November 26, 2025 • 7 mins
Willie Fritz Joins Ahead Of Baylor Match Up This Week.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thirty two of my time shows. Met a few minutes
here with our good friend Willie Fritz. He is the
head football coach of your Houston COUG is going to
play a game Saturday in Waco for the eleven o'clock start,
and Willie is with us here. Coach, thank you for
the time. As always, these eleven o'clock starts are becoming
a kind of a regular thing for the University of Houston.
The kids, I know they practice early, but getting up
(00:21):
and being ready for a game day maybe two different things.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Well it is a little bit different, you know. I
kind of like them myself, to be honest with you.
But you know, we get up through all. We're already
done with practice for today, sinished a couple hours ago.
So yeah, we start off we had meetings at seven
thirty in the morning, and then we practice from nine
to fifteen to eleven to fifteen most days, so our
(00:46):
guys are used to it. But you know, the TV
kind of sets the game time and whatever it is.
We got to go out and play at that time
and play the very best we possibly can. And you know,
we try not to change the schedule much. What we
do is far as meetings and walk through and time
to go to bed, and you know, try to eat
three and a half hours, you know, before the game
(01:08):
and different things like that. And you know, the warm
up is the same, so we try to keep it
the same whether it's a eleven o'clock game or hey,
I think we've played an eight o'clock game against Oregon State,
you know, at their time, you know, so so that
was quite quite a contrast. But try to keep the
same schedule as much as we can.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
No matter where you have gone. You have been undefeated
this year away from home. I don't know if it's
coincidental or not, but in your mind, this is a
football team that puts on the white jerseys and doesn't
seem to be phased by it at all.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Well, you know, it's I think part of that is
that in the same schedule, you know, and doing same
things the same way. And even though we talk like
crazy about trying to eliminate distractions, you know, when you
start getting forty eight hours prior to the game and
then same thing twenty four hours and resting and recovering
and stay off your feet, you know, hydrating and eating properly,
(02:05):
you know, all those different things studying your playbook. You know,
it just seems you know, the guys who've done a
good job of that all year. And sometimes it's also
based on your schedule. You know, I like home an
away games obviously, so you know, you just got to
do what the schedule tells you to do and play
the very best you can. But we have done a
(02:28):
very nice job this season on the road.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
You closed out the home slid. Unfortunately, the loss to TCU,
it felt like to me, if you were to describe
the game missed opportunities, is that the way you could
kind of see it.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
No, I think you're exactly right. You know, we had
an opportunity there on the goal line before halftime, and
you know that that hurt us, you know, hurt us
not only that we didn't didn't score, but hurt us
that they got the ball out on the twenty with
the interception of the end zone. And you know we
(03:03):
talk all the time about four point plays, you know,
scoring touchdowns instead of kicking field goals. You know those
are you know, it's a big uh indicator who's going
to win the game. Who scores touchdowns in the red
zone and picks field goals. So there was some opportunities
that we didn't take advantage of. Unfortunately. Uh, you know,
(03:24):
we got to do better job of that. As I've
said many times before, everybody in this league's pretty good, right.
If you don't play good, you're going to have a
tough time winning. To play real good, you got a
good chance of winning. So, you know, we played some
close ones. We've won, We've played a couple of close
ones lost. You know, you just got to play well
and you got to, you know, make the plays when
(03:45):
they're there to be made.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
I have some very good friends Willy that are TCU
alums and have gone to a lot of games this year,
and the one thing they told me before the game
Saturday was, you'll know what TCU squad showed up probably
by the end of the first quarter. Do you size
things up like that? Part of me was thinking, they
were obviously very embarrassed with the way they played against
b YU the previous week, that they were going to
(04:08):
give you everything they had because, look, they want to
go to a ball game, they want to go to
a better bowl game. You guys a lot to play for.
And I thought when they were competitive early on and
scored early that this was going to be a knockdown
dragon type of game.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Yeah, they did a good job early in the games,
especially at first series. You know, you know, sometimes you know,
get late in the year, it's hard to you know,
replicate you know, the speed of the game in practice,
especially when you're banged up a little bit and things
like that. But they did a very good job at
first drive, going down the field scoring a touchdown. And
(04:43):
you know, we we know, played played a very good
defense in the second half. First half, we gave up
a few big plays. Heck, the field goal in the
second half and based more on a big pump return
behind then anything else, getting the good starting field position.
But yeah, it's you know, when we start off good
and sometimes that's what gives you confidence. But you got
(05:05):
to just keep playing even if you don't start off good,
which is the case with us, and that's happened to
us a few times this year. We didn't play real
well early and then we started coming on later in
the game, and you know, so it's got to keep
weather in the storm throughout the ball game, all right.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
This Bailer trip to Waco will feature a team there
at five and six. They do score a lot of points, Willie,
as you know, a thought or two about Sawyer Robertson
basically three to one on the touchdowns, got thirty three
hundred yards through the air. Tell me when when they're
dolling up and scoring, they look like they're a pretty
fierce team, but they are the victim of themselves of
(05:42):
some silly turnovers at wind up getting games all the
way for them.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
You know, they're really loaded on the offensive side of
the ball. Huge offensive line, really big, I got a
big tight end had a great game against this last year,
a big wide receiver six one, two five on the perimeter.
So they're really loaded with skilled kids. And then, like
you said, a veteran quarterback and Robertson who knows where
(06:07):
to put the ball. So yeah, it's our defense gonna
have to play great early.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Last question for you, will I know the kids are
excited about the postseason and playing in a bowl game.
Do you try to squash that? I mean, how often
has that conversation brought up to your kids your position coaches?
Are they naturally interested or are they saying, you know what,
we can have this visit maybe in a couple of weeks.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Yeah, you know, I think they know that. Nobody said
said anything to me about it. We know we're going
to play in a bowl game. We're excited about that.
That's great for the program. But you know, we want
to finish this regular season out and you know, great
Man or nine and three year two, it's fantastic, and
you know we've you know, got a tough opponent, you know,
(06:50):
to be able to get there to nine and three,
and you know, we're just gonna have to play as
well as we can Saturday. I know it sounded like
a broken record, but everybody in this league is it's
pretty darn good, and you know, and that's going to
be the case. You know this this weekend, this Saturday,
two good teams playing against each other, and we just
need to elevate or play and play better than we
(07:12):
did last Saturday and come out of there with a win.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Well, I love the fact that media was wrong and
saying the squad was not going to do well this year.
To have eight and maybe get a ninth win is
something to be proud of for you and your staff
and those course of course those kids Willie. Thank you
for the time, safe travels to Waco. Happy, Thanks having
to you and the family and we'll talk again before
the ball game.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Thank you, go Koog's
Thirty two of my time shows. Met a few minutes
here with our good friend Willie Fritz. He is the
head football coach of your Houston COUG is going to
play a game Saturday in Waco for the eleven o'clock start,
and Willie is with us here. Coach, thank you for
the time. As always, these eleven o'clock starts are becoming
a kind of a regular thing for the University of Houston.
The kids, I know they practice early, but getting up
(00:21):
and being ready for a game day maybe two different things.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Well it is a little bit different, you know. I
kind of like them myself, to be honest with you.
But you know, we get up through all. We're already
done with practice for today, sinished a couple hours ago.
So yeah, we start off we had meetings at seven
thirty in the morning, and then we practice from nine
to fifteen to eleven to fifteen most days, so our
(00:46):
guys are used to it. But you know, the TV
kind of sets the game time and whatever it is.
We got to go out and play at that time
and play the very best we possibly can. And you know,
we try not to change the schedule much. What we
do is far as meetings and walk through and time
to go to bed, and you know, try to eat
three and a half hours, you know, before the game
(01:08):
and different things like that. And you know, the warm
up is the same, so we try to keep it
the same whether it's a eleven o'clock game or hey,
I think we've played an eight o'clock game against Oregon State,
you know, at their time, you know, so so that
was quite quite a contrast. But try to keep the
same schedule as much as we can.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
No matter where you have gone. You have been undefeated
this year away from home. I don't know if it's
coincidental or not, but in your mind, this is a
football team that puts on the white jerseys and doesn't
seem to be phased by it at all.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Well, you know, it's I think part of that is
that in the same schedule, you know, and doing same
things the same way. And even though we talk like
crazy about trying to eliminate distractions, you know, when you
start getting forty eight hours prior to the game and
then same thing twenty four hours and resting and recovering
and stay off your feet, you know, hydrating and eating properly,
(02:05):
you know, all those different things studying your playbook. You know,
it just seems you know, the guys who've done a
good job of that all year. And sometimes it's also
based on your schedule. You know, I like home an
away games obviously, so you know, you just got to
do what the schedule tells you to do and play
the very best you can. But we have done a
(02:28):
very nice job this season on the road.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
You closed out the home slid. Unfortunately, the loss to TCU,
it felt like to me, if you were to describe
the game missed opportunities, is that the way you could
kind of see it.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
No, I think you're exactly right. You know, we had
an opportunity there on the goal line before halftime, and
you know that that hurt us, you know, hurt us
not only that we didn't didn't score, but hurt us
that they got the ball out on the twenty with
the interception of the end zone. And you know we
(03:03):
talk all the time about four point plays, you know,
scoring touchdowns instead of kicking field goals. You know those
are you know, it's a big uh indicator who's going
to win the game. Who scores touchdowns in the red
zone and picks field goals. So there was some opportunities
that we didn't take advantage of. Unfortunately. Uh, you know,
(03:24):
we got to do better job of that. As I've
said many times before, everybody in this league's pretty good, right.
If you don't play good, you're going to have a
tough time winning. To play real good, you got a
good chance of winning. So, you know, we played some
close ones. We've won, We've played a couple of close
ones lost. You know, you just got to play well
and you got to, you know, make the plays when
(03:45):
they're there to be made.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
I have some very good friends Willy that are TCU
alums and have gone to a lot of games this year,
and the one thing they told me before the game
Saturday was, you'll know what TCU squad showed up probably
by the end of the first quarter. Do you size
things up like that? Part of me was thinking, they
were obviously very embarrassed with the way they played against
b YU the previous week, that they were going to
(04:08):
give you everything they had because, look, they want to
go to a ball game, they want to go to
a better bowl game. You guys a lot to play for.
And I thought when they were competitive early on and
scored early that this was going to be a knockdown
dragon type of game.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Yeah, they did a good job early in the games,
especially at first series. You know, you know, sometimes you know,
get late in the year, it's hard to you know,
replicate you know, the speed of the game in practice,
especially when you're banged up a little bit and things
like that. But they did a very good job at
first drive, going down the field scoring a touchdown. And
(04:43):
you know, we we know, played played a very good
defense in the second half. First half, we gave up
a few big plays. Heck, the field goal in the
second half and based more on a big pump return
behind then anything else, getting the good starting field position.
But yeah, it's you know, when we start off good
and sometimes that's what gives you confidence. But you got
(05:05):
to just keep playing even if you don't start off good,
which is the case with us, and that's happened to
us a few times this year. We didn't play real
well early and then we started coming on later in
the game, and you know, so it's got to keep
weather in the storm throughout the ball game, all right.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
This Bailer trip to Waco will feature a team there
at five and six. They do score a lot of points, Willie,
as you know, a thought or two about Sawyer Robertson
basically three to one on the touchdowns, got thirty three
hundred yards through the air. Tell me when when they're
dolling up and scoring, they look like they're a pretty
fierce team, but they are the victim of themselves of
(05:42):
some silly turnovers at wind up getting games all the
way for them.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
You know, they're really loaded on the offensive side of
the ball. Huge offensive line, really big, I got a
big tight end had a great game against this last year,
a big wide receiver six one, two five on the perimeter.
So they're really loaded with skilled kids. And then, like
you said, a veteran quarterback and Robertson who knows where
(06:07):
to put the ball. So yeah, it's our defense gonna
have to play great early.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Last question for you, will I know the kids are
excited about the postseason and playing in a bowl game.
Do you try to squash that? I mean, how often
has that conversation brought up to your kids your position coaches?
Are they naturally interested or are they saying, you know what,
we can have this visit maybe in a couple of weeks.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Yeah, you know, I think they know that. Nobody said
said anything to me about it. We know we're going
to play in a bowl game. We're excited about that.
That's great for the program. But you know, we want
to finish this regular season out and you know, great
Man or nine and three year two, it's fantastic, and
you know we've you know, got a tough opponent, you know,
(06:50):
to be able to get there to nine and three,
and you know, we're just gonna have to play as
well as we can Saturday. I know it sounded like
a broken record, but everybody in this league is it's
pretty darn good, and you know, and that's going to
be the case. You know this this weekend, this Saturday,
two good teams playing against each other, and we just
need to elevate or play and play better than we
(07:12):
did last Saturday and come out of there with a win.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Well, I love the fact that media was wrong and
saying the squad was not going to do well this year.
To have eight and maybe get a ninth win is
something to be proud of for you and your staff
and those course of course those kids Willie. Thank you
for the time, safe travels to Waco. Happy, Thanks having
to you and the family and we'll talk again before
the ball game.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Thank you, go Koog's
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