Washington State Football: 3 takeaways from win over Houston in Week 3
By John Scimeca
2. Wazzu took advantage of Houston mistakes
Houston, after grabbing a 14-7 halftime lead, couldn’t keep up its progress on offense as the other Cougars took the lead in the third quarter. The two teams combined for 209 penalty yards.
Houston lost two fumbles and committed several penalties at the most inopportune moments. One came during what was going to count as a 72-yard touchdown scamper by D’Eriq King, but it was called back due to a holding call.
King had several overthrown passes in the second half, including one on a third quarter drive that was bobbled out of bounds and ruled an incompletion (much to Holgorsen’s ire).
Houston also failed to convert a fourth-and-short in the third quarter, as King couldn’t handle a snap from the center. This costly turnover on downs led to Washington State gaining possession in Houston territory, leading to a score that would time the game at 14-14. Though both Leach and Holgorsen have a penchant for aggressive playcalling and going for on fourth down from different locations throughout the field, this failure to convert was a serious loss of momentum for Houston.