Pinned
Link copied
Houston will be in front of their home fans on Thursday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-field advantage. The Houston Cougars and the West Virginia Mountaineers will face off in a Big 12 battle at 7:00 p.m. ET at TDECU Stadium. Houston will really need to gear up for this challenge, as West Virginia will be their toughest opponent yet.
Houston was first on the board, but had to settle for second at the end of their match against Texas Tech two Saturdays ago. Houston suffered a grim 49-28 defeat to Texas Tech. Houston gained 89 more yards than Texas Tech, but the latter made more effective use of their yardage.
Houston's loss came about despite a quality game from Donovan Smith, who threw for 335 yards and four touchdowns while completing 72.5% of his passes. That's the first time this season that Smith passed for three or more passing touchdowns. Samuel Brown was another key contributor, picking up 113 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Even though they lost, the Cougars dominated in the air and finished the game with 335 passing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Texas Tech only passed for 161.
Meanwhile, West Virginia had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 15 points), and they went ahead and made it four. They skirted past TCU 24-21.
Garrett Greene looked great while leading his team to the win, rushing for 80 yards and two touchdowns. That's the first time this season that Greene punched in two or more rushing touchdowns. West Virginia also relied on Michael Hayes, whose 49-yard boot in the fourth quarter wound up being the difference in the game.
West Virginia's victory bumped their season record to 4-1 while Houston's loss dropped theirs to 2-3.
Looking ahead, the game is expected to be close, with West Virginia going off as just a 2.5-point favorite. This will be their first time playing as the favorites on the road this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday' game: The Cougars have been unstoppable in the air this season, having averaged 281 passing yards per game. It's a different story for the Mountaineers, though, as they've been averaging only 155.6 per game. Given Houston's sizeable advantage in that area, West Virginia will need to limit their effectiveness. Come back here after the game to find expert analysis of the match and other college football content.
