2004 Houston Football Preview

Kevin Kolb

Things are looking up for Cougar Football as the 2004 season approaches. Not only is Houston coming off its first postseason bowl game in seven years, but the Cougars return a plethora of starters and lettermen who helped return the vaunted Cougar program to respectability in 2003. More importantly, UH head coach Art Briles proved the naysayers wrong by guiding the Cougars to a winning season in his first year as a collegiate head coach and four years removed from being one of the top head coaches in the history of Texas High School Football.

The numbers were astonishing last season, and there is every indication the numbers could be even more eye-popping this fall. Houston returns the nation’s 12th-most potent rushing attack and total offense, as well as the 16th-best scoring offense nationally. The Cougars exhibited their offensive potency with frequency a year ago, scoring 40-or-more points in seven of their 13 games, joining Texas and Texas Tech as the only Division I-A schools to accomplish this dubious achievement.

Moreover, the Cougars provided football fans with the most exciting football game of the postseason in their thrilling 54-48 triple-overtime defeat to Hawai’i on Christmas Day, a contest that served as Houston’s national coming-out party.

As he enters the 2004 season, Briles looks to accomplish something that has not been done in almost 15 years–post back-to-back winning seasons. Houston last registered consecutive winning seasons from 1988-90, posting an overall record of 28-6 in that span. Even though his team finished with a winning record for only the third time in the last 13 seasons, Briles won’t be satisfied with the 2003 season unless the 2004 campaign is even more bountiful with wins. It will be a daunting task for the second-year coach, with both Oklahoma and Miami (Fla.) staring at him as non-conference opponents this year, as well as 2003 bowl participants in Memphis, Southern Miss, TCU and Louisville.

Armed with an arsenal of talent at the skill positions, Briles hopes to continue his magic this season. The Cougars were one of only six teams last year to have a 1,000-yard rusher (Anthony Evans), 1,000-yard receiver (Brandon Middleton) and 3,000-yard passer (Kevin Kolb), and two of the three will return in 2004. Briles hopes to replace the big-play ability of Middleton with the ever-explosive Vincent Marshall, so the offense should still click like a well-oiled machine.

The biggest questions for the Cougars are on the defensive side of the ball, where UH had a difficult time slowing down opponents during the second half of last season. Granted, the Cougars finished the year with three true freshman playing significant minutes on the defensive side of the ball, but Briles and defensive coordinator Ron Harris will never use “youth” as an excuse for poor play. Both Briles and Harris feel the Cougars will be drastically better on defense and could force more turnovers, which should give Houston’s offense more opportunities to score points.

QUARTERBACKS
The Cougars’ offensive fortunes ride on the broad shoulders, quick feet and golden arm of quarterback Kolb. The reigning Conference USA Freshman-of-the-Year enters his second season as not only one of the top signal-callers in the very competitive league, but Kolb also is listed as one of the Top Hot 100 players according to ESPN. Last season, Kolb was lights out, breaking every UH freshman passing mark en route to being the top-rated rookie quarterback in the nation.

With Kolb at the controls, the Cougar offense is as dangerous as any in the nation. Not only does this sophomore have the maturity and decision-making abilities of a fifth-year senior, but also Kolb also hardly ever makes mistakes. Kolb grew up in Briles’ system as a prep star at Stephenville High School, and he had no problems making the immediate adjustment from high school to college.

Speaking of understanding Briles’ system, junior Kendal Briles, a transfer from the University of Texas, has the wide-open Cougar attack pulsating through his veins. As the son of the head coach, Briles knows all the intricacies and proper reads of this quick-strike offense and will be a more-than capable backup to Kolb; however, the younger Briles is a gifted athlete, and the older Briles wants to find a way to get his talents on the playing field in the multitude of formations the Cougars implement.

Walk-on Jordan Brown will serve as the third-string quarterback.

RUNNING BACK
The strength of the Houston offense this season could be at the running back spot, where the Cougars are absolutely loaded. Junior Anthony Evans returns as the starter after his first career 1,000-yard season. Evans is a workhorse runner who hardly ever makes mistakes. A Third-Team, All-Conference USA performer, Evans finished the regular season with four straight 100-yard games, and his durability and determination were deciding factors in Houston’s clinching of a bowl berth.

Backing up Evans is sophomore Jackie Battle, the Cougars’ MVP in the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl. Battle is a physical specimen, a 6-2, 250-pounder who runs more like a 5-9, 185-pound scat back. Once Battle gets through the line of scrimmage, he is extremely tough to bring down because of his strength. Even though he missed two games with injuries, Battle finished with 560 yards rushing and a team-best 5.5 yards per carry.

LSU-transfer Ryan Gilbert gives Houston yet another option out of the backfield. A former high school quarterback, Gilbert is an excellent runner but his strength is his pass-catching abilities and his elusiveness. He should see plenty of action for the Cougars this fall in Briles’ utility back slot. Redshirt freshman Anthony Alridge is a quick and explosive slasher who is prone to making short plays into long ones.

Senior Matt Schirmer is maybe one of the most underrated players in C-USA. The Cougars’ rushing attack is bolstered by Schirmer’s innate blocking ability. Much of the UH rushing success is due to Schirmer, who is not afraid to mix it up with defensive linemen and linebackers in order to open holes for the Cougar runners. His backup, senior Carl Francis, also is a monster blocker. In addition both Schirmer and Francis are good receivers out of the backfield.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Speaking of receivers, the Cougars will have to reload at the wide receiver and tight end spots with the departures of Middleton and Third Team All-C-USA tight end Jonathan Pritchett. Juniors Vincent Marshall and Chad McCullar are two of the more exciting wide receivers in the region. Marshall will forever be etched in Cougar lore with his 81-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the waning seconds to tie Hawai’i in the bowl game, while McCullar had a national coming-out party in the same game, recording his first career 100-yard receiving game and electrifying the UH faithful with a series of brilliant punt returns.

Sophomore Leonard Gibson showed signs of big-play ability last season, and he does give the Cougars a big, reliable target at which to throw. Redshirt freshman Donnie Avery will look to inherit Middleton’s big-play ability, as Avery can spread out opposing defenses and open the eyes of defensive coordinators with his speed and breakaway abilities.

Depth at wide receiver will be provided by senior Mark Hopkins, a sure-handed wide out who is an excellent downfield blocker, and redshirt freshman Perry McDaniel, an elusive receiver who excels on screens and quick hitches. The “Big Slot” position–which is another anomaly of Briles’ intricate offense–will be manned by converted quarterback Blade Bassler and long snapper Thomas Gafford. Both Bassler and Gafford are two of the better athletes on the Cougar squad who just seem to make plays when asked.

Rounding out the receiving corps is senior tight end, which should be in capable hands with the return of senior Stephen Cucci. Cucci, a Second Team, All-C-USA selection in 2002, missed most of last season with a nagging hamstring injury and was granted a sixth-year of eligibility by the NCAA. Cucci is a physical blocker and is a threat in the open field as a receiver. He will be backed up by converted tackle, junior John McGilvray. McGilvray has soft hands and was a part-time starter last season for the Cougars on the offensive line.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Some of the biggest question marks for the Cougars involve the offensive line, where only two starters, senior tackle Phil Hawkins and junior guard Roy Swan, return from last season’s quintet. Hawkins and Swan solidify the left side of the line, which will protect the blindside of the UH quarterbacks. This tandem is one of the best one-two O-line punches in Conference USA.

Junior David Douglas, a 2003 part-time starter, looks like he has nailed down the starting right tackle spot after a very impressive spring. Douglas acquired plenty of playing time last year and gives Briles a much-needed sigh of relief for the right side of the line. As for the other two spots, sophomore Sterling Doty–a transfer from Army–seems to have fought off the challenge of sophomore John Harrell, a former defensive tackle, for the starting nod at center, while sophomore Jeremy Davis is battling redshirt freshman Byron Alfred for the top right guard spot.

A slew of young, athletic freshmen will begin the season on the offensive line depth chart. Jeff Akeroyd and Jason Wagner are listed as back up tackles, while Dustin Dickinson and Beau Tuft will battle for playing time behind Swan.

DEFENSIVE LINE
The good news about the 2004 UH defense is that nine starters return this season for the Cougars. The bad news is that this was a unit that surrendered 36.0 points and 440.4 yards per game. Expect the latter to change dramatically this fall.

Senior defensive end Joe Clay was a one-man wrecking crew last season, especially after departed senior Farouk Adelekan went down with a broken ankle. Clay led the Cougars in sacks with seven and was second in tackles for loss with 16, en route to being named Second-Team, All-Conference USA. Senior Kendrick Goss has fought through a series of injuries during his UH career and will back up Clay. He should see plenty of time at either Clay’s left side spot or the right side.

Right now, junior Matthew Bentley is slated to start on the right side, but he will be challenged by senior Travis Griffith, who is playing his fourth different position (tight end, linebacker, fullback) as a Cougar. Bentley battled some injuries last season, but his versatility and quickness precipitated a move to the outside. Sophomore Eddie McCray, who burst on to the scene with four TFLs and two sacks in the bowl game, is likely to sit out this season to concentrate on his academics.

At tackle, junior Kade Lane has been as reliable as mid-day showers in Houston during the summer. Thrust into the starting lineup as a true freshman in 2002, Lane has now started 25 consecutive games at tackle. Lane possesses a yeoman-like work ethic and a lunch-pail mentality. His ability to clog the running lanes has been vital for the Cougars run defense the past two seasons.

Next to Lane is sophomore Marquay Love, who started five games late last season. Like Lane, Love is a fierce run defender and has developed into an up-and-coming pass rusher. Junior Gerard Richard will serve as backup to both Lane and Love, but he should see plenty of time spelling this titanic tandem.

LINEBACKERS
The “Need for Speed” is the linebacker battle cry, and the Cougars boast of some of the quickest linebackers in Conference USA. Despite not being selected to any all-league teams a year ago, senior outside linebacker Lance Everson is one the top defenders in C-USA. Everson is extremely versatile, as evident of him playing both the outside and inside linebacker positions in 2003. He will be the Cougar leader again in 2004.

Opposite of Everson is the speedy trifecta of juniors Bryant Brown and Tristen Robertson and sophomore Wade Koehl. Both Brown and Koehl started games last season for Houston, while Robertson was shelved with a shoulder injury. All three came out of the spring camp in a dead heat for the starting nod against Rice on September 5.

At the middle linebacker position, there also is a three-way battle for the starting job, with senior Ashley Subingsubing, junior James Fitch and redshirt freshman Trent Allen going head-to-head for the number-one role. Subingsubing was a backup last season and played on special teams, so he is a leading candidate due to his game experience. Fitch, a transfer from Texas Tech, is a very heady defender who is an extremely hard worker both on and off the field. Allen is the future, though, as the former all-state linebacker just seems to get better with each day.

SECONDARY
The secondary is led by junior free safety Will Gulley, who is one of three returning starters in this area. Gulley was silent but deadly last season, tying for the team lead with four interceptions and placing second on the team in total tackles last year. He is a star in the making and could easily end up leading the league in pick offs in 2004.

He is joined in the defensive backfield by returning starting cornerbacks Stanford Routt, a senior, and Willie Gaston, a junior. One of the fastest players not only in C-USA but also in the nation, Routt is an All-America sprinter for the UH track team who has quickly developed into a good cover corner. Gaston also is a good athlete. A former prep quarterback, he has made the adjustment to defense and evolved into one of Houston’s better defenders.

The final spot in the secondary is up for grabs, as senior Courtney Brooks and redshirt freshman Rocky Schwartz are in a dogfight for the starting strong safety position come September 5. Brooks has the experience as a special teams performer and backup safety last season, while Schwartz brings a bulldog determination and a fearless attitude to this position.

Junior Roshawn Pope will take on Gaston for a starting spot at cornerback, but the athletic former quarterback will definitely see time as the Cougar nickel back in passing situations. Despite his lack of height, 5-7 junior cornerback Courtney Sterling loves to hit and does a well-above average job of coverage.

Another redshirt freshman, Marcus Ross, will press not only Gulley, but also Brooks and Schwartz for playing time.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Senior kicker Dustin Bell has been a model of consistency for the Cougars for the past three seasons, especially after he added placekicking chores to his kickoff duties in 2002. Bell has one of the strongest legs in the land, booting almost 60 percent of kickoffs into the end zone over the past two seasons. He also has become one of the top field-goal kickers as well and is dead accurate when it comes to extra points. Bell enters the 2004 campaign on a streak of 66 consecutive PATs.

Bell briefly tried punting chores in the spring, but it looks like senior J.J. Wyatt will take over for the graduated Jimmy McClary. Wyatt has been the Cougars’ regular holder for three seasons, so game experience is nothing new for him. His punts are high and pinpoint, allowing the UH coverage teams ample time to run down and cover the kick.

Sophomore Justin Laird is slated to be the backup to both Bell and Wyatt this season. Laird has worked hard to improve every facet of his kicking, and he could see some action this season because of his strong leg.

The Cougars have tremendous speed returning kicks. Sophomore Ricky Wilson returned a kick 100 yards for a touchdown last season against Louisville and is a threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball. McCullar is shifty, explosive punt returner who tries to score every time he fields a punt. Sometimes McCullar uses too much energy for a three-yard return, but he is exciting to watch as he fights for extra yardage.