What Does Willie Fritz Think About Texas Tech And Houston Offense?
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The Houston Cougars are still undefeated after a marvelous second half against the Oregon State Beavers. There were several times when the Cougars looked like they were dead, but somehow they pulled away with a 27-24 victory.
That victory kept Houston undefeated in the Big 12, which makes the Texas Tech game at TDECU Stadium an opportunity for Fritz’s program to record a monumental win against the No. 11 team in the nation.
If the Cougars can have a great week of practice and clean up the errors from last week, the game this weekend has a chance to be one of the best of Week 6. Here’s what Fritz said about his squad on Monday.
Texas Tech Challenge
Right off the bat, Fritz admired the Red Raiders for their talented roster and clever coach who has put together one of the most impressive recruiting seasons. Coach Joey McGuire led the Red Raiders to their 4-0 start to the season with quarterback Behren Morton as the captain of the offense.
“Really talented group and also very coached, so going to be a tremendous challenge for us,” Fritz said. “Offensively, they run the ball extremely well. They’re talented out on the perimeter and quarterback’s very accurate.
The athletes on both sides of the ball are something Fritz credited Texas Tech with having all around.
“They just do an excellent job all the way around,” Fritz said. “Offense, defense, kicking game. We’re going to have to bring our A game. We’re going to have to be good in all three phases in order to have an opportunity to win this game.”
Fritza also referred to Tech as having a good offensive line and a running back room that will test the Houston defense.
“Across the board, they got a really good offensive line and tight ends are outstanding,” Fritz said. “We always want to try to do good against the run. That’s a big deal for us is trying to make them one-dimensional, where they get to throw the ball and now have an opportunity to make some things happen on the back end, on the front end. I just don’t see any weaknesses. They are good in all three phases.”
Houston Offense
An area that Fritz knows that has to be its best is the offense. After last week's performance against Oregon State, he knows what the script needs to look like and what the formula might be going into the weekend.
“Part of us being ineffective was us not converting,” Fritz said. “There’s some shots we took and we didn’t convert it. We dropped it. We gotta catch those balls and we gotta have protection.”
The other department that Fritz touched on was the fast pace at which the Cougars played in the last six minutes of the ball game in Corvallis, Oregon. When QB Conner Weigman sped up the place of play with the game on the line, the chains kept moving, so establishing successful drives by converting first downs is pivotal.
“We’d like to be a mix-up uptempo team, which we have done first three games and obviously last game as well, but we have to convert first downs to stay out there on the field.”
Junior wide receiver Amare Thomas has also been instrumental to the offensive success, and Fritz has liked the growth and maturity he has shown.
“He’s really improved and gotten better throughout the course of the summer and preseason camp,” Fritz said. “He lines up right and does his assignment correctly, which I don’t think we give enough credit to guys for. Smart football player.”
The tight end, Tanner Koziol, has also been a massive weapon and a reliable option for Weigman, and Fritz praised his athleticism.
“He’s got great hands,” Fritz said. “He catches the ball away from his body. I think he’s got great speed.”
If the chemistry continues down the path it has been, Fritz has the tools in his toolbox to take Houston in the right direction.
Kolton Becker is a journalist for Texas A&M Aggies and Houston Cougars On SI from Port Lavaca, Texas. He is a graduate from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural communications and journalism and a minor in sport management. As a former sports reporter with TexAgs and The Battalion, he has covered Texas A&M football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, track & field, cross country, swim & dive and equestrian. In his spare time, he loves to hunt, fish, cook, do play-by-play announcing at high school sporting events, spend time with family/friends as well as be involved with his local church.
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