GAME PREVIEW: Tulsa at Houston Thursday Night

Thursday, October 4

Houston, Texas

7:00 PM

Tulsa

Houston

Photo by: Brett Rojo

GAME PREVIEW: Tulsa at Houston Thursday Night

10/4/2018 9:50:00 AM | Football

GAME 5: TULSA (1-3, 0-1 American) vs. HOUSTON (3-1, 0-0 American)
Date/Time:	Thursday, October 4, 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Houston, Texas
Stadium:	TDECU Stadium (40,000)
Coaches:	TULSA – Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State '95), 4th year HOUSTON – Major Applewhite (Texas '02), 2nd year
TV:	ESPN
Talent:	Dave Flemming (pxp), Greg McElroy (analyst), Laura Rutledge (sideline)
Tickets:	To purchase tickets, UHCougars.com
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM or Online
Talent:	Bruce Howard (pxp), Rick Couri (analyst), Jeremie Poplin (sidelines)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	Houston leads 23-19-0
First Meeting:	Tulsa 28, Houston 21 (Dec. 2, 1950), Houston, Texas
Last Meeting:	Tulsa 45, Houston 17 (Oct. 14, 2017), Tulsa, Okla.
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| Houston \| American Athletic Conference

HOUSTON, Texas –– An American Athletic Conference West Division matchup between the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (1-3, 0-1 AAC) and the Houston Cougars (3-1, 0-0 AAC) kicks off the college football weekend Thursday night.

Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. (CT) from TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas.

The Hurricane will have its hands full against an offense that ranks as the country's top offense, while the other side of the ball is led by one o the nation's top defenders. Houston's offense gains a nation-leading 608 yards per game, and is also 2^nd in scoring and 5^th in passing with averages of 52.2 points and 355.6 yards per game.

The Cougars' D'Eriq King has completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,197 yards and 15 touchdowns. King's main targets have been Marquez Stevenson, Courtney Lark and Keith Corbin, as the three receivers have combined for just over 900 yards and 11 touchdowns in their first four games.

The running game has six players gaining over 100 yards, led by Patrick Carr's 201 yards, while the signal-caller King has rushed for 107 yards and a team-high 5 touchdowns. They run behind a veteran offensive line led by seniors Will Noble at center and left guard Mason Denley.

Tulsa counters on defense with a front line that features two 300+ pounders on the interior with junior Shemarr Robinson and sophomore Tyarise Stevenson. The lone senior upfront is Myles Mouton at one end spot and junior Trevis Gipson mans the other defensive end position for the Hurricane.

Robinson and Stevenson have played solid on the interior whether anchoring Tulsa's 3-man or 4-man fronts. Gipson has tallied 20 tackles tied for third-most on the roster, while Robinson has 17 stops.

Linebackers Cooper Edmiston at MIKE, Zaven Collins at WILL and Diamon Cannon at the STAR position have each totaled double-digit tackles on the year. Edmiston leads the Hurricane with 32 stops, while Collins has 20 stops to rank third on the team and Cannon has 17 tackles and his 14 yards on two TFLs leads the team.

The secondary is led by senior safety McKinley Whitfield, who has 25 tackles and four pass breakups on the season. Manny Bunch and TieNeal Martin, who had 14 stops in his first start against Arkansas State, also patrols the backend for the Hurricane.

Tulsa starts two true sophomores at cornerback – Akayleb Evans and Allie Green – while two veterans Keanu Hill and Reggie Robinson see plenty of time as well. Hill has started three games after sitting out last year with an injury. Robinson was a starter last year, but missed the preseason and the first game with an injury.

Houston's offense isn't the only aspect of the Cougars that pose a problem opposing teams. Everybody's first-team All-America defensive lineman Ed Oliver, standing 6'3", 292 pounds, headlines a defense that has totaled 28 TFLs, 26 pass break-ups and five takeaways.

Oliver, projected by many as one of the first picks in the upcoming NFL Draft, has 27 tackles, five TFLs for -14 yards and seven quarterback hurries.

Tulsa's offense counters with three seniors up front who have combined to start 110 games. All-conference center Chandler Miller has started all 42 games since starting his first game of his red-shirt freshman season, while tackle Willie Wright has started 39 games and guard Tyler Bowling has started 29 consecutive contests. Junior Chris Ivy holds down the left tackle spot, while Waahid Muhammad, who also has returned from injury, will see playing time there as well. Two 300-pounders, Tiller Bucktrot and Chris Paul, have shared time at right guard this season.

The Houston linebackers corps is led by Austin Robinson and Roman Brown, ranked one-two in tackles with 37 and 33 tackles, respectively. Safety Deontay Anderson leads the secondary with 23 stops and two pass break-ups and cornerback Alexander Myres has 22 tackles and two PBUs.

On offense, Tulsa has been able to run the ball for an average of 209 yards per game, but turnovers have stifled the Hurricane offense. The Tulsa quarterback position could see a mix of individuals getting snaps against the Cougars, including sophomore Luke Skipper, red-shirt freshman Seth Boomer and junior Chad President.

Skipper has started the first five games and has completed 58-percent of his passes for 716 yards and four TDs. Boomer has not yet seen action in his brief career, while President started seven games last year, passing for 930 yards and running for another 504 yards, while totaling 12 touchdowns.

The Tulsa run game is led by a pair of sophomores –– Shamari Brooks and Corey Taylor II. Brooks has rushed for a team-high 375 yards and four touchdowns, while Taylor has tallied 259 yards for a 4.4 average and three TDs.

Senior Justin Hobbs, who came into the season with over 2,000 career yards, leads the receiving corps. Hobbs has totaled 15 catches for 174 yards and one touchdown, while junior Keenen Johnson has a team-high 180 yards, along with one touchdown. Inside receivers Keylon Stokes and Jarion Anderson have combined for 30 receptions and 258 yards in the first 4 games.

The tight end position features senior Chris Minter, who missed the first two games with an injury, and fellow senior Cole Neph. A main force in Tulsa's run game offense, Minter has also totaled four TDs on 10 career receptions, while Neph has caught five passes this year for 50 yards and two touchdowns.

This Thursday night tilt can be seen on ESPN beginning at 7:00 p.m.