Houston Cougars Football: 2015 Season Preview

Season preview for the Houston Cougars who hope to build off their 8-5 record from last season.

The Houston Cougars finished the 2014 campaign with an 8-5 record, good enough for a middle of the pack finish in the American Athletic Conference. But in spite of the middling finish, Houston capped its season in exciting fashion, with a 35-34 victory over Pittsburgh in a game where the Cougars were down 31-6 in the fourth quarter.

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The momentum carried into the offseason: perhaps no team outside of Michigan made a bigger head coaching hire splash than Houston, which hired former Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman as their head coach. Herman, fresh off Ohio State’s College Football Playoff championship run, is definitely enthused about the prospects for the Cougars.

In an interview with ESPN’s Zubin Mehenti, Herman spoke glowingly about the administration’s commitment to the football program, the city of Houston’s vast mother lode of high school football talent and his goal for the Cougars to be the most mentally and physically tough team on the field game in and game out. Herman emphasized that competing for championships in November is a legitimate year one goal for the Cougars.

The excitement for Houston has carried over into recruiting: In a shocker, five-star and No. 6 defensive tackle prospect Ed Oliver committed to Houston over a number of blue chip programs, including Texas A&M and LSU. Add defensive tackle Jordan Elliot to the mix, another Houston-based defensive tackle, and you have the makings of a nice recruiting defensive haul shaping up for the Cougars. It appears Coach Herman is zeroing in recruiting efforts on the considerable local talent and has Houston poised to be a Group of Five power.

If Houston’s recruiting and coaching momentum continues on the football field, the Cougars may very well make some noise in the AAC come fall 2015.

Offensive Outlook

Statistically, the Cougars offense fared well, considering this unit is young. Quarterbacks Greg Ward Jr. and John O’Korn, both sophomores, combined for 2,993 yards and 18 TD’s, but also threw for 15 interceptions. Overall, Houston’s passing game finished 2014 ranked 65^th in the nation, roughly middle of the pack.

Now that O’Korn has transferred to Michigan, it is up to Greg Ward Jr. to take the reins of the offense and improve upon 2014’s passing attack. The passing game, while having the potential to be potent, must cut back on turnovers if Houston is to improve.

Houston’s running game was a great story in 2014. The running backs combined for 2,390 yards and 28 TD’s, paced by juniors Kenneth Farrow and Ryan Jackson. If Jackson and Farrow can improve upon those numbers in 2015, the Houston rushing attack has a good shot at improving upon its 44^th2014 nationwide ranking. The receiver corps may have some gaps to fill: departing seniors Markeith Ambles, Wayne Beadle and Daniel Spencer combined for 1,319 yards and six touchdowns, so that production must be replaced come 2015.

Defensive Outlook

The Cougar defense put together a great campaign in 2014, finishing ranked 20^th in the nation in total defense and 15^th in scoring defense. In terms of losses to graduation, the Cougars defensive unit returns the entire secondary but must replace key losses along the line, namely defensive end Gavin Stansbury and linebacker Efrem Oliphant, who combined for 94 solo tackles in 2014.

Also, the defense may get help from the arrival of new defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, who was hired away as Utah State’s defensive coordinator to coach Houston’s defense. Orlando’s transition will be made easier because Houston returns a fairly experienced defensive unit in 2015, albeit with some key losses along the line and linebackers.

Final Thoughts

There is a lot of excitement around the Houston program, and why not? Houston’s administration brought into the fold one of the brighter offensive minds in the country in new head coach Tom Herman and are also making inroads into the Houston recruiting scene and capturing commitments from athletes who would typically go to traditional powerhouses in the region.

The Cougars’ thrilling bowl victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers ended the season on a high note that continued into the offseason. Combine all these positive developments with a brand new stadium, and there’s no reason to believe why Houston can’t improve upon 2014’s results and challenge for a conference crown in 2015.

Next: What Conference Realignment Should Look Like

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