1 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:05,719 Speaker 1: The joint chiropractice. They've got Houston's back to the official 2 00:00:05,799 --> 00:00:09,640 chiropractor of University of Houston Athletics brings you Willie Fritz 3 00:00:09,679 --> 00:00:12,480 here on the program and let's say how to coach 4 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:16,600 and coach. First of all, congratulations on the win against 5 00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:19,839 Colorado and the time off. Let me ask you first 6 00:00:19,879 --> 00:00:22,079 and foremost. I'm assuming you and your coaches had a 7 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:23,559 chance to go check out a lot of high school 8 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:24,879 talent over the last still week or so. 9 00:00:25,879 --> 00:00:27,519 Speaker 2: Yeah, it was. It was a lot of fun when 10 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,000 it was a really good game on Thursday nine, a 11 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:34,399 real good game on Friday night. So enjoyed going on. 12 00:00:34,719 --> 00:00:37,679 You know, you see a little bit more in person. 13 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:42,719 You know, the interaction student athletes, you know, with their teammates, 14 00:00:42,759 --> 00:00:45,799 and you know, different things like that, how they compete, 15 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:47,880 and it's fine to go out. We went out and 16 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:50,759 watched kids who were committed to us, so it was, uh, 17 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:52,240 we got a lot out of it. 18 00:00:53,039 --> 00:00:55,359 Speaker 1: Pardon my ignorance on this, but I'm curious, do you 19 00:00:55,799 --> 00:00:58,200 want to tell them you're coming? Do you want them 20 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:00,920 to not know? And does it matter whether they're committed 21 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:01,200 or not? 22 00:01:01,399 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 2: Like knowing, you know, you didn't want to get it 23 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:06,159 set up, and you know, you tell the high school 24 00:01:06,239 --> 00:01:09,480 coach and I like standing down on the sideline where 25 00:01:09,519 --> 00:01:11,719 I can really get a good bird's eye view of 26 00:01:11,719 --> 00:01:14,840 what's happening going on. And so yeah, they know that 27 00:01:14,879 --> 00:01:16,239 we're coming to the ball game. 28 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:19,239 Speaker 1: Well, you had a chance to see a out of 29 00:01:19,239 --> 00:01:22,040 that wall, celebrate the victory against Colorado. Coach off to 30 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:23,519 a three and oh start, and not only are you 31 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:26,120 one of the few undefeated teams still in college football, 32 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:28,560 but your squad has not turned the ball over. That's 33 00:01:28,599 --> 00:01:30,959 always a focus for every coach. But what has made 34 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:34,079 it especially more satisfying over the first three weeks. 35 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:35,879 Speaker 2: Well, we didn't do a great job of it last year. 36 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:38,319 You know, it's something we really emphasized last year. We 37 00:01:38,719 --> 00:01:41,879 emphasized the big time during the spring, in the summer 38 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,400 and preseason camp and guys just in a nice job, 39 00:01:45,439 --> 00:01:48,000 partners play call it. You know. Part of it's a 40 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:49,760 little bit of good luck where you don't have to, 41 00:01:50,359 --> 00:01:52,959 you know, put the ball in arms away. You know, 42 00:01:52,959 --> 00:01:55,920 I think our offense coordinator, coach Nangle, does a good 43 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:58,680 job with making sure there plays that you have a 44 00:01:58,719 --> 00:02:02,359 minimal risk to him as far as a turnovers concern, 45 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:04,959 and then we're doing a good job of taking the 46 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:08,120 ball away. You know, you call him takeaways, not giveaways, 47 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,199 and our defense might have done a pretty darn good job. 48 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:14,280 We've been close to having four or five and each 49 00:02:14,319 --> 00:02:17,080 of the games, and I think we're plus six right 50 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,520 now in the turnover takeaway category. So we just got 51 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:23,560 to continue to keep doing that throughout the whole season 52 00:02:24,039 --> 00:02:27,199 and my career as head coach, and we've been plus 53 00:02:27,199 --> 00:02:29,599 one or better than ninety one percent of our games 54 00:02:29,599 --> 00:02:31,879 at a lot of different levels that I've coached at. 55 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:35,319 So that's something that you know helps your success is 56 00:02:36,039 --> 00:02:39,319 making sure that you want that turnover takeaway. Now. 57 00:02:39,439 --> 00:02:42,439 Speaker 1: I know you had to mentally and physically prepare for 58 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:45,080 three different quarterbacks. I know coach Sanders did not announce 59 00:02:45,199 --> 00:02:48,360 job until he at the very last second, but was 60 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,240 I'm going to assume your kids were not surprised because 61 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:52,759 there was some game tape on him. 62 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:55,599 Speaker 2: Yeah, there's a game tape on him. And you know, 63 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:01,919 unless it's just completely and totally different, you know, skill 64 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:05,360 sets with the quarterbacks, you're going to get the same offense. 65 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:07,960 Maybe you might run one guy a little bit more 66 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:11,000 than the other, or maybe there's a certain pass the 67 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:14,199 guys a little bit better than the other guys at 68 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:16,560 but you know, by large you're going to get the 69 00:03:16,759 --> 00:03:19,039 you know, the same style offense. So we just worked 70 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:22,159 on what they've done the first two games, and I 71 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:25,680 had an idea that the stop kid might start, and 72 00:03:25,719 --> 00:03:27,879 he did, and you know, our kids did a good 73 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:28,599 job of adapting. 74 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 1: Jim Connor gave you two hundred and twenty two yards 75 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:34,080 to the air, eighty three on the ground of the 76 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:36,599 eighty three is a career high for him? Is that 77 00:03:36,879 --> 00:03:38,879 something you want to see more of? The not necessarily 78 00:03:38,879 --> 00:03:40,759 the yards, but just the ability to say, you know 79 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:42,479 what I can take off if it needed. 80 00:03:43,599 --> 00:03:47,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, we're gonna run the quarterback every week. You know, 81 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:50,719 I've talked about it many times. It's just when you 82 00:03:50,719 --> 00:03:53,240 play eleven on eleven football, you got a better chance 83 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:55,560 of being successful in the run game. When you're handing 84 00:03:55,599 --> 00:03:58,479 it off the back. Now it's a little bit more difficult, 85 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:01,639 and you know, a fortunate that that Connor can run 86 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:05,400 and he's got good speed, good movement, And then there's 87 00:04:05,439 --> 00:04:08,520 some times where you know everybody's covered and you see 88 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:12,120 a crease and you're the protection and he did that 89 00:04:12,159 --> 00:04:14,800 one time as well. He took it and ran with 90 00:04:14,879 --> 00:04:18,319 it and scored a touchdown. So yeah, we're we're very 91 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:20,600 fortunate we have a you know, a true due for 92 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:23,319 it quarterback now or we're gonna run him twenty times 93 00:04:23,319 --> 00:04:26,040 a game now, but we're gonna run him five to 94 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:27,079 ten times a ball game. 95 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:32,079 Speaker 1: Is that under his circumstances or are those specific play calls? 96 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:33,000 What do you think it would be more? 97 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 2: Probably three or four of them are going to be, 98 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:37,759 you know, where he touched it and runs you know, 99 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:40,920 either he's got pressure or you know, and there's not 100 00:04:41,519 --> 00:04:44,959 a clear the receiver to throw to. But the other 101 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:47,680 ones will be called quarterback runs or option place where 102 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:51,120 you you know, you're reading somebody and it's either a 103 00:04:51,279 --> 00:04:52,839 you know, give the ball the back or pull it 104 00:04:52,959 --> 00:04:55,839 so you know. But yeah, we're fortunate that we've got 105 00:04:56,399 --> 00:04:57,879 a guy back there that can move around. 106 00:04:57,879 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 1: Well, you got two and nine yards on the ground 107 00:05:00,079 --> 00:05:03,000 on two twenty two through the air. If I've talked 108 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:04,639 to one coach, they al said the same thing. We 109 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:07,079 love balance offense, and you got that against the Buffaloes. 110 00:05:08,199 --> 00:05:09,959 Speaker 2: No, we want to be a fifty to fifty team. 111 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:12,519 You know, the pass opens up the run and vice versa. 112 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:15,800 You know, if you make them, you know have to 113 00:05:15,839 --> 00:05:18,879 defend the whole field horizontally and vertically. He got a 114 00:05:18,959 --> 00:05:22,000 much better chance of being successful. We think we've got 115 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:25,360 some good backs and got good receivers and tight ends, 116 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:27,639 and we're going to try to utilize all of them. 117 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:29,319 You know, you get into a game sometimes you have 118 00:05:29,439 --> 00:05:32,399 more success in one thing to the other, and you're 119 00:05:32,399 --> 00:05:35,800 smart to stick with that plan of attack. But you know, 120 00:05:35,839 --> 00:05:37,680 we'd like to be a fifty to fifty team. 121 00:05:38,199 --> 00:05:41,639 Speaker 1: I sometimes tease my radio audience about not being able 122 00:05:41,639 --> 00:05:43,639 to trust college kickers, and you and I. Earlier this 123 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:45,560 Yeason talked about the fact that we were seeing more 124 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:49,199 and more successful ones. Your guy five out of six. 125 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:51,160 If you can get fifteen points a game from your 126 00:05:51,199 --> 00:05:52,680 college kicker like that, you're going to be in a 127 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:53,720 really good spot this year. 128 00:05:54,519 --> 00:05:57,360 Speaker 2: Yeah. And a bunch of more long ones too. You know. 129 00:05:57,439 --> 00:05:59,680 He was ten of eleven at Old Dominion last year, 130 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:03,240 miss with fifty plus yards. So that's that's the reason 131 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:05,720 why we got him here. We want to be able to, 132 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:08,879 you know, get the automatic three points when it's gonna 133 00:06:08,879 --> 00:06:11,920 be hard to convert on a fourth and sixth or seven, 134 00:06:12,439 --> 00:06:14,800 whatever the case may be. You're in that little in 135 00:06:14,879 --> 00:06:18,399 between fringe area, you know, right around the plus twenty 136 00:06:18,439 --> 00:06:21,120 five plus thirty five yard line, and you still got 137 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:23,639 an opportunity to get points, even though they down of 138 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:25,879 distance isn't good for you by kicking the field goals, 139 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:28,600 so Ethan Saint says, did a really nice job of, 140 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:32,160 you know, kicking the last Well, I guess it was 141 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:35,680 two weeks ago, right, yep, I don't feel like it's 142 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:36,600 two months ago. 143 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:38,959 Speaker 1: You know, it does feel like that. How do you 144 00:06:39,199 --> 00:06:41,759 like the early off week? You had a chance to 145 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:44,439 rest up some guys, and nicks and bruces are always 146 00:06:44,439 --> 00:06:46,000 gonna be a part of a college football season, But 147 00:06:46,199 --> 00:06:48,199 how do you feel, at least healthwise going to this 148 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:49,279 game against Oregon State? 149 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:53,160 Speaker 2: Much better? We were banged up, particularly on the offensive line. 150 00:06:53,199 --> 00:06:55,480 We've got a few of those guys back now and 151 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:59,439 they're healthy. Uh. You know, we took you know, it 152 00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:02,120 took a couple of days off of the student athletes, 153 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:04,560 and we did and we came back on Monday, and 154 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:08,920 we just really lifted during that bye week and practice Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 155 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:13,800 and came Friday, Saturday, off and came back and started 156 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:17,199 working again on Sunday because we're actually flying out tomorrow 157 00:07:17,199 --> 00:07:18,920 to head out to Oregon State. 158 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 1: So as far as organ State is concerned, a really 159 00:07:23,519 --> 00:07:25,439 rough goal of things for them. They are in a 160 00:07:25,519 --> 00:07:28,360 full rebuild. It feels like they also are trying to 161 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:30,839 get established back at a new conference, which will be next year. 162 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:33,439 I don't know if the travel is going to be 163 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:35,839 a huge consideration. Guys have been on plane rides before, 164 00:07:35,879 --> 00:07:39,199 but just a thought or two about seeing them having 165 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:41,240 already one conference game in the books and this being 166 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:43,360 your last non conference game coming up here on Friday. 167 00:07:44,639 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, we just you know, I've really had an opportunity 168 00:07:47,759 --> 00:07:51,199 to study these guys when were having the bye week, 169 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:54,399 and you know, like I tell these guys all the time, 170 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:57,519 this is this game counts as one, just like last week, 171 00:07:58,319 --> 00:08:01,879 just like next week, I'll count one. You work year 172 00:08:01,959 --> 00:08:05,879 round for these twelve guaranteed opportunities, and you know, having 173 00:08:05,879 --> 00:08:07,959 this time off, we want to be able to play 174 00:08:07,959 --> 00:08:11,600 the best we can. We should be healthy. I think 175 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:15,360 we've had an opportunity to, you know, figure out our 176 00:08:15,399 --> 00:08:18,160 squad a little bit. What guys do well, maybe some 177 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:20,360 things they don't do quite so. Well, we try to 178 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:22,560 stay away from that, you know, and we've been able 179 00:08:22,639 --> 00:08:25,120 to do that in all all three phases during this 180 00:08:25,839 --> 00:08:26,360 time off. 181 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:29,800 Speaker 1: And do you want the depth chart fluid every week 182 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:31,480 or do you like the things settled down by this 183 00:08:31,519 --> 00:08:32,080 time of the year. 184 00:08:32,879 --> 00:08:34,759 Speaker 2: I wouldel like it'd be, you know, pretty close to 185 00:08:34,759 --> 00:08:37,039 settle down. There's always guys that you know, continue to 186 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:39,960 keep improving during the year, and maybe they're playing five 187 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:42,960 stantzing game and in another two three weeks they're playing 188 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:45,840 you know, thirty stantzing games. You know, sometimes that's based 189 00:08:45,879 --> 00:08:48,639 on injury as well. A guy comes in and shows 190 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:50,679 what he can do and may be the guy out. 191 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:54,919 We want competition, we want depth, and we want to 192 00:08:54,919 --> 00:08:56,960 know though, you know, what are the guys that are 193 00:08:56,960 --> 00:08:59,440 going to be playing, you know, not just on defense 194 00:08:59,519 --> 00:09:01,879 or offense, but you who are the best eleven guys 195 00:09:01,919 --> 00:09:04,799 on kickoff team? Who the best eleven guys on kickoff 196 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:07,960 return it, who's the best eleven guys and on third 197 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:11,840 and long defensively, So you're always trying to figure your 198 00:09:11,879 --> 00:09:13,960 squad out and make sure you got the right Jimmy's 199 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:17,120 and Joe's in the places where you need to have them.