{"id":428837,"date":"2026-09-07T15:56:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T15:56:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/428837\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T15:56:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T15:56:11","slug":"houston-coach-willie-fritz-broke-down-areas-of-struggle-against-oregon-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/428837\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston Coach Willie Fritz Broke Down Areas of Struggle Against Oregon State"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Houston Cougars took care of business in Week 1 with a 33-20 win<\/a> over the Oregon State Beavers and got the 2026 season started on the right note, result-wise. <\/p>\n

However, it wasn’t the best performance from Houston overall. It was just a one-possession game in the fourth quarter, and the Cougars<\/a> weren’t able to blow Oregon State out, even after going up 26-7 in the second half. <\/p>\n

There are clearly areas that Houston really needs to improve<\/a> going forward, but that is a key part of Week 1. The first game of the season has shown the Cougars what needs to be fixed, and it’s honestly not anything out of their control. <\/p>\n

Coach Willie Fritz spoke in the postgame press conference<\/a> and immediately discussed his thoughts on some of the shortcomings, while he also gave praise to what the team did well. <\/p>\n

Fritz Knows Improvement is Needed\"Houston<\/p>\n

Sep 5, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars head coach Willie Fritz reacts on the sideline during the third quarter against the Oregon State Beavers at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think we played as well as we\u2019re capable of playing. Minus two in turnover takeaway, 10 penalties,\u201d Fritz said. \u201cThere were some things we did well. We ran the ball well. We ran it when we needed to. Had some big pass plays. That was a huge play by Amare late in the ball game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fritz referred to the contested catch by senior wide receiver Amare Thomas in the fourth quarter when the offense faced a critical third-and-six just up by six points.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The penalties and turnover issues in this game were quite uncharacteristic for a Fritz-led team. Those are two areas that his teams specifically work on to be more disciplined. It\u2019s a key part of their game plan. The Cougars were successful in running the ball, as he pointed out, with 228 yards on the ground.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Senior running back Makhi Hughes led the way with 17 carries for 98 yards and one touchdown. Redshirt junior Re\u2019Shaun Sanford II ran for a 56-yard touchdown.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another key facet of the game that\u2019s typically emphasized for Fritz is tackling. The Cougars struggled in that area as well, specifically on the back end of the defense.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought our tackling wasn\u2019t really crisp. There were simple pass concepts that we didn\u2019t do a very good job of covering and denying. Lost leverage a few times,\u201d Fritz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Houston\u2019s head coach mentioned the problems in coverage that the team faced and what exactly happened. There were some positives on the defensive end, holding Oregon State to 26 yards rushing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fritz mentioned the sack by junior safety Javion White at the end of the game as a huge play by the defense.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was an experienced secondary that had a lot of expectations entering the season, and that\u2019s why the mistakes can quickly be addressed and taken care of. However, tackling across the board seems to be a point of emphasis for Fritz. That\u2019s no surprise considering how many times he\u2019s preached tackling since his time at Houston.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI blame part of this on myself. We don\u2019t tackle very much during practice. We didn\u2019t do it this camp, and it showed up quite a bit,\u201d Fritz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Houston got its first attempts at full-out tackling right in Week 1, and the rust might be out of the way now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did tackle today, though,\u201d Fritz said with a chuckle. \u201cWe are used to it, and we\u2019ll be able to teach off of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Due to the fumble by Hughes and an unlucky tipped interception by Weigman, Houston missed out on a couple more scoring opportunities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have 300 yards passing and 200 yards rushing, that\u2019s always a good combination. We just can\u2019t turn the ball over,\u201d Fritz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 533 yards of total offense were the most in a season opener since 2018 against Rice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fritz mentioned that some of the issues in the secondary coverage of allowing big passing plays were a mix of what Oregon State did and busted coverage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also could\u2019ve had three picks. We came real close. A couple of them might\u2019ve been pick sixes. We\u2019ve got to catch those balls. They throw it to you; you better catch the ball. A part of it was good route concepts by Oregon State,\u201d Fritz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Overall, the 66-year-old Fritz didn\u2019t seem too worried about the problems. Houston\u2019s experience across the board in general can take care of mistakes such as these.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll get a lot better. There are a lot of correctable mistakes that we made, and we\u2019re going to get better. Everybody has a goal of getting better from Week 1 to Week 2,\u201d Fritz said. \u201cWe\u2019ll learn some valuable lessons.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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