As the Big 12 expands into 2024, Houston enters a new era

Cyclones and Cougars meet on the field for the first time

Editor’s Note: Fourth in a 12-part series featuring each of Iowa State’s 2024 regular-season opponents.

AMES — Houston enters a new era and will face Iowa State for the first time in program history on Sept. 28 at home.

The Cougars fired Dana Holgorson after losing five of their last six games en route to a 4-8 finish in 2023. So new head coach Willie Fritz will try to bring Houston back from the type of season the Cyclones endured in 2022 — and the former Tulane coach has hit the portal hard to address pressing needs on defense.

Houston ranked 130th among 133 FBS schools last season in third-down defense, allowing conversions in 48.5 percent of those situations, so a personnel overhaul was clearly needed.

Fritz and his staff have recruited 12 transfers on that side of the ball alone, including senior cornerback/returner Bryan Massey (SMU), senior safety Hershey McLaurin (West Virginia) and senior linebacker Kendre Gant (Louisiana).

How much can these additions (and more) help the Cougars improve their defense? Probably a little, but not enough. Houston ranked 101st or worse in scoring defense, rushing defense and passing defense last season.

Houston also found help in the transfer portal on offense, luring former Michigan State tight end Maliq Carr to campus. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound senior has 54 receptions for 696 yards and five touchdowns during his storied career and will give veteran quarterback Donovan Smith – who Cyclones fans know from his time at Texas Tech – a weapon key in an erratic, but potentially explosive attack.

3 things to watch out for

• How much of a problem will Donovan Smith be?

The 6-5 junior passed for a career-high 322 yards and three touchdowns to help Texas Tech beat ISU, 41-38, in 2021 and then scored a rushing touchdown in the Red Raiders’ 14-10 win over the Cyclones in 2022. Smith can make every throw and is always a threat on the ground, but he can also be turnover-prone. Expect ISU defensive coordinator Jon Heacock to focus on that flaw and put his players in a position to exploit it.

• Can ISU start the conference with an away win for the first time since 2020?

The Cyclones have lost three straight Big 12 openers and while they have a Week 2 road game with Iowa under their belt, it won’t be easy to win in Houston. ISU won its last four road league games last season, though, so that streak could extend into 2024.

• Will the Cyclones manage to revive the ground game?

The Cougars will likely put eight or nine defenders in the box in hopes of making ISU one-dimensional. This strategy proved wise for the Cyclones’ opponents last season, but if the experienced offensive line performs as expected against a thin Houston defensive line, there could be plenty of room for Abu Sama and his teammates to exploit.

Forecast for 2024

Houston’s defense couldn’t stop anyone last season and while it will be improved, ISU should be able to put up 30+ points and start the conference 1-0.

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