University of Houston Athletics
Cougar Football Notes
11/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 5, 2002
HOUSTON - Fresh off one of the more thrilling victories in school history, the University of Houston football team began its preparations Tuesday for this weekend's annual homecoming contest against East Carolina.
The Cougars, who took a 26-21 win at Conference USA rival Memphis last weekend, bring a two-game winning streak into Saturday's 2 p.m. game at John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium. It is the first winning streak for the Cougars in nearly three seasons.
"We're close to where we want to be but we are still a ways away," UH head coach Dana Dimel said. "You can be close but still be a long ways away if you don't find a way to get it done."
UH (4-4, 2-3 C-USA) worked out for about two-and-a-half hours Tuesday in practice split at the Cougars' practice field. Although original plans called for the team to spend the last 30 minutes indoors at the Bill Yeoman Fieldhouse, the cool, pleasant weather and lights blazing away at the Cougar Track and Field Stadium convinced Dimel to stay outside.
In last weekend's road win, the Cougars clinged to a 26-21 lead with Memphis on the UH 5-yard line and less than a minute remaining. After forcing a loss of three yards and an incomplete pass, the Cougar defense rose up and forced Memphis quarterback Danny Wimprine into an interception with only four seconds left in the game.
A win like that will only pay dividends for the Cougars later this season as they march toward a possible bowl berth, Dimel said.
"The program took a big step last weekend," said Dimel, who is now in his third year at the helm of the program. "That's all we are trying to do right now. We had steps that needed to be taken and we're taking them as the season moves along."
Senior running back Joffrey Reynolds rushed for 122 yards on 27 carries and added an early touchdown to give UH the lead last weekend. It marked Reynolds' third straight 100-yard rushing day and improved his team-leading total to six 100-yard games this season.
With the loss of fellow running back Chris Robertson to a season-ending knee injury last weekend, Reynolds should see his workload increase significantly against the Pirates.
"We've been trying to carry Joffrey between 22 and 25 carries per game," Dimel said. "With Chris gone, his level has to go into the 30s. This might be the game where he gets 30 carries."
While the two teams did not meet during the 2001 season, Dimel said that their last encounter - a 62-20 ECU win in Greenville - remains fresh in his team's mind.
"We will use that as a motivational tool, where the program was two years ago," Dimel said.
