University of Houston Athletics
Football Begins Game Week for Rice
8/26/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 26, 2003
HOUSTON - After all the two-a-day workouts and sessions in the weight room, game week finally hit the University of Houston practice field on Tuesday afternoon.
The Cougars, who worked out for about two hours Tuesday, open the 2003 season at 7 p.m., Saturday against crosstown rival Rice at John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium in a game that will be played for the Administaff Bayou Bucket. A year ago, the Cougars snapped a 15-game losing streak with a convincing 24-10 win at Rice Stadium.
With the start of classes Monday and sweltering temperatures in Houston, the Cougars fought through plenty of distractions during the early part of this week. However, first-year head coach Art Briles said his team must be more focused to handle this weekend's challenge.
"It was a little bit warm there, and with the university starting classes, they (the players) have a lot of things going on," Briles said. "We need to focus on preparing to beat Rice, blocking out the heat and the other distractions and go out there and improve as a football team."
After going through off-season drills and practicing together as a team since the first full week of August, the Cougars are ready to meet an opponent in a different-colored jersey, said Briles, who was 2-1 against the Owls as a player in the mid-1970s.
"We're tired of practicing and going against each other. We've been doing that since February," Briles said. "We're ready to get some people in the stands, who are going to whoop and holler a bit. We're ready for it to count."
While the Cougars have recorded an 8-5 all-time record against Rice in their home games, this will be only the third time in the series that the two teams have met at Robertson Stadium. In their last meeting at the Cougars' home facility, Rice took a 21-14 win in the 2001 season opener for both teams.
