How UH's Latreveon McCutchin turned a revenge game into his best pass-rushing day yet

During the season opener, Latreveon McCutchin walked over to the sideline where his older brother, Latrell, was standing.

McCutchin had come close to a sack. 

A few times, actually.

He believed two or three of his early pressures against Oregon State could have been sacks. 

Big brother – a former cornerback for the University of Houston – wasn’t about to let him forget it.

“Nah, man, we need to turn those pressures into sacks,” Latrell told him.

In the 33-20 season-opening win, McCutchin finally got his first sack of the season. He added a team-high five pressures in what was the best pass-rush performance of his career.

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“I don’t like to leave any meat on the bone, like I feel I did last year,” McCutchin said. 

That season started against Oregon State, too, albeit with a different result. The Cougars won, 27-24, in overtime in Corvallis. McCutchin said he was dealing with an AC joint injury and was given an injection just days before the game that put him in a “bad mindset.”

“And it showed on the field,” he said. 

He called the performance “one of the worst games I’ve ever played.”

So, when the schedule came out, the opener was circled on the calendar.

“Laser-locked,” McCutchin said. “This had been on my mind for a while.”

Heading into his senior season, McCutchin spent the offseason working on his pass rush as one of the returners at the JACK position. Short for jack of all trades, the hybrid position allows UH to use McCutchin as a stand-up pass rusher, drop him in coverage and defend against the run.

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“I feel like any time I’m on the field there’s a play to be made by me,” McCutchin said.

After spending his freshman season mostly on special teams, McCutchin played weakside linebacker for half his sophomore season before moving to the DOG position, a similar hybrid spot. He was learning a new role, which came with an adjustment period.

“That was a tough transition,” said James Ross III, UH’s defensive run-game coordinator who also works with edge rushers.

Now in his fourth season at UH, McCutchin has shown signs of everything coming together.

HOW TO WATCH

When: 6 p.m. Saturday.
TV:The game will be televised on ESPN+ with Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play), Tyoka Jackson (analyst) and Austyn Iven (sideline reporter).|
Radio: KPRC 950 AM with Kevin Eschenfelder (play-by-play), Ted Pardee (analyst) and Jeremy Branham (sideline reporter). Matt Thomas will host the pregame show beginning at 5 p.m. The game is also streamed on The Varsity Network app and SiriusXM (channels 138 or 199).

“He’s definitely taken the approach of fully being locked-in,” Ross said. “He knows what he’s capable of, knows his strengths and what he needs to work on. He’s fully bought into that, and you were able to see that (in the season opener).”

Ross said McCutchin showed as a freshman a good get-off, the explosive first step off the line of scrimmage. But he didn’t know how to bend, which shortens the path to the quarterback. In Year 2, McCutchin emphasized improving balance.

“Now it’s all coming together,” Ross said. 

With less than 30 seconds left in the first half, McCutchin recorded his first sack of the season, an 8-yard loss that kept Oregon State out of field-goal range. His five pressures were one more than his entire total last season.

“He did a great job slipping inside at times when they would overset on him,” said coach Willie Fritz, whose No. 22 Cougars host Southern in a nonconference game Saturday at TDECU Stadium. “He’s an excellent pass rusher, and we need that.”

After all, big brother is watching. 

“Each time I step on the field, I need to be there to impact plays,” McCutchin said.

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This article originally published at How UH’s Latreveon McCutchin turned a revenge game into his best pass-rushing day yet.