Kenny Dillingham Shows Respect to Houston Ahead of Matchup

TEMPE -- The morale is extraordinarily high in Tempe following Arizona State's 26-22 triumph over the seventh-ranked team in the nation in Texas Tech on Saturday afternoon.

The win catapulted the Sun Devils back into the top 25 of the AP poll, while also re-establishing the program as a legitimate threat to represent the Big 12 in the conference title game in Arlington, Texas on the first Saturday in December.

The Sun Devils must take care of business over the final five games before there is potential to make the possibility a reality - that jounrey begins this Saturday when Kenny Dillingham's team welcomes Willie Fritz and the 6-1 Houston Cougars to Mountain America Stadium.

Many have made a big deal of the Cougars' struggle to defeat a one-win Oregon State team, as well as the blowout loss to Texas Tech several weeks ago - Dillingham does not look at this week's opposition in that manner in the slightest, as the head coach actually threw substantial praise towards the team in his press conference Monday.

What Dillingham Had to Say About Fritz, Houston

"I mean, they're 6-1 and they've lost to a top 15 team in the country. I don't know what else you want, they win games... At the end of the day, their head coach there has won a lot of games for a long time at a lot of places."

"Just winning games by playing good defense, complimentary offensive football, possessing the ball, taking care of the football, not hurting themselves... It's a very, very effective style to win football games... That's what coach Fritz does..."

Oct 18, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver Jaren Hamilton (16) runs the ball against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the first half at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Fritz has built up an incredibly impressive coaching career - having won 218 games between Central Missouri, Sam Houston State, Georgia Southern, Tulane, and Houston. He has also won seven bowl games, has earned several accolades - including back-to-back AAC coach of the year awards at Tulane - and has already built up a Houston program that was heading in reverse under former coach Dana Holgerson.

The Cougars are 6-1 for a reason - as Dillingham stated. Fritz has a very defined culture that typically results in piling up victories, from limiting turnovers, to playing sound, consistent defense - the Cougars will always come to play. Fritz has also hit the recruiting trails running and has built up reserves going into the future.

Arizona State head football coach Kenny Dillingham speaks to the media during a news conference at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Oct. 20, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Arizona State-Houston is set for a start time of 5 P.M. AZT from Mountain America Stadium in Tempe.

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on three major takeaways from the win over Texas Tech here.

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