What Houston coach Willie Fritz said after facing BYU

BYU and Houston head coaches Kalani Sitake and Willie Fritz talk together prior to their teams’ matchup on Saturday Dec. 1, 2024 in Provo. | BYU Photo

While his team may have fallen to BYU in the regular season finale, Houston head coach Willie Fritz was plenty impressed with the scene in Provo Saturday night.

“It was really good crowd,” Fritz said after the game. “They were loud and they got us early in the game, I think, with jumping (offsides) one time. It’s a really, really nice atmosphere and a beautiful stadium.”

Houston defensive end Brandon Mack agreed with Fritz’s assessment of LaVell Edwards Stadium.

“It was crazy, it felt like an SEC atmosphere … Even though we’re (visitors), I feel like it just gives us energy, even though our backs (are) against the wall and they’re not cheering for us, the energy just makes us want to play harder.”

In his first year at the helm in Houston, Fritz’s Cougars went 4-8 and finished 12th out of 16 Big 12 teams. He had previously compiled a 111-69 record across 14 Division I seasons at Sam Houston State, Georgia Southern and Tulane.

“I think this is a very balanced conference. It’s a very well-coached conference,” Fritz said of the Big 12. “For me, there’s a lot different than where I came from.

“Everything is pretty darn good. This season we needed to bring our A-game, and we just didn’t do that enough. We’re just going to have to do a good job with recruiting, I’m going to have to do a great job in hiring a (new) offensive coordinator and make sure that we take steps forward.”

Brigham Young Cougars wide receiver Jojo Phillips (13) gets a first down against the Houston Cougars in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. BYU won 30-18. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake reacts to a play against the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/houston-coach-willie-fritz-said-091451448.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2024-12-01 09:14:00

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