After a tough loss to Texas Tech, Saturday’s game versus Oklahoma State was satisfying. UH bounced back and beat down a struggling team the way you should. But what made it truly gratifying was seeing a significant improvement in the offense.
Of course, Oklahoma State is terrible. That is true. But it’s also true that this offense didn’t play as well against SFA, Rice, or even Oregon State (until the last 8 minutes). According to 24/7’s Team Talent Composite, Oklahoma State is much better than those teams.
I believed all year that this offense would improve as the new offensive line, QB, RB, and WRs learned a new offense and gelled. But Saturday, something clicked. The offensive line had its best day of the year, the passing game thrived, and the receivers had their best day.
Saturday’s success started with a solid offensive game plan and the players executing it. When I look at some of the underlying stats, they don’t make sense at first glance. According to PFF, Weigman had his second-lowest time to throw on the season with 2.59 seconds (he had 2.35 vs. Texas Tech). At the same time, he was pressured only seven times, the fewest of the season. UH hasn’t allowed only seven pressures since Utah last year. There have been only three games in the Fritz era in which the starting QB had less time to throw.
My first thought is that if the offensive line is playing well, then shouldn’t he have more time? Not necessarily. If the offensive coordinator is calling plays to fit UH’s personnel, he will call passing plays that get the ball out quickly. On Saturday, it looked like few plays were called that required 3+ seconds of protection from a struggling line.
To build on that, the offensive line did a good job of holding up long enough for Weigman to get the ball out on time. The receivers did a good job of beating their man and/or getting open. Given these circumstances, it is no surprise to see Weigman make quick, sound decisions. It was the most decisive he has been as a Cougar. He also made some great throws, and the receivers also made some great catches.
I will repeat it every time: This rebuild is a process, and the game in Stillwater was another building block. It would be easy for fans to get down after the beating suffered against Tech. But this team bounced back and turned in its best offensive performance of the year. It is exciting to see the adjustments made from top to bottom. That gives me even more hope going forward. Can’t wait to see more of this kind of offense against Arizona.
