University of Houston Athletics
Football Daily Practice Report
9/12/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 12, 2006
HOUSTON - With the threat of rain in the Houston area Tuesday, the University of Houston football team began preparations for the second straight week inside the friendly confines of the Yeoman Fieldhouse.
A week ago, the Cougars moved inside to start their preparations for Tulane when heavy rain hit downtown Houston. Although it rained only a little during UH's actual practice time on Tuesday, head coach Art Briles and his staff decided to begin their Grambling State preparations indoors.
After a resounding 45-7 win over Tulane last weekend at John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium, Briles said the team didn't mind starting their work week indoors.
"We probably could have gone outside. The fields were wet, and we didn't want to tear them up," Briles said. "It's not a hindrance at all to be inside."
Despite the new environment, Briles said he was pleased with the team's performance to start the week.
"We got a lot accomplished today," Briles said. "Our whole deal is staying mentally strong, physically tough and keeping our focus in the right direction."
The Cougars continue their 2006 season when they face Grambling State at 6 p.m., Saturday at John O'Quinn Field at Robertson 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.
The Cougars (2-0, 2-0 C-USA) dominated every facet of the game last weekend during the home opener against the Green Wave to improve to 2-0 for the first time since 1990. However, Briles said he, his coaching staff and his players aren't feeling overconfident heading into this weekend's competition against a Division I-AA opponent.
"It's not a deal where we have our feet propped up on the desk, laying back in the chair and asking people to ask us questions because we know the answers," Briles said. "We have a long way to go. We know what we expect to do since we opened fall camp in August."
With the Cougars off to their best start in nearly two decades, Briles encouraged Cougar fans to come out to Robertson Stadium, especially with Grambling State expected to bring a large numbers of its own fans.
"This weekend, we need our people to show up," Briles said. "I had a (press) conference with Grambling State a couple of weeks ago, and I thought I was from out of town. They had a lot of folks there, and they were really representing. Their fans are going to turn out and support their university, and we need to do the same things. It needs to be a great atmosphere, because it's a great event."
