Three Things to Know about Oklahoma State’s Matchup against Houston

The Cowboys and the Cougars come into Saturday morning’s matchup in Stillwater on opposite ends of the win-loss column — the Cowboys 1-4, the Coogs 4-1 — but the two teams may have more in common than you think.

Head coach Willie Fritz, in his second season at Houston, has matched his win total from last year. But that 4-1 record could come with some caveats both based on who the Cougars have played and what they might be dealing with moving forward. Let’s take a look at three things to know before Saturday’s matchup and what they mean.

1. Who’s Playing QB?

Both the Cowboys and Cougars are asking this question.

Let’s check in with OSU’s quarterback room as we approach the midpoint of the season.

• Hauss Hejny — down after his third drive. But, oh what a ride it was.
• Zane Flores — out, at least for this weekend. Despite the QB rotation talks, he’s thrown 85% of OSU’s passes this season.
• Sam Jackson V — Bright, shiny gimmick toy-turned-hey you’re in the QB room now.
• Bowen — “Who?” Took the reins in the fourth quarter last week but is still 1-of-2 in NCAA football.

Apparently, either of the last two could get the start on Saturday morning when Oklahoma State hosts Houston.

The Cougars’ QB rotation seemed much more set before Conner Weigman left Saturday’s loss to Houston midway through the second quarter and did not return. He’s in concussion protocol and did not participate in practice on Monday.

If he can’t go, Zeon Chriss-Gremillion will fill in. He led Houston’s only touchdown drive just before halftime on Saturday and finished 5-for-13 for 93 yards, one TD and one pick. ZCG has been with Houston two years. Before that spent a couple of years in and out of the rotation at Louisiana.

2. Neither Offense Has Been Great

The Cougars may be 4-1, but they’ve done it mostly thanks to their defense, and a softer schedule.

Those wins:

27-0 over FCS Stephen F. Austin
35-0 over a now 3-3 Rice team
36-20 over a 2-4 Colorado team
27-24 over a now 0-6 Oregon State squad

Not exactly a murderer’s row to start, and the Cougars reside in the bottom rung of the Big 12 (along with OSU) in most offensive statistical categories. I took a look at overall offensive ratings from Pro Football Focus, and those numbers are even uglier.

Houston comes in 116th at a 63.4, ahead of only No. 128 West Virginia (58.6) and, you guess it, No. 129 Oklahoma State (58.5) among Big 12 teams.

3. The Difference (So Far) Has Been on Defense

Houston does boast a Top 20 defense per the same metric by PFF, coming in at 18th with a 90.9. In raw stats, the Cougars rank sixth in the Big 12, allowing just 17.6 points per game thus far and seventh in total defense at 322.8 yards. The Cougars also sit at the top of the middle in passing and rushing D.

Again, you have to consider the strength of both teams’ early opponents. You’ve got No. 6 Oregon vs. 0-6 Oregon State. And how much better is Baylor than Colorado?

Regardless, we know OSU is bad, ranking in last place in all of those categories save for the Cowboys’ rushing defense which is 15th of 16 Big 12 teams, edging out Colorado by 0.6 of a yard per game allowed.

So, the Cowboys have been abysmal at stopping teams; the Cougars have been better.

What These Numbers Mean

I don’t know what to expect, especially depending upon both QB situations.

We know that the Cowboys have been dysfunctional on the field so far this season. But I suspect that the Cougars are a couple of drives and a stronger schedule away from being right there with OSU at a 2-3 or 1-4. Shoot, have the two teams swap their Oregon opponents and they probably look much more alike.

But they can’t and they don’t — at least on paper.

The Cowboys are desperate to dig their heels in and stop the backslide while the Cougars could be in danger of slipping once they get into the meat of their conference schedule. Can the Pokes gain some footing and take a step in both regressing to the mean? We’ll find out starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday.