HOUSTON — Twelve minutes, 49 seconds.

That’s how long the Houston offense had the ball in the 15-minute third quarter.

For a third straight week, the Colorado defense was losing the battle at the line of scrimmage and staying on the field for far too long. The Cougars held the ball for nearly 37 minutes in Friday’s 36-20 win over the Buffaloes at TDECU Stadium. Whether it was on the ground or through the air, there was simply not enough resistance from the CU defenders.

“We’re not struggling; we’re getting our butts kicked,” coach Deion Sanders said. “Guys are not making plays. You got a sack, you miss a sack. You got a play, you miss a play. You can’t give up explosions because explosion plays lead touchdowns. We can’t continue to miss tackles because those things lead to first downs, those things lead to touchdowns.”

Houston finished with 431 yards of offense and a well-balanced 222 passing and 209 rushing, but it was clear the game plan was to control the game on the ground with over 50 rushing attempts by the Cougars as a team.

Starting running back Dean Connors led the way with 89 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, while quarterback Conner Weigman had 83 yards and two rushing touchdowns as the Buffs struggled to contain another talented backfield duo. The same was true against Georgia Tech in Week 1.

“We just have to be able to trust that our defensive line can do their assignment, stay in their gaps and that’s all it comes down to,” senior cornerback Preston Hodge said.

Freshman makes an impact

One positive for the CU defense was the emergence of a true freshman who could be a key piece going forward.

Defensive end Alexander McPherson got in on a sack and got another quarterback hurry to force an incompletion a week after he made a big special teams play with a blocked punt against Delaware.

The Buffs were thin on the defensive line with one starting defensive end and multiple depth defensive tackles out with injuries, allowing the likes of McPherson to step into a bigger role.

Texas recruiting bump?

Coach Prime is always happy to go home to Texas, the place he’s made his home since he retired from the NFL.

He has recruited the state since he broke into coaching at the college level and the state is a key place to find talent for the Buffs, but Sanders also knows winning is necessary to make a real impact with the top players in the state.

“It’s always a big deal for us to go anywhere and play, but not only play but become successful and play our type of football,” Sanders said. “The way we go about doing it, that’s what makes it successful. Not just to go there to play, but to win and to win in dominating fashion. That’s what we desire to do.”

CU fell well short of that goal Friday night.