Houston at #4 Oklahoma
- When: Sunday, September 1st at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK
- TV: ABC
Do you want offense? Just wait for Sunday evening. Two of the most dynamic offenses in the country will take center stage.
Oklahoma opens up their title run against D’Eriq King and the Houston Cougars. Both teams have explosive offenses and exciting quarterbacks to lead them.
Houston
Quarterback D’Eriq King is a Heisman hopeful for the Cougars. In 2018, King threw for just under 3,000 yards and he ran for just under 700 as well. He accounted for 50 total touchdowns and just six interceptions. He is deadly with the ball and can turn anything into a house call.
King is aided by a dynamic group of wide receivers this season. Keith Corbin, Marquez Stevenson, and Courtney Lark might be the best trio in the country behind Alabama’s group of pass-catchers.
Corbin scored 10 touchdowns on just 40 receptions for Houston last season. All he does is make plays, which is evident with his 16.5 yards per catch average over the course of his college career.
Stevenson is the gimmicky guy who gets the ball and makes a play from anywhere. He can be a deep threat or a jet sweep killer. Lark is a bigger threat on the outside who wins in the air, but he does not offer as much after the catch.
The offense can win in several ways and surely, Minnesota will be giving a few of them a close look during the draft process.
Oklahoma
The Sooners have a fun offense of their own. This year, Alabama transfer Jalen Hurts hopes to be third-consecutive Oklahoma quarterback to win the Heisman.
In three seasons, Hurts has totaled 5,626 passing yards and an additional 1,976 rushing to go along with his 71 career touchdowns. Now he takes over an Oklahoma offense that features receiver CeeDee Lamb and tight end Grant Calcaterra.
Lamb would be the best wide receiver in the 2020 NFL Draft if it wasn’t for Jerry Jeudy at Alabama. He wins in traffic, he has excellent hands, and he brings effortless speed to the outside. Calcaterra may be the best receiving tight end in recent memory. He is basically a big receiver who can block a little.
The run game is going to be scary for Oklahoma. Hurts can keep it himself or hand it to two of the deadliest backs in the Big 12. Kennedy Brooks and Trey Sermon will split time in the backfield this season and both should be in the NFL come this time next year.
The Sooners have a few pieces on defense worth a look as well. Linebacker Kenneth Murray is a stout run stopper with an eye for the football. He has some question marks, but he recorded 28 tackles in Oklahoma’s game against Army last season.
Sooners cornerback Parnell Motley could be the best cornerback in the Big 12. He gets a tough test to kick off his senior season, so keep an eye on his performance this week.