Getty D'Eriq King is one of the top quarterbacks in college football.
The Washington State Cougars go for their third straight win to open the season when they visit the Houston Cougars in what will be their first real test of the year.
Washington State leads the all-time series 2-1 but these two teams haven’t met since the 1988 Aloha Bowl (a 24-22 Washington State win). Both teams are coming off convincing wins against FCS opponents, can Houston take advantage of their home field?
No. 20 Washington State Cougars (2-0) vs. Houston Cougars (1-1)
Friday, September 13 at 9:15 PM ET
NRG Stadium
Coverage: ESPN
*All odds and betting info courtesy of OddsShark and originally posted by Heritage
- No. 20 Washington State -7 vs. Houston Cougars
- Over/Under: N/A
Washington State Cougars
One last look at our 59-17 victory over Northern Colorado yesterday afternoon in Martin Stadium! #GoCougs #JoinTheHunt
Anthony Gordon completed 31 of 39 passes for 464 yards and four touchdowns with one interception to help Washington State beat Northern Colorado 59-17 last Saturday. Deon McIntosh ran for 52 yards and one touchdown on four carries, Max Borghi added 34 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries and Brandon Arconado caught eight passes for 127 yards and one touchdown.
Washington State had 594 total yards, to 355 for Northern Colorado. Washington State had the ball for just 23:59, to 36:01 for Northern Colorado, which is why head coach Mike Leach doesn’t put much stock in that statistic. This is what he said about his defense: “We did a good job of shutting down drives at key times.”
Houston Cougars
Start off your Sunday with highlights from our win over Prairie View A&M.
Houston bounced back from a 49-31 season-opening loss against Oklahoma with a 37-17 home win against Prairie View A&M last Saturday. Kyle Porter ran for a career-high 120 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries, D’Eriq King completed 15 of 26 passes for 139 yards and one touchdown with one interception and he added two scores on the ground. Houston now has 28 straight wins against FCS-level opponents and they’re 7-0 all-time against Southwestern Athletic Conference opponents.
Prairie View A&M pulled within 10-3 on a 23-yard field goal by Zach Elder late in the first quarter but Houston responded with 24 straight points. Houston held a slight 380-318 advantage in total yards and they rushed for 236 yards against Prairie View A&M’s 70.
Trends and Prediction
Houston Cougars are:
- 4-1 ATS in their last five games after accumulating less than 170 passing yards in their previous game
- 9-3 ATS in their last 12 Friday games
- 6-2 ATS in their last eight games following an ATS loss
- 17-8 ATS in their last 25 games in September
Washington State pounded two overmatched opponents and face tougher competition, like Houston, will help give us a better idea of their abilities.
The Houston offensive line struggled to gel early against Oklahoma but now they have more experience working together. As for their defensive line, they need a decent performance and their success in this game depends on their linemen’s ability to win the line of scrimmage. It all comes down to their defense, their performance here will tell us a lot going forward and if they come out strong Houston can cover this spread.
Pick: Houston +7
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