University of Houston Athletics
Football Daily Practice Report
9/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 11, 2007
HOUSTON - Fresh off its bye weekend, the University of Houston football team began preparations for this weekend's Conference USA opener at Tulane with a solid workout Tuesday on the UH practice fields.
The Cougars practiced for about two hours in full pads under sunny conditions until the final 20 minutes when heavy rain moved through the area. Following the workout, head coach Art Briles said he was pleased with the way his team responded after an early off weekend.
"It's kind of like starting over again. We have to refocus, regroup, recharge and redirect our energy towards Tulane," said Briles, who is in his fifth season with the Cougar program. "We're going to do everything we can do to make sure we go to Tulane and defend our championship because championships are hard to come by. We're going to fight like caged Cougars to win another one."
The Cougars continue their season at 6 p.m., Saturday, when they open C-USA play at Tulane in the Louisiana Superdome. 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 dropping their season opener 48-27 at Oregon on Sept. 1 in Eugene, Ore. After enjoying their lone bye weekend of the year, the Cougars will now face 11 straight weeks of football starting with the Green Wave.
"Opening with a conference game at Tulane is a good opportunity for us to defend our championship," Briles said. "Besides the purpose of winning the game and taking care of business..., there is a little extra motivation to do a good job and defend our championship."
While both quarterbacks Blake Joseph and Case Keenum saw playing time against the Ducks, Briles was not ready to announce his starter for this weekend's game in the Big Easy.
"We will see how the week goes," Briles said. "Both guys have done well. They played with a lot of heart the first week, which is what I want to see. I don't lay around at night thinking about who is going to start because it isn't a concern because both of these guys are ready, and both can play."
