Houston travels to face Utah on Saturday night, with kickoff scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
I’m excited for this one. I haven’t traveled west for a football game like this in my career, and I’m stoked to do it this weekend.
The best matchup of the weekend is your nightcap. You’re going to be able to stay up until 2 o’clock in the morning here on the East Coast watching a damn good ballgame.
Houston’s Offensive Versatility
I watched Houston’s offense today. They’re as versatile an offense as we’ve watched this year on the channel. They do just about everything, and they do just about everything really well.
They use 11 personnel and 12 personnel. I saw them dust off 13 and 23 personnel. They have a legitimate fullback, by the way – a fire hydrant who wears No. 45. They do all of it.
They’ll spread you out. They’ll bunch you up. They’ll run duo at you. They’ll run stretch zone at you.
They’ve got two different styles of backs. Makhi Hughes was at Tulane, transferred to Oregon, got put on the shelf at Oregon, and now he’s back at Houston under Willie Fritz.
He’s back to himself as well. He’s a really physical, downhill runner right now.
I love the weapons they have as well. In that film study, you’ll see all three of those wide receivers stack man-to-man coverage, get on top and run away.
That’s important because the last time we watched Utah’s defense, they were predominantly a man-coverage football team. Granted, it was against that Arkansas offense, but it’s a very intriguing matchup because of what Houston is doing offensively.
And I didn’t even mention that their quarterback is playing nails right now. Conner Weigman is playing really, really good football.
Can Houston Prepare for Utah’s Offense?
Utah’s offense is the most unique offense we have in college football. They’re getting it done in a variety of ways.
It’s a really fun offense to watch. They run multiple quarterbacks, and I’m not talking about, “You get a drive, you get a drive.” They’ll play them both on the field at the same time.
I think the key to this football game is how well Houston prepares against an offense that’s really hard to prepare for because of all the different things Utah throws at you.
It’s a big preparation week for Austin Armstrong. Even if you fit it right, you still have to match their physicality because they’re still a very physical bunch over there at Utah.
Then, once you fit it right and win the physicality matchup, you still have to tackle Wayshawn Parker.
If you haven’t seen this kid, he’s one of the toughest tackles in the open field right now.
Utah X-Factor: Byrd Ficklin
Both of these teams are really fun to watch. My X-factor is a name I bet you haven’t heard unless you’re a Ute: Byrd Ficklin.
Ficklin is the lefty who comes in wearing No. 15 for them. He’s juiced up.
Honestly, he throws the ball a lot like Austin Simmons, with the “wow” throws we’ve seen from Simmons.
He’s much younger from an experience standpoint, but he’s a much better athlete than even Simmons is from a running standpoint. I would venture to say Ficklin has a 38-inch vertical.
Do they have an explosive pass set up for him? That’s my question, because right now he’s averaging about 11 yards a rip.
Houston vs. Utah Prediction
My favorite prediction of the year – unless it doesn’t happen – is three players with a passing touchdown in this football game. You heard it here first.
Give me Houston 32-28.
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