Houston 35, Memphis 34: What We Learned

5175a5804c65cef2f86b67f320992fabThat was a first half to forget, and we're guessing everyone did just that by the end. Houston started the game with six three-and-outs on seven drives. That other drive? A fumble on the fifth play. It wasn’t until Greg Ward Jr. left the game injured late in the second quarter that Kyle Postma led the Cougars on their first scoring drive. The problem, of course, is that Memphis had already built a comfortable lead and headed into halftime up 20-7 on the hosts. If anything has worked all season, its been Tom Herman’s offense, and it was baffling to see it look so disjointed for so long. Before Ward got hurt, he looked completely out of sorts, unable to hit passes he normally throws seemingly in his sleep. Kyle Postma introduced himself to the world.  The former Katy Seven Lakes QB walked into the role like he’d been doing it for months, just like former Herman QB Cardale Jones did when J.T. Barrett went down at Ohio State last year. Postman showed an uncanny knack for evading pressure, deft feel for the option game, and a strong arm from impossible angles. He finished 21-of-33 for 236 yards and a touchdown, and ran for 49 yards and a touchdown. Houston is still undefeated because Postma stepped up huge. Navy looms. Next week is a trap game on the road against Connecticut. You laugh, but did you realize UConn is 5-5 and 3-3 in conference? Bob Diaco can coach and it’s starting to show in a tough place to win. It’s even more of a trap game because Navy’s only loss is to Notre Dame, which means the Nov. 27 showdown will hold massive New Years Day bowl implications, and potentially an outside shot at the playoff. A month ago, Memphis seemed like the biggest hurdle for Houston. The landscape has changed, and Navy will probably be favored, which should tell you plenty about how good that team is playing right now. Either way, this is a spot Herman would have gladly signed up for if you told him he could have it before the season started. Let the chips fall where they may, this ride has been awesome with the Coogs.