HOUSTON -- Like a lot of coaches, Houston's Tom Herman occasionally makes a clever quip during his weekly meetings with the media.

When the subject of preparing for the Heisman Trophy front-runner -- Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson -- arose Monday, Herman tried to spin a joke, but froze. Asked whom he would put at scout-team quarterback to prepare his defense for the dynamic Jackson, he paused for a few seconds and said with a chuckle:

"I'm thinking of something funny to say; I don't know that God has made one that I could even compare him to."

And this comes from a coach whose team actually shut down Jackson last year.

As No. 5 Louisville (9-1) brings its star -- and its College Football Playoff hopes -- to TDECU Stadium on Thursday night (8 ET, ESPN), it looks to avenge a loss to one of the few teams that actually bottled up Jackson in his short, but highlight-filled career. Last September, Houston held Jackson to a pedestrian 168 passing yards, 16 rushing yards (on 12 attempts, a meager 1.33 yards per carry) and two scores (one passing, one rushing) while coming up with three Jackson turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble) in a 34-31 Houston win.

In just his second college game, Houston contained Lamar Jackson during a 34-31 Cougars victory last season. Jamie Rhodes/USA TODAY Sports

Here's the problem: That game was 432 days ago. Jackson was a true freshman playing in his second career game. Now he's a sophomore with 22 games of experience (18 starts), not to mention the full offseason of work with coach Bobby Petrino and the offensive staff.

In short, much has changed.

"Somebody in that building, whether it's coach Petrino or [a position coach], they've changed him," Houston defensive coordinator Todd Orlando said. "He can see the field, he can see coverages now, he makes reads, he's very poised, he knows when to extend plays and when to throw the ball away.

"He's a completely different player. He has improved tenfold, in my opinion."

Still, what did the Cougars do that worked?

"We got a lot of turnovers," Orlando said.

"We were aggressive with everybody we played last year and that was the main thing we tried to do [against Jackson]," defensive end Cameron Malveaux said. "When it's a player's first or second game, it's always good to put pressure on him."

"He's a mobile quarterback, so you can't give him too much time," said safety Khalil Williams. "Being aggressive helped us out a lot."

The Cougars sensed a "deer in the headlights" look about Jackson, understandable for someone so green. They all acknowledge he's a much different -- and better -- player than the one they faced last year. Thus, the Cougars realize they must be calculated in how they attack Jackson, who is tied for the FBS lead in total touchdowns (46) with Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes and leads the country in rushing yards among quarterbacks (1,334).

"The biggest challenge is just containing him," Malveaux said. "He can get out of the pocket in different directions."

Jackson has changed, but so has Houston's defense. Four of its best players from 2015, all of whom were seniors and multiyear starters (middle linebacker Elandon Roberts and defensive backs William Jackson III, Adrian McDonald and Trevon Stewart) have moved on. Six players who started against Louisville last year are back and 11 others who played in the game are back, some of whom moved into starting roles.

Under Orlando, Houston has been one of the best teams in the country at creating turnovers, with 50 takeaways since the start of 2015 (fourth nationally). Orlando is an uber-aggressive blitzer and creative in his game plans, something Petrino noticed. The Louisville coach made Houston one of a small handful of teams the Cardinals spent extra time preparing for in the offseason.

"It's a unique [defensive] scheme and something that we studied over the summer," Petrino told reporters on Monday. "That seems like a long time ago, but we have all our notes and all our things from it. Last week [against Tulane] they came out in a different front, so the question is ... were they playing the [rope-a-dope] or were they really transitioning to that defense? We're going to find out quickly, I think."

The biggest difference for Houston's defense could be the presence of a player who wasn't on the roster last season when these teams met: freshman defensive tackle Ed Oliver.

The five-star recruit, who signed with the Cougars in February, has been a consistent, dominant force. He shined in his college debut against Oklahoma and is in the top 10 nationally in tackles for loss with 16.5. His ability to provide inside pressure has disrupted opponents' backfields all season. Pro Football Focus ranks Oliver as the No. 1 true freshman nationally.

"It's impacted everybody," Orlando said. "It has helped the guys that play behind him, the guys in the secondary, that he can create pressure."

Whether the Cougars (8-2) can repeat their 2015 success against Jackson ultimately will determine Thursday night's outcome. Louisville needs the victory to keep its playoff hopes alive, a conversation Houston hoped it would be a part of when this game arrived. Losses to Navy and SMU knocked the Cougars not only out of the playoff conversation, but out of the national rankings, New Year's Six bowl contention and have made their hopes at getting back to their conference championship game slim.

As a result, this is the Cougars' last chance to shine on a grand stage with a significant national audience, and they're approaching it as such.

Said receiver Chance Allen: "This is our Super Bowl."