COACH AND PROGRAM
It?s been a tough couple of years for Houston coach Dana Dimel, who was accustomed to winning before he was hired as the Cougars coach.
In three seasons at Wyoming, Dimel?s record was 23-12 as he won eight games in his first and second seasons and seven the next.
Then Dimel was hired to rebuild the once-proud Houston program, and it has proved to be no quick or easy task. In 2000, the Cougars went 3-8 with victories over Army, SMU and Memphis, and they could easily have won a couple more games. They lost to Conference USA power Southern Mississippi, 6-3, and lost the season opener at Rice, 30-27.
It wasn?t a bad first season, especially considering the Cougars were riddled by injuries throughout the year.
Last season, however, was forgettable. It started with a 21-14 loss at home to Rice in a game that exposed weaknesses that would haunt the Cougars throughout the season. They rushed for only seven yards while giving up 354 rushing yards.
Houston was drilled by then-No. 5 Texas, 53-26, in the second game, and lost to TCU, 34-17, in the third game after trailing by a touchdown in the third quarter.
For the rest of the season, there were few highlights.
Houston has an abundance of skill players returning. The receiving corps is talented and deep; Joffrey Reynolds is a solid runner and great pass-catching threat out of the backfield; and junior Nick Eddy has some starting experience at quarterback and could have a breakout year.
It appears defense is the key to the Cougars? chances. Last season, the Cougars ranked ninth in rushing defense, 10th in pass-efficiency defense, ninth in scoring defense, and ninth in scoring defense.
"I think we were able to shore up two key areas [in the off-season]," Dimel said, "and that was our defensive play and our special teams."
QUARTERBACKS
The Cougars had some stiff competition for the starting quarterback?s job in the spring, and it was no surprise when Eddy (6-4, 259) emerged as the frontrunner.
Eddy started four games in 2001 after starter Kelly Robertson suffered a broken wrist and missed October. Robertson is gone, and Eddy appears to hold the starting job.
Last season, Eddy, threw for 1,023 yards and six touchdowns, including a 331-yard effort against Memphis in his first game Oct. 13. Eddy was intercepted eight times and completed 54.4 percent of his passes.
Senior Torrence Botts (6-2, 200) played sparingly in two games, completing 2-of-3 passes for 12 yards. Although Botts was listed No. 2 on the spring depth chart, red-shirt freshmen Blade Bassler (6-4, 225) and Barrick Nealy (6-4, 210) appear to have the edge for the backup job. Botts is a former basketball player for the Cougars.
"All of them run extremely well, when you look at their numbers," Dimel said of his quarterbacks. "They jump extremely well. They?re strong. They?re good athletes. You take all four of those, and don?t rule Nick out of that bunch. Yes, he?s trimmed himself down, and he is somewhere between 240 and 250, but he has speed and ability that is comparable to any quarterback in the conference. Even though he is a bigger fellow, he brings athleticism to the table."
RUNNING BACKS
Perhaps the Cougars? best offensive weapon is Reynolds (5-10, 215), a senior who rushed for 818 yards and seven touchdowns last season while catching 37 passes for 349 yards and a touchdown. He was tied for fourth in receptions among Division I-A returning running backs.
With 3.4 catches per game, Reynolds ranked among the top 10 nationally for catches for a running back. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry.
Senior Chris Robertson (6-1, 222) will be Reynolds? backup. Robertson was second on the team in rushing last season with 165 yards on 49 carries. He scored three rushing touchdowns and averaged 3.4 yards per carry.
Red-shirt freshman Anthony Evans (5-10, 205) entered the fall as the No. 3 running back.
Junior Tim Feathers (6-0, 240) is the probable starter at fullback when the Cougars go with a two-back set. His backups are sophomore Carl Francis (5-10, 230) and junior Lesly Kargbo (6-0, 225). Francis and Kargbo were on the squad team last year.
In the spring game, Reynolds led the white team with 56 yards on six carries and Feathers rushed for 30 yards on six carries. Evans rushed for 62 yards on 10 carries for the red and Robertson gained 60 yards on nine carries.
Reynolds scored on a 35-yard run and Robertson scored on a 13-yard run in the spring game.
