Houston’s Herman to Cougars: What have you improved for team lately?

Houston kicker Ty Cummings offered a stat to coach Tom Herman after Saturday’s 33-23 win over third-ranked Oklahoma.

In 10 games last season, Cummings attempted eight field goals.

He had four alone in the first half against Oklahoma.

“I hate field goals,” Herman said Monday. “I despise them.”

As the Cougars move on from their season-opening victory, which could catapult them into their first top-5 national ranking since 1990 when the polls are released Tuesday — Herman said there are areas that need to be cleaned up heading into Saturday’s nonconference game against Lamar at TDECU Stadium.

Red-zone efficiency is at the top of the list after the Cougars had to settle for three field goals in the first half despite getting inside the OU 20-yard line each time. Cummings went 4-for4 on his attempts, giving the Cougars a 19-17 halftime lead.

Last season, UH was eighth nationally, converting 73 percent of trips in the red zone into touchdowns.

“We found ourselves in third-and-long a lot of times in the red zone, which wasn’t very conducive to going for it on fourth down in the red zone,” Herman said. “I like to go for it on fourth down, but it didn’t play out that way.

“Any time you get points, that’s a positive, especially against the No. 3 team in the country. It kept us hanging

around. We just knew we had to punch a few of those in if given some other opportunities.”

Among the other areas Herman wants to see improvement: pass coverage , kickoff returns and running the ball late in the game with the lead.

The Cougars had a couple of coverage busts early against the Sooners, including a 64-yard touchdown by Mark Andrews, which Herman attributed more to a youthful secondary with two young starters at safety.

“I think it was more nerves than the way they are being coached or what they are being asked to do,” Herman said. “We have to clean that up.”

Khalil Williams, one of four new faces in the secondary, said the group came out “a little too amped up” but calmed down as the game went on.

“I think we came out with a lot of confidence,” he said. “Being on the national stage like that and doing what we did, it gives us a lot of confidence going into the next game.”

On kickoffs, the Cougars’ first two drives started on the 11- and 7-yard lines after short returns by Brandon Wilson. Herman said the team will evaluate the players assigned to the return team.

“We stunk on kickoff returns,” Herman said. “We’ll find some other dudes that can step up.”

Herman was pleased with the Cougars only being flagged for seven penalties, although he said one — a block by center Will Noble — should have been waved off.

One penalty Herman did not find acceptable: a celebration call against safety Garrett Davis that followed Wilson’s 100-yard return off a missed field goal.

“We definitely want our guys to get excited, but we want them to express it in the proper way,” Herman said.

Another moment that drew Herman’s ire came with about four minutes remaining in the game and the Cougars at the goal line. With the chance to go ahead 40-17, quarterback Greg Ward Jr. fumbled on a run up the middle. OU took possession and drove down the field for a touchdown.

“We have to be able to run the ball when you have a 16-point lead,” Herman said. “We fumbled the ball in the end zone … that’s obviously very unacceptable.”