A Quick Look at the Houston Cougars

Taking a peek at the Houston Cougars

The West Virginia Mountaineers (4-1, 2-0) are back on the road following a bye week to take on the Houston Cougars (2-3, 0-2) for the first ever meeting between the two programs. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. EST and broadcasting on FS1.

The Cougars won their season-opener against UTSA, lost the following week in double overtime at Rice, then dropped their Big 12 Conference opener to TCU before getting back in the win column versus Sam Houston State, and in then lost to Texas Tech in their last outing.

Sep 23, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars wide receiver Samuel Brown (4) runs with the ball as Sam Houston State Bearkats defensive back Isaiah Downes (4) defends during the third quarter at TDECU Stadium / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Junior Donovan Smith is third in the Big 12 Conference, averaging 269.6 yards per game, with the bulk of his production going to former Mountaineer receiver Sam Brown. The sophomore leads the league in receptions (34) and receiving yards (518) and has one touchdown this season. Sophomore Joseph Manjack comes in with 25 receptions for 292 yards and two touchdowns and sophomore Mathew Golden has hauled in 24 passes for 261 yards and a team-leading four touchdowns.

The Cougars’ rushing attack is a three-headed monster with freshman Parker Jenkins leading the way with 218 yards (5.3 ypc) while sophomore Stacey Sneed and former WVU running back Tony Mathis Jr. have combined for 239 yards with Sneed holding the lone touchdown between the two. Smith is also used in the running game and is second on the team in carries with 55 for 169 yards and is tied with the team’s leading rusher, Parker Jenkins, in rushing touchdowns with three.

Defensively, senior WILL linebacker has registered a team-leading 37 tackles while junior defensive lineman Nelson Ceaser is third in the conference with 4.5 sacks and defensive back Malik Fleming’s three interceptions ranks second in the Big 12.

Houston Depth Chart vs. West Virginia

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