The Navy Midshipmen visit Houston on Saturday. Here is your first look at the Cougars.
HOUSTON SEASON SO FAR (4-3, 6-4 AAC)
| Date | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 09/09/2017 | @ Arizona | W 19-16 |
| 09/16/2017 | Rice | W 38-3 |
| 09/23/2017 | Texas Tech | L 24-27 |
| 09/30/2017 | @ Temple | W 20-13 |
| 10/07/2017 | SMU | W 35-22 |
| 10/14/2017 | @ Tulsa | L 17-45 |
| 10/19/2017 | Memphis | L 38-42 |
| 10/28/2017 | @ South Fla. | W 28-24 |
| 11/04/2017 | East Carolina | W 52-27 |
| 11/18/2017 | @ Tulane | L 17-20 |
NAVY-HOUSTON STAT COMPARISON
| NAVY OFF PPG | 32.0 | 28.8 | HOU OFF PPG |
| NAVY DEF PPG | 29.7 | 23.9 | HOU DEF PPG |
| NAVY TOTAL OFF | 453.4 | 441.7 | HOU TOTAL OFF |
| NAVY PASSING OFF | 92.9 | 259.0 | HOU PASSING OFF |
| NAVY RUSHING OFF | 360.5 | 182.7 | HOU RUSHING OFF |
| NAVY TOTAL DEF | 401.8 | 430.2 | HOU TOTAL DEF |
| NAVY PASSING DEF | 236.3 | 287.5 | HOU PASSING DEF |
| NAVY RUSHING DEF | 165.5 | 142.7 | HOU RUSHING DEF |
| NAVY TO MARGIN | -0.70 | -0.10 | HOU TO MARGIN |
| NAVY MASSEY COMP& | 43 | 53 | HOU MASSEY COMP |
& The Massey Composite Ratings are compiled from 98 different college football ratings and rankings.
HOUSTON INJURIES AND SUSPENSIONS
| Date | Pos | Player | Injury | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/20/17 | RB | Duke Catalon | Shoulder-injured last game | is "?" Friday vs. Navy |
| 11/03/17 | S | Collin Wilder | Knee | is out for season |
| 10/22/17 | RB | Dillon Birden | Elbow | is out indefinitely |
| 10/17/17 | OL | Kameron Eloph | Back | out for season |
| 09/28/17 | DB | D.J. Small | Undisclosed | out for season |
| 09/08/17 | OL | Alex Fontana | Foot | out for season |
| 08/16/17 | WR | Marquez Stevenson | ACL | out for season |
Source: donbest.com
CHALLENGES
Navy, which has lost four of its last five, heads to Houston for a matchup with the Cougars. At first glance, this looks like a formidable task, but a closer look reveals that these are two evenly matched teams. While Houston was a powerhouse the past few years, their head coach, Tom Herman, headed to Texas after last season. This season the Cougars have the same number of wins as Navy and their offense is putting up fewer yardage and points than under Herman. Navy can win this game if they execute their option offense effectively while playing good defense against the Cougar’s now average offense.
Friday’s game kicks off at Noon ET and can be seen on ESPN.
