It's corner turning time.
The chance will never be better for Houston to win the Conference USA title and have a shot to grow into a bit of a power than this season with a whopping 17 returning starters, good depth on defense, a loaded receiving corps, and a quarterback with 36 starts under his belt.
Head coach Art Briles has done a wonderful job of taking the moribund program and making it competitive enough to play in two bowl games in the last three seasons, but every time it seems like the team is at the point of making a big statement, it collapses.
The 2005 team overcame injuries and inexperience at key spots to have a strong season, but failed to come up with a big win when the spotlight was on. There was the 44-41 overtime loss to UTEP with QB Kevin Kolb having as much fun throwing it to the Miners as he did getting it to his guys. There was the loss to UCF that killed any dreams of playing for the Conference USA title. And then there was the complete debacle in the Fort Worth Bowl getting blasted 42-13 by an average Kansas team.
However, last year might have been what was needed for a big 2006. Houston played well in a loss to an Oregon team that ended up being on the fringe of playing in the BCS, beat eventual conference champion Tulsa, won at Mississippi State, and lost to UTEP, UCF and SMU by a total of ten points. A veteran team wins those types of close games, and this one has experience to burn.
It all starts with Kolb, who has the ability to crank out 400 yards of total offense when he gets hot, and the knack for throwing interceptions at the worst times. But that's a recent problem; he's generally a good decision maker who should go ballistic this year with a receiving corps that should be the best in the league thanks to the return of Vincent Marshall and the arrival of Arizona transfer Biren Ealy.
The defense should make an even bigger jump with a linebacking corps and a secondary that should be among the best in the league, and a front three that has size and potential with sophomore end Cody Pree and Phillip Hunt ready to break out.
So now it comes down to how well the team plays in the role as favorite. UTEP and Tulsa will be good, but Houston should be the preseason favorite in the West and will have to play like it out of the gate. There will be plenty of shootouts, plenty of scoring, and plenty of big plays for good and bad. In the end, the turnaround should be complete.
The Schedule: It's a picnic. The schedule can't be used as an excuse if Houston doesn't end up playing for the Conference USA title thanks to a beauty of a three-game home stretch playing UTEP, UCF and Tulsa after the big road trip to Southern Miss. The regular season ender at Memphis will be a battle, but a veteran team like the Cougars should be good enough to pull that off if they play as well as expected. Considering one of the road games is at Rice, which is right down the road, and one of the other away dates is in Dallas to play SMU, the road schedule isn't all that bad. There will be good national tests against Miami and Oklahoma State. The Cougars can't beat the Canes, but they sure can hang with the Cowboys.
What you need to know on offense ... The nation's 19th best offense should put up yards and points in bunches this season with a tremendous receiving corps and fourth-year starting quarterback Kevin Kolb to deliver the ball. The key will be consistency as well as finishing off drives. The Cougars averaged 439 yards per game last year, but averaged a pedestrian 28 points per outing. The ground game will be a work in progress with Jackie Battle a good, pounding running back, but not necessarily a dangerous threat to crank out big yards. Depth is a problem on the offensive line and quarterback, but not at receiver where the second team would still form one of Conference USA's best corps.
Best Offensive Player: Senior QB Kevin Kolb. The senior has cranked out 9,752 yards of career offense with 55 touchdown passes and 17 touchdown runs. Considering the talent he has at receiver to work with, and considering he threw for 3,258 yards last year, a 3,387-yard passing season, which would make him Conference USA's all-time leading passer, isn't out of reach.
What you need to know on defense ... Ten starters return to a defense that was inconsistent throughout last year, but should be better, especially in the back eight of the 3-4 defense with star FS Will Gulley returning after missing all of last year. The switch from the 4-3 to the 3-4 helped improve the run defense, but it still wasn't a rock allowing 4.6 yards per carry and 177 yards per game. That should improve thanks to a deep and talented linebacking corps, while the defensive line has some good young sophomores in Cody Pree and Phillip Hunt to get excited about. Generating more of a pass rush is a must after coming up with 17 sacks last year.
Best Defensive Player: Senior LB Wade Koehl. There are several good defenders on the Cougars with safeties Rocky Schwartz and Will Gulley also deserving of being considered the team's best defensive player, but Koehl is the leader of the D and the main playmaker in the front seven. He's a quick 6-2 and 230 pounds with a nose for getting into the backfield with 26 career tackles for loss and eight sacks to go along with 262 career tackles.
Key player to a successful season: Sophomore PK Ben Bell and junior PK T.J. Lawrence. The offense will put up plenty of points and yards, but the difference between a good, bowl-berth season and a Conference USA title might come down to the kicking considering Houston lost to UTEP by three, UCF by two, and SMU by five thanks to two missed field goals. Lawrence is the long range bomber while Bell is the close range specialist. The two have to be better than 13 of 22.
The season will be a success if ... Houston wins the Conference USA title. There won't be the same mix of starting experience and a favorable schedule for a long time. The first ten-win season since 1990 is also an attainable goal.
Key game: Oct. 14 at Southern Miss. If all goes as planned, Houston will be 5-1 or at worst 4-2 before going to play Southern Miss. A win over the Golden Eagles would do wonders for the team's confidence before the critical homestand against UTEP, UCF and Tulsa, while a loss might mean there can't be a slip over those final three home dates.
2005 Fun Stats:
- Houston first quarter scoring: 55. Houston second quarter scoring: 118
- Average yards per pass: Houston 7.7 - Opponents 6.4
- Rushing touchdowns: Houston 23 - Opponents 12
The Last Time Houston …
…played in a bowl game…2005 (Fort Worth Bowl v. Kansas)
…missed a bowl game…2004
…pitched a shutout…1999 (UL-Lafayette)
…was shutout…2000 (Texas)
…scored 50 points…2003 (UAB)
…went undefeated…Never
…won a conference title…1996 (share, C-USA)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2005 (Kevin Kolb)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2005 (Ryan Gilbert)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2004 (Vincent Marshall)
…had a first-round draft choice…1997 (RB Antowain Smith)
