Four things to know about TCU football’s next Big 12 opponent, the Houston Cougars
After finally overcoming some self-inflicted adversity against Kansas, the Horned Frogs got back into the win column after two ugly losses to UCF and SMU.
Now TCU will turn its attention to the Houston Cougars, who will enter Friday’s night matchup desperate for a win in the midst of a disappointing 1-4 campaign.
It was expected that new head coach Willie Fritz would have quite the rebuild on his hands following in the footsteps of former head coach and TCU offensive analyst Dana Holgorsen, but it’s been more of a struggle in Fritz’ first season than he likely anticipated.
It’s imperative that the Horned Frogs don’t slip up against the Cougars. If TCU (3-2 overall, 1-1 in Big 12) can avoid an upset, the team will head into a bye week and then be well rested before their Oct. 19 showdown at No. 18 Utah.
Here’s four things to know about Houston:
QB crisis
It’s hard to win games or be competitive when you can’t consistently get good production at quarterback. None of the Cougars’ signal callers have been able to spark a scoring offense that is currently ranked last in the country. Donovan Smith has been the starter most of the season, but the former Texas Tech quarterback has regressed under Fritz.
Smith has thrown just two touchdown passes and five interceptions this season. Smith is only averaging 136 yards per game and his job could be in jeopardy. Louisiana transfer Zeon Chriss could receive more reps against TCU, but his numbers this season have been meager. He’s attempted just nine passes and 19 carries on the season, but has experience. Chriss threw for 1,222 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions last season with Louisiana.
He may not be an upgrade, but everything has to be on the table for the Cougars.
Running backs lead the way
There haven’t been a lot of bright spots on offense for Houston, but the Cougars do have two intriguing options in the backfield. Stacy Sneed and Re’Shaun Sanford II are both averaging better than five yards per carry this season. Sneed has 217 yards and a touchdown on 36 carries while Sanford has chipped in 170 yards on 34 carries.
These numbers certainly won’t blow anyone away, but if you’re Houston the gameplan has to be to feed the two running backs and really test to see if TCU’s rushing defense has turned the corner. Smith and Chriss will also be involved in the run game with Smith being the team’s top rushing option in the red zone.
Feisty defense
As bad as things have gone for Houston this season, the Cougars still play hard defensively. Houston is allowing just 20.8 points per game this season against a variety of offenses. The Cougars held Oklahoma to just 16 points in Norman and Iowa State to just three points in the first half.
Houston has been solid against the pass and the run. Teams are only averaging 147.4 passing yards and quarterbacks are completing slightly over 61% of their attempts. On the ground, the Cougars are right in the middle of the pack with teams averaging four yards per carry and 147 rushing yards.
This isn’t a great defense, but they play hard and will give the offense a chance early to hang in the game.
More names to know
While the quarterbacks have struggled getting them the ball, Houston has two solid receivers in Stephon Johnson Jr. and Joseph Manjack IV. Manjack had over 570 receiving yards last season with six touchdowns while Johnson finished fourth on the team in yards and tied for second with three touchdowns.
This season, Johnson leads the team with 174 yards while Manjack has 146 yards and two touchdowns. The Horned Frogs will face better receivers this season, but both players are capable of making big plays if their quarterbacks can show some accuracy. The top playmaker on defense is linebacker Michael Batton as he has a team-high 36 tackles along with 3.5 stops for a loss and two sacks.
Keith Cooper Jr. is the top defensive lineman with 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
This story was originally published September 30, 2024 at 1:36 PM.
