This is an interview that Devils Digest, Arizona State’s On3 website, did with GoCoogs publisher Ryan Monceaux earlier this week. It has been edited due to transcription errors:
DevilsDigest: Houston sits at 6-1 record, 3-1 in Big 12 play, and their only loss being to a very good Texas Tech team. When you look at your preseason expectations and compare them to where the Coogs are right now, are you pleasantly surprised or maybe in your mind the season has gone according to plan?
Ryan Monceaux: “No, I think they’re ahead of plan. I think that anybody who would have expected 6-1 at this point was kind of out of their mind. You’ve gotten lucky with the schedule so far, but this team has also gotten better every week. Except for the slip-up against Texas Tech, which they (Texas Tech) dominated that game, they’ve really just gotten better: better on the offensive line, better on the defense, and Connor Weigman has inched forward every week and has really started to command the room. He is leading like you would want a quarterback to lead.”
DevilsDigest: When you talk about Connor Weigman’s play, what are some of the traits that define him and make him one of the leading signal callers in this conference?
Ryan Monceaux: “His reputation coming to UH was an injury-prone player, and he was in concussion protocol for a week. But he has been tough, and he has made the plays you needed him to make when you needed them. He’s not going to throw for 300 yards every week; it’s just not the system (head coach) Willie Fritz has, but he’s doing what needs to be done. UH is way better on third downs than they were a year ago. They were about the worst in the country on third down a year ago.
“He’s very competent and has put together quite a few long drives, and that helps the defense more than anything. So, I would say that what he’s done is come in and given UH its identity on offense, and it’s all coming from Connor Weigman.”
DevilsDigest: You talked about the offense not being flashy but definitely being efficient. When you look at the major offensive categories in the Big 12, UH is right there in the middle, maybe not having those gaudy numbers that you would expect a 6-1 team to have. I assume this validates your expectation that offensive production would be more effective rather than explosive, yet still achieve the desired results…
Ryan Monceaux: “UH started eight or nine transfers this year: four guys on the offensive line, running back, receivers, quarterback, and tight end that had never been together. You just could not have any big expectations (in light of that). The offense last year was one of the worst I’ve ever seen. I’ve been doing this in one way or another for nearly 30 years, and last year, they averaged 14.0 points per game, which is horrible. They were shut out twice, and the talent wasn’t there. Certainly, quarterback play was not there.
“But Connor Weigman, Dean Connors in the backfield, and Tanner Koziol, the big tight end, and you’ll see a lot of him on Saturday, have reshaped this offense. As the offensive line has gotten better and more consistent, it’s really changed what they can do. They can control the ball, they can move it down the field, convert on third downs, and that’s how they’ve had success.”
DevilsDigest: Obviously, Connor Weigman is a huge part of the rushing game and the rushing touchdowns for that matter, but can you talk about Dean Connors, and what are some of the traits that make him an exceptional ball carrier?
Ryan Monceaux: “So I’ve been calling Dean Connors a Swiss Army knife. He really can do everything. I’d kind of seen him as a scat back, but what he has shown the last two weeks is that he’s a tough runner between the tackles, and he picked up hard yards. He did it against Arizona last week. Frankly, he gutted Arizona on carries that should have been stopped for two or three yards. He was getting six, seven, eight yards, and he was just the tougher guy. He catches the ball really well out of the backfield, and his second step, if he can get towards the hole, that second step just accelerates through it. I have been pleasantly surprised by him.
“We saw him across town at Rice University the last three years, so we’ve seen him a little bit, but he is definitely a much better player than I expected he would be.”
DevilsDigest: You mentioned tight end, Tanner Koziol who along with Amare Thomas, are the leading receiving targets for the Cougars. Can you expand on both, and what do those players bring to the table in terms of the passing attack?
Ryan Monceaux: “Tanner Koziol is a 6-foot-7 tight end. He has an incredible catch radius. He has the best hands I’ve seen in quite a while. If you get the ball towards him, he’s catching it, and he already has 36 catches this year. He was a post-spring add from the portal. He left Ball State, went to Wisconsin for the spring, and it didn’t work out there, so lucky for him, I guess. He has come to a program that he has helped transform.
“Amare Thomas is a transfer from UAB. When I talked to players before fall camp started, I asked, ‘who is the player that fans don’t know, and who is going to surprise them?’ To a man, every single guy I spoke to said, Amare Thomas, And I didn’t even really know who he was. He has been so good on third downs, being where Conor Weigman expects him to be more than anybody else on this offense, Weigman can throw it to a spot and expect Amare Thomas to be there. He has 27 catches, but he’s really come on in the last couple of weeks. I expect him to be a big part of this game plan in Tempe on Saturday.”
DevilsDigest: As an opposing defensive coordinator, what would be your game plan to try to slow down this Cougar offense?
Ryan Monceaux: “I think I would take away the passing game, and let’s see if they can beat you on the ground. They lost their starting running back right before the season, and their third running back was lost a week and a half ago. So, you’re really down to Dean Connors, J’Marion Burnette, and Weigman.
“Burnette has 28 carries this year. He was hurt earlier in the season when he slammed his thumb in a car door. So, he’s just kind of getting back with his legs under him. So, forcing the running attack to step up might be where you could have some success if you could shut UH down.
“The Arizona State defensive backfield played really well against Texas Tech. If they can continue that and make UH one-dimensional, I think that would be the way to go.”
DevilsDigest: As much as we talked about the offensive numbers for the Cougars not being eye-popping for a team that’s already bowl eligible, it’s a much different story regarding their defense, which is top five both in run and pass defense. Same question here: when you compare preseason expectations to where the defense is right now, are you pleasantly surprised, or does this display truly match your expectations?
Ryan Monceaux: “The defense was pretty good a year ago. They changed defensive coordinators, as UH lost their DC to Texas Tech. So, they brought in Austin Armstrong from Florida, who is happy that he’s not there anymore. And they have looked different, but the results are kind of the same. They’re attacking, but they’re also keeping everything in front of them.
“There’s a linebacker, his name’s Jalen Garner No. 36, who is in his fifth year and really had never played a ton on defense, and he’d been a special teams guy. He has had a breakout year as a senior, has a couple of sacks, and he’s getting in the backfield. He co-leads the team in tackles as well. Carlos Allen, No. 5, plays on the defensive line and is another transfer. He’s from Kennesaw State. He also has 48 tackles and has been a monster. Wrook Brown is a defensive back, kind of playing the nickel position, and he transferred in from Wyoming. He had a career day against Arizona, had 1.5 sacks, and 3.5 tackles for a loss. He really put Arizona in a bad spot in the second quarter when UH took control of the game.
“So, this defense has been pleasantly surprising. There have been some issues in the last couple of weeks with tackling – lot of missed tackles, more than there had been early in the season. I think you’re going to see that more across the country as the season goes on. That would be the one area where I would have some hesitancy to say this is as good a defense as last year.”
DevilsDigest: As an opposing offensive coordinator, it looks like you really do have your hands full facing Houston. Nonetheless, what would be your game plan to try and find sustained success in a given game against this defense?
Ryan Monceaux: For the most part, UH is going to keep it all in front of them. They have had some issues the last two weeks on the first drive of the game. The DBs have bit and guys run right past them and scored easily from 60 or 70 yards out. That would be the one spot that I would think I would be concerned about if I were a UH fan.
“But Houston is really playing with house money this weekend. To me, this game is not an expected win. If they could go out there, be competitive, get it to a fourth-quarter game, I think that’s where UH would want to be. They’re happy with where they’re at special teams wise, and Arizona State struggling special teams.”
DevilsDigest: Since you already mentioned special teams and ASU struggling there, does Houston have the special teams capability to really take advantage of a team like ASU if they were to struggle again in that arena?
Ryan Monceaux: “They’ve done a good job blocking kicks. And their kicker Ethan Sanchez an Old Dominion transfer, has been fantastic this year. He’s 15 of 18. Hit from over 50 several times this year, and had game winners at Oregon State and against Arizona. He’s been a really, really solid guy. Houston has strong punting, but their return game is not so great. If it came down to special teams, UH would love the position they’re in.”
DevilsDigest: You made an interesting comment about Houston playing with house money right now. Is there a danger, if you will, that maybe Houston, perhaps the biggest Big 12 surprise this year, could come down to earth? And not just because of playing ASU, but being in a position where nobody expected him to be at this point, and possibly not being able to finish the job, which would be making it to the Big 12 championship game?
Ryan Monceaux: “I think a realistic fan would see the schedule that they played through seven games, and realize that it is easier than the schedule on the back end. And when I say playing with house money, I mean this week. Going forward, you’ve got some expectations to be able to do things, but this week presents a challenge.
“You never know what you’re getting into with a team that wins a big game like Arizona State just did, kind of a walk-off situation, rushing the field, everybody’s patting you on the ass and saying, ‘great job!’ for an entire week. That team could lose focus.
“The one thing about Willie Fritz is that he’s the most consistent person you’ll ever meet. He is the exact same person every day, and his team has started to live that same way. So, it feels like it’s just another work week. IF UH could be close late in the second half, I think they would be happy with that and just let the chips fall where they do.
“But, if you lose this game, it’s not the end of the world for UH. You would have a West Virginia team coming in, and they’re not very good. So, you expect to get to seven wins. And you have UCF, TCU, and Baylor in the last couple of weeks in November, and you really feel like you can keep building. If you can get to the end of the season, and you’re 7-2 (in the conference), you’ve got to feel really good about your chances of getting to Arlington.”
DevilsDigest: I know you mentioned some of the strengths of Houston early in our conversation, but to sum it all up, what in your eyes are the keys for Houston to possibly pull the upset win on Saturday?
Ryan Monceaux: “They have to give Connor Weigman just a little bit of time. If you give him time to work, I think he can be successful. Dean Connors, J’Marion Burnette, and Weigman have to be able to get yardage. It doesn’t have to be big chunks, but they can’t be in 2nd-and-10, 3rd-and-8 situations. It just can’t happen. This offense is not built to sustain drives that way.
So, you’ve got to be good on first and second down, get it to manageable third downs, and let Connor Weigman, Tanner Koziol, and Amare Thomas do what they need to do. If they’re not able to get it to short yardage and then convert, it could be a long day.”
