UH Offense Wears Down Defenses

[OR-See-Nee]

From the Houston Chronicle:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/college/houston/6679741.html

Coogs enjoy cramping opponents' style
UH’s fast-paced attack often leaves defenses winded
By STEVE CAMPBELL
Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
Oct. 21, 2009, 10:45PM

UH leads the nation in total offense entering a homecoming encounter with the SMU Mustangs on Saturday.

The Houston Cougars have learned to detect the tell-tale signs of a defense on the verge of a breakdown. Physical and mental.

Sometimes it's a defensive player standing with hands on hips trying to catch his breath. Sometimes it's a defender discreetly signaling to the sideline he needs a rest. Sometimes it's defenders out of alignment, unable get to their spot before the snap of the ball.

Sometimes there's no subtlety whatsoever. Sometimes it's an opposing player writhing on the ground, unable to continue.

“Cramps,” UH receiver Tyron Carrier said. “Ever since we started picking up our offense, we see teams cramping up.”

UH leads the nation in total offense (560.3 yards per game) entering a homecoming encounter with the SMU Mustangs Saturday at Robertson Stadium. The 17th-ranked Cougars have a penchant for building up a head of steam late in a game, owning an 84-45 advantage over opponents in the fourth quarter this season and 257-114 since the start of 2008.

“They're fun to watch,” SMU coach June Jones said.

And downright exhausting to defend. Stopping co-offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen's no-huddle, spread attack isn't in the equation for opposing defenses. Slowing the Cougars, who are third in the nation with a 40.8-point scoring average, is about the best opponents can hope to do. No opponent during the Kevin Sumlin era has gone to the lengths that SMU did in last year's game.

“They did the fallout drill,” Carrier said. “I guess when they felt like we were wearing them down, one guy would get hurt, go out a play, come back in. It gets frustrating.”

Those stoppages in play would allow the Mustangs to rest and regroup. Even that couldn't prevent UH quarterback Case Keenum from leading the offense to two touchdowns in the final 2:34 to pull out a 44-38 victory. Asked if he's found an antidote to the stalling tactics, Holgorsen laughed.

“There's nothing we can do about that,” Holgorsen said. “We view it as cheating. If guys are falling out because they're truly tired, that's kind of what our plan is. The guys who cheat are the ones who tell their guys to just lay there when they're not actually hurting.”

The best answer the Cougars know is to be unrelenting. Run a play, scramble up to the line of scrimmage, get off another play, do it again and again. The Cougars run 84.3 offensive plays per game, compared to the national average of 68.0.

“We work on teams being tired in the fourth quarter,” UH center Carl Barnett said. “We're tired, but our bodies aren't cramping up like theirs are. As long as we're pushing them and they can't push back, we're going to move down the field.”

In September, the Cougars defeated then-No. 5 Oklahoma State and Texas Tech with fourth-quarter comebacks. UH turned a 17-17 tie with Mississippi State into a victory two Saturdays ago by scoring two touchdowns in the final seven minutes.

Texas Tech kept burning timeouts on defense during a 29-28 defeat against UH. Despite playing catch-up almost the entire second half, the Cougars drew strength from seeing Tech players drop intermittently.

“Seeing other players do that, it sends a message,” Keenum said. “You have to keep the pressure on when things are going good and remain cool and patient when things are going wrong.”

When last seen at Robertson Stadium, the UH offense was putting together a 16-play, 95-yard, game-winning drive against Tech. The Cougars may lead the nation in passing, but they ran the ball nine times for 53 yards during a drive that put them ahead for good with 49 seconds remaining.

“If we had 11 guys standing strong, maybe they only had five or six,” Barnett said. “We'll take those odds any time.”

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[CalallenStang]

An accusation of cheating...

let's beat the hell out of Houston

[BUS]

That is why we need to run the ball a little more. chew up that clock and score.
Keep the H O off the field.

[Mustangsabu]

The quicker their offense plays the quicker our guys intercept the passes. I'm cool with it

[NTXCoog]

The quicker their offense plays the quicker our guys intercept the passes. I'm cool with it

I know SMU is tied for #2 in the nation in interceptions, but I also know that 5 of them were against SFA and 4 were against UAB. Keenum & the UH offense are a little better than those guys.

You had more INTs against SFA than Keenum has thrown all season.

[CalallenStang]

The quicker their offense plays the quicker our guys intercept the passes. I'm cool with it

I know SMU is tied for #2 in the nation in interceptions, but I also know that 5 of them were against SFA and 4 were against UAB. Keenum & the UH offense are a little better than those guys.

You had more INTs against SFA than Keenum has thrown all season.

Take the SMU game out of the equation and SFA QB Moses has thrown 4 INTs.

I don't expect to pick off Keenum 5 times, but I do expect to get at least one INT.