The Good: The Coogs jumped out to a quick lead and led 34-3 midway through the second quarter. Running backs had a productive evening, with Kyle Porter carrying 19 times for 120 yards and a touchdown, and Chandler Smith adding another 90 yards. The Cougar defense held Prairie View to 5 of 16 on third-down conversions and came away with its first interception on the season.
Also, Prairie View brought their band:
The Bad: Once the Coogs got out to that 34-4 lead, they shut things down. From that point on they were actually outscored by Prairie View, 3-14.
D'Eriq King didn't have his best game; he looked very tentative at times and missed open receivers on multiple occasions. He finished with a rather pedestrian 15 of 26 for 139 yards and one touchdown (he also ran for a score). However, he was also sacked four times and threw his first pick of the season.
Houston's pass defense continues to be an area of concern. Prairie View racked up 248 yards through the air - and that was in spite of them completing less than half of their pass attempts.
The Ugly: Junior transfer DL Olivier Charles-Pierre doesn't appear on the stat sheet, but he participated in one play. On 3rd and 14 from the Prairie View 4, he was flagged for tackling the Panther quarterback well after the play was whistled dead. This gave Prairie View a fresh set of downs and moved them out of the shadow of their own endzone. There's simply no excuse for bonehead penalties like that.
What It Means: Normally, the fact that the Coogs failed to beat an FCS opponent by 40 or 50 points would be a concern. The fact that the Coogs didn't may be because that Dana Holgorsen and his staff purposely slowed things down in the second half (as the Cougars are playing four games in 19 days - thanks, ESPN!). But if the pass defense does not improve, and if D'Eriq King continues to struggle, UH is looking at a rough season ahead.
They'll get tested at NRG Stadium on Friday the 13th as Mike Leach's Washington State Cougars come to town.
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