Shadre Hurst can tell when opposing defenses have had enough.
As the University of Houston offense strings together 10- and 12-play drives, keeping the ball and the clock moving, the toll begins to show.
"You can hear the exhaustion in them," said Hurst, the Cougars' left guard.
The Cougars have played a game of keep away, holding the ball longer than any team in the Big 12 and ranking 29th nationally with an average time of possession 32 minutes, 6 seconds. They've done it with a balanced run-pass attack, few turnovers and a third-down conversion rate of 62.7% that leads the nation. The 20th-ranked Cougars and their offense will face No. 18 Oklahoma State on Saturday at TDECU. The Cowboys are eighth in the Big 12 in total defense.
"It's a disappointment whenever we don't go out there and score," left tackle Alvin Ebosele said.
That hasn't happened often. Of their 59 possessions this season (not including end-of-half and end-of-game situations), the Cougars have scored 32 touchdowns, tied for ninth-most in FBS.
UH's long drives can make for a frustrating afternoon for opposing defensive coordinators searching for a way to get the Cougars off the field. Fourteen touchdown drives have lasted at least nine plays, including a season-high 14-play, 86-yard march against Georgia Southern that consumed nearly 7 ½ minutes off the clock.
In last week's 35-16 win at Kansas State, UH opened the game with a 12-play touchdown drive and followed with another eight-play possession that ended with a missed field goal. Although the drive ended without points, it kept the Kansas State defense on the field.
UH held the ball roughly 35 minutes, a season-high, marking the fifth time in six games the Cougars have possessed it for more than half the game.
Last season, the Cougars ranked 16th nationally in time of possession at 32:18. In 2024 when the Cougars had one of the nation's least productive offenses, they ranked 72nd at 29:54.
"If you're running the ball down their throats for two quarters and then they are on the field a lot, because our defense is doing the job keeping their offense off the field, that eventually wears them out," Ebosele said.
The lengthy scoring drives can also "demoralize" opponents, Ebosele said.
"If they are playing their hardest and get scored on, then they have to go back out for another 10- or 12-play drive," Ebosele said. "They can't sustain that high level for the entire game."
In five of the six games this season, UH has scored on its opening drive. One of the Cougars' most impressive examples came in the first quarter of their Sept. 18 game at Texas Tech. UH held the ball for 12:39 of the 15-minute quarter, took a 10-0 lead and kept the Red Raiders' offense on the sideline.
"You play great defense when your offense is out there on the field," coach Willie Fritz said.
The only time UH hasn't gotten off to a fast start this season was Week 5 against UCF. The Cougars repeatedly marched down the field in the first half but came away empty on three consecutive trips inside the 5-yard line. Down 17-0 in the third quarter, UH scored the game's final 27 points.
"It makes everything easier later on down the line," Hurst said of UH's fast starts. "We set the tone early."
A rushing attack that averages 230 yards per game has been a big reason for the Cougars' time-consuming drives. So has their third-down efficiency. They've also limited mistakes, with only four drives ending in turnovers.
And the rare times the Cougars aren't clicking on offense? They've had just five three-and-out drives that resulted in a punt.
"When we are running on all cylinders and communicating, we're hard to stop," quarterback Conner Weigman said.
Fritz won't mind a short scoring drive, either.
"We'll also take one of those one-play drives where you go for 65 yards and a touchdown," he said. "That's good too."
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There’s more to Houston with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at UH's offense wears down defenses with long drives and nation-leading third-down success.