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SALT LAKE CITY — All things appear to be right in Utah County this week.
BYU built off its momentum from the Utah State game and came back to beat Georgia Tech, 38-20, for what is now a three-game winning streak that is taking the Cougars away from the ill feelings that persisted around the program after the loss to the University of Utah.
Also, in other positive news, Taysom Hill completed 19 of 27 for 244 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Hill has appeared to have much better control of the offense the past couple weeks, and registered a highlight play to Cody Hoffman against Georgia Tech.
Now, the Cougars travel to take on a foe that is more dangerous now than might have been thought when Tom Holmoe put together the 2013 schedule — the University of Houston.
Kevin Sumlin built the Houston Cougars program before leaving for Texas A&M, and new coach Tony Levine has kept a traditionally high-scoring offense intact, with the Cougars scoring 39.8 points per game. Also, the Cougars have had a stingy defense, surrendering only 19 points.
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Houston is tied with No. 8 Louisville for the lead in the American Athletic Conference with a 5-0 record.
So, BYU will not get an off-week before it prepares to continue its regional rivalry with Boise State. Instead, the matchup between Cougars will come down to the matchup between the BYU secondary and Houston quarterback John O’Korn.
Why this matchup?
Houston does decently well in all three phases of the game, but it is throwing the football where the Cougars have the most success. O’Korn has already passed for 1,131 yards and 11 touchdowns this season as part of a passing attack that averages 287.8 yards per game.
Also, Houston has several game-changing wide receivers, including Deontay Greenberry. Greenberry has 39 receptions for 606 yards and three touchdowns.
BYU has done a decent job against the pass this season, although it did allow Utah’s Travis Wilson 273 passing yards and a big play to Dres Anderson. The Cougars will have to put a premium on stopping the Houston attack as BYU needs to try to avoid passing its way out of an early hole.
If BYU can’t stop Houston playmakers like Greenberry, it will force BYU to make Taysom Hill pass the Cougars out of a deficit. Hill has performed better over the past few weeks, but it is doubtful BYU wants him to prove himself against the 22nd ranked defense in the country.
Who wins this matchup?
BYU hasn’t played a dynamic passing attack all year long, with Utah being the toughest aerial test for the Cougars. Again, the Utes aren’t exactly the Greatest Show on Turf, but BYU did struggle several times to make the right reads on passing attempts in the loss to Utah.
Quite frankly, BYU can’t afford to allow Houston to effectively pass the football. If it does, it will force Kyle Van Noy to drop into coverage more often, which then opens up running lanes.
Overall, BYU won’t be able to stop Greenberry from having a big day, meaning Hill will have to pass the Cougars back to life. And that is bad news for BYU.
