Is SMU Ready For Houston?

[SMU_Alumni11]

Man some of y'all really sound like pathetic "fans". If you think a bunch of kids are just going to go out there and purposely get humiliated you are out of your mind

They aren't going to purposely get humiliated, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking that our defense can somehow stop the number one offense in the game. And our anemic offense (JJ looks awful, and Line might be out) doesn't give me confidence that they can outlast Houston in a shootout. We all probably would love to be proven wrong though. If being realistic makes me less of a "fan," so be it.

I call first quater 21 to 3, 2nd quarter 35-10, 3rd quarter 52-20 4th quarter 59-27

[StallionsModelT]

Three reasons we will get d*ckslapped:

1. Keenum
2. McDermott
3. No #48

[Pony ^]

Man some of y'all really sound like pathetic "fans". If you think a bunch of kids are just going to go out there and purposely get humiliated you are out of your mind

They aren't going to purposely get humiliated, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking that our defense can somehow stop the number one offense in the game. And our anemic offense (JJ looks awful, and Line might be out) doesn't give me confidence that they can outlast Houston in a shootout. We all probably would love to be proven wrong though. If being realistic makes me less of a "fan," so be it.

That number 1 offense has not played a top 50 defense, maybe even top 80 all year. Have some hope.

[Comet]

Man some of y'all really sound like pathetic "fans". If you think a bunch of kids are just going to go out there and purposely get humiliated you are out of your mind

They aren't going to purposely get humiliated, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking that our defense can somehow stop the number one offense in the game. And our anemic offense (JJ looks awful, and Line might be out) doesn't give me confidence that they can outlast Houston in a shootout. We all probably would love to be proven wrong though. If being realistic makes me less of a "fan," so be it.

That number 1 offense has not played a top 50 defense, maybe even top 80 all year. Have some hope.

I agree, but our complete lackadaisical outings against Tulsa and Navy don't leave me with a lot of hope.

[ponyfan08]

Heres some hope; I hope you like sirens!

[ThisIsOurTime]

That number 1 offense has not played a top 50 defense, maybe even top 80 all year. Have some hope.

I agree, but our complete lackadaisical outings against Tulsa and Navy don't leave me with a lot of hope.

I tend to agree with pony. SMU still has a pretty good front four that should be able to get some pressure on Houston. if they could get pressure on TCU's offensive line, they can also do the same on Houston.

Plus, Houston's dominance is still a question mark. They have not played any top defenses and really have only beaten up on some bad teams like Tulane. Let's not forget SMU put up a lot of points on Tulane too.

If I were you I would ignore the Navy result. Playing option attacks is difficult for defenses that are geared to stop the spread attack. Houston won't run the triple option so how the SMU D performed in that game doesn't really matter.

The Tulsa game is a fairer comparison but Tulsa may end up being the best team in the conference. All their losses were against quality opponents and so they were very battle tested going into the SMU game.

In fairness, i have not watched Houston play this year but I have to believe that a lot of their success is because they have been playing mainly soft opponents if their team this year is similar to the ones they have had for the last few years. Even this year, it looks like they still struggled against UTEP who is a pretty good team and they obviously don't have much of a home field advantage in Houston. Since in college football, upsets can happen all the time. Why couldn't SMU rise to the occasion? Houston will also now be under the microscope and they may not respond well to the pressure. SMU can also pull out all the stops in this game as they have nothing to lose.

[SMUer]

Front Three, but OK

[NTXCoog]

In fairness, i have not watched Houston play this year but I have to believe that a lot of their success is because they have been playing mainly soft opponents if their team this year is similar to the ones they have had for the last few years. Even this year, it looks like they still struggled against UTEP who is a pretty good team and they obviously don't have much of a home field advantage in Houston.

You really don't have a clue and it is obvious you haven't watched UH football under Sumlin at all.

Mainly playing soft opponents... who doesn't in CUSA, MWC, etc? But in 2009 when Keenum was healthy all season, we beat Ok State, MS State, and Texas Tech. Sumlin has never lost to a team that was ranked going into a game so don't act we only beat soft teams.

Don't have much of a home field in advantage in Houston? Obviously you don't know we've basically sold out this year and last year. Keenum has NEVER lost a game at Robertson. That's right in 4 years, Keenum has not lost at home.

Sumlin has never lost to SMU. His first game against SMU was close winning by only 6 points, but the last two wins over SMU have been by more than 20 points. UH has beaten SMU 5 years straight.

Some teams are just tough matchups. UTEP, especially in El Paso, is always a tough matchup for UH. UH is a tough matchup for SMU.

It could be a close game, but I wouldn't bet on it.

[sbsmith]

In fairness, i have not watched Houston play this year but I have to believe that a lot of their success is because they have been playing mainly soft opponents if their team this year is similar to the ones they have had for the last few years. Even this year, it looks like they still struggled against UTEP who is a pretty good team and they obviously don't have much of a home field advantage in Houston. Since in college football, upsets can happen all the time. Why couldn't SMU rise to the occasion? Houston will also now be under the microscope and they may not respond well to the pressure. SMU can also pull out all the stops in this game as they have nothing to lose.

You need to watch Houston play (offense full of track stars), dismissing them because of a weak schedule is ridiculous. You can count us as another soft opponent because we don't have the personnel to keep up with them on the scoreboard (terrible QB) nor do we have the personnel to even slow their offense down (LBs that can't cover, DBs with weak ball skills, D lineman that struggle to rush and bring down QBs).

[NTXCoog]

If I'm SMU I bring pressure EVERY SINGLE DOWN. If they beat us by GOD they are going to do it with Keenum on his backside all day.

Unless you've got a hellacious secondary, that's a formula for disaster. UH has had 451 pass attempts and has only given up 12 sacks all season. Curry at Marshall is 2nd in the nation in sacks and Marshall at 2.2 sacks per game is right behind SMU at 2.4. Marshall didn't come close to sacking Keenum or Turner.

Keenum gets the ball out too quickly and when he doesn't, he's very elusive. He gets the ball to speedsters like Carrier, Edwards, and Sims in stride and they just take over after that.

[ThisIsOurTime]

In fairness, i have not watched Houston play this year but I have to believe that a lot of their success is because they have been playing mainly soft opponents if their team this year is similar to the ones they have had for the last few years. Even this year, it looks like they still struggled against UTEP who is a pretty good team and they obviously don't have much of a home field advantage in Houston.

You really don't have a clue and it is obvious you haven't watched UH football under Sumlin at all.

Mainly playing soft opponents... who doesn't in CUSA, MWC, etc? But in 2009 when Keenum was healthy all season, we beat Ok State, MS State, and Texas Tech. Sumlin has never lost to a team that was ranked going into a game so don't act we only beat soft teams.

Don't have much of a home field in advantage in Houston? Obviously you don't know we've basically sold out this year and last year. Keenum has NEVER lost a game at Robertson. That's right in 4 years, Keenum has not lost at home.

Sumlin has never lost to SMU. His first game against SMU was close winning by only 6 points, but the last two wins over SMU have been by more than 20 points. UH has beaten SMU 5 years straight.

Some teams are just tough matchups. UTEP, especially in El Paso, is always a tough matchup for UH. UH is a tough matchup for SMU.

It could be a close game, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Sorry to hurt your feelings Cougar fan but I have watched enough Houston football to know what they are under Sumlin. I am sure they have some athletes but I doubt much more than that. if they were more than that, they would have beaten UCLA and UTEP by more. I am not impressed b/c they beat the crap out of UAB and Tulane.

I think it is great that Keenum has never lost at Houston but who has he played there? How many top teams did they play there in those 4 or 6 years? Regardless, you missed my point. My comment about Houston not having much of a home field advantage has to do with their small stadium size compared to their school size. Nobody is afraid to go into Houston to play. If you disagree, how do you think the Houston experience compares to going into Death Valley or Norman?

You can quote me past stats all you want, but they mean little. Since teams change from year to year, past records are a poor indicator of future results.

[NTXCoog]

In fairness, i have not watched Houston play this year...

Sorry to hurt your feelings Cougar fan but I have watched enough Houston football to know what they are under Sumlin. ...

You can quote me past stats all you want, but they mean little. Since teams change from year to year, past records are a poor indicator of future results.

That's all I need to know about your analysis. Haven't seen UH play this year, but you've seen enough UH football to know how they are under Sumlin, but past years' records are poor indicators of future results.

In other words, you have no idea.

[ThisIsOurTime]

LOL Cougar fan, your whole argument for why they are good is because of past records. Now you are abandoning that argument to challenge my position? LOL. Houston's players haven't changed that much. It is the same offense, same schemes and basically the same players. I don't care what their records were, I am talking about how they play. Heck, Keenum shouldn't even be playing now. But you go ahead and tell my why this team is so much different than the last few years.

Also, don't think I forgot. We are still waiting on that list of all those impressive wins that Keenum had at home. Could it be there aren't any or so few to mention?

Besides if you are this sensitive about a TCU fan talking about Houston on a SMU football board, you are in big trouble. I am being very nice compared to what you will get from the national football fans which will tear up Houston by pointing out all their flaws. Beating up Tulane and UAB will not impress anyone on the national level, it is expected as a given.

[ThisIsOurTime]

If I'm SMU I bring pressure EVERY SINGLE DOWN. If they beat us by GOD they are going to do it with Keenum on his backside all day.

Unless you've got a hellacious secondary, that's a formula for disaster. UH has had 451 pass attempts and has only given up 12 sacks all season. Curry at Marshall is 2nd in the nation in sacks and Marshall at 2.2 sacks per game is right behind SMU at 2.4. Marshall didn't come close to sacking Keenum or Turner.

Keenum gets the ball out too quickly and when he doesn't, he's very elusive. He gets the ball to speedsters like Carrier, Edwards, and Sims in stride and they just take over after that.

if they are as good as you think, why did they have trouble with UCLA and UTEP? Those are two teams that are not exactly top teams. If Houston has not even played one team with a top 50 defense, couldn't it be that maybe your opinion of Houston's offense is just a tad overstated?

[NTXCoog]

LOL Cougar fan, your whole argument for why they are good is because of past records. Now you are abandoning that argument to challenge my position? LOL. Houston's players haven't changed that much. It is the same offense, same schemes and basically the same players. I don't care what their records were, I am talking about how they play. Heck, Keenum shouldn't even be playing now. But you go ahead and tell my why this team is so much different than the last few years.

Also, don't think I forgot. We are still waiting on that list of all those impressive wins that Keenum had at home. Could it be there aren't any or so few to mention?

Besides if you are this sensitive about a TCU fan talking about Houston on a SMU football board, you are in big trouble. I am being very nice compared to what you will get from the national football fans which will tear up Houston by pointing out all their flaws. Beating up Tulane and UAB will not impress anyone on the national level, it is expected as a given.

You have no idea how they play. None. You haven't seen them. But I'll help you even though you won't listen. At least I can make an intelligent argument. You can't

Why is the team different than prior years?
1) The players are more experienced. You put a QB in a system for 5 years, he gets better.
2) The RB corps is dominant. Bryce Beall, Chris Sims, and Michael Hayes are all legitimate threats
3) The OL is playing incredibly. You did see the sack stats right?
4) The defense is improved over prior years under Sumlin. People look at yardage primarily to look at a defense. That can be silly. UH is giving up 22.8 PPG, good enough for 41st in the country. Compare that to 32PPG last year or 30PPG the year before, or 31PPG the year before that.
5) Even if you want to be silly and use yardage defense, UH has improved to 393 YPG this year, compared to 432, 451, and 413 the prior 3 years
6) The offense is better than it has ever been. Crazy stat: UH is the first team since 1887 to score 49 or more points in 7 straight games.

Wins at home? Not a huge set but a win over a TT team that finished top 25, a win over division champ Tulsa, better teams than the current SMU team. Who did TCU beat at home last year in their big season? I assume you're going to tell me that no one fears going to TCU's stadium either.

Now let me hear your intelligent analysis of Sumlin's UH team, especially this year's. At least tell me how me UH games you've seen under Sumlin the last 4 years. I know you haven't seen any this year.