Houston quarterback Conner Weigman says the team’s expectations are “sky high” but knows the Cougars must perform on the field.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
FRISCO — The distance from the University of Houston campus to AT&T Stadium in Arlington — site of the Big 12 football championship game — is roughly 260 miles.
There’s bound to be a few potholes and even a few detours along the route.
The message as UH begins the three-month journey with the Sept. 5 season opener against Oregon State: Keep your eyes on the road.
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“If you look too far down the road you’re going to get lost,” senior right guard McKenzie Agnello said Tuesday at the Big 12’s preseason football event inside The Star. “It’s like driving at night and you can’t see past your headlights. Just stay in the moment and you’re going to get to your destination.”
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While the Big 12 no longer conducts a preseason poll, the Cougars are considered among the top contenders — along with defending champion Texas Tech and BYU — to reach the Dec. 5 championship game.
Coach Willie Fritz has not been shy this offseason, saying UH should think big — as in College Football Playoff and beyond.
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“You know, we’ve certainly got the location,” Fritz said. “We’ve got the university. We’ve got the facilities. There’s no reason why we can’t do that at the University of Houston. A good template for us has been Coach (Kelvin) Sampson and what he’s done with men’s basketball. I think every program at the University of Houston aspires to be national champs, and we certainly do in football.”
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Coming off a 10-win season, capped by a win over LSU in the Texas Bowl, the Cougars enter what is arguably their most anticipated season in a major conference since the early 1990s when they were a member of the Southwest Conference. Additionally, UH is expected to be ranked when the two major preseason polls (Associated Press and coaches) are released in August.
“Our expectations are sky-high,” senior quarterback Conner Weigman said. “We’re going all-in on this year. At the end of the day, it’s all just preseason talk. We’ve got to go do it on the field.”
Weigman, who is coming off a career year that produced 3,400 total yards and 36 touchdowns, said UH had a “really good offseason” from spring practice through individual summer workouts as the team prepares to report for preseason camp on Aug. 4.
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It began with no opt-outs for the bowl game and carried over as the core of the roster re-signed for another season.
“We all see the vision of what it could be this year,” Weigman said. “The work part is where it all happens. That’s when all the good stuff happens — when no one is watching.”
Senior safety Kentrell Webb said the pursuit of a Big 12 championship is a frequent conversation in the locker room.
“That’s all we talk about,” Webb said. “There’s not much need for any other discussions in the locker room. We want to win.”
To take the next step, Weigman said the Cougars must learn to close out games. In two losses last season, UH was within striking distance in the second half before falling to West Virginia (45-35) and TCU (17-14). All three losses last season came at home, a fact Fritz has repeatedly said must change this season.
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“Don’t look ahead,” Weigman said. “I feel last year we got big-headed after some big wins, and we’d go lay an egg a week later.”
Weigman said he was encouraged this offseason by the Cougars’ ability to keep the roster intact, which includes the return of All-Big 12 receiver Amare Thomas and addition of several key players in the transfer portal, including preseason All-American left guard Shadre Hurst and running back Makhi Hughes.
“It’s a special thing because I don’t think you get that too much nowadays in college football,” Weigman said. “We didn’t have one opt-out in the bowl game, which I feel is unheard of nowadays.”
Weigman added this year’s roster has a “bond and trust” — and each player is “on the same page.”
“The opportunity we have this year … we know what we can go do and what’s in front of us this year,” Weigman said. “Now we have to go do it out on the field. I think we are ready for that.”
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Junior safety Jordan Allen said the Cougars proved they can compete with last year’s six-win improvement, one of the best among FBS schools.
“We’re on the radar a little bit,” Allen said. “Now people know what Houston is about.”
The road will be treacherous at times, beginning with a marquee Week 3 against Texas Tech in Lubbock. There’s are also tough trips to Kansas State, Utah, Colorado and West Virginia.
The Cougars must keep their eyes on the road.
“You can’t get caught up or it can be your downfall,” Allen said. “You could end up in a ditch or hitting somebody else. Just find those white lines and follow them.”