University of Houston Athletics
Cougars Prepare For Season Opener Saturday Versus Rice
8/28/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 28, 2001
Though football practice on Tuesday (Aug. 28) could have been moved indoors to the Athletics-Alumni Center because of rain, Houston Head Coach Dana Dimel opted to keep the day's game-week workout outside and in the elements. The rain may not have been the preferred conditions for the preparation for Saturday's season-opener, the annual battle for the Bayou Bucket against crosstown rival Rice on September 1, but Dimel saw a silver lining to the practice even though it was showering for most of the two-and-a-half hour workout.
"It was a good practice but we had to fight through the elements," Dimel said. "Our practice field was starting to turn into a wallow, but if it rains on Saturday I want to be ready for that too. We didn't compromise though and we accomplished what we wanted to today and that's a positive.
"Our first game is coming up and we could still use a little polish, but overall I would say we're ahead of schedule from where we were a year ago," Dimel added. "Last year everything was so new that we spent most of our time in a learning mode. Now the players have had the system and we reported in better shape. All that's left is to finally play a game because we're starting to get a little tired of hitting each other.
"That's also where the rain actually helped today," Dimel said. "I think the rain might have taken a little of the repetitiveness out of the daily assignments and added a new, little wrinkle to what was becoming routine. I don't like to be in less-favorable conditions for practice compared to our opponent has, but since Rice is probably in the same boat with us weather-wise this week might be a draw."
Houston and Rice is one of only two Division I match-ups in the country that pits two teams from the same city in a head-to-head showdown. The Cougars lead the all-time series with their crosstown rivals 20-7. Saturday's game at O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium is slated for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff. Tickets are available from the UH Ticket Office at 7113-743-9444.
