Houston Football: Will Dana Holgorsen make Year 2 leap?
By Zach Bigalke
Defense is where Houston must make huge strides
When Houston broke through to win the AAC title and earn a New Year’s Six bid to the Peach Bowl in 2015, the Cougars did so in large part thanks to a top-20 scoring defense. Coupled with a potent offense, Houston pitched a shutout against Vanderbilt and held four other opponents to two touchdowns or less as they averaged only 20.7 points allowed per game.
Defense is where Houston needs to make the biggest strides to return to AAC contention. Last year, co-coordinators Joe Cauthen and Doug Belk guided a unit that finished 113th in points allowed and 118th in yards allowed. The Cougars were marginally better against the run than the pass, and a once-vaunted ballhawking secondary managed only eight interceptions all season.
Other than nose tackle Aymiel Fleming, everyone else from last year’s main playing rotation returns for 2020. The team has also fortified its ranks through the transfer portal by bringing in former West Virginia defensive back JoVanni Stewart. The hope for the Cougars is that last year’s lumps lead to rapid improvement from a deep, experienced defense.
Focusing on the Houston defensive line
The loss of Aymiel Fleming aside, Houston’s defensive line has the opportunity to be a real source of disruption in the AAC West race this season. Stepping into Fleming’s place at nose tackle is likely Olivier Charles-Pierre, a 345-pound behemoth from Quebec who racked up a pair of sacks and three total tackles for loss in a reserve role last season. His size will be critical for a unit looking to get into the backfield more frequently in 2020.
Last year’s group ranked 94th in sacks and 84th in total tackles for loss. On the edges, Payton Turner and David Anenih need to improve at beating their blocker at the point of attack and harassing opposing quarterbacks more frequently.
For a defense that ranked 117th in the country in opponent passing efficiency, that pressure is requisite to any defensive improvement. It would immediately bolster not only the team’s sack totals but also numbers on the back end for the secondary.