Houston Football Preview

Joffrey Reynolds

Entering his third year at the helm of the Cougar Football program, head coach Dana Dimel knows the time is now for his team to start producing. After three consecutive successful recruiting classes -including several back-to-back number-one rankings in Conference USA- the skillful talent is abundant and primed to produce results in 2002.

Speed, agility and strength are the cornerstones to this year?s team, and Dimel knows these are the right ingredients to yield positive results.

First and foremost, the Cougars must get out of the gate with a win, not only to snap the current 15-game losing streak looming over their collective heads, but also to build confidence and erase any negative thoughts floating around concerning the 2001 campaign.

?I think it is important for us to use 2001 as a learning experience for us and that?s it,? said Dimel. ?We need to wipe it off the slate. We learned from our mistakes, so we have to turn it around this year. ?The skill level on our football team is as good as any skill level (of a team) that I have coached. Now, some of it is not as experienced as you would like it to be, but any time you are making a transition in a program, you cannot have the luxury of having great skill and great experience. If you did, you wouldn?t be making a transition.?

Turning around a season has precedence in recent Houston history, and Dimel is charged to do the same in 2002. In 1988, Jack Pardee guided the Cougars to a 9-3 mark and a postseason visit to the Aloha Bowl after finishing the 1987 season with a 4- 6-1 record. Eight years later Kim Helton took a 2-9 team in 1995 and produced a 7-5 mark the following year, which included a Conference USA championship and a berth in the Liberty Bowl. Finally, Helton pulled a turnaround once more, finishing 7-4 in 1999 after a 3-8 stanza the prior season.

As the Cougars embark upon their 40th season affiliated with a conference, a league title is certainly a goal of Dimel?s and not out of the realm of reality. With the infusion of the aforementioned talent, as well as the arrival of some junior college help this fall, the Cougars should be a competitive team this fallwith a realistic shot at usurping Louisville?s two- year stranglehold on the conference crown.

Offensively, the Cougars have been one of the more productive units in Conference USA, as their balance of run- pass has pushed league defenses to the brink. It is on the defensive side of the ball where Houston must completely rebuild a unit that ranked near the bottom of every statistical category at the national level. As for special teams, Dimel addressed this area of concern with the hiring of Joe Robinsona guru in the specialty fieldas the team?s first special teams coordinator.

Speaking of offense, for the first time in two years the quarterback position is not a question mark and is an area that is deep and very talented. Junior Nick Eddy heads into the fall with Division I-A experience and nailed down the number-one spot with an outstanding spring. A part- time starter in 2001, Eddy is a physical specimen who has a cannon arm and above-average running skills for a person his size (6-4, 250).

?I really like the way Nick took charge of the offense this spring,? commented Dimel. ?He has grasped this offense and his teammates have responded to him. Nick showed that he is a Division I-A quarterback not only with his play last year, but in practice as well. ?You have to remember. Nick was only 18 years when he was playing for us last year, even with a year of junior college under his belt. He?s tough and is not afreaid to stand in there and complete the play. The younger guys will learn a lot from him.?

Backing Eddy up are the future leaders of the Cougar football team, redshirt freshmen Blade Bassler and Barrick Nealy. Bassler has the lineage (father, Miller, played at UH while siblings, Brooks and Briana, competed in track) and the savvy Dimel likes in a quarterback, while Nealy has all the tools to be a big-time signal-caller. Both will battle it out with senior Torrence Bottsa former basketball star and cousin of the legendary Clyde Drexlerfor playing time behind Eddy.

Similar to the last two seasons, the Cougars are loaded at both running back and wide receiver. Senior Joffrey Reynolds has been the starter in the one-back set for the past two seasons and looks again to be the number-one back this fall. A sure-handed runner, Reynolds also is a top-notch receiver, as evidence by his 3.4 receptions per game out of the backfield in 2001a number that ranked among the Top 10 nationally in receptions by a running back.

Another senior, Chris Robertson, likely would have competed with Reynolds for the starting nod had it not been for a knee injury suffered during the spring game. With rehabilitation, Robertson is expected back in uniform by the TCU game on October 5. Redshirt freshman Anthony Evans is the jewel in the backfield. After spurning offers from several major college programsincluding the defending national champions, OklahomaEvans decided to stay closer to home and excel for the Cougars. A slashing, powerful back, Evans will delight Cougar fans this fall with his determination and electricity out of the backfield. True freshman Jackie Battleanother prized recruit from the Greater Houston areaalso could get some carries in the UH set.

A fullback is brought in when Houston needs to pound the ball, and senior Tim Feathers is head-and-shoulders above the competition. A former linebacker, Feathers banged and bashed his way to a successful spring season, solidifying his slot as the number-one fullback. A pair of walk-ons, junior Leslie Kargbo and sophomore Carl Francis, serve as backups.

Yet again the Cougar wide receiving corps will be one of the best in the nation, despite losing all-time leading receiver Orlando Iglesias to graduation. The trifecta of seniors KeyKowa Bell and Brian Robinson and junior Brandon Middleton are as good as any starting trio in Conference USA and nationally. Bell is coming off a year in which an ankle injury sidelined him for the majority of 2001; however, the prior season Bell broke through with 54 receptions and teamed with Robinson to give the Cougars the number-two receiving tandem in 2000.

?The wide receiver position has always been a strength of ours,? added Dimel. ?That position is three-deep across the board for us, so we feel we are heading into the fall with nine receivers who have a chance to be great players for us.?

As for Robinson, he took a back seat to Iglesias in 2001, but this season should see him return to the form he displayed during the 2000 campaign (80 catches). Middleton has fully recovered from a broken forearm in 2000 to become one of the top deep threats in the nation. His 24.3 yards per catch ranked number two in the nation for receivers with at least 20 catches, and the speed burner also has the ability to break short catches into long gainers.

Backing up this crew is a slew of talented wideouts led by Jon Clark, a Consensus JUCO All-America as a tight end at Ricks College. Clark, who is the younger brother of former UH kicker Mike, switches to wide receiver to give the Cougar QBs a large (6- 5) target with great hands. Another tall wide out with a soft pair of hands is sophomore Mark Hopkins, who missed all of last season with an ankle injury he suffered in the season opener versus Rice.

Senior wide receiver Jeremy McCardell returns for his final season in the Red and White, bringing stability and durability to this unit. Speedy sophomores Gerard Daniels, Choni Francis and Johnny Tyson round out the bunch.

The tight end position was devastated last season by injuries, so this is an area of concern for Dimel. Junior Jonathan Pritchett has missed the last two seasons with injuries but is listed number one on the depth chart after a productive spring. Junior-college transfer Matt Mattox gives the Cougars a tremendous blend of devastating blocking and tremendous receiving, while junior Stephen Cucci must prove he is completely recovered from two shoulder surgeries. If Cucci is recovered, he becomes yet another offensive weapon at Dimel?s disposal.

Finally, the offensive line?s strength is up the middle, where juniors Rex Hadnot and Al James return for another season. Hadnot will occupy his old spot at left guard and should grab postseason honors which eluded him last season. As for James, he has been solid as a rock for two straight seasons, providing every snap at center in 22 consecutive starts for the Cougars. The other returning starter is senior Chris Wheeler, who will man the right tackle spot after taking over towards the end of last season.

?This is where your leadership comes from,? said Dimel, a former offensive lineman at Kansas State. ?We have some guys with some experience with some starts under their belts. Al James is evolving into an all-conference player, and he might even get some All-America looks as well. That is such a crucial spot in the lot, and to have Rex Hadnot right next to him is a real plus for us.?

Redshirt freshman David Douglas nailed down the starting right guard spot after turning in one of the best performances during the spring. Meanwhile, the left tackle spot is up for grabs as a pair of seniorsmulti-faceted Tyrone Green and former defensive tackle Rufus Williamswill battle during preseason camp for the right to start against Rice on August 31.

Future starters dot the backup roles in redshirt freshmen John McGilvray and Roy Swan, sophomore Willie Thomas and junior-college transfer Joshua Veal. McGilvray can play both tackles spots, while Swan will back up James at center and could spell one of the starting guards if needed. Thomas will bring his 6-3, 335-pound frame to the guard position, while the former JUCO standout Veal should serve as Hadnot?s apprentice.

As mentioned, the defense struggled last season, as the Cougars found it difficult to implement their dangerous 4-2-5 pressure and attack style. Not being able to stop the run put a tremendous amount of pressure on the defensive line and linebackers. Therefore, when teams did pass, there was hardly any pressure on the quarterback, and the UH secondary, which was and remains the strength of the defense, was vulnerable through the air.

A pair of safeties produced banner years despite the Cougars 0- 11 season. Sophomore Jermain Woodard easily made the transition from offense to defense, and was rewarded for his hard work with a Third-Team selection to The Sporting News Freshman All- America squad as a strong safety. Woodard moves to the weak safety slot this fall, and he will be backed up by redshirt freshman Tristen Robertson or sophomore Chad Davis, who like Woodard, is a former high school standout at running back.

When a play was made last season on defense, senior Hanik Milligan was more than likely involved. En route to his Second-Team All-Conference USA selection, Milligan registered a remarkable 174 tackles from the free safety position. An All-America, Jim Thorpe and Bronko Nagurski candidate in 2002, Milligan is expected to be the team leader again, and his play should serve as an example of the aggressive Cougar defense for his backup, redshirt freshman Levi Gaston.

Senior Jesse Sowells nailed down the strong safety spot with his 16 tackles against Georgia in the season finale, and his play carried over into the spring. Sowells will be pushed by another 2001 prized recruit, redshirt freshman Carlos Jones. The defensive star of the spring game, Jones should see plenty of playing time in his first collegiate season and could be a star for the Cougars for years to come.

At cornerback, senior Victor Malone returns as a starter after a breakthrough season a year ago. Boasting a great combination of speed, toughness and play-making, Malone evolved into one of the better corners in Conference USA last season. The other spot is a battle between a pair of speed merchantssophomore Stanford Routt and junior-college transfer Roland Cola. Both are exceptional cover men, and their skills will be needed in this pass-happy conference. As for backups, senior Greg Holte and juco transfer Delenell Reid should battle behind Malone, while sophomore T.J. Jenkins might find it difficult to crack the Cola-Routt battle.

?We played some younger people in the secondary,? said Dimel, ?and we got better because of that. Our numbers are great in the secondary. That is what I talked about initially how we were going to be more talented, but youthful. That is pretty indicative of some of the spots in our secondary. In Hanik Milligan, Jermain Woodard and Jesse Sowells you have three big, physical guys who?ll come up and hit you. But, then you surround them with all the young talent that?s in the program, and pretty soon you?re getting some pretty good competition and some pretty good depth.?

In order for the Cougar defense to turn the corner in 2002, they must get more pressure on the quarterback and stop the run more effectively with the front six. The defensive line returns two starters in seniors Bryan Hill (tackle) and Quantaa Jackson (end), as well as a part-time starter in senior end Adrian Lee. All three head into the fall listed as starters, while the fourth spot was nailed down by redshirt freshman Sharod McGowan-another member of the celebrated Class of 2001. All four will be pushed by their backups, which include sophomores Joe Clay and Kendrick Goss, junior David Midyett and redshirt freshman, Jeff Mayhew.

Still, Dimel and his staff felt this was an area of concern and signed eight defensive linemen this past spring. A few, including junior-college transfers Farouk Adelekan and Ryan Huffman and true freshmen L.C. Kirkpatrick and Joshua Szepieniec, might jump right into the fold and play this fall.

?I think our defensive line has to show dramatic improvement,? theorized Dimel. ?We come back with more experience on the defensive line, even though they didn?t play on the level we wanted them to play.?

Junior Justin Davis started 10 of 11 games last season at middle linebacker and improved with each snap and the multiple repetitions in spring practice. With the expected improvement in the defensive line, Davis should be able to make more plays, as the opposing running backs will be funneled to him. His backups, sophomores Lance Everson and Matt Schirmer, will be nipping at his heels for playing time. Everson sat out last season to concentrate on academics, but he was a forceful linebacker while in high school. As for Schirmer, the former fullback has easily made the transition to defense, and his mix- it-up style should suit him well as a middle linebacker.

Texas A&M transfer Damien West will man the final linebacker spot. After sitting out all of last season, West is chomping at the bit for live action, his first since playing as a freshman two seasons ago for the Aggies. West flies to the ball and is always making plays. West will be pushed by senior Ronnie Braxton, a valuable backup the past two years, and redshirt freshman Travis Griffith, an outstanding athlete who missed all of last season with a knee injury.

?We feel like our linebackers are so important to our defense,? said Dimel. ?We definitely missed Wayne Rogers last year, so it is important for us to get back to where we need to be in this area. ?We wanted to stockpile at that position, and there are eight or nine viable candidates for those positions. We feel like we have the right people at the linebacker position who can get in there and mix it up and see what they can do.?

Special teams has not been too special for Dimel in his first two years at Houston, and he shored up that area with the hiring of Robinson away from Louisiana Tech this past offseason. Robinson?s sole responsibility is with the special teams, and he doesn?t have positional assignments. His stamp on special teams was apparent during spring practice, when the Cougar specialty units looked aggressive and determined.

Robinson?s, as well as Dimel?s, biggest concern was improving punt and kickoff returns, along with the placing of more talented athletes on these units to solve these problems. KeyKowa Bell, Choni Francis and Daniels are listed one-two-three as punt returners, and their elusive, big-play ability should help improve the return average. As for kickoffs, Middleton, too, is a big-play performer, and his yards- per-return should increase under Robinson?s tutelage.

Sophomore Dustin Bell looks to be the heir apparent to the kicking chores with the departure of senior Jeff Patterson. Bell has worked hard on corralling his strong leg, and it paid off during spring practice. He must fight off a challenge from incoming freshman Dustin Laird, who is the first kicker signed by Dimel. Junior Jimmy McClary hopes to use his late-season success as a catalyst for a banner 2002 year as the Cougars? punter.

?We?re going to emphasize putting more starters on special teams and try to take a couple of positive steps which could make a difference in a few ball games this fall,? said Dimel.

Barring any late summer changes, all the pieces to a turnaround season should be in place for Dimel. Even though they lack a wealth of experience, the underclassmen are extremely talented and could be the solution to correcting the woes of the last two campaigns. The schedule is friendly early on for Dimel, as the Cougars will not leave the city of Houston until the fourth week of the regular season. The pressure is on to win, but not having to leave home for the first three games could play into Dimel's favor with his young, albeit talented squad.

Recent history is on the Cougars side in 2002, and the recruiting classes of 2000, 2001 and 2002 should be major contributors in making Houston?s tradition repeat itself.