University of Houston Athletics
Hope "Springs" Eternal As Practice Starts For Cougars
3/18/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 18, 2005
HOUSTON, Texas - The University of Houston football team kicks off its annual spring rite of passage, as the Cougars begin spring drills on Monday, March 21, at 4 pm on the UH practice fields.
UH will spend four weeks practicing before concluding spring drills with the annual Red-White Game on Saturday, April 16 at John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium.
The Cougars are looking to rebound from last season's 3-8 mark that was fueled in part by a rigorous schedule, graduation on the offensive line and a rash of injuries to the backfield. Houston returns 16 starters from last year's squad, including eight each on both side of the ball.
Highlighting the offense is wide receiver Vincent Marshall, who picked up Second-Team, All-Conference USA honors after posting the first 1,000-yard receiving season of his career. Joining Marshall as returning starters are offensive linemen Byron Alfred, Sterling Doty, SirVincent Rogers and Roy Swan, as well as wide receiver Donnie Avery. Kevin Kolb, a two-year starter at quarterback, also returns, as does running back Anthony Evans, who will return for his senior season this fall.
Kade Lane, who has started 36 consecutive games on the UH defensive line and was named Third-Team, All-C-USA in 2004, is the top returnee on defense. D.J. Johnson also returns on the defensive line, making the move from defensive tackle to nose tackle in the Cougars' new 3-4 alignment. Houston also returns three starting linebackers from a year ago, Lance Everson, Wade Koehl and Brendan Pahulu, as well as three members of the secondary in cornerback Willie Gaston and safeties Will Gulley and Rocky Schwartz. Gulley will sit out spring drills to recuperate from off-season knee surgery.
Houston will practice Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of each week, and the practices are open to UH fans. The Cougars kick off the regular season on September 1, when they play host to Oregon at Reliant Stadium, a game that will be nationally televised on ESPN 2.
---www.UHcougars.com---
