NCAA Preview: Tulsa vs Houston
Tulsa (4-1, 1-0 American) at No. 13 Houston (5-1, 2-1), 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Line: Houston by 21 1/2.
Series Record: Houston leads 22-18.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Houston looks to bounce back after last week's loss to Navy that likely ended its shot at the College Football Playoff. The Cougars need a win if they hope to compete for the American Athletic Conference title since Navy, Tulsa and Memphis are all ahead of them in the West division.
KEY MATCHUP
Houston QB Greg Ward Jr. vs. Tulsa's secondary. Ward leads the conference by averaging 336.8 yards passing a game and Tulsa ranks fifth in the league by holding teams to 232 yards passing a game. Ward has thrown for 11 touchdowns, but is also a threat to run and has 272 yards rushing with six more scores.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Tulsa: RB D'Angelo Brewer. He leads the conference by averaging 143.2 yards a game. This week he'll face a defense which leads the league by allowing 86 yards rushing a game, but gave up 302 yards to Navy's triple option offense last week.
Houston: DT Ed Oliver. The freshman is second on the team with 31 tackles and his 7 1/2 tackles for losses are third in the conference.
FACTS & FIGURES
Tulsa has won its past two games in overtime. ... The Golden Hurricane have four interceptions this season and two of those have been returned for touchdowns. ... Tulsa's last win over Houston came in 2012. ... WR Keevan Lucas has finished with at least 100 yards receiving in four of Tulsa's first five games. ... QB Dane Evans has thrown for 1,135 yards with nine touchdowns. ... Houston has won 19 of its last 21 games. ... The Cougars rank seventh in the nation in total defense by allowing 272 yards a game. ... LB Steven Taylor leads Houston with 5 1/2 sacks. ... Houston has scored at least 40 points in five straight games. ... Houston DE Cameron Malveaux has four sacks and has recovered a fumble.
