Field pass: Matchups, starters and stats to know for Arizona-Houston

Game info

Who: Arizona Wildcats (0-1) at Houston Cougars (1-0)

Where: TDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas

When: 9 a.m. Saturday

Watch: Ch. 9 (Tucson) or ESPN2

Listen: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM

Follow: @TheWildcaster on Twitter / TheWildcaster on Facebook

Head to head: Donovan Laie vs. Isaiah Chambers

78 Donovan Laie, Arizona

The true freshman acquitted himself well in his first college start. It’ll only get harder in Week 2. Because of the presence of Ed Oliver in the middle of Houston’s defense, Laie likely won’t get much double-team help from LG Tshiyombu Lukusa.

94 Isaiah Chambers, Houston

Chambers also made his college debut last week after redshirting at TCU in 2016 and sitting out ’17 as a transfer. All he did was record three sacks off the bench. Chambers was the No. 7 strong-side defensive end in the class of ’16, per 247Sports.com.

Head to head: Lorenzo Burns vs. Marquez Stevenson

2 Lorenzo Burns, Arizona

Burns recorded a career-high three pass breakups vs. BYU. Burns’ coverage was sticky all night. He had trouble at times last season against bigger receivers. Every wideout in Houston’s two-deep is listed at 6 feet or taller.

5 Marquez Stevenson, Houston

Stevenson isn’t the biggest UH receiver, but he might be the most explosive. After missing most of his first two seasons because of injuries, Stevenson caught five passes for 107 yards, including a 57-yard TD, against Rice.

When Arizona has the ball...

The Wildcats need to find a rhythm early and sustain it. The offense was choppy against BYU, unable to establish the run and relying far too much on low-percentage passes. It won’t be easy against a Houston defense anchored by Oliver, who might be the most disruptive player in America. Arizona will try to offset him with quick passes, screens and draws. But at some point, Khalil Tate will have to use his athleticism to make plays. 

When Houston has the ball...

New coordinator Kendal Briles directed some of the most prolific offenses in the country over the past three seasons at Florida Atlantic and Baylor. Houston will play fast, spread the field and take shots. D’Eriq King, who split time between receiver and QB the past two years, averaged 13.3 yards per attempt and threw three TD passes vs. Rice. UA’s secondary, even with Jace Whittaker and Scottie Young Jr. back, will be tested.

Lev's prediction

After losing to BYU, Arizona is unquestionably the more desperate team. Houston struggled at times against Rice, which had a 10-point lead midway through the third quarter. So it’s not hard to see the path to a UA victory. Unfortunately, that road goes through Oliver and his D-line mates. If the Cougars control that matchup, the Wildcats will struggle to beat them.

Prediction: Houston 30, Arizona 27 

Wildcats projected starters

Offense

WR 18 Cedric Peterson 5-11 193 Junior

SLOT 6 Shun Brown 5-10 188 Senior

LT 78 Donovan Laie 6-4 318 Freshman

LG 70 Tshiyombu Lukusa 6-5 308 Sophomore

C 50 Josh McCauley 6-3 292 Sophomore

RG 54 Bryson Cain 6-4 306 Sophomore

RT 76 Cody Creason 6-4 294 Junior

TE 81 Bryce Wolma 6-3 252 Sophomore

WR 19 Shawn Poindexter 6-5 218 Senior

RB 21 J.J. Taylor 5-6 184 Sophomore

Defense

DE 86 Justin Belknap 6-3 259 Junior

NT 99 Dereck Boles 6-2 306 Senior

DT 52 PJ Johnson 6-4 335 Junior

STUD 14 Kylan Wilborn 6-2 248 Sophomore

MLB 7 Colin Schooler 6-0 236 Sophomore

WLB 1 Tony Fields II 6-1 230 Sophomore

SPUR 19 Scottie Young Jr. 5-11 195 Sophomore

BANDIT 6 D. Flannigan-Fowles 6-2 209 Senior

BC 2 Lorenzo Burns 5-10 181 Sophomore

FC 17 Jace Whittaker 5-11 189 Senior

FS 21 Isaiah Hayes 6-0 191 Sophomore

Cougars projected starters

Offense

WR 9 Courtney Lark 6-2 200 Junior

WR 5 Marquez Stevenson 6-0 190 Sophomore

LT 74 Josh Jones 6-7 310 Junior

LG 72 Mason Denley 6-5 310 Senior

C 69 Will Noble 6-5 295 Senior

RG 52 Braylon Jones 6-4 315 Junior

RT 62 Jarrid Williams 6-7 305 Junior

TE 82 Romello Brooker 6-5 253 Senior

WR 15 Raelon Singleton 6-3 215 Senior

QB 4 D’Eriq King 5-11 195 Junior

RB 21 Patrick Carr 5-10 205 Junior

Defense

DE 94 Isaiah Chambers 6-5 265 Sophomore

DT 10 Ed Oliver 6-3 292 Junior

DE 52 Jerard Carter 6-3 295 Senior

OLB 8 Emeke Egbule 6-4 240 Senior

ILB 20 Roman Brown 6-2 230 Senior

ILB 22 Austin Robinson 6-3 240 Senior

OLB 4 Leroy Godfrey 6-3 240 Junior

CB 14 Isaiah Johnson 6-4 203 Senior

S 1 Garrett Davis 6-2 210 Senior

S 2 Deontay Anderson 6-2 217 Sophomore

CB 9 Nick Watkins 6-1 205 Senior

Arizona statistics

Passing

Tate 17-34-1 Cmp-Att-Int, 198 Yds, 1 TD, 33 Lg

Rushing

Taylor 1 game, 18 Car., 85 Yds, 1 TD, 4.7 Avg

Brightwell 1 game, 9 Car., 30 Yds, 0 TD, 3.3 Avg

Tate 1 game, 8 Car., 14 Yds, 0 TD, 1.8 Avg

Receiving

Poindexter 1 game, 4 Rec., 68 Yds, 0 TD, 17.0 Avg

Ellison 1 game, 4 Rec., 45 Yds, 1 TD, 11.2 Avg

Taylor 1 game, 4 Rec., 27 Yds, 0 TD, 6.8 Avg

Peterson 1 game, 2 Rec., 24 Yds, 0 TD, 12.0 Avg

Defense

Schooler 16 Tk, 0 Sk, 0 Int, 0 FR

Hayes 13 Tk, 0 Sk, 0 Int, 0 FR

Flannigan-Fowles 12 Tk, 0 Sk, 0 Int, 0 FR

Fields II 11 Tk, 0 Sk, 0 Int, 0 FR

Houston statistics

Passing

King 17-24-0 Cmp-Att-Int, 320 Yds, 3 TD, 57 Lg

Smith 1-1-0 Cmp-Att-Int, 0 Yds, 0 TD, 0 Lg

Rushing

Carr 1 game, 8 Car., 74 Yds, 1 TD, 9.2 Avg

Stevenson 1 game, 2 Car., 60 Yds, 1 TD, 30.0 Avg

Car 1 game, 7 Car., 41 Yds, 0 TD, 4.9 Avg

King 1 game, 7 Car., 33 Yds, 1 TD, 4.7 Avg

Smith 1 game, 4 Car., 23 Yds, 0 TD, 5.8 Avg

Williams 1 game, 7 Car., 16 Yds, 0 TD, 2.3 Avg

Receiving 

Stevenson 1 game, 5 Rec., 107 Yds, 1 TD, 21.4 Avg

Lark 1 game, 4 Rec., 82 Yds, 2 TD, 20.5 Avg

Corbin 1 game, 3 Rec., 93 Yds, 0 TD, 31.0 Avg

Defense

Oliver 13 Tk, 0 Sk, 0 Int, 0 FR

Brown 11 Tk, 0 Sk, 0 INT, 0 FR

Robinson 9 Tk, 0 Sk, 0 INT, 0 FR

Anderson 8 Tk, 0 Sk, 0 INT, 0 FR

Johnson 8 Tk, 0 Sk, 0 INT, 0 FR