Washington State Football: Can offense remain red-hot vs. Houston?

Houston welcomes Washington State football to Texas in a Friday night matchup. Can Mike Leach’s Washington State team avoid the upset?

Mike Leach’s Washington State Cougars are off to a hot start. They opened the season with a 58-7 victory over New Mexico State, and continued that momentum with a 59-17 win against Northern Colorado.

This will be their toughest test of the young season, however. Houston has a potent offense, led by dual-threat quarterback D’eriq King. The Cougars are especially effective on the ground, averaging 238.5 yards per game.

At home on a Friday night, this one certainly has upset potential.

Date: Friday, Sept. 13
Time: 9:15 p.m. ET
Location: Houston, Texas
Venue: TDECU Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

For Houston to pull the upset, D’Eriq King will have to be playing at a high level. The Cougar quarterback has found the end zone, both on the ground and through the air, a total of six times already in this young season.

When it comes to Washington State, they need to make sure that offense travels. So far in 2019, they’ve been tremendous. Through two games, they’ve averaged 606 yards per game, as well as 58.5 points per contest.

This game is almost guaranteed to be a shootout. If one defense is able to make even a couple big plays, it could mean the difference in this matchup.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of Bovada

Spread: Washington State -8.5
Over/Under: 74

Prediction

At home, Houston is going to make this game close. It’s tough to go on the road, and even tougher on a unique weeknight road trip.

However, at the end of the day, Washington State’s offense will be too much for Houston. Anthony Gordon has completed 81.1 percent of his passes, and he’s thrown nine touchdowns through only two games. He’ll help his Cougars take home a victory.

Final Score: Washington State 49, Houston 42