What type of challenge will Houston’s quarterback present TCU in Big 12 opener?
After keeping Nicholls State out of the end zone, the TCU defense now has a true litmus test to see how much the unit has grown since the season opening loss to Colorado.
The main focus always starts with the quarterback and Houston quarterback Donovan Smith is much different player than Shedeur Sanders. But Smith can be just as effective in his own way according to Sonny Dykes.
“What I like about him is he’s a tough kid,” Dykes said Tuesday. “I was really impressed with him, we played against him last year at Texas Tech and got some snaps in our game. I like his toughness, I like his willingness to do whatever to help his team win.”
Smith rotated among Tyler Shough and Brennan Morton in Lubbock as Tech dealt with its fair share of injuries. Smith started at least four games and was able to put together some impressive performances.
He led the Red Raiders to an upset of Texas and also helped Tech defeat his current team. In those two games Smith almost threw for 700 yards and four touchdowns.
He entered the transfer portal after the season and joined Houston.
So far with the Cougars, Houston hasn’t held back on relying on his legs as a runner. When you adjust for sacks, Smith has 23 carries for 132 yards and three touchdowns. With his 6-foot-5, 241 pound frame Smith is a monster in short-yardage situations.
For a defense that wants to be better at getting off the field, accounting for Smith as a runner on third down will be crucial in Saturday’s game.
“I thought he ran the ball well against Rice,” Dykes said. “I thought he was very effective and I thought they did a good job even though they got down early of not panicking with the playcalls and sticking with their gameplan. He was a big part of the reason they got back in the game.”
Smith almost led a historic comeback as Houston fell in a surprising 28-0 hole against Rice. The Cougars stormed back, but lost 43-41 in overtime.
Smith accounted for over 300 totals yards of offense and five touchdowns in the daring comeback attempt. Those performances are why many view Smith’s upside so high.
“He’s got a lot of experience, he makes good decisions,” Dykes said. “He’s done a good job so far this year of taking care of the football for the most part. So I like the kid a lot, I think he’s a good football player and a good leader. He makes the team better, so I’ve been really impressed with him.”
There’s a reason Dykes mentioned Smith’s ball security as the talented quarterback can struggle in that area. In four starts against teams not named Murray State, Smith had eight touchdowns to eight interceptions and four fumbles.
If TCU can pressure him, Smith will give the defense opportunities to make game-changing plays. But that all comes down to applying that pressure and getting Smith on the ground. He’s been sacked six times in two games against UTSA and Rice, which are solid teams, but shouldn’t have a better defensive line than TCU.
“The ability of the quarterback being able to run (is a challenge),” linebacker Namdi Obiazor said. “We have to have good eye discipline, everyone has (to do their job) and if he starts to run, don’t leave your man until he crosses the line of scrimmage and just make sure we do everything right.”
Keeping Smith inside the pocket and making him beat the secondary as a pure passer has to be objective No. 1 for TCU. If the Horned Frogs can achieve that, then the odds of getting out of Houston with a win increase significantly.
How much can a defense improve in two weeks? We’re about to find out.
