Houston Football Announces Game Captains For Matchup Against Rice
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Houston named three captains for the matchup against Rice and aim to win their second straight game against the Owls.
Senior long snapper Jacob Garza, junior defensive back Kentrell Webb and junior wide receiver Amare Thomas were the three captains named for the Bayou Bucket Classic.
Jacob Garza
Garza is a veteran long snapper for the Cougars and is from Corpus Christi, Texas.
He is entering his sixth season as a Cougar, and is a leader on the field and in the locker room.
Garza made his name known in the 2023 season as a sophomore, where he appeared in all 12 games as a primary punt snapper, but also had 13 snaps as a field goal snapper.
Last season, Garza once again played every game for UH, and recovered his first ever fumble against BYU.
He also helped Houston rank No. 10 nationally in punt return defense in the 2024 season.
Garza not only gives his all on the field, but in the classroom as well.
Since he joined Houston in 2020 in the American Athletic Conference, he has received an academic award every year.
Garza is an example to his teammates as a leader, and Fritz acknowledged his hard work by naming him a captain against Rice.
Kentrell Webb
In the offseason, Houston lost several key players on defense. Webb is now someone coach Willie Fritz relies on and is a leader of the secondary.
Webb is very familiar with Fritz since he played for him for two seasons at Tulane.
He followed Fritz to Houston for the 2024 season and had a great first year as a Cougar.
Last year, he finished fourth on the team with 54 tackles and played the most defensive snaps out of anyone.
He showed his versatility as a player by playing snaps at free safety, in the box, at corner and a team high 50 snaps at field goal block.
Webb is among the more exciting returners and is set for a big 2025 season.
Amare Thomas
Thomas is a new addition to the Houston program, transferring from UAB in the offseason.
The six-foot speedster had a breakout year for the Dragons last season, totaling 62 receptions for 670 yards and caught eight touchdowns.
Thomas impressed in fall camp and worked himself into a key piece in Houston’s offense.
In the season opener Thomas made a huge impact catching three passes for 44 yards and scored a touchdown on a 20-yard strike from junior quarterback Conner Weigman.
Bayou Bucket Classic
Houston is set for the last scheduled rematch of the Bayou Bucket Classic against Rice this weekend.
The Cougars were dominate last year at home against the Owls with a 33-7 victory. The stakes are at an all-time high with the winner able to keep the Bayou Bucket until at least 2030, with no games between the two teams scheduled to be played.
Houston takes on Rice in the Bayou Bucket Classic on Saturday, Sep. 6, at 6 p.m., at Rice Stadium.
Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram (@ashtonagrissom8) or Twitter (@ashtongrissom8).