Houston Cougars' Willie Fritz Heaps Praise on Arizona State Sun Devils
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Even with their 6-1 record, the Houston Cougars still seem to be flying under the radar, at least nationally. However, they have a chance to change that very soon.
On Saturday, the Cougars will make the trip to Tempe to face the Arizona State Sun Devils, the reigning Big 12 champions. The Sun Devils are also coming off their biggest win of the season, as they took down previously undefeated Texas Tech in a stunner. With starting quarterback Sam Leavitt back in the fold, they look very dangerous once again.
Unsurprisingly, Cougars head coach Willie Fritz knows the challenge ahead.
Willie Fritz Has Been Watching Arizona State Sun Devils
During Monday's press conference, Fritz heaped praise on the Sun Devils and head coach Kenny Dillingham. Interestingly, he also added that he watched Arizona State play in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Peach Bowl, where they lost to Texas 39-31 in a double-overtime thriller.
"Well, obviously they're the defending Big 12 conference champion," Fritz told reporters. "Matter of fact, I actually went to their game against Texas, and you know, they had a call here or there they didn't quite get. And then, they should've, would've, could've won the game. So, Coach Dillingham has done a phenomenal job and they've done a great job of recruiting, very, very talented offense, defense, kicking game. So, it's going to be a big-time challenge for us."
There was indeed some controversy in that game, as an apparent targeting no-call against Texas on Arizona State's final drive of regulation hurt the Sun Devils when they were driving. Had the officials made that call, the Sun Devils would've been in field-goal range with a chance to win in regulation.
However, a disappointing result in the CFP doesn't lessen what the Sun Devils accomplished last season. They were voted last in the Big 12 preseason poll, and went on to win the conference and give an SEC heavyweight all they could handle. In fact, Fritz believes their quick turnaround could be a model for teams around the country.
"Yeah, I think they went from 3-9 to conference champions," Fritz said. "This can happen in this day and age. If you're smart with how you do things, you've got a chance to flip things quickly. Back in the old days you developed guys, you've still got to develop guys but now you can get some guys who've got some experience on your team. That's the goal for everybody."
Considering the Cougars are 6-1 after back-to-back 4-8 seasons, they're following that model to a T.
