Willie Fritz Shares Interesting Thoughts About Houston’s Win vs. Oregon State

Houston didn’t play well against Oregon State.

It was enough to win. Not enough to be overly impressed.

With the No. 11 Texas Tech Red Raiders coming to TDECU Stadium this weekend, Fritz knows his team has to do better. In a recent interview, Fritz shared his take on lessons from the previous games and how his team needs to grow.

Lessons After Oregon State Game

Koby Young dives for football catch — Sep 26, 2025; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Houston Cougars wide receiver Koby Young (18) stretches out for the ball during the second quarter against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

After the Cougars trailed 24-10 late in the fourth quarter in Corvallis, Oregon, the realization dawned that starting faster must happen if the Cougars are to reach their desired destination by the end of the season.

That starts in all three phases. Offense. Defense. Special teams.

Coach Fritz acknowledged this and admits that there are several areas for his players and coaches to improve in the weeks to come.

“We didn’t start very good,” Fritz said. “You got to keep pushing and scratching and fighting. We’re all disappointed in how we played. I was very proud of how we finished the game.”

Being on the same page was one of the lessons that the team knows needs to be the priority.

“You want to make sure everyone’s on the same page,” Fritz said. “If we can get 11 pluses, we are going to have a great play on offense, defense, kicking game. We got 11 guys doing their assignment, what they’re supposed to do. We got an opportunity to be very successful.”

Improvement On Each Side

Willie Fritz high fives Marc Stampley — Sep 6, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars head coach Willie Fritz celebrates with defensive back Marc Stampley II (22) after a play during the fourth quarter against the Rice Owls at Rice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

All three areas.

That’s what Fritz believes needs improvement.

“We need to improve in all three areas,” Fritz said. “I was disappointed in the kicking game with three penalties. That’s three too many. Offensively – we just didn’t start very well. Our opening script, we even had a few screw ups on that. We need to do a better job of staying on point."

Since there were several mistakes, Fritz took it a step further by challenging his coaches to improve as well.

“I challenged the coaches,” Fritz said. “We got to make sure we’re playing the right Jimmies and Joe’s. We’ve gone long enough in the season where we have a pretty good idea about what guys are good at and what they’re not so good at.”

Defensively, Fritz added that the tackling was poor and there needed to be more emphasis on ensuring that it doesn't happen again.

“I didn’t think we tackled as well as what we had the first three ball games,” Fritz said. “They got a few big plays out of that.”

The Cougars get their next chance to improve their performance with a kickoff against the Red Raiders on Saturday, October 4, at 6 p.m., streamed live on ESPN.