Thursday, November 19, 2020

Houston 56, South Florida 21

Houston notched its third win of the season with a dominating performance over the hapless Bulls of South Florida. 

The Good: How about Marcus Jones returning a punt return 72 yards for a touchdown? 

Or DL David Anenih, who obliterated USF quarterback Katravis Marsh, forcing Marsh to cough up the ball right into the hands of fellow DL Derek Parish for a 85-yard scoop and score?

Or UH quarterback Clayton Tune, who was 14 of 25 for 165 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air (he had one interception; more on that below), and was also the Coogs' leading rusher, with 10 carries for 120 yards and two scores, including this 13-yard leap into the end zone?

The Bad: The Coogs built a 42-0 lead midway through the third quarter and then got sloppy, allowing South Florida to score three consecutive touchdowns. The third touchdown was the worst, as Clayton Tune was intercepted for a 38-yard pick six on a horrible play call on 3rd and 1. The Coogs had just picked up 9 yards on two plays by running the ball. Why are you passing on 3rd and 1? 

The Ugly: Seriously, it was a boneheaded, unnecessary play call on 3rd and 1 that Holgorsen and his OC need to answer for.  

Also, still too many penalties. The Cougars were flagged 8 times for 75 yards. 

What It Means: Let's be honest: South Florida is awful, and this win doesn't mean anything other than the fact that the Coogs can beat awful teams. But still, there's something to be said for breaking a two-game losing streak in dominating fashion and hopefully instilling the team with some confidence as they head towards the end of the season.

Up next for the Coogs is an unexpected bye week, due to positive COVID tests. Their game against SMU may be made up on December 12.

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