NCAA Football: HOUSTON at EAST CAROLINA – C-USA Title (12/5)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL — December 5

HOUSTON at EAST CAROLINA
Conference USA Championship Game
(Houston -2.5, Total 69) — Houston gains more yardage and scores more points than any team in the country. The Cougars have scored “upsets” over Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, traveled to beat an SEC team, Mississippi State, and have scored 40 points or more eight times. But the Cougars have been in some Pier 6 brawls, mostly because they can’t defend. In games down the stretch, Houston allowed 534 yards to Tulsa and 608 to Southern Miss, and there were upset losses as well, suffered at the hands of Central Florida and UTEP. That this team could have easily been undefeated and a candidate for BCS action had they not stumbled against those lesser lights suggests to us that they are really not ready for prime time. But do they have to be to win and cover this conference title game on the road? Case Keenum was mentioned early as a Heisman candidate but lost the buzz, even though he completed almost 71% of his passes for 38 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Patrick Pinkney of East Carolina, by comparison, was not nearly as efficient, with 13 TD’s and ten pickoffs. The Pirates didn’t exactly stop opposing offenses in their tracks, giving up 520 yards, for example, to a middling UAB team and in terms of their pass defense they were middle-of-the-pack at best. It is perhaps useful to keep in mind that three of Houston’s biggest wins – over Oklahoma State, Mississippi State and the come-from-behind 46-45 victory over Tulsa – have come as the visitor. Keenum has done such a great job minimizing turnovers that it might be wishful thinking to assume he is going to be slowed considerably just because East Carolina is hosting this game.

THE PLAY: HOUSTON -2.5 ***

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)