Memphis Tigers vs. Houston Cougars: Big Kitty, Little Kitty
Sheldon Cooper (Big Bang theory nerd reference) likes to have Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty sung to him when he’s puny, but as the Houston Cougars travel to take on the Memphis Tigers, it will likely be a case of Big Kitty, Little Kitty, with Tigers swallowing up Cougars with a bang.
The Houston Cougars have indeed been little kitties so far this year. John O’Korn played well at quarterback for the Cougars last season, but has struggled uncharacteristically this season. Now, Greg Ward Jr. is being used at the helm, and the hope for Houston is that Ward can make a difference.
Defensively, the Cougars are pretty strong. They were amazing in 2013 with a high turnover margin, and great numbers on total and pass defense, and the Cougars have been pretty good this season as well, forcing double digit turnovers in just five games.
Memphis head coach Justin Fuente has made an impression in the American Athletic Conference this year, making things tough on the UCLA Bruins, and wiping the floor (or field ) against Cincinnati with a 41-14 win. Fuente has done that with the above-average coaching of an average team, and helping them play above their level of talent. He studies his opponents well, and seems to know this Houston team well, especially their defense.
In the Memphis Tigers weekly press conference, when asked about this Houston Cougars team, Fuente showed how well he prepares….
"Well they changed up their scheme a little bit. I don’t know that the scheme is any better than what they used to do, but it fits. They’ve done a great job of matching it to their people. That’s a big key in coaching – trying to find the talent level of your kids and what they’re capable of and matching your scheme to your kids. They’ve done a great job of matching it up. They’re very aggressive. They’re very good in the front end and back end. They have an active front seven. They’ve played really good defense against some very good people. You look at the games – UTSA has 36 seniors on their roster. You open up your roster against a UTSA team with 36 seniors, that’s a difficult task. They beat Grambling and they went to BYU with that QB in front of 50,000 people and had every chance to win. You think about the UCF game. They shut out UNLV. They play very good defense week in and week out. We’ll certainly have our hands full."
The Houston Cougars’ toughest job will probably be trying to stop the Memphis Tiger ground game. At the forefront of that effort will be tackle Joey Mbu, who put up a career high eight tackles against UCF. Mbu has 21 tackles this season overall and lead the Cougars in multiple sack categories.
Mbu is actually a former soccer player, and knows how to use his hands as well as his size and his feet, so Memphis will do well to contain Mbu in developing their ground game against Houston, a ground game that leads the AAC with an average of 210 yards rushing per game.
As strong as Houston may be on defense, the problem is that they have very little to offer on the offensive side of the ball.
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Even with the change to Ward at quarterback, the concern is lack of experience in the sophomore. Ward saw limited action in a number of games last season, but he’s also been played at the receiver position, and as a punt returner.
Ward is actually pretty good as a receiver, and Houston will hope Ward can effectively transition that athletic talent to quarterback against a tough Memphis Tigers team.
Memphis clearly has the better offense with a sound running game, and Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch averaging almost 270 passing yards per game.
Houston has the better defense, so this game could get interesting, and could be a low-scoring affair, especially if Ward cannot develop a passing game, or his mobility is contained.
Memphis is the odds-on-favorite to win this one, and even with a tough Houston defense, I have Memphis winning this one.
Game Info
When: Saturday, Oct. 11; 7 p.m. ET
Where: Liberty Bowl Memorial, Memphis, TN.