Junior defensive lineman Carlos Allen walks off the field alongside head coach Willie Fritz after losing to No. 18 Iowa State. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
In the Big 12 home opener, the Houston Cougars were once again shutout as the No. 18 and undefeated Iowa State Cyclones controlled the game, followed by a late outburst from their offense in a crushing 20-0 defeat at TDECU Stadium.
The UH offense did not generate and failed to score for two consecutive games, the first time since 1994.
The Cougars’ defense put together a good performance and allowed the fewest passing yards and first downs in a Big 12 game for UH but did not receive any help.
“You have to play sharp and crisp and we didn’t do that. We played hard, but we didn’t play smart,” head coach Willie Fritz said. “We’re not good enough to have untimely penalties or miss a guy blocking wide and get a sack. We have to play a lot smarter.”
Houston came in with a game plan for using a quarterback platoon between senior Donovan Smith and sophomore Zeon Chriss.
Junior running back Stacy Sneed had a 37-yard rush on the opening drive to the Iowa State 38-yard line.
The Cougars could not come up with points, as the two-yard pass from Smith was short on fourth and four.
The Cyclones went on an 11-play first drive but ultimately had to settle for the 23-yard field goal from kicker Kyle Konrardy after a stop from the UH defense on their own five-yard line.
Houston trailed 3-0 in a defensive first 15 minutes at the end of the first quarter.
The Cougars’ defense continued to hold strong as they forced an Iowa State punt, which set up the offense with great field position at their own 42-yard line.
Chriss had a 39-yard run, which was called back due to a penalty.
The halftime score remained 3-0 in favor of the Cyclones.
It was a strong defensive performance from both sides as Houston had 119 total yards compared to 143 for Iowa State.
The Cougars had some success with quarterback-designed runs and Sneed on the ground with 105 rushing yards but did not reach the red zone.
On the first drive of the second half, Houston got a huge stop with the first sack of the game by sophomore defensive lineman Anthony Holmes Jr. It resulted in a missed 42-yard field goal from the Cyclones.
The Cougars’ offense opened up with a trick 16-yard run to junior wide receiver Mekhi Mews, followed by another great 19-yard run from Sneed.
Once again, the offense did not gain a first down in the opponent’s territory.
Iowa State responded with a huge 80-yard drive that resulted in a 12-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Rocco Becht to senior wide receiver Jayden Higgins. At the end of the third quarter, the Cyclones had a 10-0 lead.
On the next Houston drive, junior wide receiver Stephon Johnson fumbled at UH’s 47-yard line after picking up the first down.
The Cyclones took advantage and added three more on a 34-yard field goal.
UH had their most promising drive of the game, a nine-play 72-yard march, but turned it over as Smith threw an interception in the endzone.
The Cyclones essentially put the game away on the ensuing drive as sophomore running back Abu Sama III ran for a 77-yard touchdown as the lead extended to 20-0.
Houston’s offense had three turnovers and only converted one third down the entire game. Neither starting QB for the Cougars had a convincing performance.
“We’re looking for a guy to step up and be the guy. We’re giving two guys the opportunity. If one guy shows it, then he will be the guy. Until that happens, we’re probably going to keep rotating,” Fritz said.
UH will look to improve in their next game Friday at TCU.
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“Houston football shutout by No. 18 Iowa State, team fails to score for two straight weeks” was originally posted on The Cougar