University of Houston Athletics
Football Daily Practice Report
10/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 23, 2007
HOUSTON - Under clear skies and cool temperatures, the University of Houston football team began preparations Tuesday for this weekend's key showdown at Conference USA rival UTEP.
The Cougars (4-3, 3-1 C-USA) stand a half game ahead of UTEP and one game in front of Tulsa atop the C-USA West Division. UH will play two of its next three games on the road with showdowns against those two teams on hostile ground.
Working out in full pads, the Cougars practiced for about two hours. Head coach Art Briles said he was pleased with his team's performance of the first day of the UTEP game week.
"The weather was great. We've been waiting for a day like this since Aug. 1," Briles said. "The workout was good which probably had something to do with the weather change."
However, the fifth-year UH head coach also admitted that his team's strong recent performances may have been a reason for the team's impressive practice.
"We have a little momentum going into the game. We are getting right at the right time, and that's what it's all about at this time of year," Briles said. "We've seen it, we've felt it, we've done it, and now we want to see it, feel it and do it again."
While Saturday's game at UTEP could play a pivotal role in determining the C-USA West Division champion, Briles said he and his team weren't thinking about that.
"All we are focusing on is the small picture, and the small picture is having good practices, taking care of ourselves on and off the field, taking care of ourselves in the classroom and going to UTEP and playing hard for 60 minutes," Briles said.
The Cougars face UTEP at 8:05 p.m. (CDT), Saturday at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. Fans can hear the game live on 790 AM The Sports Animal with Tom Franklin calling the play-by-play action, Ted Pardee providing color analysis and Chuck Brown reporting from the sideline. The pregame show is slated to begin one hour before kickoff.
Fans also can follow live stats over the Internet by clicking the "Gametracker" link at UHCougars.com.
The Cougars come into the game after a 49-10 win at C-USA rival UAB last weekend. After falling behind 3-0 early, the Cougars scored the game's next 28 points and never looked back in enjoying the biggest win during Briles' tenure.
"The UAB game was probably the most complete of a game as we have played all year (on) offense, defense and special teams," Briles said. "All three did a good job of helping the total team win. That's kind of the name of the game."
In a departure from their regular travel schedule, the Cougars were forced to fly into Birmingham on the morning of the game due to a lack of hotel rooms in the area. With an additional distraction like that on game day, Briles said he was pleased with the way his team handled itself.
"I was really proud of our guys for staying focused through all of that. We were herded around like a bunch of cattle for half the day," Briles said. "They handled it well. I was proud of them for being mature about it."
