University of Houston Athletics
Football Press Luncheon
8/31/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 31, 2004
On the opening of the season and playing Rice
"We're very excited ad ready to get this thing going on Sunday. Of course, we've been getting ready for this game and the season for about a month. All of the talk is starting to go in one ear and out the other. It's time to have somebody blow a whistle and play for real.
"We are reall excited about playing Rice. We have a lot of respect for them as a University, as a football team, and I have a lot of respect for Coach (Ken) Hatfield. He's been in the profession for a long time and has been very successful every where he has been. They really do a good job over there. They are a tough team to play because they present some problems for your defense that you really don't see throughout the year in running the option and the play-action pass. We have a job to do, so we need to go out there and take care of it, and that's what we plan on doing Sunday.
"It's (the UH-Rice game) is a great event for the City of Houston. I really haven't studied or thought about it, much there are not many cities which can put two Division I teams together and let them play in the same city. Los Angeles has UCLA and USC, and I'm sure there are one or two others out there. It's a big event, and something we're proud of and proud to be a part of. We're ready to get started."
Is there anybody on the team that you feel uncertain about or don't know quite what to expect on Sunday?
"That's a good question. There are always uncertainties, I think, in any game and in any phase of the season. You're not really sure what you're going to get from the other side of the ball and your opponent. You have ideas of what they may do, but you're never really sure how it's going ot turn out. From our standpoint, I really feel very confident in where we are right now. I have a lot of faith in our players and in our coaches and what we've been doing for the last year-and-a-half. It's time to put it out there and see if it works.
On Houston's surprise big win over Rice last year and if that was surprising for the Cougars
"Honestly, I think last year was last year. Some very fortunate things occurred during the (Rice) game. It just seemed like when we needed a big play, we got a big play, whether on offense or defense or special teams. It just happened to work out right. It was a deal where we just jumped out and everything went our way, and I can honestly remember saying to the coaches after the game, ` it's not going to be like this every week.' Everything just seemed to fall for us. It's a good way to start. We'd like to have that happen again, but I think there are some people that are going to do the best to keep that from happening."
Does the extra day to get ready give the Cougars an advantage?
"I'm a guy that if they brought us in this week and said you had to play Sunday, we'd be ready. We've had 28 days to get ready for Rice, and when we play Southern Miss we're going to have two-and-a-half and we'll be ready (the play) then and we're going to expect to win. It's a deal where you just do what you have to do. We've had a long time to prepare for Rice, as they have for us. The way the game has changed as opposed to 25 years ago, our guys stay in shape year-round. They work and stay in shape all year long, so we don't have to take the first 10 days and get them in shape before working on football. The first day we get in, we're scheming and playing."
How about the aspect both on Sunday and in an NFL stadium, giving you guys a but of an NFL feel?
"Yeah, I guess so. I think it's good. Of course, it's Labor Day weekend, so hopefully we'll have a great crowd out there. I think there will be a lot of excitement. Any time you play in stadium with the caliber of Reliant, I think that's a good deal for us and our fans. It's a neat deal and should be a chance for a lot of people to come out and check out both teams here in Houston."
