Speaker 1: One thirty three Sports Talk seven n eighty We have
missed talking to our man, the coach of our beloved
Houston Cougars eight and two on the season, looking for
win number nine. This Saturday three o clock TDECU Stadion,
Willie Fritz is with us here on the show. Willie,
thank you for the time. I kind of like it.
I don't know if you scheduled it intentionally this way
or the big twelve guys did it for you, but
having two off weeks in the middle of the season,
it's kind of nice. Give you a chance to regroup
for the final stretch here.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it is good.
Speaker 3: I don't have that power. So we got fortunate. And
you know, w had a seven game stretch there where
we played week after a week, and a couple of
times there's short weeks where we played on Friday. But
I do think the bye week came to a good time.
We were able to heal up and you know, just
make sure there are guys are ready for these last
two very very important ballgames.
Speaker 1: They are important their in state rivals. And I know
that everyone wants to argue about how the league looks
as a sixteen team group and who you're playing who
you don't play. But I would love, willy for you
guys to be able to play TCU, Baylor and Texa
Tech every year. It's not going to happen that way.
But there's just a little something special about playing the
in state schools, is there not?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 3: I think you know that we've said the same thing.
We think, gud if we could play those you know
three schools. I think you know it's you know, our
state and everybody liked to play each other. I think
the other coaches feel the same way as well.
Speaker 1: Welly, the turnover battle has not been your friend the
last few weeks, although you've overcome that in Orlando with
the frederictory against UCF. You have made it such a
priority as most coaches do, but you so more than
anybody else I've been around a long period of time.
It just must you want to pull your hair out
when you turn the ball over. And you're able to
overcome that against the Knights a couple weeks back.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's you know, we had four and I think
we're being minus two on the game and just makes it,
you know, more difficult to win. It just it's it's
most telling statistic in football turnover takeaway margin. And I've
mentioned it many times in my career. We've been plus
one or better. We've won ninety one percent of our games,
and I think in the NFL it's like sixty four
percent of your plus one or better that you're gonna win.
And so it's an important statistic. We work on a
like crazy ball security offensively and then you know, taking
the ball away defensively, punching the ball out, all those
kind of different things. You're actually seeing that a lot
more college football and the NFL than you know, I've
ever seen before here the last couple of years. But
some we work on and you're right, it's you know,
I'm all day to day practice. I just kept talking
about plus one cooks win. You know that we got
to emphasize that every single day.
Speaker 1: But you got a late interception the contest against UCF,
me mess have made that flight to Orlando feel like
if I got a forty five minute trip.
Speaker 3: I think I really did. It was big play by
Control Web. You know, we uh we wear it until
trying to take a shot in the end zone and
they're down three and we were fortunate to you know,
Control really played it well and do a good job.
Speaker 2: Of picking it, and I took an in and we
were able to go.
Speaker 1: On you have during this time, and this is where
some of these postseason awards come into play. Tanner, Kozu
your special teams guys, it's kind of nice to get
this kind of recognition. So how do you let these
young men say, yes, you're getting this run. But at
the same time, we got two weeks of football at
least to play them, not for that third Bowl game
coming up too.
Speaker 3: Yeah, those guys understand that we're really, you know, happy
Tanner's finalists for the John mckew Award.
Speaker 2: I think I had explained to him who John mackew was.
Speaker 1: Zero surprise on that, by the way, that's.
Speaker 2: Right, but he really had a fantastic season.
Speaker 3: Fourst and Denathan saying, Chez, you know it's done, just
a great job.
Speaker 2: I think he's nineteen of twenty two on field goals
on the Ears.
Speaker 3: You know, I had a couple of game winners as well,
and you know we always tell them, you know, I
always make sure that I announced it in front of
the team.
Speaker 2: These guys get special recognition. We've been lucky that we've
had a bunch of guys.
Speaker 3: We've had special recognition this year, but you know, it's
all about the team. They know that. I always tell
them all the time. I mean, wanted to be about
the individual or you you need to get get into
MMA fighting.
Speaker 2: You know, don't have to worry about anybody else.
Speaker 3: But this fights with ten other guys when you're out
there on the field and one hundred and ten guys
when we're in the locker room. So they all understand
that and do a great job being great teammates.
Speaker 1: With all that being said, my last individual question. Cozio
looks the part tell me about bringing him away from
his previous school, coming here and then stepping on the
floor on the field of play. He looks the part
where you have a professional tight end. I don't know
what his future is going to be on what the
draft status is, and hopefully we're gonna worry about that
way down the road, but he just looks like a
guy that's going to be able to do at the
next level and has certainly been a huge targeting threat
for Connor Wigman.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he really has.
Speaker 3: Those two have developed a really good relationship throwing the ball,
you know, on the field, off the field whatever. But
he just got great hands. He's got great catch radius.
That but he talks about that all the time. What
really makes it specially as able extended s towards the ball.
And he's a big guy, you know, he's six six,
he's got tremendous reach. Uh.
Speaker 2: I think he's a pro guy.
Speaker 3: You know, they don't ask my opinion very much, but
you know, I definitely think he is.
Speaker 2: And uh, you know, but like you.
Speaker 3: Said, we wanted to finish out for the Koug's the
very best he can.
Speaker 1: All right, let's get to TCU. First time I saw
them play this year. I'm sure you've looked at all
their film. They embarrassed the heck out of North Carolina,
I mean ruined. Coach Belichick's initial run this season has
been good for them, but not great. They look to
rather pour us against b YU.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 1: And maybe it's because the Cougars, their Cougar's Willie putting
up some huge numbers, especially in provo. But a thought
or two about this TCU team that has had a
couple of very close affairs and then they obviously last
week they were shell shocked against the b YU Cougars.
Speaker 3: Yeah, they you know, I think up until that time
losses by less than a touchdown. You know, they've got
a lot of respect for coach Dyke's known him a
long time. Got a you know, real quality quarterback and
you know, one of the top ones in the Big twelve,
really in the nation. Good receiving corps, you know, defensively,
you know, they really do a good job and not
allowing you to be successful running the football. They want
you to throw the football and then try to get
after you. And they've always had a really potent return
game special team. So it's gonna be a big test
for us. Our kids understand that. You know, we've been
you know, we worked on them a little bit the
week before. I just felt like, you know, we we'd
had that seven game stretch and we had a couple
of days where we worked on them and then came
back back in on Monday and went hot and heavy after.
So looking forward to the game three o'clock on Saturday, boy,
we sure would like to get a bunch of people
out there and it'll be two quality teams fighting it
out at t d C Stadium.
Speaker 1: And reality is last year Willie the best performance with
the Houston Cougar football team was probably in Fort Worth, Texas?
Would you not agree?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Plus four? You know, imagine that. You know we weren't.
We didn't have a real.
Speaker 3: Good offense last year, but we really played well that
game and kept the ball away from them and played
great defense.
Speaker 2: And uh yeah it was. It was a great game
for us last season.
Speaker 3: But as we all know, each year is is a
brand new opportunity to play and see what you're all about.
Speaker 2: And we will played great this Saturday, all.
Speaker 1: Right, Willie, thank you for the time. I'm gonna do
everything in my humanly power to get every Houston Cougar
alive to your stadium on Saturday afternoon for the three
o'clock tilt. Looking forward to that, and we'll look forward
to our visit again next week because we get ready
for the game against Baylor. Thank you for the time.
Speaker 2: As always, thank you,