What the Stats Reveal About Houston Cougars' Season So Far
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After three weeks of college football, conference play for many teams in the country is officially underway. With the beginning of league play, fans and the media alike start to recognize which programs are contenders, and which programs are pretenders.
While it's still early in the season, it can be interesting tracking who stays undefeated and for how long. After an action-packed weekend, there are 54 teams that have yet to pick up a loss.
One of those undefeated teams is none other than the Houston Cougars.
Many expected the Cougars to improve after recent success in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail. Few, however, could have predicted just how big of a jump Coach Willie Fritz’s squad would make in 2025. But what do the numbers actually say about Houston’s surprising start?
The Key Stats Defining the Cougars’ 2025 Campaign
At surface level, the Cougars seem to be one of the more balanced teams in a wide open Big 12. With a revitalized offense that can move the ball efficiently and a stingy defense that's been good against passing quarterbacks, it's no wonder why Houston has looked good this early in the season.
But there's more to the Cougars success than Houston's transfer portal acquisitions and freshman class. While the roster overhaul by Fritz and his staff is impressive, what might be more impressive are the categories that the Cougars have excelled in so far in the 2025 season.
Third Down Efficiency
As previously mentioned in recent articles, Houston has success when they don't try to force the big plays. With guys like Conner Weigman, Stephon Johnson, and Dean Connors, the talent level on the offensive side of the ball is high enough for big plays to happen on their own.
Houston RB Dean Connors popped off in the 2025 Bayou Bucket vs. Rice
— Big 12 Studios (@big12studios) September 7, 2025
🔺13 Carries
🔺132 Rushing Yards
🔺2 TDs#Big12FB | @UHCougarFB pic.twitter.com/DvIQxRR0Cb
One of the biggest improvements for the Cougars so far this season has been the team's efficiency on third down. In the 2024 season, Houston's offense had a 27.5% success rate on third down scenarios. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that your team will struggle greatly with a third down percentage under 30%.
Through three games in the 2025 season, the Cougars have converted over 47% of their third down opportunities. Houston's third down conversion rate currently ranks 30th in FBS and has played a big factor in their season thus far.
Yards Per Rush Attempt
While the Cougars' revamped rushing attack may be an obvious difference compared to last year's squad, it's worth it to back track and figure out how the run game got to this point. Firstly, it starts with the players' Coach Fritz went after in the transfer portal.
Dean Connors headlines the transfer portal acquisitions with his impact on the team so far this season. With over 270 total yards on the ground averaging over five yards per carry, Connors has proven himself to be an extremely reliable piece Slade Nagle's offense. Weigman's running threat, which proved to be lethal in the win against Colorado, also allows the offense to be more flexible in the run game.
Big Weig on the run 🕺@ConnerWeigman pic.twitter.com/fhM9Oa9brM
— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) September 13, 2025
In 2024, the Cougars averaged a whopping 3.8 yards per carry. While that stat admittedly wasn't the worst in the Big 12, Houston's rushing yards per game total of 135.4 yards sat in the bottom half of the conference as well.
This season, the Cougars have flipped the script with their offense averaging over 200 rushing yards per game while averaging 4.4 yards per carry. With six rushing touchdowns on the season already, the Cougars now have 66% of their rushing touchdowns for the entire 2024 season.
Passing Defense
The last factor in Houston's early-season success has been the passing defense. For defensive coordinator, Austin Armstrong, the Cougars ability to defend the pass has been nothing short of exceptional this season.
While Houston hasn't necessarily faced a Heisman contender yet, the Cougars limited the Colorado Buffaloes to only 204 yards passing in the 36-20 win. Not only did the secondary force Ryan Staub to complete only 19 of 35 passes, but they also forced the sophomore to throw two interceptions as well.
The icing on the cake 🍰@WrookB pic.twitter.com/4jtDXlJwgT
— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) September 13, 2025
While the Cougars are tied with Arizona for a league leading five interceptions, the passing defense also lands in the top half of the conference in a multitude of categories. Houston's passing defense currently ranks eighth in completions with 47, third in yards per completion with 4.4, and third in passing yards allowed per game with 120.
If the Cougar defense can keep up the pressure on opposing quarterbacks, the Houston secondary has the chance to become much more dangerous in the weeks to come.
