University of Houston Athletics
Football Daily Practice Report
9/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 5, 2007
The University of Houston football team received some welcomed sunshine for the first time in seven days as the Cougars continued their bye week with a two-hour practice behind the UH Athletics/Alumni Center.
After heavy rains had saturated the UH practice fields during the past seven days, the Cougars had been forced to practice inside the Bill Yeoman Field House last week and on Tuesday this week. The football team was finally able to return outdoors.
"It was much needed because we needed to get outside, sweat and move around," Houston head coach Art Briles said. "The day started a little flat, but we had some guys pick it up and work hard so it became a very productive practice."
With the Cougars having an open date this Saturday, the Cougars are concentrating on improving their mental aspects and team chemistry.
"We are working on developing our personality, our psyche and our chemistry this week," Briles said. "We also are working with our personnel and schemes so that we become a better team."
With an open week so early in the season, Briles and his staff find themselves in a little different situation than most teams.
"It is almost like having two different season openers because of the open week," Briles said. "We would like to get some continuity, but that isn't in the cards and we will have to deal with it."
Instead, the team will work out again Thursday, lift weights in the Elmer Redd Strength & Conditioning Center Friday morning and return to their regular schedule Sunday afternoon. The Cougars do find themselves in a similar situation as last year. Because the bye weekend comes in the second week of the season, Houston is forced to close out the regular season with 11 straight games. Last year, Houston played 12 straight games before having a bye weekend at the end of the regular season.
Houston continues its season at 6 p.m., Sept. 15, when they open Conference 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 pre-game 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.
