University of Houston Athletics
Back To Work For Football Team Tuesday
9/4/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 4, 2001
Though the University of Houston football team will have an open date on the schedule this week, the Cougars returned to its normal, full Tuesday practice agenda on Sept. 4. Houston will next meet SEC power Georgia on the road in Athens on Sept. 15. The team worked out indoors in the Yeoman Fieldhouse in the Athletics/Alumni Center due to rain in the Houston area.
Cougar Head Coach Dana Dimel stated he preferred the open date would be a little bit later in the year but that he was more concerned about a talented Georgia team getting an extra game (vs. South Carolina) before the Sept. 15 date.
"It's important for us to stay in condition and get ready for that Georgia heat, but we just haven't been able to do it here because of the rain the last couple of practice days," Dimel said. "We need to get back outside and get back ready to go live because I thought we were close to doing some good things.
"The open date also gives Georgia a chance to get another game and that will be a plus for them," Dimel added. "When it's this early I'd prefer to play them with each of us having two games, but now it's two-to-one and it seems a little unbalanced. I'm confident what we can accomplish in the long run. We had one turnover and only four penalties in a rainy opener and we can move forward."
Dimel was pleased with the play of senior tight end Grover Thompson against Rice on Saturday. On defense Dimel praised senior weakside linebacker Arthur Gissendanner. In one roster move junior transfer Ronnie Braxton was elevated to second team weakside linebacker with freshman Bryan Brown.
The other change to the two-deep was injury related. Dimel announced that sophomore wide receiver Mark Hopkins will be out for the year with a broken fibula. The standout from Houston's Northshore High School will undergo surgery on Friday (Sept. 7).
-UH-
