On Monday, Houston head coach Willie Fritz elected to make a change at the quarterback position with a new announcement.
Following a signature win over TCU in Week 7, Fritz is sticking to his guns and rolling with blank quarterback Zeon Chriss over Donovan Smith as Houston’s starting quarterback.
Chriss stepped up big for Houston when taking on the TCU Horned Frogs last Friday, providing some offensive spark for Frtiz’s team for the first time this fall. With Donovan Smith under center, the offensive attack was stagnant, getting shutout in back-to-back games vs. Iowa State and Cincinnati.
In Week 7, Chriss posted 238 yards of total offense with two touchdowns on the day. The sophomore signal caller completed 15 of 18 passes for 141 yards and a score through the air while also adding 11 carries for 97 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Through five games this season, Donovan Smith’s struggle was apparent. The senior quarterback completed 72 of 109 passes for 694 yards and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 2-5. His 41.5 quarterback rating ranks 104th in the country, while sophomore quarterback Zeon Chriss sits at 70.2.
With the win over TCU, Houston’s confidence should be significantly higher under Willie Fritz. Chriss and the Cougars take the field in Week 8 on the road in Lawrence, Kansas, for a clash with the struggling Jayhawks. That game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, October 19th.
