Jason Radowitz gives you his best bet for No. 20 Washington State against Houston in a Cougar Showdown for Week 3 on Friday.
Washington State had an easy schedule these first two weeks. Thatβs about to change as No. 20 Washington State Cougars (2-0) visit the Houston Cougars (1-1) on ESPN Friday night at 9:15pm EST. Washington State scored an average of 58.5 points per game in their first two games against low quality opponents. Houston, on the other hand, began their season against Oklahoma and lost by 18. Houston won their cupcake game for Week 2. And so now weβre here. Iβll be using WSU and Houston to talk about the two teams since they have the same. damn. mascot. My best bet for this game will be given at the bottom of the article.
Washington State
Washington State is coming off two cupcake victories against New Mexico State and Northern Colorado. Currently, Washington State has ranked as one of the top offenses in the country. Quarterback Anthony Gordonβs YPA was close to 12 in their game against Northern Colorado. Houstonβs defense tends to give up chunks of yards on defense. This is an area where WSU can exploit.
Gordon has a lot of talent at wide receiver to help in Brandon Arcanado and Easop Winston Jr. The most glaring stat for Washington State in their first two weeks is that theyβve only come out empty handed on four drives (not including kneel downs.)
They can score. But itβs not all well at WSU. Their defense is in question. Theyβll need to step it up defensively against Houstonβs DβEriq King, a versatile quarterback with a lot of playmaking ability.
Houston
That guyβ¦ DβEriq King scored 50 touchdowns last season, 14 on the ground. He looks just as good this season with three touchdowns on the ground in two weeks. Houston averaged about six yards per play in their game against Oklahoma, which isnβt spectacular knowing how spotty Big 12 defense can be. The Sooners and Washington State defense are ranked around the same.
With all the good that King has done, the passing game has been pretty poor. Heβs completed about 55 percent of his passes for 306 yards in two games. Thankfully, his run game has been on point which has allowed him to continue to play very good as quarterback. Houston will likely run the ball plenty behind Kyle Porter (and King).
King has been sacked seven times in two games after dropping back 54 times. WSU has a chance to be disruptive and get pressure on King. But even though King hasnβt been great, this will be the largest test for WSU to date. King is explosive and can make any defense pay for mistakes.
The Verdict
The line is currently sitting at -9 for Washington State. I really believe Washington State will claw this one out, but I think thereβs some bias to what Washington State has done recently. Theyβve beat up on two low caliber teams and their defense has been spotty. DβEriq King is explosive offensively. I expect him to keep this game close. This game will be a shootout, but itβll be a one score game at the end. Iβll take NINE points for King and Houston.