Houston was one of the great surprises last season with its 10-4 finish, but the way it ended the season -- with bad losses to East Carolina and Air Force -- will be fuel heading into 2010.
The Cougars have a lot of talent back from last year, especially on offense, but the defense will be the focus this spring as it will be the key to whether the Cougars put themselves back in the national spotlight.
Here’s a look at the strongest and weakest positions for Houston this spring:
Strongest position: Quarterback
Key returners: Senior Case Keenum (completed 70 percent, 5,671 yards, 44 touchdowns, 15 interceptions), junior Cotton Turner (completed 75 percent, 373 yards, three touchdowns)
Key departures: None.
The skinny: Keenum flirted with entering the NFL Draft, but decided to come back for his senior season and is expected to once again lead the country in total offense. Keenum had a stellar junior year and was even a Heisman finalist candidate during the season, but he got sloppy and maybe even a little tired toward the end of the year. He threw a bowl-record tying six interceptions against Air Force in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. It was as many interceptions as he had thrown during the entire regular season. Still, Keenum is one of the best quarterbacks returning this year and should make a case for more postseason accolades.
Weakest position: Defense
Key returners: Junior middle linebacker Marcus McGraw (156 tackles, four sacks, nine tackles for loss), junior free safety Nick Saenz (114 tackles, one tackle for loss), junior defensive tackle David Hunter (57 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, four sacks), senior cornerback Jamal Robinson (five interceptions, 58 tackles)
Key departures: Rush end Tyrell Graham (69 tackles, seven sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss), weakside linebacker C.J. Cavness (143 tackles, 2.5 sacks, five tackles for loss), cornerback Brandon Brinkley (75 tackles, four interceptions, three tackles for loss)
The skinny: It’s unfair to single out one section of the defense since it was all pretty bad, but some of that was attributed to youth and inexperience. The Cougars started five freshmen and sophomores on defense in 2009 and the stats reflected it. The Cougars often tried to outscore opponents rather than stop them, which came back to bite them against opponents with good defenses or potent offenses. Houston brought in a new defensive coordinator and the Cougars are learning his style and catching up with the offense at the same time.
The Cougars have a lot of talent back from last year, especially on offense, but the defense will be the focus this spring as it will be the key to whether the Cougars put themselves back in the national spotlight.
Here’s a look at the strongest and weakest positions for Houston this spring:
Strongest position: Quarterback
Key returners: Senior Case Keenum (completed 70 percent, 5,671 yards, 44 touchdowns, 15 interceptions), junior Cotton Turner (completed 75 percent, 373 yards, three touchdowns)
Key departures: None.
The skinny: Keenum flirted with entering the NFL Draft, but decided to come back for his senior season and is expected to once again lead the country in total offense. Keenum had a stellar junior year and was even a Heisman finalist candidate during the season, but he got sloppy and maybe even a little tired toward the end of the year. He threw a bowl-record tying six interceptions against Air Force in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. It was as many interceptions as he had thrown during the entire regular season. Still, Keenum is one of the best quarterbacks returning this year and should make a case for more postseason accolades.
Weakest position: Defense
Key returners: Junior middle linebacker Marcus McGraw (156 tackles, four sacks, nine tackles for loss), junior free safety Nick Saenz (114 tackles, one tackle for loss), junior defensive tackle David Hunter (57 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, four sacks), senior cornerback Jamal Robinson (five interceptions, 58 tackles)
Key departures: Rush end Tyrell Graham (69 tackles, seven sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss), weakside linebacker C.J. Cavness (143 tackles, 2.5 sacks, five tackles for loss), cornerback Brandon Brinkley (75 tackles, four interceptions, three tackles for loss)
The skinny: It’s unfair to single out one section of the defense since it was all pretty bad, but some of that was attributed to youth and inexperience. The Cougars started five freshmen and sophomores on defense in 2009 and the stats reflected it. The Cougars often tried to outscore opponents rather than stop them, which came back to bite them against opponents with good defenses or potent offenses. Houston brought in a new defensive coordinator and the Cougars are learning his style and catching up with the offense at the same time.
Graham Watson | email
College FootballWatson joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four seasons covering the Missouri Tigers and the Big 12 Conference for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She also covered college football recruiting for the Dallas Morning News.
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