Surprise, surprise
Applewhite seeking answers after losses in 3 of last 4 games
HOUSTON: Late fade has Cougars facing questions.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The University of Houston began November in the mix for a conference title and New Year’s Six bowl.
After a 52-31 loss to Memphis on Friday, the Cougars finished a second consecutive mediocre season at 8-4. What went wrong? The roster was decimated by injuries. Six players were lost for the season: All-America defensive tackle Ed Oliver missed all but two quarters over the final five games, while explosive quarterback D’Eriq King missed the finale after hurting his knee.
UH’s defense — which took a brunt of the injuries with four starters on the defensive line missing significant time and the top safety lost in Week 3 — will go down, statistically, as one of the worst in school history.
Coach Major Applewhite vows to seek answers in the offseason rather than wonder what could have been of a season that unraveled in a hurry. Yet, even with all the setbacks, the Cougars entered the final weekend needing a win to reach the American Athletic Conference championship game.
“To me, I really want to go back and analyze where we could have done things better as coaches,” Applewhite said. “Kind of daydreaming of what we could have been and all those things, I know it sounds silly, but I want to go back and find certain things.”
Among those things: was there a way to avoid some of the injuries and how to fix some of the problems on defense, particularly the Cougars’ inability to stop the run. After a 7-1 start, the Cougars dropped three of their final four games.
“There are a thousand different things,” Applewhite said. “I don’t want to sit here and think about what we could have been other than what we need to be, what we can be and how we go about attacking it from here on out.”
That will likely mean a thorough review from top-to-bottom, beginning with the coaching staff.
At the time of Applewhite’s hiring in 2016, school president Renu Khator set the bar, saying “winning is defined at the University of Houston as 10 and 2. We’ll fire coaches at 8 and 4.”
Applewhite’s job is secure, although with a 15-10 record in two seasons he will enter next season under pressure to turn things around. In the short term, Applewhite will likely need to make staff changes in the offseason, specifically on defense. The 412 points given up by UH is the fifthmost in school history. The 5,862 yards is 456 shy of the school record set in 14 games in 2009. UH allowed 63, 59 and 52 points, the first time it has allowed three 50plus point games since four in 2003.
The offense, under first-year coordinator Kendal Briles, was one of the most explosive in the nation. King led Football Bowl Subdivision with 50 total touchdowns at the time of his injury.
“You’ve got to look at everything, including yourself No. 1,” Applewhite said. “What am doing or not doing as a leader? What are my other coaching staff members doing or not doing as leaders? It’s always easy to point fingers. Look at yourself first, look at your program, look at your staff, look at your players. It’s the same thing anybody does, whether you just went 14-0 and won the national championship or lost an opportunity to win your division.”
UH will have to replace eight starters on defense, among them defensive linemen Jerard Carter and Oliver — who will skip his final season and enter the NFL Draft — safety Garrett Davis, the top two leading tacklers, linebackers Austin Robinson and Roman Brown and cornerbacks Isaiah Johnson and Alexander Myres. On offense, the Cougars will have to replace tight end Romello Brooker, left guard Mason Denley and Will Noble, a four-year starter at center.
The 2019 season features a nonconference schedule that includes Oklahoma, Washington State and North Texas, along with AAC games against Cincinnati and Central Florida. Those five teams are a combined 50-8 this season.
Before the offseason officially begins, the Cougars will make a program-record sixth consecutive bowl appearance. The destination will be announced Sunday, with the likely destinations the Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 22) in Fort Worth, Frisco Bowl (Dec. 19) in suburban Dallas or the Independence Bowl (Dec. 27) in Shreveport, La.
That will give the Cougars a chance to heal, get some extra practice time for younger players and end the season on a positive note.
“(The bowl) means a lot to us,” safety Gleson Sprewell said. “This is not the end we want. We aren’t going to go out like this.”