University of Texas started the Charlie Strong era in the best possible way when they overpowered North Texas on opening day. The Longhorns will look to continue their good start when they face Brigham Young University this coming Saturday as they seek to avenge their embarrassing defeat to the Cougars last season.
Read on for a preview of this matchup and while you’re at it, check out the best college football games to watch in Week 2 as the new NCAA season kicks into high gear.
[sc:Football ]BYU Cougars vs. Texas Longhorns Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
When: Saturday, September 6, 2014, 7:30 PM ET
Line: BYU Cougars (+3) at Texas Longhorns (-3) – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the BYU Cougars
Quarterback Taysom Hill showed Cougar fans a glimpse of what they can expect from him this season when he torched the UConn Huskies for 308 yards and three touchdowns in a dominant 35-10 victory last Friday night.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Even without his two top receivers, the third-year quarterback was in total control as he completed 28 of 36 passes without recording an interception. Apart from his superb passing game, Hill also led the team in rushing with 97 yards on 12 carries as he simply outclassed the Huskies all game long.
For their next game against the Longhorns, the Cougars will be back to full strength with the return of tailback Jamaal Williams, wide receiver Devon Blackmon, defensive tackle Marques Johnson and starting cornerbacks Jordan Johnson and Robertson Daniel, who all missed BYU’s opening game because of suspensions.
That will be a big boost for Hill who will hope to replicate his stunning performance against Texas last season. Although he completed only 9-of-26 passes, Hill rushed for 259 yards in that 40-21 rout wherein BYU set a school record of 550 rushing yards. It will be a different animal for Hill and the rest of the Cougars this time around though as they will face the Longhorns in their own lair.
BYU is 6-4 in their last 10 road games.
Betting on the Texas Longhorns
The Charlie Strong era in Texas is officially off and the Texas Longhorns made sure their new head coach will not be disappointed as they opened their campaign with a convincing 38-7 win over North Texas.
The Longhorns’ defense was simply immense as they limited North Texas to 94 total yards the entire game. Quandre Diggs, Jordan Hicks and Hasaan Ridgeway emerged as the top performers as they totally dominated the Mean Green offense.
Heading into their game against the Cougars, however, there is growing concern about Texas’ offense, in particular their starting quarterback David Ash. Ash, who threw for 190 yards and a touchdown in the opener against North Texas, will not play against BYU this Saturday after experiencing more concussion-related symptoms.
Interestingly, Ash’s concussion problems first started when he met BYU last season. He missed 10 games and received a medical redshirt because of the condition last year and it looks like the first hit he suffered against North Texas triggered a recurrence of these symptoms.
There’s no word yet on how long Ash will be sidelined or if he will still play this season at all but no doubt this is a major blow for the Longhorns. They will have to make adjustments on the fly and for the game against BYU they will rely on sophomore Tyrone Swoopes who will be making his first career start at QB.
In limited action last season, Swoopes threw for 26 yards and rushed for 79 and a touchdown in six games. Strong, however, is convinced he can do the job saying, “Tyrone can handle it,” Strong said. “I’m not concerned about that. The team will rally around him.”
One of those players who can definitely help Swoopes is wide receiver John Harris, whose seven receptions against North Texas already topped his 2013 season total of five. Harris finished the game with 110 yards and a touchdown and his ability to transfer that chemistry to Swoopes will be one of the keys for Texas if they are to compete with BYU this weekend.
Texas is 7-3 in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
BYU will stamp their class over an Ash-less Texas side. Create a betting account now and cash in on all the college football games.
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