The Coogs are cookin’

Kendal Briles’ arrival at Houston as offensive coordinator brought with it some wailing and gnashing of teeth, for understandable reasons. But any personal failing aside, there’s little doubting his prowess as an offensive mind, and it was on full display in the Coogs’ dismantling of a largely good South Florida defense. D’Eriq King put together a masterpiece, throwing for five touchdowns and running for another two scores en route to a 553-yard day (the two interceptions are arguably the only two poor throws he made on the day). The receiving corps showed out, especially Marquez Stevenson, who was King’s go-to guy throughout the day. This was the Cougars’ offense in its final form, and whatever your feelings on the guy calling the plays, it’s a sight to behold.

No Ed, only a few problems

All-everything defensive tackle Ed Oliver was held out of this game due to lingering knee issues suffered last week against Navy, and while the Cougars obviously missed their best defender, the defense was largely OK against the unbeaten Bulls. The pressure up front was mitigated a bit, but the Coogs still managed a pair of sacks and six tackles for loss. Oliver’s absence was most felt against the run, where the Bulls gashed the Coogs for more than 200 yards on the ground — the second game in a row that they’ve allowed 200+ on the ground, and the first time they’ve allowed back-to-back 200-yard rushing games since 2013. But Houston held standout USF quarterback Blake Barnett largely in check, and came out with a win without their best player; hard to argue with the results.

TDECU Stadium is a house of horrors

It’s time to start talking about Houston’s homefield advantage, because TDECU Stadium has become one of the most difficult place to play in the country. After today, Houston is 26-5 at home since the stadium opened its doors in 2014 — that’s an .838 winning percentage, the best in the state in that span and eighth in the nation behind only teams like Alabama, Clemson and Wisconsin. It may not have the name recognition like Tuscaloosa or Camp Randall, but the Third Ward has become a notoriously hostile place to visitors.