After a demanding win against Temple in their first contest of the year, the 15th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners look to improve to 2-0 against Houston on September 7. The game will be played on Sooner turf at Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium, giving Oklahoma a game-altering home-field advantage.
Oklahoma enters the contest with a record of 1-0, while Houston enters the contest winless at 0-1. The Sooners are heavily favored to win, but the Cougars should not be completely counted out. Here is a closer look at the matchup.
Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma has been one of the premier college football teams for multiple decades. Though only winning one national championship since 2000, there has been a drought of ultimate success in Oklahoma. The Sooners have featured some of the biggest and greatest names in college football but have still been unable to get over the hump. However, after recently moving to the SEC, things might be trending upward.
Head Coach Brent Venables leads a defensively strong Sooner team, and it should show on Saturday. With stars like Billy Bowman Jr. and Danny Stutsman, the Sooners have one of the best defenses in the country. Houston will likely have trouble finding any offensive rhythm against the loaded Oklahoma unit. Offensively, the Jackson Arnold and Deion Burks connection ignited fireworks in week one against Temple. Burks finished with three touchdowns and will likely dominate against a weaker Cougars secondary.
Houston Cougars
Following a loss in week one against UNLV, the Cougars are looking to get their team on the same page. The offense showed struggles that will likely get exploited by the Oklahoma defense. If they want any chance at competing, ball security and an excellent game plan must be in order. Houston is favored to lose dramatically, but if things get clicking, it could be competitive.
Houston recently joined the Big-12 Conference and along with that comes harder opponents. Though Oklahoma may not be the best competition they play this season, it will be a good game to measure their skill and experience. Head Coach Willie Fritz will lead his team into Norman, Oklahoma in hopes of sparking some success in Houston.
Final Thoughts
Though this game will likely end with an Oklahoma victory, the Houston team has the chance to compete. The defensive aura and dominance surrounding the Sooners will likely be what controls this game, but the Oklahoma offense will also find success if the Cougar defense doesn’t step up. This contest will be a great tool to determine how the rest of each team’s season will unfold and what each team needs to fix going forward.
