Times and networks set for first games<\/a><\/p>\nComing 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur expectations are sky-high,\u201d senior quarterback Conner Weigman said. \u201cWe\u2019re going all-in on this year. At the end of the day, it\u2019s all just preseason talk. We\u2019ve got to go do it on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weigman, who is coming off a career year that produced 3,400 total yards and 36 touchdowns, said UH had a \u201creally good offseason\u201d from spring practice through individual summer workouts as the team prepares to report for preseason camp on Aug. 4.<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all see the vision of what it could be this year,\u201d Weigman said. \u201cThe work part is where it all happens. That\u2019s when all the good stuff happens\u00a0\u2014 when no one is watching.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0Senior safety Kentrell Webb said the pursuit of a Big 12 championship is a frequent conversation in the locker room.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s all we talk about,\u201d Webb said. \u201cThere\u2019s not much need for any other discussions in the locker room. We want to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u201cDon\u2019t look ahead,\u201d Weigman said. \u201cI feel last year we got big-headed after some big wins, and we\u2019d go lay an egg a week later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weigman said he was encouraged this offseason by the Cougars\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a special thing because I don\u2019t think you get that too much nowadays in college football,\u201d Weigman said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have one opt-out in the bowl game, which I feel is unheard of nowadays.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weigman added this year\u2019s roster has a \u201cbond and trust\u201d\u00a0\u2014 and each player is \u201con the same page.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe opportunity we have this year \u2026 we know what we can go do and what\u2019s in front of us this year,\u201d Weigman said. \u201cNow we have to go do it out on the field. I think we are ready for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Junior safety Jordan Allen said the Cougars proved they can compete with last year\u2019s six-win improvement, one of the best among FBS schools.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re on the radar a little bit,\u201d Allen said. \u201cNow people know what Houston is about.\u201d<\/p>\n
The road will be treacherous at times, beginning with a marquee Week 3 against Texas Tech in Lubbock. There\u2019s are also tough trips to Kansas State, Utah, Colorado and West Virginia.<\/p>\n
The Cougars must keep their eyes on the road.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t get caught up or it can be your downfall,\u201d Allen said. \u201cYou could end up in a ditch or hitting somebody else. Just find those white lines and follow them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Houston quarterback Conner Weigman says the team’s expectations are “sky high” but knows the Cougars must perform on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":365030,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[56,58,57],"class_list":["post-365029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=365029"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365029\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/365030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=365029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=365029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=365029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}