Though we are still awaiting final word on when (if) this game is going to be played, it is finally time to turn our attention to the University of Houston football team. Depending on what sports book you are using UTSA is between a 10 and 13 point underdog. This is a steep drop from the opening line of 20+ points. Today we are going to start our game week coverage off with our top 5 keys to the game from the UTSA perspective.

1. How does each team handle the Hurricane Harvey aftermath?

This is probably the biggest one for both teams. UH was displaced late last week, and has been practicing at the UT facility in Austin for the past few days. Though not an optimal situation, it appears the UH Athletic Dept moved with enough urgency to get the team set up quite well leading up to the game. The mental part will probably be the biggest issue as far as the UH team is concerned. A lot of their campus is under water right now, and most of their roster is from the Houston area. Coach Wilson made a point to mention that “both teams are preparing. They're in Austin preparing, we are here preparing. Certainly our thoughts and prayers are with them. You're conscientious of the natural disaster that has just happened and so of course that’s on your mind but you continue to prepare for the game.” That all sounds great, but how mentally draining will the situation back home be for a group of 18 - 22 year olds? Definitely something to pay attention to.

2. How do you stop Ed Oliver?

I’m sure you all know who Ed Oliver is, but you may not be aware of just how dominant he was last season as a true freshman. Olive won basically every Freshman All American award that is given out. He led the American Conf in tackles for loss, was 2nd nationally from defensive tackle with 44 solo tackles, and lead all freshmen in the AAC with 5 sacks. He’s a dominant player that a defense has to game plan for. That is the bad news. The good news is that the UTSA offense is built as well as any G5 team can be to handle a dominant interior player. The interior of the UTSA offensive line is strong, experienced, and supported by what could be an elite blocking FB in Halen Steward. Oliver is one of those guys you can only hope to contain. He’s gonna get his. My question is if the coaching staff runs away from him the whole game, or do they strap on their helmets and go at the big fella early in the game?

3. Can UTSA establish a running game?

Houston was dominant in stopping the run game last season in giving up just over 100 yards rushing per game on only 2.9 yards per carry. Those are some salty numbers, but there is some good news for UTSA. First, the UTSA offensive line is big and nasty. They will be up to the task ahead of them. Second, UH is replacing 2 members of their defensive line and 2 starting members of the linebacking core. This is going to be a case of strength going up against strength. UTSA has to have success running the ball to keep the clock moving, and UH’s offense off the field. Dalton Sturm needs a strong running game to play off of. If he’s forced to throw 25+ passes it could be a long day for the Roadrunners.

4. Can UTSA contain the UH passing game?

Though UH is losing what is undoubtedly one of the great offensive minds in the country in Tom Herman, they have positioned themselves quite well offensively by promoting Major Applewhite and plucking Brian Johnson out of Mississippi State. Johnson received a lot of credit for developing Dak Prescott while with the Bulldogs, and gets a former 5 star in Kyle Allen to build his offense around. UH returns a very strong pass catching duo in Linell Bonner and Steven Dunbar. They are backed up by a long list of former blue chip recruits that Herman brought in over the years. Long story short, the UH passing game could be pretty scary. What UTSA is going to need to do to counter that is lean on what could be a pretty dominant front 7 to stop the run and turn UH into a one dimensional team. The Cougars bring back their leading rusher from last season in Donald Catalon, but he lead the team in rushing while only averaging 3.6 yards per carry. UTSA will need to keep UH in 3rd and long situation and hope that Marcus Davenport, Lakel Bass and company can pin their ears back and get some pressure on Kyle Allen.

5. Win the turnover battle.

This is an obvious one, and could be on this list every week this season. But it’s even more important when you are facing what on paper should be the superior squad. We saw it last season against Arizona State. Some first half turnovers led to some quick UTSA scores, and we appeared to have them on the ropes. Those turnovers dried up in the 4th quarter, and the bigger (and deeper) Sun Devils were finally able to bully us around as they came back to beat us. In parts of 2 seasons playing for the Aggies, Kyle Allen threw 14 total picks. Best case scenario is we repeat what we did in 2014 by forcing the UH QB into multiple turnovers on the way to a big win.