Houston Cougars’ Offensive Play-Calling Frustrates UH Fans

Houston’s offense has been notably conservative at times throughout the season. That was the case a number of times against TCU this past weekend. The numbers themselves won’t really show it as the Cougars compiled 391 total yards, 230 of them on the ground. 

However, junior quarterback Conner Weigman only threw for 161 total yards with two touchdowns and one interception on a 52% completion rate. The Cougars had plenty of opportunities to score more than just 14, thanks to their defense generating four turnovers, but they could not make full use of them. 

While Houston cashed in for six on the first interception from TCU quarterback Josh Hoover, it was a frustrating ending on the next drive. After senior defensive back Wrook Brown made an incredible pick, the Cougars were set up at their own seven-yard line.

UH senior running back Dean Connors ran 54 yards down the sideline, and it looked like a promising start. However, the drive stalled in the goal-to-go situation on fourth down at the one-yard line. 

Houston surprisingly passed the ball at the one-yard line, and Weigman had to force the ball to the outside corner in double coverage. As a result, it was intercepted and spoiled such a great drive till that point. Many fans complained about the pass call, when Weigman has been an effective quarterback keeper. 

On the ensuing TCU drive, the Horned Frogs were in great position at the Cougars’ 35-yard line. They fumbled on the next play, one of the three turnovers forced by Houston sophomore cornerback Will James. That allowed the Cougars one more potential opportunity before the half to score. 

Shockingly, with 48 seconds to go and all three timeouts available, the Cougars were content to head to half and take two consecutive kneels. This was the same scenario against West Virginia, and the reasoning from head coach Willie Fritz was that they received to start the second half and liked the position they were in. 

In this game, Houston was down 14-7, and while they did receive to start the second half, this was incredibly conservative. A lot of the fans mentioned this decision in their frustrated comments. 

Settling for Three

While Houston scored their second touchdown of the game, making use of a James interception in the third quarter, the offense was not consistent at all. Even after senior kicker Ethan Sanchez missed a 49-yard field goal more than halfway through the final frame, the Cougars’ defense provided one final chance for the offense. 

It was looking like something special was going to happen for Houston after Weigman scrambled for 38 yards all the way down to the TCU 26-yard line. After an incompletion on first down, Houston surprisingly ran it on second-and-10, setting up a third-and-seven. 

It seemed like the Cougars settled for a field goal attempt instead of going for the win, as Weigman threw an immediate quick pass near the sideline to senior tight end Tanner Koziol for only a three-yard gain. Sanchez, in shocking fashion, completely missed the 38-yard field goal. 

Houston fans were upset the team wasn’t more aggressive in going for the win, given the golden chance. The Cougars certainly have talent on offense, and the UH faithful want to see more confidence in them to get it done and go for the win.