HOUSTON – In its prime-time, nationally televised season opener, Houston failed to keep up with fourth-ranked Oklahoma, falling 49-31 on the road. The Cougars have a strong chance to rebound when they host FCS opponent Prairie View, which easily handled Southwestern Athletic Conference foe Texas Southern in its season opener.
TV: 8 p.m. EST, ESPN3. LINE: None
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The Sooners were a familiar opponent for Houston first-year head coach Dana Holgorsen, who went 0-12 against them in his tenure at West Virginia. The Cougars were picked apart by Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Jalen Hurts, who threw for 332 yards while adding 176 on the ground. "We didn't play great on defense. We've got to improve, but I'm going to take it for a grain of salt who we were playing," Holgorsen said following the loss. Prairie View, which finished 5-6 in 2018, scored 24 unanswered points in its 44-23 victory last week.
ABOUT PRAIRIE VIEW (1-0)
In the Panthers' season-opening win, quarterback Jalen Morton threw for 350 yards, connecting with wide receiver Tony Mullins six times for 141 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, senior tailback Dawonya Tucker rushed for 188 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries while adding four catches for 29 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, junior linebacker Tre'Shaud Smith had 12 tackles, eight of them solo.
ABOUT HOUSTON (0-1)
Despite the defensive struggle against Oklahoma, the Cougars managed 31 points of their own, thanks in part to 408 yards of total offense. Senior quarterback D'Eriq King tossed two touchdowns on 167 passing yards to go with 112 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Holgorsen said Tuesday that he hoped running back Patrick Carr, who missed the Oklahoma game with an undisclosed injury, would return against Prairie View.
EXTRA POINTS
1. In 2018, King led the nation by accounting for an average of 27.5 points per game.
2. The 49 points allowed to Oklahoma were the most by a Houston defense since 1993.
3. Morton and Tucker, along with senior DB Ju'Anthony Parker, are on the 2019 Black College Football Player of the Year watch list.
PREDICTION: Houston 52, Prairie View 19