University of Houston Athletics
Football Getting Ready for UAB
11/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 13, 2001
HOUSTON, Texas - The University of Houston football team continued preparations Tuesday for this weekend's 2001 home finale against Conference USA rival UAB.
The Cougars, who play host to the Blazers in a 7 p.m. game Saturday at John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium, are fresh off a 34-10 loss at 25th-ranked Louisville last weekend.
Making his first start against the Cardinals after sitting out the previous four games with an injury, quarterback Kelly Robertson completed 16-of-30 passes for 157 yards. "Kelly had to shake off a little bit of rust, which was to be expected," UH head coach Dana Dimel said. "His wrist is still not at 100 percent by any means, but I expect Kelly to have a solid performance at quarterback this weekend."
With 114 yards on only 19 carries, junior running back Joffrey Reynolds racked up his fourth 100-yard rushing game this season and registered his sixth touchdown of the year at Louisville. He leads the Cougars with a career best 765 yards to date.
However, Reynolds and the Cougar offensive line have a challenge ahead of them in the form of the UAB defense, ranked No. 1 nationally against run, but Dimel said he was confident that his offensive unit would rise to the occasion.
"They have a great rush defense, but I think we will be able to come out and run the ball effectively," Dimel said. "The biggest thing for us is not to take negative yardage plays against them."
Despite posting impressive offensive numbers against Louisville, the Cougars were doomed by gift-wrapping the Cardinals 17 points via special teams. Still, Dimel said his team's performance seemed to give his squad momentum heading into this weekend's home contest.
"We've righted that negative momentum. and that's a big step for this program. We got the momentum back on our side, because our guys fought and played well against a good Louisville team on the road. They did things so much more fundamentally sound," Dimel said. "Going into this game, we think we have a chance to come home and get a win and show the guys how they learned a lesson about overcoming adversity"
And riding that wave of momentum on the field at Robertson Stadium can only help the young Cougar squad.
"It's always difficult to win football games on the road," Dimel said. "We have matured as a team and have some positive momentum and that momentum brings us home. Being at home this weekend is a big, big plus for our football team."
