Oklahoma vs. Houston PREVIEW & PREDICTIONS | 2024 SEC Football

[Music] the Oklahoma Sooner set Temple packing back to Philadelphia with their wings clipped but now comes another major test against a former Big 12 opponent Jackson Arnold Brett vbl in this potent Sooners defense welcomes in Willie Fritz and the Houston Cougars for what may be another massive step in the right direction as the Oklahoma Dynasty continues now as members of the s what's going on SEC unfiltered he's Dave shoemate I'm Cole Thompson coming to you live breaking down everything you need to know heading into Saturday's contest so real quickly make sure you hit the Subscribe button down below this is your new home for all things SEC download the podcast version of the show where you get your podcast listening systems follow us on all the social channels Tik Tok Facebook Instagram Twitter at SEC unfiltered follow him on Twitter at Mack Sports follow me on Twitter at Mr Co Thompson yell at us in the comments section down below where we right or wrong and as always make sure you visit everything found at SEC unfiltered.com this episode of SECU is brought to you by priz piix use the promo code SECU prix.com and sign up to get a $50 instant play with your first $5 lineup make sure you go ahead and visit SECU with the promo code at sccu for price.com Dave Two Tales of two vastly different teams and what still is very young conferences Houston a former Dynasty very well put together established program for years in the American Conference now joins the Big 12 they decide to part ways with Dana hogerson it enters the Willie Fritz era lo and behold wiie Fritz was always going to play the Sooners just maybe not New Orleans now against the Houston Cougars team but unfortunately for them think things did not go off on the right note 277 lost to UNLV a very good UNLV team that is probably flying under the radar that could make their way at the college football playoff meanwhile Oklahoma made a statement certainly lay down the Hammer with a 51-3 victory but this game 645 SEC network gonna be a matchup that I think has a lot of telltale signs a progression with this offense headlined by of course Jackson Arnold yeah AB absolutely you're right Cole you want to see the offensive line take the next step I thought Jackson Arnold was solid across the board on I mean he he did some things that really impressed me uh it's that third down got to get better on third down with they one for 12 you got to get better on that uh Step Up in competition a little probably not a ton I mean Temple's not a good football team but I think Houston from a Personnel perspective this year for first year head coach Willie Fritz and the boys it's it's just not really going to be there I expect them to be if not last in the Big 12 right in that range right there in the bottom quarter of That League for sure this a game still I think Oklahoma should be able to handle but you're right they need to go work some Kinks out they got Center the Branson Hickman the SMU transfers out I doubt we see him probably this week from reading that practice report yesterday but again you want to work on some things from a third down perspective I mean the defense I mean there's not really a ton you really need to work on I don't really see Houston scoring a bunch in this game I really don't I think it's very similar to that Temple match up I think the first time we really see Oklahoma get tested is g to be next week when the Green Wave roll to town like you said it was Willie Fritz's former team he's going to face Oklahoma no matter what but yeah it's really I think this week's really more about Oklahoma I mean I think people are GNA see the Houston name be oh crap why is Houston getting so many points and then you go look up why and you're like oh yeah they're not they're not going to score many points I mean they may legitimately if they scored more than 10 points in total I would be pretty surprising me well they were two for 16 against UNLV last week threw for 209 yards and rush for 26 yards they averaged one yard per carry and now they're going to go against I think one of the better defensive fronts in the SEC I don't see a lot changing it could get worse before things get better for the Cougars so I think this week's really more about Oklahoma iron out their kings before it really as you know Co get rocking and rolling with two- Lane Tennessee and Auburn back to back to back let's not beat it around the bush a Willie Fritz Le roster is always going to give you your best fight but Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will any team underneath Willie Fritz the right higher after the Dana hogerson situation but it is going to take a little bit of time 277 loss to UNLV a very good UNLV team let's go ahead and give credit where credits to but also a very Rocky performance if you're looking at this from a Ker's perspective Donovan give bar odm some credit right Cole Gotta Give bar to credit but you also got to go ahead and admit that maybe this is going to be a lot longer of a process Davin Smith 15 of 31 135 yards passing they ended up turning to OU Al at the very end of the game uh two interceptions nothing on the ground they were inconsistent on third down if you're Oklahoma and you're trying to game plan we have to go ahead and focus in on Donovan Smith because Donovan was at least last year the one promising aspect of this team before you ended up seeing guys like Matthew golden and Samuel Brown depart for the transfer portal and green your pastures with programs that are now contending for potential Conference titles and certainly National Championship aspirations but doin Smith still is a very solid quarterback he's got that mobile elevant 6 foot5 last season threw for over 20 I mean 2800 yards 13 t uh 22 touchdowns 13 interceptions also rushed in six touchdowns he can move inside the Red Zone he's played well in big competition you got to remember that this was a quarterback last year that went down to the wire against the University of Texas and so how you game plan him is going to be a really big statement for Oklahoma you want to take away any bit of running ability you want to force him to stay inside the pocket it's a young wide receiver C down in Houston at tdcu Stadium you're trying to see that benefit grow you're watching as these Playmakers haven't been able to create separation this is the game where I am very much focusing in on the pass rush how do I contain number one and take away one of his best elements when he starts to feel that pressure when he's under duress when he wants to be able to manipulate defensive lineman I want to make sure that he has to stay behind the line of scrimmage because the one thing that we know is that even if he's not going to run for a lot of yards he's going to run for enough to pick up a first down slide move the sticks and set up another fresh set of down so if you are Oklahoma in this game you are channeling in everything possible to win at the point of attack and take away a major element you also got to realize another key player that's not on this roster anymore is Patrick Paul that was a very solid offensive lineman last season uh now with the Miami Dolphins it's a brand new unit on the offensive line and so when you are a veteran system like Oklahoma you expect to take advantages as much as humanly possible yeah I could see Kip Lewis the inside backer being kind of that spy this week that that that would not Shock me at all I it would definitely I think he'll beat the spa obious Smith uh I'm looking for again I just want to keep seeing week to week this offensive line take that next step who who can go take that next step outside of guys like Jacob seon and Fetti no the north Texas transfer they gotta iron that out they got gotta iron that stuff out because after this week the training wheels are off two Lane's gonna come be a test we'll find out about two lane this week they play K State they play a fellow they play a big 12 team so a team that Oklahoma's used to playing each year when they were in the Big 12 and then it's obviously Tennessee at home to open up a league play and then it's alurn so this is the last week kind of train WIS it it's wild to say that because Houston isn't that team brand wise they usually a team that's gonna come in it have chances to win football games you mentioned the Texas game last year they were in it but I just want to keep seeing them iron that out I want to see them iron that out can they establish a run game consistently can they get better on third down overall I think it's really what I'm looking for again I think it's just another week of Oklahoma being able to work in themselves I think the other thing that you got to really look at if you're Oklahoma is how do you win on that third down but also how do you continue to see that run game flourish last week against Temple 6.1 yards per Play Taylor Tatum had a great performance Sam Franklin four rushes for 45 yards Gavin stuk actually only 16 uh 15 yards on six attempts does he break out I I want to be able to see this run game move extremely well because if there are going to be moments where you face off against qual quity secondaries standout units that are going to be able to create turnovers and we didn't see any major any major moment from from from Jackson Arnold we knew we weren't going to we figured in this game this was going to be him setting a standard and get those Kinks out in practice but if you are looking at this if you can establish a run game and be able to consistently put yourself in third and short separations and find yourself in manageable second down attempts to where you can open up the Playbook it feels like that that is where you take that next step in the right direction the thing that we know right now about any type of offense that's going to be led by Oklahoma is they expect instantaneous results and when you get Seth Latrell as your offense coordinator he's already admitted he's not a patient person but it does feel like you have to be a little bit more patient with this unit not just because of injuries because if you are implementing new styles with younger players that are going to have a major role I mean Taylor Tatum is a freshman and we watched him Russ look extremely good a couple nights ago but he's also going to have to take a couple learning curves and as we see the big the beauty about this this schedule for Oklahoma is they are taking that next step every single game that you look at is going to be tougher than the next leading up to conference play where you have probably your two biggest Testaments and a really big staple moment for you when you play host of Tennessee and then you have to go travel down to Jordan hair Stadium 100% nope this is it this the last week going into it you're right gets more it gets harder each week after this it really does and I think we're going to really find out about Oklahoma in the next three weeks we're going to really see if they're going to be able to compete and get to a shot to get to Atlanta compete for a playoff spot I think we're GNA know a lot about them after that Auburn game I think we'll probably know the whole picture I mean granted injuries change some stuff they get some guys back they get better as the season goes on but we'll have a real like skeleton of what we think Oklahoma is probably going to be as we get into the months of October and then finish up in November so this is it last week to really get it worked out across the board on the practice field this week what going Monday through Thursday taking Friday off and then like you said Friday night Saturday Saturday Saturday Night da Dave you and I do this whenever we work together we always pick a player that we're g to be watching I I mentioned last week Bowers sharp I I wanted to see how the sou from Louisiana tight end was going to be effective he was he was arguably their best receiver consistently outside of Dion Burks so who's the guy that right now you're looking for to have a statement game dang that was funny it was going to be mine cuz I think they got to get more out of their tight end spot in the blocking and when they're attached at the point of attack they got to get more on the blocking side of things out of him which it could potentially come along that's something I want to see more um really I mean probably if I'm probably gonna go anyone else probably who I want to take a look at that was mine right there um yeah probably let's go see if we can get another T T let's see if Taylor Tatum can keep coming on I'm with you they're going to need someone to step up outside of Gavin shauk uh gavonte B could be in there you mentioned Sam Franklin I think we need to see another guy uh Step Up In The Back Field because again you can get really thin real fast look at Kentucky they're really sitting there with one guy right now they really trust as know you can lose two running backs in a matter of two to three week period and you're rolling into the month of November and you're like all right we're moving a linebacker to running back your teams now are going to need freshman to step up at running backs we've seen that in the past 10 15 years that happens all the time again further away you are from the football the easier it is to get on the field sooner so I think it's I'll go back to Taylor Tatum there I want to see another big game out of him because I think they're looking for rb2 but I'm with you I think Balor sharp and either of those tight ends really I want to see them produce more uh in the Run game to help that tight help that offensive line room adjust as we get into SEC Play Let's Go to the defensive side I'm GNA go ahead and say desz Malone is somebody that I'm going to be paying good attention to the San Diego State transfer comes on in didn't really do much in the game but he is expected to be a full-time starter you look at that secondary and really that back seven with Danny sutman as your starting Lineback Kip Lewis next to him at the weak side you don't really have that many question marks Connie Locker's really good Billy uh Billy least amount of question marks of anyone in the league yeah Payton Bowen I mean they have great depth so you maybe are wondering well when we have to go face off against a team like Tennessee and they have weapons on weapons on weapons Dante Thorton had a phenomenal performance against U against Chatanooga uh you look at a team like Auburn where they have now really talented Playmakers on the rise where you look at a team like Alabama that you're going to face late in the season do you feel confident in a guy like Dez Malone to be able to block and hold his own against a number two against a number three and this is a good litness test because if David Smith didn't show you anything of potential I mean a 48% completion rating for 135 yards and these are young receivers that not to be transparently disrespectful to Houston because of I do believe that the Cougars underneath Willie Fritz will get there but this is kind of like a target practice for you it's one of those those games where you're seeing the very low tier HB what you could probably say Albertson's brand layer chips that you just don't want to go ahead and pay you're get you're getting bargain Bing quality type style but if Des Malone can lock down whoever is going to be their number one because there wasn't a talent like Ricky White on the opposing side when you talk about a team like Houston but maybe it's Parker Jenkins uh maybe it's at Makai Muse maybe it's Stefon Johnson maybe it's Malik Carr the transfer that comes on in the tight end from Michigan State whatever it is however you think that you line him up if you can make sure that the wide receiver core is basically blanketed this is again going to be one of those matchups where it does feel like Oklahoma as good as Houston can be in the future Oklahoma is great in the present yeah I'm probably looking at Kip Lewis just for more so down the line I think if Danny stuffman can stay healthy doesn't get injured like he did was it in the Texas in the uh Kansas and Oklahoma State game was Kansas game he got hurt and Kip Lewis more of that because stman was out against Oklahoma State and betham but I think Kip Lewis and him being that spy against Donovan Smith the quarterback in Houston not only because I think he's gonna have success but I think if Danny suman's there and Kip Le can just they let him go run around make plays sideline to sideline and he doesn't have to think all the time that's gonna make him that's gonna make not only him but the Oklahoma defense a lot better and like you mentioned you mentioned the Alabama game he's gonna probably have to spot Jaylen milro later in the year Kip Lewis so this could be an early test uh for sure because I think he's the most ath little undersized but we've seen undersized linebackers produce at the college level again not ask him to go produce in the NFL we're producing him to go we're act asking him to go produce on Saturdays I think spying Donovan Smith this will be the first real test for them that I like Kip Lewis to get that job done so I'm watching that just to see how that will be down the line when they play teams like Old Miss they may have to spot a little bit with Jackson D obviously Jaylen milro um in Alabama so I think that's something to keep an eye on for sure David certainly feels like for this game alone it truly is a practice run for what you're going to see in the SEC we know what the line says it's going to be starting off at an over under 49 and a half line set at minus 30 you and I both I think have the same agreement on who's coming out on top but but real quickly final thoughts and what's your prediction I'm gonna go 56 to six I think so something like that yeah I I me I don't I mean if they scor more than 10 points I would be shocked I mean they really I mean they were not productive at all against UNL so I don't think they're going to do a whole whole bunch against what you just said and I totally agree with you Cole I think Oklahoma has I'm not ready to say the best SEC defense right now but they have the least amount of question marks at all three level 100% on that 100% they 100% have all three I think they probably had the highest floor of any defense in the SEC really because I know what I'm probably gonna get from them week to week then you factor in Brit vinales and Zack allly calling it uh but yeah I think it's G be something like 56 to six like me and you keep saying I think this is the last time this you take the training wheels off this this is it I think the offense is really going to focus in on trying to establish the Run get better get the tight ends attached let's work on that because we're going to need that down the line when we start playing some better defensive fronts like we'll see with two lane they have an interior guy Patrick Jenkins is a good player uh Tennessee we know James Pierce Joshua Jose's alurn uh they have the McLoud kid and the cedrick Faulk kid uh Philip bleedy down there on the interior Trill Carter they're they're facing better fronts to be going they're going to need that offensive line in the tight ends up front to produce some holes some gaps for Oklahoma to get something going in the Run game so so last week we get to see it Oklahoma gets to work on themselves one more time I think for me the biggest question that I have is how do you win on third down I want to see that better accuracy I want to see better play calling too I think that that's another thing that is just going to come with time Seth Latrell getting better acclimated to what the offensive Personnel is what he has to work with what he doesn't how do you replace Julio fro he's going to be out for an ex an extended period we're talking around anywhere between six to eight weeks if not longer uh do you get back Nick Anderson in this game is this where he finally comes and we saw last season down in the alen mobile and San Antonio what the relationship of Jackson Arnold looks like with a Nick Anderson and if you have that plus you get a Dion Burks that's a recipe for chaos that absolutely bodge wall in your favor I want to see more consistency whenever it comes to the playmaking I want to also see better I would say accuracy when it comes to Jackson Arnold because because of overall he had a very solid game nobody's complaining when you score four touchdowns you you have a great Baseline but also let's call spade a spade we left the Oklahoma game knowing that there were still a ton of questions that need to be corrected that if you don't fix moving into next week it could be a lot closer than you have than you feel comfortable and it certainly can be a lot closer when Josh hyper returns for the first time in in in in years so I think that you see is still a win I that you're going to see Oklahoma be able to control the game I think they can control the line of scrimmage too a lot of three and outs forced by this defense I will be a little nicer uh I still think they hit the over completely I will say that it's going to be 42- six final score so you hit the over you get a good you get a good win you feel positive in the right direction maybe you give up a late touchdown and they miss the P maybe just give up two field goals but overall it's another step in the right direction for okoklahoma before John summer on the two-lane Green Wave who certainly are looking to be players this year in the college football playoff group of five hunt absolutely will try to make a statement but let's know in the comments section down below who was right who was wrong what did we miss on what are some areas that you think that the Oklahoma senors need to improve on in this game wasn't a perfect performance but you know what that's why we build it week to week make sure you're following us on all the social channels Tik Tok Facebook Instagram Twitter SEC unfiltered follow him on Twitter motin Sports follow me on Twitter yell at me in the comment section Mr Co Thompson make sure you download the podcast version of the show and to check out all of our great work make sure you visit SEC unfiltered.com for Dave shid I'm Cole Thompson later sooner Nation [Music]