Houston at Texas Tech Prediction for Week 2
Odds, best bets and analysis for this college football matchup
Matthew Horner - Sep 7, 2022, 7:13pm EDT
Houston Cougars
It took the Cougars overtime to defeat the UTSA Roadrunners in Week 1, but hey, they came out with a victory. Games like that, especially this early in the season, can go a long way in building toughness when in the face of adversity. At least, that is what they say. Houston will have to play much better this week if they want to come out on top with a victory against an equally tough Texas Tech squad.
There were simply far too many miscues, certainly on offense, where the team struggled all day long against the Roadrunners. Not only that, but they had a ridiculous 11 penalties in the game, and to come out on top after giving the opponent that many free yards is very lucky. The one saving grace that Houston had was how it controlled the football, dominating time of possession and making the plays when they needed to on the big downs. The defense played solid for the most part and didn't allow any big runs on the ground except for one.
Houston and Texas Tech are pretty equal opponents, and that shows with a line of just 3. The Red Raiders will be without QB Tyler Shough, who injured himself in Week 1, but perhaps that's actually a bad thing for Houston.
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Texas Tech Red Raiders
QB Tyler Shough may be injured after their blowout 63-10 victory over Murray State in Week 1, but his backup played even better than him during the contest. Donovan Smith came into the game and destroyed Murray State, ripping them for four touchdowns on a 14-of-16 day. You can make the argument that it was against Murray State all you want, but UTSA QB Frank Harris threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns against this Cougars secondary. Smith can do the exact same, but even better in my opinion.
New Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire has an offense in place that can dominate you through the air, and he showed that off in Week 1. Offensive coordinator Zach Kittley will make sure of that, as his offense at WKU was excellent in his time there. The defense, while not great, has a few players that can make plays and hold off a jumbled Houston offense that was far too mistake-prone in Week 1.
The Red Raiders are much different than UTSA, and this is a challenge that the Cougars will have to dig deep for to win.
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Houston at Texas Tech Lean
The best chance for the Cougars in this game is their ability to control the ball. If they can keep it away from Smith just enough to stop him from scoring too much, they have a shot on the road to pull off the upset. I personally just don't see that happening. They cannot have a repeat performance of last week here, and Smith should tear the Houston secondary apart when he has the football.
I don't see either team having a good game on the ground, as both rushing attacks are afterthoughts and the defensive front of Texas Tech is stout. Both QBs should light up their opposition with big plays in the passing game, not just Smith. Houston’s Clayton Tune should have a huge day as well against a poor Red Raiders secondary.
This is going to be a high-scoring affair that I believe will end with a Texas Tech victory. So, I'll take the Red Raiders -3.
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