Will Fritz Previews Elite Quarterback Battle Between Houston and Arizona
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On Saturday, the Houston Cougars welcome in their next test of the season with the Arizona Wildcats walking into TDECU Stadium hoping to quiet the home crowd.
Coach Willie Fritz anticipates his program will continue to put up a fight after a feel-good win against Oklahoma State. Quarterback Conner Weigman got back on the field after suffering an injury in the game against Texas Tech and had a terrific outing. His performance was satisfying enough that Fritz trusted his decision to take Weigman out of the game to rest and be a full participant ahead of Arizona.
“He probably could've practiced the whole week, but we got him into protocol and we went through it and he felt fantastic,” Fritz said. “He came out and played a fantastic game. Really proud of him and how he handled the week and how the rest of the players handled the week as well.”
Conner Weigman’s Production
After a slow start against Texas Tech, the Houston offense finally got momentum back on its side with Weigman going 21 of 30 with two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. It appeared that he wasn’t even injured, as he was reading the Oklahoma State defense with his eye coordination and tremendous footwork.
“I think he’s outstanding,” Fritz said. “You want to have that out of your quarterback. You’d love to have your quarterback be a leader for you. That doesn’t happen all the time. Sometimes quarterbacks are really silent and don’t say much, but Conner’s got great leadership qualities, and it's great when your quarterback has that kind of confidence and conveys that to the rest of the offense. I’m proud of him for seeing that’s what we needed to do and convey that to the rest of the offense.”
An outing where the Cougars could take a deep breath and exhale with a big lead was something the whole coaching staff needed, especially after a loss where the staff was doing everything in its power to figure out how to make stops and score points. Fritz’s roster did that this time against the Cowboys and mentioned how it was essential to move on.
“I thought our guys did a terrific job of flushing it down the toilet,” Fritz said. “We talked about it quite a bit, how important it was to flip the page and move on to the next challenge.”
Arizona’s Offense
Brent Brennan’s Wildcats suffered a devastating 2OT loss, 33-27, to the BYU Cougars and are desperate to turn around their season before it's too late. Fortunately for Fritz, he didn’t have to go through that pain and was lucky to catch the game on Saturday since Houston returned home in time. In that game, he realized that the Houston defense would need to prepare for QB Noah Fifita due to the athleticism he brings to the table.
“They got a great quarterback," Fritz said. “Offensively, there’s some similarities without question, but it all starts with the quarterback. He is good out of the pocket. He’s very accurate when he gets outside the pocket. He can run it when he needs to tuck it and run it. It starts with that guy. I watched the game. We got home early enough, I was able to watch the game, plus they had a rain delay. They really have a dynamic running attack. Defensively, in their front, they do a lot of stuff. Even. Odd. Dropping guys. It’s a different defense than what we’ve seen so far, different style.”
The Arizona offense posted 219 yards receiving while the run game registered 165 yards with running back Kedrick Reescano leading the way with 90 yards rushing. To shut down those numbers, an elite week of practice and another solid offensive showing will be key to adding another win.
“In order to be elite, you have to be consistent with your preparation week after week,” Fritz said. “All we are doing is talking about Arizona and playing better and improving.”
That mindset won't change leading up to Saturday’s affair.
Houston battles Arizona at TDECU Stadium on Saturday, October 18, at 11 a.m. with the game streamed live on FS1.
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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