Houston 52, Tennessee Tech 24: What We Learned

[caption id="attachment_18321" align="alignleft" width="300"]Photo by Justin Armstrong Photo by Justin Armstrong[/caption] Houston opened its season — and the Tom Herman era — with a resounding victory over Tennessee Tech. What does it all mean? DCTF's Thomas Bingham breaks down the action.The secondary needs a bit of seasoning. It is common for FBS opponents to face FCS opponents in the season’s first game because it is perceived to be an “easy” win. If Houston’s goal was to win, then they achieved that against Tennessee Tech, but there’s a concern heading forward. They were exposed time and time again on the connections between quarterback Jared Davis and receiver Brock McCoin. They connected on five completions for 125 yards in the game’s first 16 minutes and 44 seconds. The Cougar secondary provided a bunch of space on McCoin’s 46-yard reception in the first quarter, and his 71 yard touchdown in the second. He added a 47-yard reception, and later a 77-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. McCoin finished with nine catches for 264 yards, and two touchdowns. Tom Herman is a perfect fit. The electrifying Cougars’ offense has returned under new coach Tom Herman. It reminded fans of the high-flying Andre Ware days, and the partnership between Kevin Sumlin and Case Keenum. In his debut, the Cougars recorded 627 yards of offense in their win over Tennessee Tech, which surpassed their 2014 season high (594 against Cincinnati). Cougar fans visit TDECU Stadium to watch fireworks, and he delivered in game one. Houston has a star in Greg Ward Jr. The dual-threat quarterback has a cannon of an arm, and plenty of mobility. That was on full display Saturday night, when he finished with 382 total yards in Houston’s 52-24 season opening win. The man will rely on weapons like Kenneth Farrow, Demarcus Ayers and Kyle Postma to run the offense like other successful quarterbacks in Houston history.