Suprise Star of the Weekend — Houston RB Duke Catalon

For four games, Houston fans have wrung their hands and gritted their teeth and stared at their ceiling. They cried into the night: “Wherefore art though, Greg Ward Jr.? Wherefore art though, Demarcus Ayers?” They longed for the days of 40 points per game (like 2015). They longed for offensive consistency. Then, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Duke Catalon emerged. The Texas transfer and former Aldine Eisenhower superstar had been relatively pedestrian over his first 17 games in a Houston uniform. Last year, he battled through injuries to be the Cougars’ leading rusher with 528 yards and 4 touchdowns, but that’s like owning the title of fastest go-kart — it’s an accomplishment, but is it? Let’s put it this way: his single-game career high in rushing yards last season was 88 yards in their upset win over Oklahoma. He was there, and he was fine, but he wasn’t anything special. Same goes for the first four games of 2017. Catalon ran for 78, 31, 41 and 32 yards in Houston’s games against Arizona, Rice, Texas Tech and Temple, respectively. Again: he was there, and he was doing things, but he was easy to miss. Nobody could miss Duke Catalon on Saturday night in Houston. For an offense searching for an identity, Catalon stepped forward and forcefully raised his hand to say “I Will Be Your Bellcow” against SMU, carrying 22 times for 177 yards and two touchdowns in the 35-22 win over the Ponies. Catalon was a consistent threat for the Coogs offense — something they have not had all season long — throughout the evening. That’s not to say that every one of his carries was a masterpiece, but he grinded yards out consistently against an overmatched SMU front, and that’s all the Cougars needed. And, perhaps most importantly, Catalon was a closer. With SMU looming at 21-19 in the third quarter, Duke Catalon burst for a 52-yard touchdown run to push the lead to a more comfortable distance. When SMU reared back early in the fourth, it was Catalon’s 16-yard touchdown run that put the game away for good. We still have questions about the Houston offense, but at least on this night, Duke Catalon gave Cougar fans a reason to sleep easy.