Saturday in Tempe, the Cougars notched their first signature win of the season. Beating Arizona State certainly wasn’t expected by many UH fans last week. Winning on the road is difficult, and most were just hoping to just play well.
The Coogs definitely did that as the 24-16 final score will prove. I didn’t really understand how well they played until I could look at the numbers the next day. On our podcasts, we have talked a lot about watching for improvement each week and month over month. This week, the offensive line had its best game of the season. Statistics courtesy of PFF.com:
Eman Navhavi’s group allowed one defensive pressure and one sack. That is insane. It’s a wild number when it comes from the best offensive lines in the country, but it is mind-blowing coming from the offensive line we saw struggle through the first five games of the season. Clearly, things are starting to mesh and improve for the boys up front.
Their improved play started with a strong effort against Oklahoma State. Yeah, I know, bad team and all. Don’t forget these are the same guys who didn’t look good against an FCS opponent or against now 1-7 Oregon State.
The Arizona game was a big wake-up call for me. The Wildcats haven’t had a great season, but they came into the game ranked 14th in total defense and tied for 7th in TFL. Zona only had 2 TFLs against UH. For their effort, the OL was recognized as Big 12 Offensive Line of the Week.
Adding the fantastic performance against Arizona State just makes it even sweeter. Think about it: this OL went from the absolute worst in the country at allowing QB pressure through the first 5 games to one of the best over the last three games. That’s impressive.
Several factors led to such an improvement. The group has now had real reps together, and players are settling in with the offense and each other. It is one thing to know what you are supposed to do each play and to be accountable for any adjustments the defense throws at you. It is another thing to trust the guys next to you to do their job and be in sync with each other. Another thing that stands out is that the offense is making a concerted effort to get the ball out quicker. This is the average time to throw for the season to date:
By the time the season starts, your personnel is who it is. If you have deficiencies, you have to find ways to adjust to minimize them. One way is to get rid of the ball. The quicker the ball is out, the less stress you put on the offensive line.
As you can see from the numbers above, the Texas Tech game was the anomaly (and the inflection point). The UH offense was trying to get the ball out quickly that day, but Tech was just too good. Since that game, you can see the plan starting to come together.
The defense has been good all season long. Only one opponent has scored more than 28 points so far this season. Austin Armstrong’s unit is currently #36 in total defense and tied for 21st in scoring defense. But there was one concern: missed tackles. It wasn’t a problem against SFA and Rice, but it became one in the next three games.
During that three-game stretch of Colorado, Oregon State, and Texas Tech, things were going the wrong way in the tackling department. UH fans are sensitive to that because poor tackling was common under the previous regime. After that Texas Tech game, the defense got back on track and is back right where it needs to be.
When I talk about wanting to see improvement, that is precisely what I mean. It is never linear, and it rarely comes as quickly as we all want. Even with all the improvements we have seen, this team has barely scratched the surface of what it can be. That is wild to think about, given that UH is sitting here at 7-1. If the Coogs can put together 4 quarters and play to their capability, then anything can happen in November.
