Game Time: 7:00 EDT Saturday, September 4th, 2021

Venue:  NRG Stadium, Houston Texas

Where to Watch:  ESPN

Texas Tech, Spread -1;  Houston Spread +1  

Moneyline:  TT -115, Houston -105

O/U:  64

 

DraftKings:  Texas Tech -2.5,  O/U 71 points

Texas Tech:  0-0, first game of the season. (Big-12)

Houston: 0-0, first game of the season. (American)

Will Rogers is 8-3 his last 11 releases, and is featuring his College Football Game of the Month in Saturday NCAA action.  It's available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.

 

Recent Form

  Texas Tech:  4-6 in 2020… with a Big-12 record of 3-6.  They haven’t won a Bowl Game since 2013 and last season was no different.  Last season they scored 29 points a game (57th out of 128) not exactly enough touchdowns for a team that need to be in the top 20 in scoring just to overcome their own defense who gave up 36.7 points a game (109th of 128)

The Texas Tech University Red Raiders offense has a history of highlighting their quarterback by running an NFL style passing game.  Way back when Mike Leach was head coach a system was built in Lubbock where the only way for this sleepy, boring, bad BBQ, corner of the State of Texas to make any noise in the college football season was to construct a roster that would air it out and put up numbers normally reserved for a basketball team.  Defense be damned!  They look for a shootout week after week.  The result is the top QB recruits and top NFL hopeful receivers are drawn to Texas Tech to have their name and stats in every news release and announcement not focused on the SEC.  Following a very Underwhelming 4-6 season in 2020 Texas Tech went out and got former Oregon Ducks quarterback (Pac-12 champion a year ago) Tyler Shough as a grass transfer.  Oregon plays the shootout way too.  Hopefully for Matt Wells’ job ( Matt is just 8-14 as head coach) new QB TYler Shough can right the ship and start winning again.  

 

Houston Coach Dana Holgerson had to face a year bashed by Covid,  (so did everyone) and it keeps popping up as his excuse for going 7-13, 5-9 in conference so far.  There was a kerfuffle about Holgerson trying to get his top players to take a redshirt year in 2019 (including quarterback D’eriq King , now a Miami Hurricane) to give him a super squad for 2020.  It didn’t work.  Still Holgerson should be up for this game, as this is the most familiar of opponents, and up to his trickiest.  Holgerson spent 6 seasons under Mike Leach on the Red Raiders staff.  Since then Holgerson went 5-2 against the Red Raiders while head coach of the Mountaineers! Last season is done and gone.  It’s time for Holgerson to play the players he’s got.. And get a haircut.

 

 

Texas Tech gave up way too many points last season!  Giving up 367 points in a shortened season was the recipe for finishing with a losing record.  And ranking 109th of 128 in defense.  You would think they went out and recruited defensive studs top to bottom… but no.  Instead they are touting so many returning starters!  Hint:  Everyone got the same Covid extension… every college and university is rolling in return starters… Baylor, Texas A&M, Kansas State, Georgia Tech… they all have more returning starters than ever before FOR the same reason.  TT will stumble further and Matt will take his couple years of experience somewhere else.  Texas Tech Red Raiders football needs to step up on D.. or they will sink further into irrelevance.

Houston is a team whose glory days are buried in Texas football history.  They have always been in the shadow of the Texas Longhorns fighting it out for recognition with the TCU and SMU just in Jersey sales.  Back in the glory days the Houston Cougars fielded some strong defenses.  A return to Glory would need to start with a return to a strong d-line.  Last season Houston gave up 34 points per game. Second year defensive coordinator Joe Cauthen needs to turn it around. They were 127th in giving up yards per play among the 129 FBS programs.  UNfortunately they didn’t bring in enough quality guys.

It’s tough.  The Red Raiders have a porous defense and the Cougars have a more porous defense.  The resulting argument is whether one of them has addressed their offensive woes enough to get us a solid Over.

 

The Prediction for Saturday, September 4th is   Houston 32 - Texas Tech 21.  

 

 

The Houston Cougars have gone 18-13-1 against Texas Tech since 1951, but as time shifted the program's fortunes… Texas Tech is 8-1 against Houston over the last 9 games.

 The Under has been hit 8 of the last 9 Texas Tech games as a favorite.

 Houston is 1-4 straight up in their last 5 Big-12 matchups.

 

TT:

WR Erik Ezukanma, Questionable (arm injury)

RB Sarodorick Thompson,Questionable (shoulder injury)

Hou:

RB James Fullbright III, Out for the season (knee injury)

DL Chidozie Nwankwo, Out indefinitely (suspension)

Texas Tech;

QB Tyler Shough.  Instant quarterback just add uniform.

Houston:

WR KeSean Carter.  Can he become a solid WR1 and improve the deep threat.

 

Texas Tech:

QB  Tyler Shough

RB  SaRodorick Thompson

WR  Kaylon Geiger

WR  Erik Ezukanma

WR  McLane Mannix

TE  Travis Koontz

LT  T.J. Storment

LG  Weston Wright

C  Dawson Deaton

RG  Josh Burger

RT  Caleb Rogers

Houston:

QB Clayton Tune

RB Mulbah Car

WR KeSean Carter

WR Jeremy Singleton

WR Nathaniel Dell

TE Christian Trahan

LT Patrick Paul

LG Keenan Murphy

C Kody Russey

RG Tank Jenkins

RT Dennis Bardwell

2020 

Texas Tech

Passing:  QB A. Bowman 1,602 yards.

Rushing:  RB S. Thompson 610 yards.

Receiving:  WR  E.  Ezukanma 748 yards.

Houston

Passing: QB C. Tune 2,048 yards.

Rushing:  RB K. Porter 424 yards.

Receiving:  WR N. Dell 428 yards.

 

Sunny and HOT.  97*