The Cougars debuted Sunday night with a thud. While their play in the second half was more encouraging, plenty of questions remain about all three components of this team. Here are some thoughts on the game.
Left it all: This was a bad game for the Coogs, no doubt. But despite being down big for much of the game, Houston never quit. That shows how the coaches have convinced the players to buy in and should give Coog fans some hope going forward.
It Hurts: Letting a “game-manager” look like a Heisman candidate. In the first half alone, OU quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 174 yards and 2 TDs. He had as many touchdowns as he did incompletions. Hurts finished 20-of-23 for 332 yards and three touchdowns and added 176 yards on 16 rush attempts and three more touchdowns on the ground. That’s over 14 yards per pass attempt and 11 yards per run. Unacceptable for a UH defense trying to change the narrative.
More of a truck than a Car: Running back Kyle Porter started the game for the Cougars and had 14 carries for just 40 yards, just 2.9 ypc. Eventually, Holgorsen turned to Car who ran well. Car had nine rushes that resulted in 76 yards and a touchdown, helping to revitalize a stagnant offense.
5 Alive: Marquez Stevenson remains electric. The returning wide receiver caught seven passes for 80 yards and a score. Houston fans were excited to see Stevenson working with King again, and Stevenson held up his end of the deal by outshining CeeDee Lamb on the opposite sideline.
Protection of the King: Last season, King hit nearly 64% of his passes at 13.6 yards per completion. Against Oklahoma, he was having to scramble for his life nearly every time he wanted to attempt a pass. In the first quarter alone, the Sooners collected three sacks and had 4 tackles for loss. That pressure was reflected in the box score with King completing less than 60% of his passes and had less than six yards per attempt.
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