PonyFans.com is proud to have 16-year-old Nate as a guest columnist. In this installment, Nate offers his view of Saturday's home game against Houston. Feel free to post comments and constructive criticism, ask him questions, and/or give suggestions for upcoming columns! (He can be followed on Twitter at @Pony_NATE_tion.)

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After a nice, relaxing bye week, the Ponies' R&R comes to a halt with the best Houston team we have seen in quite a while. SMU is coming off of a game in which it looked really good against a talented Tulsa team, but the Mustangs just simply ran out of gas and the injuries added up, as the Mustangs’ depth — or lack thereof — came back to bite them. Quarterback Ben Hicks looked really good, finally, as he completed 29 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Braeden West continued to impress, as well, with 124 yards and a touchdown. But it all added up to a 43-40 overtime loss on the road, sending the Mustangs along their three-game skid.

One of the keys to any potential SMU win will be if defensive tackle Mason Gentry and the Mustangs can somehow contain Houston quarterback Greg Ward, Jr (photo by John Kleineberg).

Now the Mustangs will try to do the unthinkable Saturday and upset the Tom Herman-coached Houston Cougars. With Cougar High coming to town with a No. 11 national ranking in both the Associated Press and ESPN/coaches polls, a win against Oklahoma and plenty of other dominating wins, SMU is a clear underdog. But what’s new? Though Chad Morris and the rest of the team would like to become regular favorites, the program is just not to that level yet, and will need big wins like this to achieve that reputation of a constant favorite. Houston got off to such a hot start, starting with five straight wins, but the Cougars have looked shaky with their first loss of the season to Navy, and a near-upset by the Tulsa Golden Hurricane team that had just beaten SMU. Houston appears to be scuffling, but Herman surely is making sure his team is ready for this game, given the two recent struggles, and the comments Herman made about SMU in the offseason.

“If you’re satisfied with going 7-5 and going to the Poulan Weedeater Bowl, then great,” Herman said an interview with the Houston Chronicle’s Joseph Duarte in May, “and if so, you’re in the wrong program and we’ll find a place for you to go. I hear there’s a private school up in Dallas that’s really looking to try to get seven wins. We can certainly find you a home.”

I certainly wouldn’t be shocked if Morris doesn’t have that quote printed out and pinned in every single player’s locker. Here’s my take: is Houston at a higher level than SMU? Certainly. Is that flat-out disrespect to a program that has accomplished less and can be overlooked, and therefore an obviously unnecessary shot at SMU? Absolutely.

This is something the Mustangs should take to heart, and let their pride take over. This is something Morris should put in front of every single Mustang football player’s face this week, showing them that no one respects them. This is SMU’s chance to hit a big boy in the mouth and earn some respect. One can only hope the Mustangs have enough pride to get some respect.

Now, enough with the pride and respect talk, on to the X’s and O’s. What does Houston bring to the table? The Cougars have a spectacular offense. What’s new?

Quarterback Greg Ward Jr. is a playmaker. As one of my father’s friends from college (they attended SMU) likes to say, he is not a “JAG” — “Just A Guy”. JAGs don’t make an impact or make plays. Ward is not a JAG at all. He already has thrown for 1,938 yards and 11 touchdowns. But his elusiveness and quickness also is incredibly effective, as he has rushed for 414 yards and six touchdowns.

Ward is his team’s leading rusher. Houston doesn’t have a single workhorse at the running back position — UH has a lot of workhorses, including Duke Catalon, Mulbah Car and Dillon Birden, who have combined 616 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. The Cougars also bring multiple weapons on the outside, including leading receiver Linell Bonner (55 catches for 653 yards and two touchdowns), and Steven Dunbar and Chance Allen, who have combined 922 receiving yards for five touchdowns.

There’s the typical Houston offense, but the difference this season for the 6-1 Cougars has been their defense, led by the first five-star recruit to commit to a non-Power Five conference school: Ed Oliver, who was widely regarded as the top high school defensive tackle last season in the state of Texas. As a freshman this season, Oliver has not disappointed: he has collected 43 tackles, 9.5 of them for a loss. He also has tallied three sacks as well. That number of tackles — Oliver is tied for the team lead — is incredible for an interior lineman. Oliver against SMU center Evan Brown will be a matchup to watch. Houston has a fantastic defense, with the 20th-ranked scoring defense in the nation, surrendering only 19 points a game. Houston has the nation’s eighth-ranked rushing defense, giving up just 87 yards on the ground per game. Where Houston might be a bit soft is in the secondary, giving up the 71st most passing yards a game, giving up 211 yards per game through the air. These numbers should say one thing: Houston’s defense is really good and really talented.

The keys for SMU are to keep Ben Hicks standing, as Houston has a very good pass rush (19 sacks on the season) and get the running game going. If running backs Braeden West and Ke’Mon Freeman can’t find any holes, and Hicks has to throw 50 passes because the run game is ineffective, this could be a long day for the Mustangs offensively. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton has to make plays, especially downfield. He needs to take the top off of the defense, but this can only be done if the secondary receivers like James Proché can draw some extra coverage, freeing up Sutton for some downfield jump balls.

As usual, the offense can’t turn the ball over, especially against an opportune team like Houston. Hicks and Co. have to be able to finish drives in the red zone, not with a pick or a field goal, but with six points; that has been a major struggle. On defense, SMU, which is second in the nation with 13 picks — two for pick-sixes — needs to take the ball away. If the defense doesn’t get a single turnover, a loss is likely. Cornerbacks Jordan Wyatt and Horace Richardson, and the rest of the secondary, need to make some plays on Ward, who has thrown five interceptions this season.

It will take a nearly perfect game for the Mustangs to pull off the upset. It will also take some lucky bounces and a lackadaisical Houston team. It really has to be a perfect storm for SMU to beat a supposedly focused Houston team. Unfortunately, Houston will overwhelm SMU with talent, speed, and athleticism. I’ve got Houston in a blowout.

Nate’s take: Houston 55 SMU 21