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SALT LAKE CITY — The BYU Cougars will travel to Houston to take on the undefeated Houston Cougars at Reliant Stadium. BYU will look to build on the momentum from last Saturday's win against ACC foe Georgia Tech.
Can the BYU Cougars give the Houston Cougars their first loss of the year? Here are five keys for the Cougars to come away victorious:
Do you remember that quote from the Bad News Bears in Breaking Training? The little league team was playing at the Houston Astrodome and the game was going to be called due to time constraints. But the coach of the Bears started chanting "Let them play!" and the whole crowd joined in and so the game went on. BYU Cougar fans may be yelling at their TV's to let more defensive backs play in this game.
The Cougs from Houston love to wing it around the field. The quarterbacks from Houston have attempted almost 200 passes so far this season — that's almost 40 passing attempts a game. And each reception is garnering them 13 yards a catch. This actually plays in to BYU's hands. The blue Cougar corners usually play off the ball a bit. Houston's receivers will get catches in this game, but if BYU can limit the yards, that will be key. And don't be surprised to see BYU play a bit more nickel coverage in this game with Spencer Hadley playing nickel back. That may discourage receivers from coming across the middle.
I wonder if Hadley can sing any Nickelback songs? That could also discourage the Cougar offense.
That's what former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said after his team won an NBA title in 1995. Houston QB John O'Korn seems to have that heart right now. The freshman is the full-time starter after David Piland's career ended due to concussions. O'Korn is lighting it up right now; he's thrown for 1131 yards, 11 touchdowns and only one interception. Oh, and he's completing 59 percent of his passes. That's pretty good for a kid right out of high school. Coaches have probably put him in situations to succeed much like BYU's coaches have done with Taysom Hill.
So BYU has to do something to unnerve him a bit. While the DB's may lay off a bit, the defensive line and linebackers cannot do the same. We've seen what can happen when the long arms of Alani Fua and Bronson Kaufusi get active. They will need to extend those hands to bat down some passes or get an interception or two in this game.
A lot of teams have been saying that after playing Houston this season. The red clad Cougars are +14 in the turnover margin. Memphis turned it over four times against them last week. And BYU's been a bit of a turnover machine this season.
Last week's win over Georgia Tech was the first game this season that the blue clad Cougs have not turned it over once. It was a nice surprise and something that will have to be repeated this week. Houston's first two scores against Memphis came on a short field after a turnover.
That sentence comes from the Houston Oilers fight song. Yes, the Tennessee Titans used to be housed in Houston. And the cheesy fight song sounds like it's a mix of polka and 70s disco, with a bit of Texas flare. You can go ahead and take a listen by clicking on this link.
The song perfectly describes what BYU's offense needs to do to win this game. They need to be in control. I believe "go fast, go hard" is a good thing, but the other team likes to do it, too. So what's the rush? Speaking of rush, that will be the key again this week to setting up the pass. Taysom Hill looked exceptional again as he tossed the pigskin around. But he and the running backs know this will only happen if they establish the rushing attack.
I don't even know why I write this down as a key since I know the Cougars will run a lot each and every week.
The Oilers spawned a movement called "Luv Ya Blue" in the late 70s when they actually started winning games under coach "Bum" Phillips and behind running back Earl Campbell. The Astrodome was regularly sold out. I don't think Reliant Stadium will be sold out, but I would expect quite a few blue Cougar fans to show up. The largest crowd Houston has had at their home away from home this season is 34,831. And that game was against Rice, which is also located in the Space City.
Last week, Houston and Memphis played at the Dynamo's soccer stadium and the Cougars couldn't even sell out the 22,039 seat stadium. BYU fans should come out in droves for this game, and it may even feel like a home game at times for the boys in blue and white. BYU's faithful fans from The Lone Star State (and 35 points of offense) should help push the Provo Cougars to a victory in Houston.
