Craven: Houston's hot start is bad news for Texas State

[caption id="attachment_18939" align="alignnone" width="800"]Photo by Diana Porter Photo by Diana Porter[/caption] The Houston Cougars are 2-0 entering this weekend’s game against Texas State. A win over Tennessee Tech started the Tom Herman tenure on the right foot, but it was a victory over Louisville that proved the Cougars are heading in the right direction under the first-year head coach and former offensive coordinator at Ohio State. It is hard to compare the Houston job to say SMU, a team also under a first-year head coach with a strong background as an offensive coordinator at a P5 school, because the Cougars were already talented when Herman stepped on campus. Not many first-year coaches inherit a quarterback like Greg Ward. The dual-threat quarterback was the perfect piece to become the catalyst of a Herman-style offense. In two games, Ward leads the team with 511 passing yards and 199 yards rushing. Demarcus Ayers, 174 yards receiving, was Ward’s top target through two games. It isn’t just Ward’s dual-threat ability which stands out through two games this season, it is his efficiency. Ward is completing 73.3 percent of his passes and has a 4:1 touchdown to interception ratio. To beat Texas State, Houston must stop Bobcat quarterback Tyler Jones. The reigning Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week is off to another all-conference level start in 2015. Jones, just a junior, is completing 69.4 percent of his passes and has 688 yards passing and six touchdown throws and no interceptions. He also leads the team with 247 yards rushing and three touchdowns. This game will be headlined as a battle between two dual-threat quarterbacks, but the key to this game is defense, and that is where Houston holds the biggest edge. Houston gave up only 55 total points in its two victories this season, while Texas State is coming into the game fresh off a 56-50 loss to Southern Miss, a middle-of-the-pack (at best) Conference USA program. Houston is favored to win the game, especially since it is at home, and that means even more momentum for Herman and the Cougars. Herman’s early recruiting success in a state filled with P5 powerhouses is nothing short of astonishing. The Cougars already received 16 verbal commitments for the 2016 class, including four-star prospects Ed Oliver and Na’Ty Rodgers. Herman’s arrival spelled success for Houston from the jump, but the questions surrounding how long Herman will be satisfied at a non-P5 school like Houston only grow with each victory.