Houston 52, Navy 31: What We Learned

[caption id="attachment_19960" align="alignright" width="300"]Photo by Diana Porter Photo by Diana Porter[/caption] What a dominant performance from your AAC West Division champs. After last week’s upset loss to UConn,  all the injuries affecting Houston, and a short schedule to prepare for Navy's triple option, it would’ve made sense if the Cougars struggled against the No. 15 Midshipmen. But with a trip to the American Athletic Conference Championship game on the line, everyone stepped up and Houston controlled this game from the start. Quarterback Greg Ward, Jr. once again showed he’s a star, leading this team with his toughness and smart decisions against a good Navy defense. Wide receiver Demarcus Ayers had a fantastic game, racking up 161 yards on eight catches (two of them were incredible) including a touchdown grab, and he threw a 29-yard touchdown pass in the fourth. Houston got back on track quickly, and a lot of that credit goes to first-year head coach Tom Herman and his staff. The Cougars earned this win and a spot in the conversation for a New Year’s Five bowl.  Welcome to offense, Wilson. With Farrow sidelined, Houston asked cornerback Brandon Wilson to step into the running back position, and oh man did he answer. He hasn’t played on the offensive side of the ball during his college career, but he ran all over Navy and showed that he could have a future in the backfield. He totaled 111 yards on 22 carries and scored two touchdowns behind great speed and a multitude of broken tackles. You can’t applaud Wilson enough for stepping into the position and being open to comments from his coaches and Farrow every time he was on the sideline. Keep your eyes on this kid. Don’t overlook the Cougar defense. Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds is one of the best in the game, and the triple option is a nightmare to defend. The Houston front seven did a great job of containing him. The Midshipmen recorded 459 yards with just 147 coming on the ground, well below the 348.4 rush yards per game they’ve been averaging. The defense got through Navy’s offensive line all game and applied tons of pressure to Reynolds. Houston’s secondary gave up a lot of big passing plays because of their focus on the running game, but they also forced Reynolds’ first interception of the season. The defense did a great job keeping Navy in check and off the field long enough for the offense to build a comfortable lead to win this game.