In Week 2 of Oklahoma’s season last year, the Sooners faced non-conference opponent Houston. The now West Virginia defensive coordinator, Zac Alley, was on the Oklahoma sideline as the co-defensive coordinator. The other sideline, offensive-minded head coach Willie Fritz. Fritz was in Year 1 with the Cougars.

Oklahoma won 16-12.

Oklahoma’s last game of the regular season was against LSU. After a defensive masterclass against No. 7 Alabama the week before, Alley’s defense was torched by the unranked Tigers 37-17. Slade Nagle was on the winning side as LSU’s special teams and tight ends coach. Nagle is now in his first year as Houston’s offensive coordinator.

“They know me,” Alley said. “I think it’s a challenge of what’s going to come from that. They’re going to game plan you. You’re going to get things that you hadn’t seen. Maybe they think they are going to work that week. We anticipate all those things, but that’s what good coaches do. They’re going to put you in conflict and try and find ways to exploit weaknesses.”

Fritz and Nagle have completely flipped Houston from just a basketball school to actually having a competitive football team. The Cougars are 7-1, with their only loss to No. 13 Texas Tech, and are ranked 22nd in the AP Poll this week. Last year, Houston finished 4-8 and 3-6 in the Big 12.

The numbers for the Cougars’ offense don’t jump off the page. They average 28.8 points per game, which is 12th in the Big 12. There’s a reason, though. Fritz and Nagle run a more NFL-style offense that’s slower and made to run the clock. It’s almost the complete opposite of what WVU does.

Looking at the record, it’s worked so far.

“They’re not going to be up-tempo all that,” Alley said. “They want to run it down, kind of like the NFL, and get a good play call and gain three. Then try and get gain three again. That helps them stay in games, maybe where they’re maybe lesser talent-wise, or whatever that looks like. Obviously, when it’s comparable, they find a way to win.”

Houston’s offense does have talent, and it starts with its junior quarterback, Conner Weigman. Weigman transferred this offseason from Texas A&M, where he played 15 games, starting in 13 of them over three seasons. He’s a veteran quarterback at this stage. He’s not going to take over a game through the air, but he’s not going to lose the game, turning the ball over or making mistakes.

Weigman is a confident runner, which is more of the strength of the offense. His eight rushing touchdowns are the third-most in the Big 12.

“I think the quarterback is very sound,” Alley said. “He understands where to go with the ball… He is a threat running it. You’ve got to play that within the scheme. They will take chances and try to throw the ball up to guys and give them an opportunity, and no matter who that is, with the receivers or the tight end, try to get the ball down the field.”

Weigman’s favorite target is senior tight end Tanner Koziol. Koziol spent the spring at Wisconsin after spending three years at Ball State. Koziol is a bigger target, standing at 6-foot-7, and leads the team with 43 catches on the season.

Alley said Fritz and Nagle do a “great” job of creating mismatches with linebackers, who are smaller. WVU’s linebackers, Reid Carrico and Chase Wilson, are both shorter by at least five inches.

“They want him on somebody that can’t cover him,” Alley said. “Or they want him on a DB that’s 5-foot-9, 5-foot-10, and then he’s 6-foot-7, and boxes them out for the ball, but a really good player. You got to beat up on him a little bit the run game to try and get him out of his rhythm by attacking him physically when you can. Then, you can slow him down just catching the ball and breaking away. They do a great job of getting him the ball in critical moments and open space.”

Alley said Houston likes to run, run, and then pass if needed. Usually, it goes to Koziol, but wide receiver Amare Thomas has emerged as the No. 1 WR this year when Houston does throw the ball deep. Running back Dean Connors also has 18 catches out of the backfield.

Houston might not be rolling teams with its offense like the past couple of teams WVU’s defense has faced, but it’s strategically operated that way, and the results so far speak for themselves.

If this is anything like the first time Alley faced Fritz, maybe WVU can pull off the upset in Houston. A lot has changed since then, and Nagle could be the factor to make a drastic change in that outcome.

“They’re never going to lose the game on offense,” Alley said. “They’re going to play in front of the chains. Get to second down and third down and manageable. Get the first down and do it again. They’re gonna take points when they can get them.”