Houston Cougars RB Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery

The Cougars lose a solid workhorse back with the loss of Sanford for the season. A sturdy 5-foot-9, 190-pound rumbler, Sanford produced admirably in his redshirt freshman campaign a season ago. Decent production of 444 yards and a touchdown through 12 games and six starts means there's room for growth next season, but who steps in now?

The obvious choice is the man who produced the most in the victory of Stephen F. Austin: running back Dean Connors. A senior transfer out of Rice, Connors is a Hawaiian bulldozer listed at 6-foot, 206-pounds. In his first outing with the Cougars, he produced 50 yards on the ground and was the leading rusher of the game.

The next option for Houston is fellow J'Marion Burnette, who was only 10 yards behind Connors' performance. The more ground-and-pound option for the Cougars, Burnette is a blend of speed and strength with an imposing size of 6-foot-2 225 pounds.

Efficiency in limited action for players like running back Stacy Sneed helps establish their case for a larger role in the rushing offense that produced over half of the offensive production Thursday night.

Luckily for head coach Willie Fritz's squad, another non-conference matchup follows its victory over the Lumberjacks with a road trip down the street to face Rice. It will be against the Owls that Houston can get a better look at who will be leading back and who can produce more for a starting position.

With a good handful of choices beyond the aforementioned group, it likely won't be long before the Cougars figure out who will complement quarterback Conner Weigman in the backfield heading into Big 12 Conference competition.