Arizona State set to complete Texas stage of the schedule against Houston

Fresh off a signature win last weekend over Texas Tech, Arizona State finds themselves back in the Top 25 and hoping to stay there for the rest of the season.

Standing in their way is a markedly improved Houston Cougar team who achieved bowl eligibility last weekend with a 31-28 win over Arizona.

Just how improved are we talking? To put it delicately, Houston's offense in the first season of the Willie Fritz era offered little competition on their way to a 4-8 record in 2024. Ranking 126th in passing offense (152.7 YPG), 90th in rushing offense (135.4 YPG), and 128th in total offense (288.1 YPG), the Cougars averaged a second-worst 14 points per game, including back-to-back shutouts at the hands of Cincinnati and Iowa State.

After a revolving door that saw three different quarterbacks see significant action, Houston struck gold in the transfer portal with the arrival of Conner Weigman. Three seasons spent in mostly backup duties for Texas A&M, Weigman made the nearly 100 mile trip southeast from College Station and has revitalized the Cougars to start the season. While not flashy, Weigman has been consistent; throwing for at least 150 yards in 6 of the 7 games for the Cougars, tossing 11 touchdowns against just 2 interceptions. His performance against Arizona with 164 yards and 3 touchdown passes, plus 98 rushing yards and one touchdown was enough to earn him Big 12 Conference offensive player of the week honors alongside Jordyn Tyson.

It hasn't been a one man show, as another in-state transfer in running back Dean Connors (Rice) has been leading the charge on the ground. With 538 yards and 4 touchdowns through 7 games, he also presents a solid checkdown option for Weigman with 113 receiving yards and the Odell Beckham-esque touchdown grab shown above against Oklahoma State.

Wide receiver Amare Thomas and tight end Tanner Koziol have been Weigman's top targets through the air. Common theme here for Houston as both players transferred in this season (UAB and Ball State respectively), they have combined for 860 yards and 7 touchdowns on the season. Thomas presents a slippery physicality to his game, breaking 4 tackles by Wildcat defenders on his way to a 52 yard touchdown on Saturday.

Defensively, Houston remains consistent from their performance last season. With the 25th ranked total defense at 324.8 YPG last season, the problem was never stopping the ball, simply scoring enough points on offense. Senior defensive lineman Carlos Allen is the leader on defense, tied for the team lead in total tackles with 48 while contributing 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack. What makes Allen stand out is his run defense, with an 84.4 grade according to PFF to lead all Big 12 interior defenders. The addition of edge rusher Eddie Walls III (5 tackles for loss) has enhanced the pass rush as Houston currently ranks 31st nationally at 317.1 YPG. Again while not over the top flashy, Houston on defense is a team that can slow down any offense, allowing just 19 points per game.

On paper, Houston is a team that the Sun Devils should have no problem beating at home, and early week betting lines from DraftKings reflect that, setting the Devils as 7.5-point favorites at the time of this writing. However, this is exactly the game that can trap the Sun Devils and derail a promising rebound after the excitement of last weekend's upset.

The Sun Devils and Cougars will kick off from Mountain America Stadium at 5pm on Saturday on ESPN2.