Houston Cougars eye statement win over Colorado in Big 12 opener

Brian Schaible

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Houston Cougars eye statement win over Colorado in Big 12 opener image

Two games into his first season in Houston, head coach Willie Fritz has the Cougars off to a perfect start. The Cougars, who finished just 4–8 a year ago, are now 2–0 under Fritz heading into Friday’s Big 12 opener against Colorado.

Asked about the early momentum, Fritz downplayed the idea of carrying over results from week to week. “I’m not one of those people who believe in momentum. I think each game’s its own season. You can’t dwell on past successes or past failures or you’re going to not be as good as you can be.”

Still, Fritz emphasized the importance of treating every week as an opportunity to reset. “The beginning of this week, I told them this game counts one, and last week counted one, the week before counted one. So you need to put everything into it. It happens fast and you’ve got to put everything into it that you possibly can.”

Fritz has leaned on a defense that has allowed just nine points across the first two games. “I think Coach Armstrong and the defensive staff have done a phenomenal job getting our guys prepared for the games. Last week was completely different than what they saw week one…but once again we tackled well. We did an outstanding job.”

He also pointed to transfer additions like Will James making an instant impact. “The big things we’re wanting to do is find guys that can play big-time winning power four football. And number two, guys that fit into our culture. Will has come in and really been impressive. He loves football, loves to practice, loves everything about the sport.”

And while the early wins have energized the locker room, Fritz stressed that the standard must remain the same every week. “Quarterback gets too much credit when things go well and too much criticism when things don’t go well. This is a team game. We’ve got to block better, run our routes better, and do all the little things right.”

He added that his players have embraced that message. “I think we’ve got really smart guys. They don’t make busts. That’s a big reason why guys play. We’ve just got to keep building on that, stay consistent, and keep working every day.”

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Brian Schaible

Brian Schaible is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is an award-winning journalist with over 25 years of experience covering college and professional sports. Brian holds a master’s degree in journalism/public relations from Kent State University.