University of Houston Athletics
Football Daily Practice Report
8/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 29, 2006
HOUSTON - The University of Houston football team continued preparations for this weekend's season opener with a spirited workout Tuesday afternoon at the UH Athletics Complex.
The Cougars worked out for about two-and-a-half hours in full pads Tuesday as the 2006 opener looms closer.
The Cougars open the 2006 campaign when they face Conference USA and crosstown-rival Rice at 8 p.m., Saturday at Rice Stadium. That game can be heard live on ESPN 790 AM with the pregame show beginning 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.
In addition, the game will be televised nationally on CSTV with Carter Blackburn handling play-by-play and Brian Jones on color. It will be the first of four nationally televised games for the Cougars in 2006.
While the season opens against a long-time rival, head coach Art Briles said he and his team won't be thinking about a rivalry when they take the field.
"We are attempting to go 1-0 in conference play, and that's the way we are looking at it. We are trying to go 1-0 in conference and win a conference championship," Briles said. "We need to get conference wins, and this is a chance for us to exhibit ourselves as a championship team. We act like champions, play like champions and prepare like champions. Now it's time to go perform like champions."
In 2003, Briles opened his career as a collegiate head coach with a resounding 48-14 win over the Owls in the season opener. Fast forward three years and now Briles and his staff are the veterans with Rice head coach Todd Graham in the role of newcomer.
"We have some ideas of some things that might do with their offense from our defensive standpoint," Briles said. "We are just going to have to get into the game and make adjustments as we go along. We are going to be calm, understand what's going on and make adjustments."
With 48 letterwinners and 20 starters returning in 2006, Briles feels confident about the experience of his team.
"We really hope there are fewer ifs, and there should be," Briles said. "I would like to think that we are past the `if' stage, and to where, this is what it's going to be. We are in good shape as a football team."
