Georgia State stays on the road for a second consecutive week and faces the most-productive passing offense in the country in the Houston Cougars (8 pm ET on CSS). This trip to an FBS opponent's stadium does not carry the cache of 2010's Bryant-Denny Stadium journey, but facing a team that prefers to throw it all over the place will be a great test for the young secondary.
RS sophomore QB Bo Schlechter is slated to start his fourth consecutive game behind an offensive line that continues to lose players. On Wednesday, back up center Michael Davis broke his ankle and is lost for the year. This is after the Panthers already lost starting center Ben Jacoby to an MCL strain. Fortunately, the Coogs are not scary on the defensive side of the ball, ranking 92nd in total defense.
Houston will have one of the nation's top passers in the history of college football on display as senior QB Case Keenum needs only four yards to pass Graham Harrell (Texas Tech) on the NCAA career total offense list and 327 passing yards to jump Ty Detmer (BYU) on the NCAA all-time passing yardage list. It's very possible both could happen Saturday night. The Coogs are averaging better than 40 points per game and are No. 1 in the country in total offense, putting up an astounding 536 yards per game.
Georgia State's defensive strength has actually been its pass defense this season, as the Panthers have only allowed 129.3 yards per game through the air. Houston is not a fan of running the ball but may employ this option, as Georgia State has not found a way to stop opponents on the ground, giving up nearly 223 yards per game.
Expect Case Keenum to test the Panthers early and often, but do not be suprised if the Panthers offense is able to string several drives together, something they were not able to do against the Crimson Tide in 2010. If Georgia State can play clean and not turn the ball over, this game could be much closer than predicted.