University of Houston Athletics
Wednesday Football Practice Report
10/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 25, 2006
HOUSTON - The rain held off long enough as the University of Houston football team completed a two-hour workout under cloudy and breezy conditions Wednesday afternoon at the UH Athletics Complex.
The Cougars will look to have all of their weekly practices outside for the first time since preparing for the season-opener at Rice.
"We've finally been able to get back-to-back days outside," head coach Art Briles said. "It was a nice afternoon with a cool breeze that allowed us to get in a good spirited workout. We'll keep banging and keep grinding to get ready for Saturday."
Saturday's game with the Golden Knights continues a three-game homestand. Kickoff is on tap for 2:30 p.m., Saturday at John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium. The game can be heard live on 790 AM the Sports Animal. The pregame show begins one hour before kickoff. Tom Franklin will handle the play-by-play duties, while former record-setting UH quarterback David Klingler will provide color analysis. Former All-Southwest Conference center Chuck Brown serves as the sideline reporter. All Cougar Football games can be heard live on the Internet by logging onto www.UHCougars.com.
Saturday's game also will be televised live on CSTV (DirecTV Ch. 610) with Tom Hart calling the play-by-play action and Trev Alberts as the color analyst.
Houston (5-3, 3-1 C-USA) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 34-17 victory over UTEP, while UCF (2-5, 1-2 C-USA) lost a 40-29 decision to Rice.
"When you're able to hold an offense like UTEP's to 17 points, that's a good game," Briles said. "We're going to come out with the same intensity and same belief for Saturday against UCF."
Steven Moffett and Kyle Israel have seen time at quarterback for the Golden Knights. It was Israel who took all of the snaps in last week's 40-29 loss to Rice. The junior threw for a career-best 327 yards and three touchdowns against the Owls.
UCF likes to a run a ball-control offense similar to Southern Miss. Kevin Smith averages 104.7 yards per game en route to 628 yards per game in six outings, while Jason Peters is UCF's change-of-pace back. Peters has recoded 64 carries and 273 yards.
"The key to stopping a ball-control offense is to get them out of their rhythm and string together some three and outs," Briles said. "When we get the ball, we have to have sustained drives in addition to putting some points on the board."
When UCF goes to the air, wide receiver Mike Walker is usually the target. He has caught 54 of the squad's 130 passes and averages 12 yards a catch en route to four touchdowns.
The Achilles heel of the Golden Knights has been the defense, which allowed 27 second half points to Rice last weekend. Cornerback Joe Burnett has recorded a team-best 47 tackles, including 37 solo stops.
"They have a good program that they are building down there," Briles said. "George and his staff have good athletes and have been in some real close ball games. They show how close the line is from winning and the other side. They were getting all of the breaks last season. It's our job to keep them on the other side."
Saturday's game marks only the second time that Houston and UCF will met on the gridiron. UCF held off a furious second half Cougar comeback, escaping with a 31-29 win last season in Orlando.
"We want to continue to play smart with a lot of heart and intensity without committing any penalties," Briles said. "We want to give our crowd something to shout about so they can give us a big boost. "
