Week 4: Houston at Colorado State

Perhaps football life will return to some form of normalcy this week for Houston. The Cougars spent last week trying to escape from the fury of Hurricane Ike. Their game against Air Force was moved to Dallas Thursday. On Friday, the kickoff was moved up to 10 a.m. to play ahead of the fast-moving storm.

Eventually the Cougars played, losing 31-28 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the SMU campus. This week, Houston plays an official road game under less-hectic conditions. Expect Colorado State to do its best of slow Cougar quarterback Case Keenum, who threw for 362 yards and four touchdowns against Air Force. He also rushed for a team-high 75 yards.

After a near upset loss to Sacramento two weeks ago, Colorado State had a week off to work on some of its deficiencies. The Rams, to be successful, must be able to run the ball better than they have in the first two games. CSU is averaging fewer than 85 yards rushing.

Rams quarterback Billy Farris earned his teammates' respect in the win over Sacramento State. He directed the Rams on a 61-yard drive in the closing minutes of regulation that tied the game. Farris, in his first year as a starter, has completed 69 percent of his passes, but suffered three interceptions.
 
Notes:

Houston quarterback Case Keenum completed 34-of-57 for 362 yards against Air Force, marking his fourth straight 300-yard effort. His interception-free streak, however, was snapped after 219 attempts when he underthrew L.J. Castille.

Colorado State's defensive is having a difficult time stopping opponents on third and fourth down. Opponents have converted 17-of-30 times (56.6 percent) in those situations, including 5-of-5 on fourth down.

The Cougars held Air Force to zero passing yards in last weekend's 31-28 loss. It represented the third time in history Houston had held an opponent to no yards through the air and the first time the feat had been accomplished since 1953 vs. Tennessee.

Colorado State receiver Rashaun Greer, a junior, is making up for non-productive time. As a freshman backup, he appeared in three games. Last year, he played in six games and did not have a catch. In two games this season, he has 17 receptions for 222 yards. He had 9 catches for 152 yards against Sacramento State.

Key player (Cougars) — Case Keenum, QB

Keenum is developing into one of C-USA's better quarterbacks. A sophomore, Keenum leads the league with an average of 380 yards per game. He has thrown 13 touchdowns and been intercepted only once. With 148 rushing yards (third among league QBs), he leads C-USA and the nation in total offense at 429.7 yards per game.

Key player (Rams) — Billy Farris, QB

Farris is a first-year quarterback for the Rams who already has displayed strong leadership skills. He rallied the Rams against Sacramento State and is completing 68.6 percent of his passes through two games.

Houston by 8