November 20, 2024 • 6 mins
After two strong wins against Utah and Kansas State, the Houston Cougars could not extend their winning streak, losing to the Arizona Wildcats 27-3 on Friday. While both teams struggled offensively in the first half, the Cougars were outscored 17-0 in the third quarter. "We didn't play as well as we were capable of," head coach Willie Fritz said. The Cougars had a plethora of turnovers, losing two fumbles, throwing an interception and turning the ball over on downs four times. "We got to do a much better job of hanging onto the football," Fritz said. The Cougars have another tough test ahead of them when they host Big 12 Conference rival Baylor on Saturday. "They've really played well the last four weeks." The Cougars will be wearing their "Houston Blue" uniforms against their in-state opponent, paying homage to the City of Houston.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Coach Willie Fritz, and it's brought to you by the
Joint Chiropractice, the official chiropractor of the Houston Cougar's. Cougar's
taking on the Baylor Bears this Saturday, TDCU Stadium at
six o'clock. Coach obviously a disappointment with the performance against Arizona.
How long did it take the boys to kind of
get their feedback on the ground after playing a late
night game on the West Coast and then having to
(00:20):
come all the way back to Houston when you wake
up when the sun's a rising.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, we got back about six in the morning on Saturday,
and you know, they had the weekend off for the
players when we worked as coaches, and you know, it's
part of the unfortunately I sport of sports.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
You got to bounce back when you know you have.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
A poor outing and then when you have a good outing,
and also make sure that you move on in the
next game as well. So we're disappointed didn't play as
well as more capable of and we need to play really,
really good.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
This weekend gets a very good bail.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Overly simplistic, but man, the turnover margins is going to
coll you every single time, isn't.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
It That is you know, I know I've said it
on your show many times. We're just we're a point
where we've got to play real good, you know, in
all all three phases. And part of that's not turn
the ball over and also getting some takeaways. And you
know we do that and that happens. You know we're
at right now, it's gonna make a difficult twenty games.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
So we got to do much better job hang out
and the football and create some takeaways as well.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
You know the numbers. You got, bounce passing, you got
bounce rushing, you got close to it, you know, and
then the red zone multiple times. And look, you can't
necessarily reinvent the wheel this late in the season, but
your general thought about red zone execution is necessarily play
calls because you guys go through this all the time.
But sometimes you just got to be able to take
the play that's called it and finish things off because
(01:48):
you work so hard to get to the inside the
twenty yard line. You'd like to get something out of it.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Now, You're exactly right, a big deal.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
We talked about four point plays all the time, touchdowns
and get a field goals and get down in that area,
especially when you're in the one yard line and you
got you got your point may touchdowns and you know
it's just as uh, you know, we tried to try
the best, you know, put them in good positions to
you know, make plays, and you know you got to
(02:15):
execute the play and wherever the play call is, you
know sometimes it might not be the perfect play call,
but you gotta got to execute the best of your
ability and you know that gives you a chance, you know,
to score a touchdown. But you know, we've had had
our difficulties this season in the red zone.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
Gotta be a lot better in that area. Saturday.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
You have put games to bed everything when good times
and in bad do you sometimes when you get the
clicker gone, do you look at the body language of
the kids.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Do you like to see.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Them go, oh, man, I should have done this, or hey,
I need to pay more attention to that, and and
do you sometimes get the non verbal cues from mistakes
that are made and kind of see what the characters
of your squad based off nights where you have to
show the tape of a twenty seven or three loss.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
H well, you know it's part of it.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
You know, we watch every single play on Monday morning
after a Saturday game, and you know, we look at
it all. You know, I tell the guys be very
critical of yourself. Now we're very critical of ourselves as coaches,
and got to be very critical of yourself as as
a player. And you know there's a difference.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
In uh, you know, maybe uh you know, you had a.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
There Joe beat your Jim, you know, and on the field,
but not if we if Jim didn't exec you properly.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
You know, that's that's an issue. We just got to
make sure that we're we're doing a super job of that.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
And and uh, you know, we just uh, you know,
it's it's everybody. It's not just uh you know, the
assistant coaches as the head coach, you knows, and everybody's
connected with the program. We just you know this, we
got to do a great job of playing well in
all three phases. You know, that's you know, the games
we've this year, We've done a good job with turnover,
(04:02):
takeaway margin. We've done a good job running the ball,
playing defense, tackling. So all three phases got to play
well for us to be successful. And you know, I
told him at the beginning of the season. There's been
some years where they have her you give our c
game and still win.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
You know, that's we just got. We got to play well.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
This is you know, big blowy football in the Big twelve,
and we got to play extremely well.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
And kids know that. The coaches do also.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Batlers have a bounce back season up to six and four.
They went to West Virginia and scored forty nine points.
I'm going to assume you do not want to get
into an offensive shootout with them, correct, No, certainly don't.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
As they've really played well the last four weeks, you know,
and been very opportunistic defense and got a really good
kicking game, might have the you know, the best power returner,
kick return kicker and hunter you know and h in
the country. They really did a good job. They got
(05:02):
four really good players in those areas. So that's another
area that we got played much better.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
And then what we did on last Friday night.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Lastly, coach, the guys are gonna be wearing the Houston
Blue uniforms and uh, look at you and I have
talked about this at nauseum all over the course of
the year. It used to not care about what you
wore just putting the uniform on and playing, But today's
kids are a little bit different. But I'll say this
for a large section of people that were fans of
a former professional team in this town, the fact that
Houston Blue uniforms were so good last year and looked
(05:36):
so clean and uh, a tremendous energy for a set
of some blue uniforms will be on the field on
Saturday night.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah, I think, you know, there's a long tradition with
Houston and that color, and I think it's uh, you know,
I know a lot of people are excited about it,
and hopefully everybody comes out and where's their blue on
Saturday six oh five kickoff, And I think have a
great atmosphere and we're looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Do you spend a little extra time with the seniors?
Do you have that pregame speech already kind of locked
and lod because you've had a few of these over
your career.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Yeah, you know, it's great to honor the years.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
We'll have their parents out there as well in pregame,
and and you know, obviously recruit very many of these
guys and they've really been a lot of fun to
work with and they've been. You know, I just played
through tails all for the University of Houston. We appreciate that.
On another thing on Saturday night.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Coach, thanks for the visitors. Always do this one more
time next week. Getting ready for that trip to b
Why you good luck this Saturday against the Bears.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Thank you appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
All right, you got to thank you. Willie Fritz joining
us here on the Matt Thomas Show with Ross and
his interviews are brought to you by our friends at
the Joint Chiropractor, the official chiropractor of University of Houston Athletics.
Coach Willie Fritz, and it's brought to you by the
Joint Chiropractice, the official chiropractor of the Houston Cougar's. Cougar's
taking on the Baylor Bears this Saturday, TDCU Stadium at
six o'clock. Coach obviously a disappointment with the performance against Arizona.
How long did it take the boys to kind of
get their feedback on the ground after playing a late
night game on the West Coast and then having to
(00:20):
come all the way back to Houston when you wake
up when the sun's a rising.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, we got back about six in the morning on Saturday,
and you know, they had the weekend off for the
players when we worked as coaches, and you know, it's
part of the unfortunately I sport of sports.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
You got to bounce back when you know you have.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
A poor outing and then when you have a good outing,
and also make sure that you move on in the
next game as well. So we're disappointed didn't play as
well as more capable of and we need to play really,
really good.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
This weekend gets a very good bail.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Overly simplistic, but man, the turnover margins is going to
coll you every single time, isn't.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
It That is you know, I know I've said it
on your show many times. We're just we're a point
where we've got to play real good, you know, in
all all three phases. And part of that's not turn
the ball over and also getting some takeaways. And you
know we do that and that happens. You know we're
at right now, it's gonna make a difficult twenty games.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
So we got to do much better job hang out
and the football and create some takeaways as well.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
You know the numbers. You got, bounce passing, you got
bounce rushing, you got close to it, you know, and
then the red zone multiple times. And look, you can't
necessarily reinvent the wheel this late in the season, but
your general thought about red zone execution is necessarily play
calls because you guys go through this all the time.
But sometimes you just got to be able to take
the play that's called it and finish things off because
(01:48):
you work so hard to get to the inside the
twenty yard line. You'd like to get something out of it.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Now, You're exactly right, a big deal.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
We talked about four point plays all the time, touchdowns
and get a field goals and get down in that area,
especially when you're in the one yard line and you
got you got your point may touchdowns and you know
it's just as uh, you know, we tried to try
the best, you know, put them in good positions to
you know, make plays, and you know you got to
(02:15):
execute the play and wherever the play call is, you
know sometimes it might not be the perfect play call,
but you gotta got to execute the best of your
ability and you know that gives you a chance, you know,
to score a touchdown. But you know, we've had had
our difficulties this season in the red zone.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
Gotta be a lot better in that area. Saturday.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
You have put games to bed everything when good times
and in bad do you sometimes when you get the
clicker gone, do you look at the body language of
the kids.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Do you like to see.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Them go, oh, man, I should have done this, or hey,
I need to pay more attention to that, and and
do you sometimes get the non verbal cues from mistakes
that are made and kind of see what the characters
of your squad based off nights where you have to
show the tape of a twenty seven or three loss.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
H well, you know it's part of it.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
You know, we watch every single play on Monday morning
after a Saturday game, and you know, we look at
it all. You know, I tell the guys be very
critical of yourself. Now we're very critical of ourselves as coaches,
and got to be very critical of yourself as as
a player. And you know there's a difference.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
In uh, you know, maybe uh you know, you had a.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
There Joe beat your Jim, you know, and on the field,
but not if we if Jim didn't exec you properly.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
You know, that's that's an issue. We just got to
make sure that we're we're doing a super job of that.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
And and uh, you know, we just uh, you know,
it's it's everybody. It's not just uh you know, the
assistant coaches as the head coach, you knows, and everybody's
connected with the program. We just you know this, we
got to do a great job of playing well in
all three phases. You know, that's you know, the games
we've this year, We've done a good job with turnover,
(04:02):
takeaway margin. We've done a good job running the ball,
playing defense, tackling. So all three phases got to play
well for us to be successful. And you know, I
told him at the beginning of the season. There's been
some years where they have her you give our c
game and still win.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
You know, that's we just got. We got to play well.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
This is you know, big blowy football in the Big twelve,
and we got to play extremely well.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
And kids know that. The coaches do also.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Batlers have a bounce back season up to six and four.
They went to West Virginia and scored forty nine points.
I'm going to assume you do not want to get
into an offensive shootout with them, correct, No, certainly don't.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
As they've really played well the last four weeks, you know,
and been very opportunistic defense and got a really good
kicking game, might have the you know, the best power returner,
kick return kicker and hunter you know and h in
the country. They really did a good job. They got
(05:02):
four really good players in those areas. So that's another
area that we got played much better.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
And then what we did on last Friday night.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Lastly, coach, the guys are gonna be wearing the Houston
Blue uniforms and uh, look at you and I have
talked about this at nauseum all over the course of
the year. It used to not care about what you
wore just putting the uniform on and playing, But today's
kids are a little bit different. But I'll say this
for a large section of people that were fans of
a former professional team in this town, the fact that
Houston Blue uniforms were so good last year and looked
(05:36):
so clean and uh, a tremendous energy for a set
of some blue uniforms will be on the field on
Saturday night.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah, I think, you know, there's a long tradition with
Houston and that color, and I think it's uh, you know,
I know a lot of people are excited about it,
and hopefully everybody comes out and where's their blue on
Saturday six oh five kickoff, And I think have a
great atmosphere and we're looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Do you spend a little extra time with the seniors?
Do you have that pregame speech already kind of locked
and lod because you've had a few of these over
your career.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Yeah, you know, it's great to honor the years.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
We'll have their parents out there as well in pregame,
and and you know, obviously recruit very many of these
guys and they've really been a lot of fun to
work with and they've been. You know, I just played
through tails all for the University of Houston. We appreciate that.
On another thing on Saturday night.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Coach, thanks for the visitors. Always do this one more
time next week. Getting ready for that trip to b
Why you good luck this Saturday against the Bears.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Thank you appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
All right, you got to thank you. Willie Fritz joining
us here on the Matt Thomas Show with Ross and
his interviews are brought to you by our friends at
the Joint Chiropractor, the official chiropractor of University of Houston Athletics.
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