Houston vs Southern: Everything to Know About the Cougars' Next Opponent
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The Houston Cougars are now heading into Week 2 of the 2026 season after a 33-20 win over the Oregon State Beavers in the season opener at home.
Houston will be playing at TDECU Stadium this week as well to continue its non-conference schedule, as the Cougars will be facing the Southern Jaguars in Week 2.
Southern is an FCS opponent and a part of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). This program is based in Baton Rouge, La., and the Jaguars are currently 1-1 so far this season. That places them fifth out of six teams in the SWAC West at the moment.
This is the only FCS opponent for Houston this season, and it gives the Cougars a great opportunity to make the necessary adjustments and correct some of the issues that were present in Week 1's win while comfortably taking care of business on Saturday.
What to Know About Southern
Southern is a completely different team than last season and underwent a rebuild, as the Jaguars went 2-10 in 2025 and finished last in the SWAC. This new Southern team is led by coach Marshall Faulk, who was hired this offseason. Faulk is an NFL Hall of Famer and is considered one of the greatest running backs of all time.
He was previously the running backs coach at Colorado. Southern has a well-known veteran coaching staff, with former NFL cornerback Todd Lyght as defensive coordinator and an experienced coaching figure in Curtis Johnson as the associate head coach.
Johnson was previously the head coach of the Houston Gamblers, who played at TDECU Stadium. He was also part of a national championship-winning team in 2001 with Miami as its wide receiver coach.
Given the inexperience of this team playing together, Houston is obviously at a big advantage. It will be interesting to see what kind of game plan Southern's coaching staff can come up with.
The Jaguars are coming off a 34-15 win over Kentucky State, where their junior quarterback Christian Johnson threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns, while redshirt junior running back Trey Holly ran for 99 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.
Houston's defense will have to lock down this running game and put it in Johnson's hands. Southern had a long quarterback competition this offseason. The defense is more of Southern's strength, especially up front, with the experience of redshirt junior defensive tackle Habib Bello.
The Cougars' running game seems up to the test with a deep room led by senior Makhi Hughes and redshirt junior Re'Shaun Sanford II. They could have a big game given the struggles of Southern's run defense so far. Houston's passing defense could also be poised for a big bounceback.
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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.