to get tougher, and the pass defense must get sorted.
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Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.