|
at
Rice |
WON
24-10 |
TULANE |
LOST
13-34 |
LOUIS-LAFAYETTE |
WON
36-17 |
at
Texas |
LOST
11-41 |
at
TCU |
LOST
17-34 |
at
UAB |
LOST
34-51 |
ARMY |
WON
56-42 |
at
Memphis |
WON
26-21 |
EAST
CAROLINA |
LOST
48-54 (3OT) |
at
Cincinnati |
LOST
14-47 |
SOUTH
FLORIDA |
LOST
14-32 |
LOUISVILLE |
WON
27-10 |
|
2002 Final Rankings
AP-UR, Coaches-UR, BCS-UR
|
2003
Outlook
|
Optimism
has swept through Cougar Land with the hiring
of Briles. He has vowed to associate greatness
with Houston's program once again. Fortunately,
the spread offense has done well before
in H-town. The big task is getting the right
man to run it. Nick Eddy seems to be primed,
but only time will tell. A steady, conditioned
receiving corps must emerge and ease Eddy
into the system- but he has to cut down
on the INTs! Look for the passing game to
come along slowly and evolve into one of
the better attacks in the country by year's
end. But will it take three, five, seven,
or more games for this unit to learn its
potential and reach it weekly?
The
defense needs to bear down and stop somebody,
anybody. Allowing 32 points a game (while
giving up 270 yards in the air) is not going
to win football games. The switch to a 4-3
defense should minimize the time opposing
QBs have to throw and give this secondary
a bit of a break. The key will be teaching
these young kids responsibility. They will
start off rocky, but gel, and get better
throughout the year.
The
schedule starts off easy- and by easy, we
mean teams with which UH can certainly hang.
They have a brutal road test at Michigan
early, but surrounding that are (winnable)
home games against Rice and Mississippi
State, and one at UL Lafayette. The real
test will come in back-to-back home contests
with TCU and Southern Miss, who look to
be at the top of the C-USA class this season.
The Cougs will need this year to break in
their receivers and lay the foundation for
their new schemes. We see Houston struggling,
but learning, while at least hosting some
competitive outings
all while preparing
for the promising future they know will
soon come. They could wind up with a winning
record, but development should be their
focus, with positive results even if finishing
under (or at) .500.
Projected
2003 record: 5-7
|
|
|
DE
Farouk Adelekan |
OFFENSIVE
MVP
QB Nick Eddy
|
DEFENSIVE
MVP
SS Jermain Woodard
|
TOP
NEWCOMERS
WR Vincent Marshall
WR Chad McCullar
|
|
HOUSTON
*POWER RATINGS
|
Offense
|
Defense
|
QB
- 3 |
DL
- 2.5 |
RB
- 2 |
LB
- 2 |
WR
- 2.5 |
DB
- 1.5 |
OL
- 2.5 |
.. |
|
RETURNING
LEADERS
|
Passing:
Nick Eddy, 265-134-18, 2054 yds., 16 TD
Rushing: Barrick Nealy, 36 att.,
190 yds., 2 TD
Receiving: Brandon Middleton, 28
rec., 674 yds., 6 TD
Scoring: Dustin Bell, 12-14 FG, 32-35
PAT, 68 pts.
Punting: Jimmy McClary, 62 punts,
38.9 avg.
Kicking: Dustin Bell, 12-14 FG, 32-35
PAT, 68 pts.
Tackles: Jermain Woodard, 73 tot.,
47 solo
Sacks: Farouk Adelekan, 9 sacks
Interceptions: Delenell Reid, 2 for
13 yds.
Kickoff returns: Roshawn Pope, 24
ret., 20.9 avg.
Punt returns: Brandon Middleton,
1 ret., 2.0 avg.
|
|
|
|
|
OFFENSE
- 6
|
----RETURNING
STARTERS----
|
DEFENSE
- 6
|
|
KEY
LOSSES
|
OFFENSE:
Joffrey Reynolds-RB, KeyKowa Bell-WR, Chris
Redding-OT, Chris Wheeler-OG, Rufus Williams-OT,
Brian Robinson-WR |
DEFENSE:
Adrian
Lee-DE, Hanik Milligan-FS, Jesse Sowells-SS,
Victor Malone-CB, Ronnie Braxton-WLB, Bryan
Hill-DT |
|
|
|
2003
OFFENSE
|
written
by Tim Chapman
New
head coach Art Briles comes over from Texas Tech,
bringing with him a wide-open, air-it-out offensive
attack. This should please senior QB Nick Eddy,
who returns as one of the better passers in CUSA.
Eddy is a big guy with a big arm, and he will
now be asked to throw the ball nearly forty times
a game. He gives the Cougars an experienced gunslinger
operating (out of) the shotgun, but must improve
his decision-making and deliver with more efficiency
(50% comp. pct., 18 INTs). The use of shorter,
more proficient passes should do the trick.
The running game looks to improve. Gone is All-Conference
rusher Joffrey Reynolds. His replacement, sophomore
Anthony Evans, should see a lot more glory in
this offense than in previous years. He has a
good frame (5'10", 214 lbs) and a good burst,
which will help him as a double threat running
with and catching the football. Briles is known
to utilize his running backs more than most spread-style
coaches - last season, Texas Tech's leading receiver
was their starting running back! Redshirt freshman,
Jackie Battle is a gifted athlete waiting behind
Evans.
This offensive line will be a swifter, quicker
group than before. Be willing to bet Briles and
staff will make these hogs sweat - their conditioning
should be strong. Seniors C Al James and OG Rex
Hadnot will add experience. They will be joined
by athletic OT Mark Mattox, a converted-TE. Soph
Roy Swan started a majority of 2002 and offers
bulk in the middle. Protecting Eddy will be a
major factor for offensive success. Teams will
be looking for the short pass, which should allow
play-action and draw plays to work well if strategically
employed.
The Cougars lost a good amount of talent at the
receiver spot and look to rebuild. Senior Brandon
Middleton is the only returning WR posing a real
threat. He will be joined by a couple of inexperienced
guys in Mark Hopkins and Harrison Arceneaux. Both
bring size, but neither has shown any type of
game-breaking ability yet. They will be expected
to do both catching and blocking much more. Soph
Johnny Tyson gives them a good fourth receiver
off the bench. If one of these guys can become
a deep threat, opposing DBs will have a rough
time controlling the shorter pass.
|
|
C
Rex Hadnot
|
HOUSTON
2003 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold
|
OFFENSE
|
QB |
Nick
Eddy-Sr (6-4, 250) |
Blade
Bassler-So (6-4, 225) |
RB |
Anthony
Evans-So (5-10, 214) |
Bobby
Tillman-Jr (5-11, 210) |
SL |
Vincent
Marshall-So (5-8, 160) |
Harrison
Arceneaux-Sr (6-2, 190) |
WR |
Mark
Hopkins-Jr (6-4, 208) |
Leonard
Gibson-Fr (6-2, 180) |
WR |
Brandon
Middleton-Jr (5-11, 180) |
Johnny
Tyson-So (6-0, 168) / Chad McCullar-So |
TE |
Stephen
Cucci-Sr (6-4, 270) |
Jonathan
Pritchett-Sr (6-4, 255) |
OT |
Matt
Mattox-Sr (6-4, 270) |
Phil
Hawkins-Jr (6-5, 300) |
OG |
Roy
Swan-So (6-2, 315) |
Willie
Thomas-Jr (6-3, 323) |
C |
Rex
Hadnot-Sr (6-1, 310) |
Al
James-Sr (6-0, 300) |
OG |
Brandon
Evans-Sr (6-4, 310) |
Abrahim
Sameei-So (6-4, 300) |
OT |
David
Douglas-So (6-3, 310) |
John
McGilvray-So (6-5, 282) |
K |
Dustin
Bell-Jr (6-2, 215) |
Justin
Laird-Fr (6-2, 175) |
|
|
2003
DEFENSE
|
written
by Tim Chapman
New
defensive coordinator Ron Harris will shift the
alignment from a 4-2-5 to a popular 4-3 setting.
The Cougars return four of their front seven-
a group that faired pretty well against the run
in '02 (134 yards per game). Sophomore DTs Kade
Lane and Matthew Bentley make up a strong wall
in the middle. Both are adept at plugging holes
and thwarting the running game, while ends Kendrick
Goss and Ryan Huffman do their part(s) to rush
and contain (take away the outside). Huffman is
the leader of this group and should have an impact
senior year. His stature alone makes him dangerous,
but his tenacity and quickness make him even better.
Keep an eye out for senior DE Farouk Adelekan
- he could be a monster after racking up nine
2002 sacks (as a rotating end).
Briles promised an improvement on defense this
year- Cougar fans sure hope so. UH gave up 32
points a game last year and squandered way too
many leads. If the defense is to improve, it will
be upon the back seven to step up. The linebackers
will play more of a factor this year than in seasons
past. Seniors Justin Davis and Damien West are
two, strong 'backers who can hit; their problem
was consistency. West can be relied upon to be
a plug in the middle, but Davis has yet to establish
himself as a warden in the back seven. His strength
comes in stuffing the run, but needs to improve
his pass defense. The other position will be a
toss-up between soph Bryant Brown and junior Matt
Schirmer. Schirmer had a good season a year ago
and appears to be the better fit at outside backer,
but coaches like Brown's overall speed.
The secondary is the biggest area of concern.
They lost all-conference performer Hanik Milligan
and will be trying to stack a weak secondary with
a bare cupboard. They will need junior Jermain
Woodard to take charge. Woodard is an active safety
who plays with the mentality of a linebacker,
which ironically explains his 'weak' safety position.
But he must improve his pass defense and do a
better job of reading his keys in order to bring
a better air defense to this now 4-deep backfield
employment.
He
certainly can't do it alone though. The Cougs
will have four competent corners that look to
figure into the mix and bring gads of speed. The
concern is sticking to assignments. Young, inexperienced
corners tend to play on emotion, and that's something
any defense can't afford. This bunch should stick
as the year goes on - they will get better, but
they must weather the early storms and create
TOs if they expect to get anywhere.
|
|
DB
Jermain Woodard
|
HOUSTON
2003 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold
|
DEFENSE
|
DE |
Kendrick
Goss-Jr (6-4, 270) |
Matthew
Bentley-So (6-2, 270) |
DT |
Kade
Lane-So (6-2, 255) |
Sharod
McGowan-So (6-2, 280) |
DT |
Gerard
Richard-So (6-3, 300) |
Jessie
Bryant-So (6-3, 300) |
DE |
Farouk
Adelekan-Sr (6-2, 272) |
Ryan
Huffman-Sr (6-6, 275) |
SLB |
Justin
Davis-Sr (6-2, 232) |
Travis
Griffith-Jr (6-4, 240) |
MLB |
Damien
West-Sr (6-2, 245) |
Lance
Everson-Jr (6-2, 230) |
BLB |
Bryant
Brown-So (6-2, 220) |
Tristen
Robertson-So (6-1, 210) |
CB |
Roland
Cola-Sr (5-10, 180) |
Delenell
Reid-Sr (5-10, 180) |
CB |
Stanford
Routt-Jr (6-1, 185) |
Courtney
Sterling-So (5-8, 170) |
SS |
Jermain
Woodard-Sr (6-0, 205) |
Chad
Davis-Sr (5-11, 195) |
FS |
Will
Gulley-So (6-4, 195) |
Brian
Hodges-Jr (6-0, 200) |
P |
Jimmy
McClary-Sr (6-6, 222) |
Teddy
Tanner-Jr (6-2, 200) |
|
|
|
2003
SPECIAL TEAMS
|
Junior
kicker Dustin Bell will pay big dividends this year,
after hitting on 12-of-14 FGAs. He is deadly within
50 yards, missing only once (6-of-7 between 40 and 50).
The punting worries are put to rest by senior Jimmy
McClary. McClary, who averaged 39 yards per kick, handles
his kicks with precision, as 21 (of 54) were either
downed inside the 20 or fair caught. Soph RoShawn Pope
is a burner in the return game. Depth on defense will
allow coverage teams to develop fledging players with
something to prove.
|
|
This offense will be wide open- in every sense
of the word. The playbook will consist primarily
of passing formations, but we could see some
option (possibly even triple option) in the
works as well
The QB situation has been
quite a roller coaster. Coaches adored the
three guys they had in their pouch, but that
number may be trimmed down to one. Backup
QB Barrick Nealy has decided to transfer to
SW Texas State (IAA). He sat out the spring
to nurse an injury and in his absence, Eddy
and (now backup) Blade Bassler emerged. Eddy,
however, might be in some academic limbo and
could miss the entire season to concentrate
on grades. Bassler brings a good arm and fleet
set of feet
Projected starting TE Jon
Clark decided to transfer back to his home
state of Utah, leaving the top job to All-CUSA
candidate, Stephen Cucci. Clark's loss was
absolved by the reinstatement of sixth year
senior Jonathan Pritchett
Don't be shocked
to see incoming freshmen Bennie Swain and
Donnie Avery in the line of duty at WR by
mid-season
The Cougars will make use
of a "Utility Back" (UB) this year.
The player who fit that role this spring was
Shang Moore. When he's in, you'll see him
running, receiving, and even passing
Freshmen lineman Beau Tuft, Dustin Dickinson,
and Jeff Akeroyd are said to be the future
of the Cougar line and will get many reps
in practice. If needed, the redshirts may
be taken off.
DE Farouk Adelekan may have been the most
under appreciated defender in the conference
in 2002. He tallied nine sacks last season,
rotating in at defensive end and led the
team in that category. Teams (both in and
out of conference) and fans will get to
know him real well this year
LB Matt
Schirmer was switched to fullback during
spring drills. Filling his role is sophomore
Tristen Robertson, who moves up from the
secondary
Jermain Woodard has already
accepted his role as leader of this defense
by turning out a terrific spring. Joining
him back there is sophomore Will Gulley,
who had some jaw-dropping moments this spring,
helping elevate him to the top spot at FS.
As good as he was though, coaches are hoping
Oklahoma transfer Brian Hodges will challenge
him for the top nod. Hodges has suffered
through concussion problems, but is a devastating
hitter when he's healthy
The Cougars
have a healthy supply of CBs on their roster,
with five who can supply valuable time between
the stripes. One who turned some heads this
spring is Arizona State transfer Courtney
Sterling.
The kick return game should feature Chad
McCullar and RoShawn Pope, and Willie Gaston
could get some touches as well. Pope and
Gaston are the top men (respectively) for
punt returns. The kicking game should run
smoothly this season, as their snapper returns
along with their kicker and punter.
|
|
|
|
|
|