Arizona tailback J.J. Taylor likely will have a bigger role vs. Houston if starter Nick Wilson (ankle) can't play.

 Mike Christy / Arizona Daily Star

Here are three things to watch in the Arizona Wildcats’ game against Houston at Arizona Stadium (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU), plus a score prediction and some pertinent preview links:

1. TAYLOR TIME

With senior tailback Nick Wilson questionable because of an ankle injury, redshirt freshman J.J. Taylor could have an expanded role. The questionable tag puts Wilson in that gray area, but given his history and the Wildcats’ depth at running back, it’s more likely than not that they’ll play it safe. If so, Taylor probably will start and get the majority of the work, with senior Zach Green and freshman Nathan Tilford also in the mix. Taylor had a relatively quiet night in the opener, rushing for 44 yards on nine carries while splitting time with Wilson, whose 87 yards on eight carries included a 46-yard touchdown. We know Taylor is capable of so much more – even against an elite defense. In just his second extended appearance last season, Taylor rushed for 97 yards on 19 carries in three quarters against a Washington defense filled with future pros. Houston has at least one future NFL player on its defense who generally makes things difficult for opposing running backs. Speaking of said player …

2. MAN IN THE MIDDLE

Do yourself a favor Saturday night, whether you’re in the stands or watching on TV: focus on the interior of the line when Arizona has the ball. You’re in for a treat. Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver – who’s only a sophomore – is one of the best players in college football, regardless of position. He’s one of those guys who singlehandedly is capable of wrecking an offense. It’ll be fascinating to see how Arizona handles Oliver. Will they double-team him? Will they run away from him? Will they, as Pac-12 Networks analyst Yogi Roth suggested to me, occasionally leave him unblocked on zone-read plays? The best approach is probably all of the above – mixing things up so Oliver never faces the same blocking scheme twice in a row. Arizona also needs to play at breakneck speed to wear Oliver out (if such a thing is possible). He’s the best interior defender the UA has faced since Stanford’s Solomon Thomas, who had four tackles, including 2.5 for losses (1.5 sacks), in the Cardinal’s 34-10 victory last October. Thomas was the third pick in this year’s NFL draft.

3. LEAP WEEK

You hear it all the time: Football teams – especially young ones – make the most improvement between Week 1 and Week 2. The Wildcats will need to prove that theory to beat the Cougars. There’s no question that youth played a role in Arizona’s defensive struggles against NAU. Seven of the 13 true freshmen who appeared in the game play on that side of the ball, including three starters. Rich Rodriguez thought the defense looked tentative at times. It was a learning experience for all those rookies, plus the redshirt freshmen who also were making their college debuts. Now the question is: Can they learn from that experience and become better for it? Can they do a better job of setting the edge, fitting their run gaps and defending deep passes? Houston skews older, at least in its projected starting lineup, which features 19 seniors and juniors, one redshirt sophomore and two true sophomores (one of whom is Oliver). There’s no 2017 UH film to study. But having that first game under its belt should benefit Arizona. It’s supposed to, anyway.

FINAL SCORE: Arizona 24, Houston 20

PREVIEW LINKS:

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