University of Houston Athletics
Football Opens 2007 Season At Oregon This Weekend
8/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 31, 2007
Houston-Oregon Football Game Notes (Sept. 1, 2007) in PDF Format
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HOUSTON - The University of Houston football team opens the 2007 season this weekend when it travels to the Pacific Northwest to face Oregon.
The Cougars square off against the Ducks at 2:30 p.m. (CDT), Saturday at Autzen Stadium. Fans can hear the game live on 790 AM The Sports Animal with Tom Franklin calling the play-by-play action, David Klingler providing color analysis and Chuck Brown reporting from the sideline. The pregame show is slated to begin one hour before kickoff.
Fans have several viewing options for the game. The game can be seen on a pay-per-view basis on ESPN GamePlan or through a live video stream at GoDucks.com.
A year after winning the Conference USA championship and advancing to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, the Cougars begin the 2007 campaign with a bulls-eye on their back. For the first time since Nov. 30, 2002 - a span of 1,735 days -- a quarterback other than Kevin Kolb will start under center for the Cougars.
Sophomore Blake Joseph and redshirt freshman Case Keenum are the leading contenders for the starting nod. Head coach Art Briles has not ruled out the possibility that both signal-callers could see playing time against the Ducks.
Although the Cougars will have a new face at quarterback, the team returns a combined 15 starters. Senior running back Anthony Alridge is back after accounting for 959 yards and eight touchdowns on only 95 carries, a nation's best 10.1 yards per carry.
Senior wideouts Donnie Avery and Jeron Harvey are expected to lead the Cougar wideouts in 2007. A year ago, Avery posted 57 catches for 852 yards and five touchdowns on the way to being named to the All-Conference USA Third Team. Harvey finished with 41 passes for 671 yards and four TDs to be named a C-USA Coaches Honorable Mention.
On the defensive side of the ball, linebackers Trent Allen and Cody Lubojasky accounted for more than 180 tackles between them and should be fixtures in the starting lineup this season. Safety Ernest Miller picked off a pair of passes with eight pass breakups in 2006, while defensive end Phillip Hunt was named to the C-USA Coaches Third Team after posting team bests of 12 tackles for a loss, including eight sacks.
Junior cornerback Kenneth Fontenette broke up 13 passes, second best on the team.
The Cougars also will be boosted by the return of senior Rocky Schwartz who was lost for the year after injuring his knee against Grambling State during the third game of the 2006 season.
Saturday's game will be only the third time that these two teams have squared off with Oregon winning both contests. The Ducks enjoyed a 15-14 win in Eugene, Ore. on Sept. 24, 1983. The series remained dormant until 2005 when Oregon took a 38-24 win over the Cougars in the season opener for both teams at Reliant Stadium.
The Cougars have posted a 30-29-2 all-time record in season openers after enjoying a 31-30 win at Conference USA rival to open the 2006 campaign. That win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Cougars in season openers.
The Oregon offense returns its leading passer, rusher and receiver this season. Senior quarterback Dennis Dixon threw for 2,143 yards on 197-of-322 passing with 12 touchdowns in 2006. When the Ducks go through the air, junior wide receiver Jaison Williams is a frequent target, amassing 68 catches for 984 yards and six touchdowns to lead the team in all three categories.
Running back Jonathan Stewart returns for his junior season to lead the Oregon rushing attack. Last season, Stewart racked up 981 rushing yards on 183 carries with 10 touchdowns on the way to All-Pac-10 Second Team honors.
