Houston looks to start 4-0 for the first time since 2016 when it battles winless Oregon State in nonconference play on Friday night in Corvallis, Ore.
The Cougars have outscored their first three foes 98-29 and have yet to commit a turnover.
Second-year coach Willie Fritz emphasizes taking care of the ball at every opportunity.
“We stress it every day in practice, making sure we have proper ball security in everything we do,” Fritz said Monday. “We also really stress getting the ball out (on defense).”
Houston has forced six turnovers — five on interceptions and one fumble recovery.
Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman has passed for 569 yards and four touchdowns while adding three scores on the ground.
Weigman is in his first season at Houston after spending three seasons at Texas A&M. He passed for a season-best 222 yards in a 36-20 victory over visiting Colorado on Sept. 12.
The Cougars had a bye last weekend, and Fritz didn’t need to be reminded how things went following bye weeks last season. Houston was routed 42-14 at Kansas after a break in October and 27-3 at Arizona after a week off in November.
“Last year we had two bad performances after bye weeks,” Fritz said. “… You want to be able to give people some time off. It was good to have the time off, but we wanted to be sure we put in the work during the bye week.”
Oregon State is 0-4 for the first time since 2011 and is looking to avoid its first 0-5 start since 1996.
The Beavers have been outscored 156-63 this season and lost their past two games by 31 points (at Texas Tech) and 34 points (at Oregon).
The Beavers were outgained 585-147 in a 41-7 loss to the No. 6 Ducks last week, but Oregon State coach Trent Bray is confident his squad will bounce back.
“There’s only one (goal) — that’s winning,” Bray said Monday. “That’s all there is to this game. As competitors, there are no moral victories in my mind.”
Beavers quarterback Maalik Murphy has passed for 964 yards and six touchdowns while being intercepted five times.
Bray said that safety Tyrice Ivy Jr. would miss the rest of the season due to an undisclosed injury sustained in the season-opening loss to Cal.
The matchup is the first for the two schools since Houston recorded a 19-16 win over the Beavers in 1970 at the famed Astrodome. The Cougars have won two of the three previous all-time meetings.
