Football Continues First Week of Bowl Preparations
12/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 9, 2003
HOUSTON - The University of Houston football team continued preparations for its first bowl appearance since 1996 with a solid workout Tuesday afternoon.
The Cougars meet Western Athletic Conference member Hawai'i at 7 p.m., (CST) Dec. 25, during the 2003 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawai'i.
With heavy rain hitting the Houston area Tuesday morning, UH worked out in shorts and shoulder pads for slightly less than two hours indoors at the Yeoman Fieldhouse. Following the session, first-year head coach Art Briles said that it was obvious that his players recognized that this is a special time of year for football teams.
"We are excited because our players have a lot of energy during workouts. That shows that they are anxious, and who could blame them," Briles said. "This is a great reward for a lot of hard work and effort, and they have earned it."
While the prestige and honor of making the school's first bowl appearance in eight seasons is tremendous, Briles said that the postseason berth also gives his Cougar squad three more weeks of valuable practice time.
"That is how teams create consistency," Briles said. "It allows three more weeks with your younger players and shows that hard work and effort has its rewards."
Since the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl remains 16 days away, the Cougars remaining workouts this week will be lighter but will increase in intensity as the game draws nearer.
"Right now we are just working on ourselves, timing and effort," Briles said. "We will slowly build the emotion and intensity as we get closer to the game."
The game seems to be headed toward an offensive showdown with both squads combining for averages of 66 points and more than 900 yards of total offense per game. However, numbers like that can be thrown out the window once the game starts, Briles said.
"You never can tell on games like this," Briles said. "We are going to play extremely hard to represent ourselves and our university in a positive manner. They are going to do the same. I want our seniors to go out with a bowl victory and eight wins. They have a chance to really make a mark on the program."