University of Houston Athletics
Daily Football Notes
9/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 2, 2003
HOUSTON - Fresh off a dominating 48-14 win over crosstown rival Rice, the University of Houston football team returned to the practice field Tuesday in preparation for this weekend's showdown at No. 5 Michigan.
However, first-year head coach Art Briles and his Cougar squad had to break their regular workout schedule. With heavy rains inundating the Houston area during the last few days, the Cougars retreated indoors into the comforts of the Bill Yeoman Fieldhouse and worked out for about two-and-a-half hours in shorts and shoulder pads.
The Cougars meet the Wolverines in an 11 a.m. (Central) game Saturday afternoon at Michigan Stadium in front of a crowd expected to be in excess of 110,000 people. That game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
As proud as Briles is to have the Fieldhouse for inclement weather, nothing beats a workout on the Cougars' regular practice fields.
"You hate getting out of a routine. Any time that you get out of a routine, it causes some glitches," Briles said. "We can't throw the ball down the field (indoors), and everything happens at a quicker rate."
Nevertheless, that didn't stop the Cougar players from holding a steady workout Tuesday afternoon. After rolling up more than 400 yards of total offense against the Owls, the Cougars began installing the Michigan game plan and looked good doing so.
"We were able to get a good workout. We just need to stay focused and get ready," Briles said. "We will get out there Wednesday and get some live activity."
While many pigskin prognosticators are giving the Cougars little chance against the Wolverines, Briles said his team's mindset was in the right place as it started this week's workouts.
"Our players understand that if we go out and work for 60 minutes, we can win the football game," Briles said. "Hopefully, they're not sitting around believing everything that they read in the paper. They have a mind of their own and they know how we feel and how we operate."
