Houston, TX — No. 22 Houston had little trouble finding the end zone Saturday night.
The Cougars overwhelmed Southern from the opening kickoff, racing to a 49-0 halftime advantage before cruising to a 77-6 victory in a game that included a brief power outage and an unusually shortened fourth quarter.
Houston improved to 2-0 behind an offensive attack that produced 591 total yards, including 388 on the ground. Ten different Cougars recorded at least one rushing attempt as Houston controlled the game from start to finish.
The only real interruption came late in the first half when the stadium lights went out.
The teams played the final two minutes of the second quarter without the lights after a brief two-minute delay. With enough natural light remaining, officials and both teams agreed to continue. The lights were restored during halftime.
By then, the game was essentially decided.
Houston scored 28 points in the opening quarter, matching a school record, and continued piling up points throughout the second period.
Starting quarterback Conner Weigman completed 9 of 12 passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns before leaving the game early. Backup Keisean Henderson took over and continued the offensive onslaught.
Henderson completed 6 of 7 passes and threw two touchdown passes. He also added a 54-yard rushing touchdown as Houston’s offense continued to find big plays even after the starters began rotating out.
“I thought everybody ran hard,” Houston coach Willie Fritz said. “Good job by everybody in the run game. It’s hard to run it when they know you’re going to run it every down.”
Makhi Hughes, Re’Shaun Sanford II, DJ Butler, John Hebert and Luke Carney each scored on the ground.
Through the air, Koby Young caught two touchdown passes, while Amare Thomas, Patrick Overmyer and Hebert each added touchdown receptions.
Houston’s depth became one of the night’s biggest positives for Fritz. Nearly the entire roster saw the field, giving several players their first opportunity to experience Power Four football.
“I think everybody on the team except five guys got a chance to go in there at least one time,” Fritz said. “A bunch of guys it was their first time they’ve ever experienced playing in a Power Four football game. It was great to get those guys in.”
The Cougars entered halftime with a commanding 49-0 lead.
Southern finally avoided a shutout midway through the third quarter when Wyatt McCauley connected with Wydell Clark Jr. for a 79-yard touchdown with about 4½ minutes remaining in the period.
It was the Jaguars’ only touchdown of the night.
Southern coach Marshall Faulk did not mince words when assessing his team’s performance.
“That was awful,” Faulk said. “That wasn’t really a game. That was a preseason crash dummy test for Houston to work on all their good plays. We didn’t show up.”
The game was shortened even further in the fourth quarter, with both teams agreeing to play an eight-minute final period.
Houston Controls Every Phase
The Cougars finished with nearly five times as many total yards as Southern, which managed just 121 yards for the game.
Southern recorded only four first downs and finished with minus-6 rushing yards. The Jaguars did not cross midfield until the opening moments of the second quarter.
Houston also forced three turnovers and converted those takeaways into 21 points.
The performance marked the second consecutive game in which the Cougars have surpassed 500 total yards, an encouraging sign as they prepare for a significantly tougher challenge.
The Takeaway
Southern: The Jaguars struggled to generate offense against Houston’s defense and were unable to establish any consistent rushing attack. After opening the season 1-1, Southern now has an opportunity to regroup before returning home.
Houston: The Cougars have opened the season with back-to-back offensive showcases. The rushing attack was especially impressive Saturday, with 10 different players contributing on the ground. Weigman also continued his strong start before giving way to Henderson, allowing Houston to get valuable playing time for its younger players.
Up Next:
Southern returns home Saturday to host Louisiana Christian.
Houston faces its first major test of the season Friday night when the Cougars travel to take on No. 13 Texas Tech.
