Houston Cougars vs Texas Tech Game Preview

Kickoff Time: 9/15 @ 3:15 pm CT

Location: Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, Texas

TV Coverage: FOX

Spread: Houston -1

All-Time Series Record: Houston leads 18-12, with one additional tie in 1987

Last meeting: 27-24 Texas Tech, 2017

If you watched the game last week, then you understand the reaction of “Wow.” Houston’s offense looked unstoppable. D’Eriq King may have thrown for 246 yards and 4 touchdowns, but don’t let that allow you to forget about the 297 rushing yards the team gained on what was a very porous looking Arizona defense.

After doing what they did to the Wildcats, the Cougars are going to be absolutely ready to roll in Lubbock this Saturday when they take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Two high powered offenses, one of the best defensive lineman in the country, and a lot of respect after last year’s match-up. This is a game that should be entertaining to watch if you’re an offense heavy kind of person.

What to Watch For Houston

1. How the secondary holds up against Tech’s passing game. Even though they intercepted Khalil Tate twice last Saturday, they also gave up over 300 passing yards. Texas Tech loves to throw the ball around, and they excel at it, as shown with their 741 passing yards in the first two games of the season. It’ll be up to the back four or five guys to prevent the deep, momentum changing plays that can make the Red Raiders difficult to handle.
2. Will this hot offense continue rolling? This offense has been on fire to start the season. They are currently 21st in the country in total offense (1128 yards), and has an opportunity to move up in those rankings with a good showing against a Texas Tech defense that is known to give up extraordinarily amounts of points, as proven by the 47 they gave up to Ole Miss in Week 1.

What this game means for Houston: This is their last game against a Power 5 opponent this season and this is a must win to help have a case at the NY6 bid. A win here will also more than likely place them in the AP Top 25 going into next week. This is for the resume.

What to Watch For Texas Tech

1. Is Alan Bowman the guy? A freshman from Grapevine, Texas, this guy has put up 555 passing yards in his first two games as a college quarterback. He’s been playing well to start the season and there’s no reason why it couldn’t continue. He has weapons and has been smart throwing the ball, posting no interceptions so far and just under a 70% completion rate.
2. Will the defense play defense? Yes, they shutout Lamar last week. Good for them. They also gave up 47 to Ole Miss, the only competitive team they’ve played yet. They came to Houston last year and played respectable enough to hold on for the win, but the Cougars have improved since last year. This defense needs to keep King pressured and contain if they expect to stay in this game.

What this game means for Texas Tech: A loss here can really put Texas Tech’s season on the ropes early. They aren’t looking for a CFP spot so rankings may not matter as much, but they can make noise in the Big 12. However, going into Big 12 play with two losses is not ideal, so a win would be beneficial.

Outlook: Houston has the spread at -1, and there’s an understandable reason why. These offenses are going to light up the board. This is going to be an incredibly high scoring game with a plentiful amount of big plays. I think the Cougars are going to break away in the second half however, as Houston’s defense will be able to effectively contain Bowman and Co. better than Tech will limit D’Eriq King. Anything can happen on the field, but Houston should be able to get it done and feel comfortable by the middle/end of the fourth quarter. Houston 42, Texas Tech 34