Willie Fritz Praises Houston Cougars for Historic 10-Win Season
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The Houston Cougars officially cemented themselves in the football program's record books with their 38-35 win over the LSU Tigers in the Kinder's Texas Bowl.
The win not only secured the program's 10th victory of the season but also marked a historic achievement for the Cougars, reaching double-digit wins in a Power Four conference for the first time since 1990.
In the postgame press conference, Head coach Willie Fritz was quick to praise his team's determination to finish the year off on a strong note. The veteran coach also highlighted the fact that the Cougars didn't have any players opt-out of the bowl game.
Fritz on the Cougars Historic Season
When asked about what it means for the Cougars to reach 10 wins in the 2025 season, Fritz said that it was extremely important for both the school and the football program to reach that mark in a Power Four conference.
"It's big," Fritz said. "I know that Houston has had some 10-win seasons in the past, but you know, but 1990 was the last time Houston had 10 wins in a Power Four conference. I've played in some of those other leagues Houston was playing in at that time, and those were great teams that U of H had, but to do it every single week in the Big 12 is difficult, and then to play an SEC opponent in this bowl game, every week you gotta be ready to play."
"There's no gimmes in the Big 12; it's really good from top to bottom," Fritz added. "10 wins is big, not a whole lot of teams in the country got 10 wins."
Fritz was then asked about the importance of Houston securing its first win over an SEC opponent since 1999. Additionally, the head coach was asked about how he intends to leverage the momentum of the 10-win season going forward. He noted that what he was most proud of was the fact that no player chose to opt out of the bowl game, highlighting the team's commitment and buy-in to the program.
"The thing I'm proud of with our culture is we didn't have anybody opt out, and everybody played in the ballgame," Fritz said. "I'm sure there were people in their ear telling them they shouldn't play...I'm just proud that they did this for the school and did this for each other, so that's something else were going to brag about, is that all of our guys played. We like playing football here."
After speaking highly of his program's accomplishments and developing culture, Fritz was then asked about what it meant for the Cougars to get the historic win right in the city of Houston.
"I don't know how many fans we had out there, but I thought they were loud throughout the ballgame and I'm really happy about them turning out," Fritz told the media. "I love the city of Houston; it's a big reason why I came here. I just enjoy the city of Houston, and I always have; we were going to retire here and I was lucky enough to get the job, and I'm gonna be here for a while."
