Four storylines for No. 22 Houston football ahead of matchup with Southern University

Houston football started off the season defeating Oregon State 33-20 in a game that showed there is room for growth.

Now the Cougars look toward their next game against Southern University, led by first-year head coach and NFL Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk.

Southern is currently 1-1, coming off its first win of the season against Division II Kentucky State University 34-15.

With the Cougars looking to fix some mistakes from the opener, here are four storylines going into the game.

Secondary looks to bounce back

When it came to the defense, the secondary had both the depth and talent to make a difference.

Led by three returning starters in fifth-years Kentrell Webb, Jordan Allen and senior Will James, the Cougars also brought in junior transfer Javion White and fifth-year transfer Jalen Mayo.

Despite this, the Cougars secondary struggled on Saturday giving up 376 passing yards and did not force a single turnover.

Oregon State started off slow but got the passing game going with help from Houston’s secondary, which dropped numerous potential interceptions.

“Some of it was that we just busted. We also could have had three picks. [A] couple of [them] might have been pick sixes. We’re going to catch those balls,” coach Willie Fritz said.

The defense did have their moments with White leading the team with two sacks, and Allen recording four pass breakups.

“It was a great feeling. It was my second sack of my whole college career, so it felt amazing,” White said. ” I’ve been working on my blitz mechanics and my footwork, and it showed off today.”

Going into the Southern game, Houston will look to correct its mistakes as they take on a team that is more run heavy and is only averaging 187 passing yards a game.

Even though it struggled in the opener, the defensive back room has a lot of experience and will look to improve on Saturday.

What we will learn about new head coach Marshall Faulk

On Dec.1, Southern University named NFL Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk as its next head football coach.

Faulk had previously served under fellow NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders in Colorado as their running back coach.

Now at Southern, Faulk will look to rebuild a team that went 2-10 last season and have not won a conference championship since 2013.

Early on the Jaguars are already having to adapt to Faulks’ play style, running the ball 77 times in just two games.

Southern is led by redshirt junior running back Trey Holly who has 137 rushing yards in two games.

With the Cougars defensive line having a strong start last Saturday, the Jaguars will look to their passing game led by junior quarterback Christian Johnson who has 374 passing yards, and redshirt freshman receiver Daejawn Smith who has 148 yards on the season.

On defense there’s a lot of uncertainties going into the game with Southern having played an FCS, and a D2 school, but in its most recent game against Kentucky State the Jaguars were able to get five sacks and only allowed 15 points.

How different style running backs in Hughes and Sanford plan to lift the running game

Going into the Oregon State game with a rebuilt offensive line, there was a lot of hope for senior transfer Makhi Hughes, and junior Re’Shaun Sanford II who appeared in his first game since 2024.

The duo delivered with Hughes rushing for 98 yards on 17 carries and Sanford collecting 75 yards on just 11 carries including a 56-yard rushing touchdown.

Now going into the southern game, the duo will look to repeat their performance and complement their distinctive styles.

“I think the sky is the limit. I feel like we complement each other very well,” Sanford said. “We play two different styles of football, but they both go with each other very well.”

Hughes, a six-foot, 210 power back had a productive season opener, collecting 106 scrimmage yards, along with 63 rushing yards after contact.

Sanford, coming off tearing both his ACLs, showed no signs of slowing down collecting 84 scrimmage yards and averaging just under 7 yards a carry.

Ever since Hughes landed in Houston, the duo has competed with one another in order to get the best out of each other, while also helping each other.

“Competition is the invisible motivation pushing you in the back. I feel like it’s the same with Makhi.” Sanford said. “Seeing somebody coming in that’s very established already, it helps you self-evaluate and it makes you push yourself to be better.”

The potential look of some of the new Houston Cougars

As of right now on ESPN, the Cougars are favored to win by 51 points, which means there is a high chance the young guys will get to play and see their potential.

For the Oregon State game, it was much closer than anticipated and few young players got their chance to play.

All coach Fritz got to see was one play from true freshman quarterback Keisean Henderson in the middle of the first quarter due to senior quarterback Connor Weigman’s helmet coming off.

Now, with the expectation that the Cougars will be leading by at least 30 points against the Jaguars, Houston can almost expect to see talent like Henderson and true freshman defensive back Paris Melvin Jr., along with other younger players.

Coach Fritz will look to use this opportunity as the Cougars will take on Southern University at 6 p.m. Saturday at TDECU Stadium, airing on ESPN+.