TCU Football Week 3 Opponent Preview: Houston Cougars

TCU opens up Big 12 play with their Week 3 tilt against the Houston Cougars.

At 1-1, the TCU Horned Frogs are looking to get back on track with a win over an FBS opponent. They took care of business in Week 2, downing Nicholls 41-6. However, TCU hits the road for both their first road trip and first Big 12 Conference game of the season against the Houston Cougars (1-1).

TCU at Houston kicks off Saturday, Sept. 16 at 7:00 p.m. CT on FOX. Catch the action in-person at TDECU Stadium in Houston or listen on the radio at 88.7 FM KTCU.

Houston vs. TCU Series History

Houston leads the all-time series with TCU 13-12, although the Horned Frogs have won the last eight in a row. The two teams had an annual rivalry between 1976-95 as Southwest Conference foes. When the SWC disbanded in 1996, Houston left for Conference USA while TCU resided in the WAC for five seasons.

Between 2001-04, TCU and Houston again shared a conference rivalry until the Frogs relocated again to the Mountain West in 2005. They played one game since then, in 2007 when TCU won 20-13. Now that Houston joined the Big 12, TCU and Houston will play more frequently, although an annual rivalry isn't guaranteed.

Nine of the 15 total matchups resulted in one-score finishes, plus another two 10-point finishes.

Houston Players To Note

Texas Tech transfer Donovan Smith leads the Cougars this season. In an overtime loss to Rice last week, Smith threw for 260 yards and a pair of touchdowns and added 57 yards and three scores on the ground. He's surpassed 260 total yards in both games played this season.

Alongside Smith is West Virginia transfer running back Tony Mathis. Mathis led Houston in rushing in both of their first two games despite carrying the ball just 16 total times. Receiver Samuel Brown has the eighth-most receiving yards in the country, reeling in 138 and 106 yards in the last two weeks. However, Brown has no touchdowns yet. Matthew Golden was on the receiving end of three of Smith's four touchdown passes so far.

Defensive back Malik Fleming picked off two passes in Houston's 17-14 victory over UTSA in Week 1. Defensive lineman Nelson Caesar recorded a pair of sacks in Week 2 against Rice.

Sizing Up The Cougars

After fielding one of the worst defenses in the country last season, Houston came out with a statement, holding UTSA's potent offense to just 14 points in Week 1. The victory set some minds at ease for the time being. But then the Cougars came out and allowed 43 points to Rice, including 28 in the first quarter alone, and lost the game in overtime. Although the Owls added JT Daniels in the portal this offseason, Rice ranked just 91st in scoring last season.

Smith, Mathis, and Stacy Sneed make up a solid trio of backs for Houston. However, it's clear Dana Holgorsen (who assumed offensive play calling duties) wants to throw the football, demonstrated by their 52% pass play rate (51st-most). That strategy resulted in 41 points against a bad defense in Rice and just 17 points in a slightly better, but still not dynamic defense in UTSA.

However, after playing Colorado, it's clear TCU's defense needs some fine-tuning. The Frogs came out unprepared against the Buffs in Week 1. Houston runs the 13th-fastest pace in the country – currently ahead of Colorado – with 22.0 seconds per play, on average. TCU does trump that running a new play every 19.3 seconds, fifth-fastest nationally.

Defensively, we've gotten two different stories from Houston. As mentioned, they held Frank Harris and an explosive UTSA offense to 14 total points, but also allowed 43 to Rice. TCU should be able to take advantage of this unit using pace and getting the ball to their playmakers in space. The Cougars grade out as the 25th-worst tackling team this year, according to Pro Football Focus.

Sportsbooks favor TCU by seven points on the road in their first conference game of the season.

Opponent Rundown

Team: Houston Cougars

Record: 1-1 (0-0 Big 12)

Coach: Dana Holgorsen (5th season)

Scoring Offense: 29.0 points per game (53rd)

Scoring Defense: 28.5 points allowed per game (77th)

Houston 2023 Schedule

Date	Opponent	Result
Sept. 2	UTSA	W 17-14
Sept. 9	at Rice	L 43-41
Sept. 16	TCU
Sept. 23	Sam Houston State
Sept. 30	at Texas Tech
Oct. 7	BYE
Oct. 12	West Virginia
Oct. 21	Texas
Oct. 28	at Kansas State
Nov. 4	at Baylor
Nov. 11	Cincinnati
Nov. 18	Oklahoma State
Nov. 25	at UCF

TCU vs. Houston Game Info

• When: Saturday, Sept. 16, 7:00 p.m. CT
• Where: TDECU Stadium (Houston, TX)
• TV: FOX

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