Former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart was named to the same position for the Houston Cougars on Monday.
Stewart, who led the Cowboys defense for 2007-2009, replaces John Skladany, who couldn’t give much help to the nation’s No. 1 offense and was ultimately let go.
With Case Keenum returning for his senior season, the offense should again be one of college football’s best. If Stewart can extract even mildly-competent play from his unit, the Cougars will be a legitimate threat to crash the BCS party in 2010. As great as the offense is, it’s the defense that will determine how far this team can go.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 11:46 am by Raj Sethi
The Houston Cougars will face an opponent in the Dec. 31 Armed Services Bowl that could only be described as its polar opposite: the Air Force Falcons.
The Cougars led the country in passing this season, on the strength of quarterback Case Keenum’s nation-leading 5,449 yards and 43 touchdowns. On the flip side, the Falcons led the country in rushing and have played multiple games this season in which they didn’t attempt a single pass.
These teams are more familiar with each other than most that square off in bowl games; Houston and Air Force played in the same bowl last season (a 34-28 Cougars win), and also played a nonconference game in 2008 (a 31-28 Houston victory).
Despite a disappointing loss to East Carolina in the Conference USA title game, the Cougars can use this bowl game to finish strong and create some buzz heading into 2010. Keenum should have a little extra motivation. As a junior, he finally received some national attention for his video game-like numbers, and a strong game should firmly supplant him as a Heisman frontrunner next season.
Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 8:17 pm by Raj Sethi
