Tulane @ Houston preview

Tulane at Houston

Last Meeting ( Oct 7, 2021 ) Houston 40, Tulane 22

Houston head coach Dana Holgorsen is looking for an all-around improvement from his Cougars, and not all of it has to do with them splitting the first four games of the season.

After starting the campaign ranked No. 24, the season started on a high note for Houston, after beating UTSA 37-35 in three overtimes. But now, it there may be tension within the program.

The Cougars (2-2) will look to sort out some of those problems when they host American Athletic Conference foe Tulane (3-1) Friday night in the conference opener.

In his fourth year at Houston's helm, Holgorsen has become frustrated with his squad.

"Tired of yelling at them. Tired of motivating them. Tired of all that crap," Holgorsen said after last Saturday's 34-27 win over Rice.

The Cougars' defense had to come to the rescue against the Owls.

With the game tied at 27, Nelson Ceaser returned a fumble 11 yards for a score. Thabo Mwaniki picked off a tipped pass on the next series to help seal the win.

After two convincing wins to open the season, the Green Wave -- a two-touchdown underdog at Kansas State -- stunned the Wildcats 17-10 on Sept. 17.

However, the euphoria of the 3-0 start was dashed in last weekend's 27-24 home loss to Southern Mississippi.

Tulane's Tyjae Spears rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns and caught five passes for 74 yards.

But it wasn't enough to keep the Golden Eagles from prevailing. Despite the setback, Tulane is 3-1 to start a season for the first time since 2019.

"We feel like there's no reason you can't win big here," Tulane head coach Willie Fritz said. "We've come really close a few years where we just didn't get it done and it could have been eight-, nine- and 10-win seasons."

Houston has won the past two meetings with the Green Wave and owns a 19-7 edge in the all-time series.

--Field Level Media