University of Houston Athletics
Football Enjoys Solid Workout on Christmas Morning
12/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 25, 2007
HOUSTON - Despite the Christmas holiday, it was another day on the job for the University of Houston football team Tuesday as it continues to prepare for Friday's Texas Bowl showdown against TCU.
Working out in shorts and shoulder pads, the Cougars practiced for about an hour under clear blue skies and cool temperatures late Christmas morning at the UH practice fields. Following the workout, interim head coach Chris Thurmond said he was proud of the way his team worked during the holiday season.
"It was a very good Christmas. The guys have done a good job. We had a great Christmas dinner with the team last night. The guys came out this morning and did a great job," Thurmond said. "For guys to come out on Christmas morning and bust it and do the things that they did today is a tribute to them. They did another good job today."
The Cougars (8-4, 6-2 C-USA) meet TCU at 7 p.m., Dec. 28 in the 2007 Texas Bowl at Reliant Stadium. Fans can hear that game live on 790 AM The Sports Animal with Tom Franklin calling the play-by-play action, David Klingler and Ted Pardee providing color analysis and Chuck Brown reporting from the sidelines. 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 game also will be televised live on the NFL Network (DirecTV channel 212/Dish Network channel 154) with Brad Sham calling the play-by-play action, Charles Davis and Mike Mayock providing color analysis and Kimberly Jones on the sidelines. It will be the sixth time this season that the Cougars will play on television.
The game also will be broadcast live on Westwood One Radio with Don Criqui handling play-by-play duties and Allen Pinkett as the color analyst.
Although the team had to sacrifice part of its Christmas holiday to practice, Thurmond said that that was something all good college teams had to do at this time of year and that the extra work will only help the team during the 2008 campaign.
"If you are in college, you want to be playing after Christmas and as close to New Year's Day as possible," Thurmond said. "Any time you are doing that, it is an extra day of practice and an extra day to get an opportunity to get better. It's great for the young guys. It's almost like an extra spring practice."
On Wednesday, the team will hold their final workout of the season at the UH practice fields before taking part in bowl activities. Later that evening, the team will join players and coaches from TCU at the George Ranch Historical Park, where both teams will enjoy a Houston landmark while participating in rodeo events with a traditional Texas Bar-B-Q on the evening's menu.
The Cougars continue their regular game-week practice schedule with a workout scheduled for 11:30 a.m., Wednesday. The team will participate in a walk-through at Reliant Stadium at 2 p.m., Thursday.
TCU (7-5, 4-4 MWC) comes into the game as winners of three of its last four games, including a 45-33 win at San Diego State during the regular-season finale on Nov. 24. This season, freshman quarterback Andy Dalton leads the Horned Frogs offense with 2,210 yards and 10 touchdowns through the air.
Ervin Dickerson is TCU's leading receiver, hauling in 37 catches for 457 yards and four touchdowns. The senior wideout is one of six Horned Frogs with at least 20 receptions this season.
On the ground, sophomore Joseph Turner tops the rushing attack with 587 yards and six touchdowns.
"TCU is such a consistent team. They do a great job of running the option out of a lot of different sets. They move the ball around. They do a great job of throwing play-action passes. They have the ability to run the power running game when they need to," Thurmond said. "They are just a complete football team, and we are going to have to be at our best to play with these guys."
On the defensive side of the ball, junior linebacker Jason Phillips leads the way with 77 tackles, while senior defensive end Chase Ortiz is tops with 15.5 tackles for a loss, including eight sacks. Junior free safety Steven Coleman and sophomore cornerback Nick Sanders are tied for the team lead with three interceptions.
"Defensively, they are always one of the best teams in the country. They have led the nation several times on defense over the last few years. They are very consistent and give up very few big plays," Thurmond said. "They do a good job of combining the blitz with a multitude of zone coverages. They do a good job of hiding coverages. They also have ability to put pressure on the passer just rushing four."
