SMU visits Houston on 10/30/2021 at 7:00:00.
SMU and Houston face off in a regular season matchup. Games are on campuses and crowds are full once again! SMU sports a record of 7-0 this season. Houston is 6-1 this season. Enough preamble… Let’s get to the preview…
SMU Team Defense Preview
SMU has had 90 defensive drives in non-garbage time minutes and they yield 5.12 plays per drive. Relatively speaking, SMU are not a team that allows many plays per drive. The defense either gives up big plays quickly or induces a lot of three-and-outs, we shall find out more. Third and long situations are common against this season ‘s defense. This is a defense that forces opponents to commit penalties, have compromised offensive line play, and fail to convert on crunch possessions. Passing plays are 46.85% of their opponents’ play calls.Opponents typically have had some form of run/pass balance against them.
Defenses want to stop offenses from getting into a 3rd Down where the options are plentiful. Unfortunately, the defense is too porous to limit those choices. How effective are opposing offensive lines given what we know about their ability to force negative yardage rushing plays? SMU can take credit for holding the offensive line of their opponent to 3.06 yards per carry. Generally speaking, this is an average defense when it comes to how offensive lines control or fail to control them on the ground. When it comes to getting to that second level, running backs are getting stopped. This defense does not allow themselves to be gashed. Opponents have had shown a relatively average level of explosiveness in the running game, maybe there will be a breakout rushing play against them.
This is not a disruptive Defense and they get pushed over way too easily. Perhaps they are too vanilla with playcalling. Their front seven is simply unable to make an impact, something must change or else the problems will repeat. SMU is better at stopping the run than the pass this season .
SMU Team Offense Preview
SMU has had 92 drives in non-garbage time minutes and they average 5.78 plays per drive. There is not much to take away here when it comes to how many plays per drive they run , but they are a team that falls in the average window when it comes to plays per drive. Any defense is in for a challenge with SMU, given their ability to accrue more than 5 yards on 1st Downs and their ability to convert on 3rd and 4th Downs. They put a lot of pressure on opposing defenses.Passing plays are 50.56% of their play calls.Relatively speaking, this is a team that favors run/pass balance.
SMU is not doing anything particularly special as far as their ability to avoid negative yardage plays on the ground. Based on the Adjusted Line Yards metric, which measures the amount of credit that should be ascribed to the offensive line for a rushing play, they average 3.29 yards per carry. It is acceptable to say that this season ‘s offensive line may be underappreciated, even though the running backs get the attention. The SMU coaching staff really deserves credit for how they prepared this season ‘s offensive line, but they could be a little bit better! This is a team that is rather above-average when it comes to gashing defenses. The threat of the run forces opponents to play more honest and assignment defensive football is a must, especially against zone read looks. With a relatively average explosiveness in the running game, breakout rushing plays are possible, but it is not something to count on from them.
SMU bullied and controlled defenses this season , defenses are not to dictate what this offense is able to do to them. Opponents should consider a containment strategy. SMU is among the best in the country at keeping defensive front sevens at bay. In order to stop this offense, it requires opposing defenses to need secondary players to step up and cause trouble in order for the offense to be disrupted. SMU is a better passing team than running team this season .
Houston Team Defense Preview
Houston has had 90 defensive drives in non-garbage time minutes and they yield 4.59 plays per drive. Relatively speaking, Houston are not a team that allows many plays per drive. The defense either gives up big plays quickly or induces a lot of three-and-outs, we shall find out more. Third and long situations are common against this season ‘s defense. This is a defense that forces opponents to commit penalties, have compromised offensive line play, and fail to convert on crunch possessions. Houston opponents passes the football 46.00% of the time.Their opponents run the ball as opposed airing it out.
Houston is not doing anything particularly special as far as their ability to create negative yardage plays on the ground. Opponent rushing yards attributed to their offensive line this season comes out to 2.55 yards per carry. Opponent offensive lines have had been simply unable to support their running games against their defense. When it comes to getting to that second level, running backs are getting stopped. This defense does not allow themselves to be gashed. Opponents have had shown a relatively average level of explosiveness in the running game, maybe there will be a breakout rushing play against them.
Houston have had made the turnover belt, chain, pads, lunch pail or whatever gimmick they use change hands a lot. This is a Defense that causes pure aggravation. Houston should have a sign ready for opponents near the Visitor Locker Room that says “Welcome to Hell”, their front seven is deep and they cause a lot of problems. Houston is better at stopping the run than the pass this season .
Houston Team Offense Preview
Houston has had 88 drives in non-garbage time minutes and they average 5.36 plays per drive. Relatively speaking, Houston is not a team that runs many plays per drive. The offense is either prone to faltering and struggles to notch first downs or extremely explosive, we will need to find out a bit more to get answers. Struggles to get ahead of the chains and convert on third and fourth down are common, the offense can stagnate. Passing plays are 50.85% of their play calls.Relatively speaking, this is a team that favors run/pass balance.
Houston struggles with running the ball, getting zero or negative yard plays is disspiriting and the offensive line is not effectively making a good push. Poor playcalling, pre-snap adjustments or post-snap reads may be responsible and this could fall on the Quarterback, Offensive Coordinator, and Head Coach. How effective is the offensive line given what we know about their ability to prevent negative yards on rushing plays? More than you think, thanks to the Adjusted Line Yards metric. Houston can take credit for 2.83 yards per carry. So what does this mean? It means that the offensive line has had been incredibly disappointing in their contribution to the ground game. This is also a team that is getting to the second-level in an average fashion. Offensive line and running backs are average in this regard. The breakout rushing plays are simply not happening, it is a massive reach to expect this season ‘s team to bust out big rushing plays.
Defenses are able to impose their will on the Houston Offense this season . Front sevens of opposing defenses are causing a lot of problems. Houston is a better passing team than running team this season .
The SMU Roster
The Players to Watch for SMU
Tanner Mordecai QB 6’2″ 211 Junior
Tanner Mordecai put up 2307 yards, tossed 29 touchdowns, and he threw 7 interceptions this season. He was considered one of the gunslingers of College Football this season. His average completed pass was 8.8 yards. The zone read is a common part of the offense and mobility is used as part of the offense, but not necessarily the focus of the offense. His average rush was 5.2 yards.
Tre Siggers RB 5’8″ 200 Senior
Tre Siggers had 466 rushing yards on 100 carries. Was he able to get to the end zone on the ground? He had 4 rushing touchdowns. He is considered one of the workhorse running backs of College Football returning this season. His average rush was 4.7 yards. He was relied upon as a receiver in their offense this season. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 4.7 yards.
Danny Gray WR 6’1″ 180 Senior
Danny Gray picked up 609 yards through the air. He caught the ball 38 times this season. He reached the end zone 7 times. He is a go-to in the passing game. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 16.0 yards.
Elijah Chatman DT 6’0″ 272 Junior
The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for SMU, Elijah Chatman, had 20 tackles this season.Among Defensive Tackles/Nose Tackles, he was clogging the gaps and playing disruptive proving he is one of the best at forcing lost yardage, he had 4 tackles for loss this season.He was a non-factor as far as sacking Quarterbacks was concerned this season.
Gary Wiley DE 6’1″ 241 Senior
The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for SMU, Gary Wiley, had 22 tackles this season.Among Defensive Tackles/Nose Tackles, he was clogging the gaps and playing disruptive proving he is one of the best at forcing lost yardage, he had 6 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 4 sacks this season.
Isaiah Nwokobia S 6’0″ 180 Freshman
The leading tackler among Defensive Backs for SMU, Isaiah Nwokobia, had 14 tackles this season.He was effective at tackling receivers on screens with 1 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 2.0 sacks this season.
Bryan Massey CB 5’11” 185 Sophomore
The leading tackler among Cornerbacks for SMU, Bryan Massey, had 14 tackles this season.He was effective at tackling receivers on screens with 1 tackles for loss this season.He had 0.0 pick-offs this season.
The Houston Roster
The Players to Watch for Houston
Clayton Tune QB 6’3″ 215 Junior
Clayton Tune put up 1427 yards, tossed 12 touchdowns, and he threw 6 interceptions. He threw a variety of different length passes. His average completed pass was 7.4 yards. The zone read is a common part of the offense and mobility is used as part of the offense, but not necessarily the focus of the offense. His average rush was 0.4 yards.
Alton McCaskill RB 6’1″ 200 Freshman
Alton McCaskill had 463 rushing yards on 98 carries. Was he able to get to the end zone on the ground? He had 9 rushing touchdowns. He is considered one of the workhorse running backs of College Football returning this season. His average rush was 4.7 yards. He is a consistent option in the passing game considering that he is a running back. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 4.7 yards.
Nathaniel Dell WR 5’10” 155 Sophomore
Nathaniel Dell picked up 510 yards through the air. He caught the ball 39 times this season. He reached the end zone 4 times. He is a go-to in the passing game. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 13.1 yards.
Derek Parish DL 6’2″ 245 Junior
The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for Houston, Derek Parish, had 33 tackles this season.Among Defensive Tackles/Nose Tackles, he was clogging the gaps and playing disruptive proving he is one of the best at forcing lost yardage, he had 5 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 4 sacks this season.
Hasaan Hypolite S 5’11” 205 Sophomore
The leading tackler among Defensive Backs for Houston, Hasaan Hypolite, had 22 tackles this season.Among Defensive Backs, he was very active and disruptive in the backfield, he had 2 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 1.0 sacks this season.
Damarion Williams CB 5’10” 178 Senior
The leading tackler among Cornerbacks for Houston, Damarion Williams, had 36 tackles this season.Among Cornerbacks, he was very active and disruptive in the backfield, he had 2 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at picking off passes, he had 1.0 interceptions this season. Lockdown corner.
SMU vs. Houston Prediction, Picks, and Odds
Prediction: SMU 40 Houston 25
Spread Pick: SMU +1.0 -115 Bovada Get $250 by signing up now.
Moneyline Pick: SMU +100 Bovada
Over Pick: Over 61.5 -110 Bovada Get $250 by signing up now.