Houston’s Fritz warns of Colorado’s speed and power before Friday night clash

Brian Schaible

Houston’s Fritz warns of Colorado’s speed and power before Friday night clash image

Houston head coach Willie Fritz met with reporters this week and made it clear he is focused on Colorado as the Cougars prepare for their Big 12 opener Friday night.

Asked about the Buffaloes’ quarterback situation, Fritz acknowledged the challenge of preparing for a team that used three signal-callers in its last game. “Well, you know, you look at with the plays that were called and just a little bit I’ve been watching, and you’re right, they played all three guys this past game against Delaware. I think it’s kind of similar what they’re wanting. They’ve got an offense. Now, maybe one guy will do a little bit something different than the other, but it’s an offense that they run.”

Fritz emphasized Colorado’s offensive coaching pedigree. “They’ve got a NFL offensive coordinator, former offensive coordinator. I think he’s the head coach someplace, wasn’t he? But they do a great job of mixing run and pass and doing a whole lot of different things.”

On the Buffaloes’ skill positions, Fritz pointed to their size and explosiveness. “They’ve got tall, long, fast guys, very talented out on the perimeter. They caught a couple deep balls last week. Do a good job of getting the ball to their backs. They got a tight end…a very good receiver. So yeah, they’re very talented out on the perimeter.”

He also singled out Colorado’s physical running style. “Colorado’s backs really, really run hard. They’re not real tall guys, but they’ve got good mass and there’s not a real good place to hit them. So you got to do a good job at wrapping these guys, gang tackling, and playing with leverage.”

Fritz closed by noting the significance of the matchup. “Obviously we know it’s a Big 12 opener for us and for Colorado. But we just want to continue to improve, get better, and play the very best we possibly can.”

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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.