University of Houston Athletics
Cougar Football Notes
9/25/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
That old cliche expressed some of the feelings around the University of Houston football practice field as the Cougars continued preparations to play host to TCU this Saturday in a 7 p.m. contest at John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium.
After fighting for 20 years as members of the Southwest Conference, both Houston and TCU will square off for the first time since the 1995 season and, more importantly, for the first time as Conference USA rivals.
Walking off the practice field after a two-and-a-half hour workout Tuesday, Houston head coach Dana Dimel said Saturday's game should be the start of an exciting series in league play.
"It's a renewal of an old Southwest Conference rivalry and the beginning of a great Conference USA rivalry," said Dimel. "In the future, both teams should be major players in the conference."
And those feelings seemed to be expressed by the players on the practice field.
"Those other games were fun, but these games will get us to where we want to get ourselves to," Dimel said. "The guys know that and were focused on that today."
Houston comes into the game on the heels of a 53-26 loss to Texas last weekend. While the final score may appear lopsided, the Cougars dominated the game early and held a 14-10 lead late in the first half , a fact not lost on Dimel.
"I was pleased with the way that we played in the first half on both sides of the ball," Dimel said. "I left the field feeling that everyone continued to improve in that ball game." However, the third-year Cougar coach said he expected this weekend's game to be a low-scoring affair and emphasized a number of areas in which the Cougars needed to be successful.
"Offensively, we need to continue to remain balanced and protect the football," Dimel said. "Our defense was not pleased with their performance this past weekend, but we will rattle some changes there."
