Even though the college football season is just four games old, No. 20 Houston understands it can’t afford any more losses if it wants to be in the discussion for a College Football Playoff berth.
The Cougars will keep that in mind when they host defensive-minded UCF on Saturday afternoon in a Big 12 Conference game.
Houston returns to conference action after a gritty 42-28 road win over Georgia Southern last Saturday. Quarterback Conner Weigman had a hand in all six of his team’s touchdowns, passing for 239 yards and four TDs and rushing for two scores to spur an attack that amassed 441 yards of offense.
The win vaulted the Cougars (3-1, 0-1) five spots in the latest AP Top 25 poll. Weigman was named to the Manning Award Stars of the Week list and Davey O’Brien Great 8 on Monday following his performance vs. Georgia Southern.
Through four games, Weigman has completed 71.6% of his passes for 947 yards and 11 touchdowns, with only one interception.
“If we do a good job of giving him adequate protection, he’s going to pick people apart,” Cougars coach Willie Fritz said. “We’ve got some good weapons.”
One of those is Re’Shaun Sanford II, who ran for 120 yards in Saturday’s win. Sanford, who lost two collegiate seasons to knee injuries, has 252 yards on the ground for the Cougars this year.
Houston leads the FBS in third-down efficiency, converting 8 of 9 third downs against Georgia Southern and going 32 of 45 (71.1%) for the season.
“It’s just our practice habits,” Fritz said. “It was a big emphasis to finish in the red zone and to finish hard third downs, and it’s good to see that we’re getting better at it.”
The Knights (3-1, 1-0) travel to Houston on the heels of a 21-13 home win over TCU last Saturday.
UCF got a stellar performance from Keyone Jenkins, who hit on 19 of his 20 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown, in his second straight start in place of the injured Alonza Barnett III.
Barnett already has been ruled out against the Cougars with a severe hamstring injury.
UCF coach Scott Frost lauded Jenkins for his continued growth and moxie. Frost knows the Knights will need more of the same from him to compete with Houston.
“It says a lot about who he is, that he can go in and perform that well,” Frost said Monday. “I think he was clearly better in his second start, even than his first. So we’re going to need him to play that well. I don’t think anything’s going to faze him. He’s a confident kid, plays with a lot of attitude and swagger, and he’s going to be ready.”
The Knights did just enough to beat TCU thanks to a defense that forced four turnovers, including an Antione Jackson interception at the UCF 7-yard line that secured the victory with 1:48 to play.
“The No. 1 thing that stands out with our defense is how hard they play,” Frost said. “We’ve got a lot of guys bought in right now and playing for each other. A lot of different guys making plays, guys stepping up when other guys are hurt. We’re playing a really good team, and I think our guys will be fired up for it.”
