“As a team, I still don’t think we’ve played our best game,” Houston Cougars head coach Kevin Sumlin stated at yesterday’s media luncheon. “It’s still out there for us. I think we can be better.”
The Cougars are 6-1 on the season, and if the team’s best game is still out there waiting to be played, then the rest of Conference USA better be on notice, starting with this week’s opponent, the 5-3 Southern Miss Golden Eagles.
The Cougars definitely didn’t play their best game last Saturday against SMU, but Sumlin was encouraged by what he saw, primarily by the team’s opportunistic defense, which is improving as the season goes on. And by opportunistic, Sumlin meant the defense’s ability to force three SMU turnovers while holding the Mustangs to 0-10 on third down tries.
“We talked about opportunistic, and that’s the definition of opportunistic,” he said. “And when you’re young on defense, I think it’s important…that you be opportunistic.”
And the Cougars have been this season. They are
number seven in the nation in turnover ratio, which is somewhat
surprising considering the team’s pass-first type offense. But while
they’ve forced numerous turnovers in the past several games, the Case
Keenum-led offense has not suffered a turnover since the Mississippi
State game.
Another thing that stands out about this year’s Cougar team is their
ability to make in-game adjustments. While the Texans were
unable to handle the 49ers switching quarterbacks at the half last
Sunday, the Cougars easily adjusted to SMU rotating two back-up QBs —
one who was actually being redshirted — after an injury to the SMU
starter. This was an adjustment, Sumlin said, that took the Cougars
about five plays to figure out.
The offense also made a critical adjustment during the game as it
became evident that the SMU defense was putting all of its efforts into
taking away the Cougars’ passing game. The move by offensive
coordinator Dana Holgorsen and Keenum was to take what SMU was giving
them, which was the run.
“I think Dana did a good job,” Sumlin said. “I
think it’s that we have the players to do that. I think that says a
lot about our offensive line to be able to do that. Particularly a
whole new left side, and two sophomores and a freshman running back. For us to develop as a team, it helps you to be able to do both, run
and pass.”
The Southern Miss team coming to Robertson Stadium is 5-3 on the
season. All of its losses have been on the road, including very close
defeats to Kansas and Louisville. Southern Miss also offers up one of
C-USA’s best defenses. They’re number one in total defense, allowing
an average of 313.6 yards per game, and they’re number three in scoring
defense, allowing only 20.6 points per game. Worse, they’re number one
in pass defense, allowing on average only 204.1 yards per game by the
air, and their defense is number two on the rush, allowing 109.5 yards
per game on the ground.
The Southern Miss offense, meanwhile, can’t be dismissed. They’re
second to only the Cougars in C-USA in scoring offense, averaging 32.8
points per game, and they’re also second to the Cougars in total
offense, averaging 406.1 yards per game. And they’re number two in
rushing offense, averaging 194.6 yards per game on the ground.
The Cougars won’t have to be perfect to defeat Southern Miss. But they
will have to continue being opportunistic and forcing the turnovers. And Sumlin compares the Southern Miss offense to Oklahoma State’s when
it comes to style of play and weapons, so the defense is going to have
to continue with the speedy in-game adjustments that comes from playing
against no-huddle offense.
As for the Cougar offense, receiver Tyron Carrier stresses the team
will have to do what it did last week: take what the defense gives
them. “If they’re going to give us the pass, of course we’re going to
go with the that because that’s what we do best. If they give us the
run, we’ve got three backs back there who can tote the ball.”
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:
Kickoff for Saturday’s game is set for 12:04 p.m., and the game will be
televised on Comcast Sports Southwest….Last week’s C-USA special-teams
player of the week was Houston’s Tyron Carrier, who opened up the second
half with a spectacular 92-yard kick return for a touchdown. His first
concern was fielding the ball properly, then he just waited for his
blockers to get set. “I knew that I was going to score” once that
happened, he said. “We had that [type of kick return] planned the
whole week.”
This article appears in Oct 22-28, 2009.
