Houston DT Oliver questionable for South Florida game

Houston All-American defensive tackle Ed Oliver reportedly is questionable for Saturday's big game against No. 21 South Florida because of a bruised knee. Oliver suffered the injury during Houston's win over Navy on Saturday. The Houston Chronicle reported that Oliver has missed two straight practices and is listed as questionable. According to the report, the Cougars may not decide on Oliver's availability until shortly before kickoff. "We'll (continue to) monitor him and see if he's available," said head coach Major Applewhite, per the Chronicle. Oliver was a consensus All-American last season, when he became the first underclassman to win the Outland Trophy. In March he announced that he will leave the Cougars following the 2018 season and make himself available for the 2019 NFL Draft. Rob Rang of NFLDraftScout.com ranked Oliver as the No. 1 prospect in the 2019 draft in his latest Big Board ratings. Rang writes that Oliver "has arguably been the most consistent difference-maker in college football regardless of position" during his time at Houston. In his first two seasons with the Cougars, the 6-foot-3, 290-pound Oliver had 39.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. This season, Oliver has 13.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Houston (6-1, 3-0 conference) and USF (7-0, 3-0) are both unbeaten in American Athletic Conference play heading into Saturday's game at Houston.