University of Houston Athletics
Cougars Sweat It Out In Two-a-Days
8/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 16, 2002
After yesterday's powerful thunderstorms forced them to practice indoors in both the morning and afternoon, the University of Houston Cougars returned to the great outdoors today, spending close to four hours in the summer heat during the annual two-a-days.
The Cougars spent almost three hours in the morning practicing on the infield surface of the Carl Lewis International Track and Field Complex, returning to the field for brief afternoon run through on special teams and team drills. Despite the heat and sweltering conditions, UH head coach Dana Dimel is glad his squad was able to return to the outdoor fields, as his team gears up for its second scrimmage tomorrow afternoon.
"We got a three-hour practice in this morning," said Dimel, "and we got a lot of good pounding in because yesterday we really didn't get a lot of opportunities to do so (indoors.) We spent all morning trying to focus on pad level and timing of things at a crisper pace than we were able to do the day before.
"Then, this afternoon we really tried to work on our passing game and a little bit more on our kicking game."
Speaking of tomorrow's scrimmage, which is also Fan Appreciation Day, Dimel wants to get his team into more live situations, especially in the area of special teams.
"Tomorrow we are going to do some live special teams work," added Dimel. "So, I am looking for that to be good and solid for us as far as punt protection, kickoff and kickoff return. Then, I want to look for us to do a nice job in running the football and doing a good job of defending the run, but that won't be easy because you're pitting your ones against your ones.
"These are the things our team needs to continue to improve upon...our run offense, defending the run and our special teams."
The Fan Appreciation Scrimmage is slated to begin at 10:50 am and is expected to last over two hours until 1 pm. All fans are encourated to attend.
The Cougars are just two weeks away from opening up the 2002 campaign, continuing their rivalry with Rice in the annual Administaff Bayou Bucket on August 31, at Rice Stadium. Kickoff for the Cougars-Owls contest is slated for 7 pm. Houston will broadcast the game live on Star 790, KBME-AM.
