About what I expected. At least the Coogs covered the spread.
The Good: Houston QB D'Eriq King came back from last year's injury to account for 270 total yards and three touchdowns, and Mulbah Car ran the ball for 76 yards and a TD, all in the second half. The UH defense recovered two Sooner fumbles (the Coogs had no fumbles of their own) and the team never gave up despite playing from behind the entire game; in fact, late in the game and down by 11, they even went for an onside kick (alas, it didn't work and led led to the Sooners' final score).
The Bad: The Cougars started out very slow, punting on their first four possessions and not finding the endzone until Oklahoma was up by 21 points. D'Eriq King improved as the game progressed, but he still ended the night with a rather mediocre completion rate of 14 for 27 and was sacked twice. The UH defense picked up where it left off last season - being horrible - and allowed new Oklahoma (and former Alabama) QB Jalen Hurts to light them up for 332 passing yards (he was 20 of 23 with 3 TDs) and 176 rushing yards (and another three touchdowns). The Sooners ended the game with 686 total yards of offense and averaged 11.6 yards per play.
The Ugly: I repeat. 11.6 yards per play. That's horrendous. The UH defense was a mess of missed tackles, out-of-position players and blown coverages. This was disappointing to see, given the raised expectations of a new coaching staff.
The Sooners had their share of opening-day mishaps, too. Oklahoma missed two field goals and committed some bone-headed penalties that extended UH drives.
What it Means: Don't try to take away too much from this one. This was a "trial-by-fire" game on the road against a team with vastly superior talent. The Cougars have a lot of work to do, especially on defense, and a lot of tough games coming up, but this opponent was by far their hardest.
Ryan Monceaux gives the Coogs (mostly bad) grades for this game, while head coach Dana Holgerson sees the game as a learning experience.
Next up for Houston is their first home game of the year, as they host Prairie View.
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