THE BATTLE FOR TEXAS: Houston vs Texas Tech Game Preview

This upcoming Friday we have a Big 12 ranked match up with Houston(22) and Texas Tech(13)

This is the first ranked meeting between these two teams since 1989. Both these teams have already played Oregon State and have gotten good wins over them.

Texas Tech has had the better of Houston as of recently as they have notched seven straight wins over Houston and won twelve of the last thirteen matchups the two teams have played. In their match up last year, Texas Tech beat Houston 35-11 with Houston QB Conner Wiegman leaving the game early with an injury. Houston enters with the longest road winning streak in the country while Texas Tech has won 9 straight at home in Galaxy Stadium.

The biggest question mark going into this game will be if both teams offense will be able to continue running the ball as efficiently as they have so far.

On the season, Houston has been averaging 308 rushing yards while Texas Tech's defense has not allowed over 100 yards a game.

On the flipside however, Houston's defense has only allowed 10 rushing yards per game to opponents, which makes for an interesting match up as Texas Tech has averaged 164 rushing yards per game.

The question of the game is whether the Red Raiders can run the ball efficiently with RB Cameron Dickey. Dickey tallied a whopping 1124 rushing yards a year ago, and will need a big game to lead a struggling Red Raiders offense to a win over Houston on Saturday.

Cougars QB Conner Wiegmen is the player I am predicting to be the biggest X factor in this game however. Against Oregon State he went for 305 yards and 1 touchdown helping Houston Produce 533 total yards.

Former Tulane and Oregon RB transfer Mahki Hughes leads the Cougars with 142 rushing yards on the year. The backfield duo of Hughes and Weigman will need to play at an elite level against an elite Red Raiders front.

Dont let the numbers fool you though, Weigman ran for 98 yards against Oregon State before Houston decided to split carries in the blowout Against Southern. Hughes has produced at a RB1 level for the Cougars offense.

WR Amare Thomas leads Houston with 162 receiving yards. He had 133 yards against Oregon State, including a 31-yard touchdown from Weigman. He's probably Houston's biggest receiving name to watch if Texas Tech loads the box to slow the run. Circle Thomas as a key player for the Cougars defense.

CB Jalen Mayo is a name worth including for the Cougars aswell. Mayo owns the highest defensive grade among Power Four cornerbacks through the first two weeks, and could improve his draft stock if his elite play continues. Fellow corners Javion White and Will James give Houston a secondary that has quickly become one of the strengths of the team.

As for Texas Tech, QB Will Hammond has gone 46 for 60 for 487 passing yards 2 touchdowns and one interception through 2 games.

Due to the situation with Brendon Sordby not being able to play for the Raiders due to his gambling scandal, Hammond has been thrust into the starting position extremely quickly. Stilll however, there are many questions about Hammond as a player.

This will be the biggest game he would have played as a starter and I personally am not the most confident in putting my faith in him. Hammond’s offense is coming off back to back disappointing performances, and will need to heavily rely on the running game against a secondary as good as Houston’s.

Another interesting development will be how the Red Raiders utilize Tommy Castellanos. Castellanos was a last-second addition after starting at Florida State a year ago. Expect Castellanos to play at least some role in the Red Raiders offense in this game as his role expands.

As for the most important player on the Red Raiders Offense, RB J'Koby Williams might be the biggest offensive player to watch. He has 187 rushing yards, including 116 yards and a touchdown against Oregon State. Houston allowing only 10 rushing yards per game coming into the matchup makes Williams versus that Cougar front one of the defining storylines of this game.

As for Texas Tech's defense, LB Ben Roberts leads Texas Tech with 15 tackles while John Curry and Amier Boyd have both had an interception. The Red Raiders lost a lot of production from last years playoff team, but return loads of talent on defense regardless.

Both teams enter in this game 2-0, and one of these teams will start big 12 conference play at 0-1.

This game comes down to one man: Will Hammond. How Hammond can respond to the pressure of playing in this big time match up with no previous experience is going to decide this game for the Red Raiders.

Writers Prediction: My pick to win is going to be Houston but expect a close, low-scoring game that might be decided by a field goal. Get ready for a great matchup between two contending Big 12 playoff hopefuls.