Houston vs. UCF Prediction, Game Preview


Houston vs. UCF prediction and game preview. Projecting who wins the matchup between the Cougars and Knights.


Houston vs. UCF Game Preview

When: Saturday, October 29 – 12:00 p.m. ET
Where: TDECU Stadium, Houston, TX
TV Broadcast: ESPNU

The machine that was the Houston Cougars during the first part of the season has broken down and lost two out of the last three, including a 38-16 beat down by SMU on Saturday. Could Tom Herman’s focus be somewhere else?

UCF got a big win against UConn in the, okay, I’m going to go with the Knights here and not call it a rivalry game even though Huskies head coach Bob Diaco keep pushing the Civil Conflict moniker. Anyway, the Knights improved to 4-3 with the win.

What To Know About Houston

What went wrong with the Cougars? Well, the rushing attack was nowhere to be seen, gaining only 62 yards. Quarterback Greg Ward Jr., who is usually nifty and able to beat defenses with his feet, gained only three yards on 17 carries. Running the ball against UCF will be tough as well, as the Knights are allowing just 133 yards per game.

Houston’s defense uncharacteristically gave up a lot of points in the loss, as the Cougars average allowing just 21.4 points per game. Stopping UCF McKenzie Milton is a must if Houston wants to get back in the win column.

What to Know About UCF

Speaking of Milton, the freshman played the best game of his young career in the win against UConn, throwing for 317 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. That made up for a lack of a running game that must show up to give the Knights more balance against a tough Houston defense.

Stopping Ward Jr. has to be the focus for UCF on defense, as he was almost all of the Cougars’ offense in the loss to SMU.

Advantages

Offense: Houston. Get a running game going, and the Cougars will be dangerous again.

Defense: Houston. The Cougars need to put pressure on Milton.

Special Teams: UCF. Houston’s Ty Cummings is inaccurate on field goal attempts.

Coaching: Houston. What’s the next stop, Coach?

Intangibles: UCF. The Knights are getting the Cougars at a prime time to pull off an upset.

Matchup To Watch

Houston rushing attack. vs. UCF defense

The Cougars were horrific running the ball against SMU. Now, they face a defense that is good at stopping the run.

Houston vs. UCF Betting Odds

Spread: Houston -9
Over/Under: 56.5

Houston vs. UCF Prediction

Remember all that talk about Houston crashing the College Football Playoff? Yeah, always remember it is a long season and going undefeated (or even suffering only one loss) is extremely difficult. The Cougars could be a little distracted with all of the talk of Herman taking other jobs, but they have enough talent to win this game if they can focus. Greg Ward Jr. will will the Cougars to a win in this one.

Houston vs. UCF Score Prediction: Houston 38, UCF 28

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