Three Things Houston Coach Willie Fritz Said ahead of the Cougars’ Trip to Stillwater

Willie Fritz’s second year in Houston is off to a strong start, but the Cougars are looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season.

Oklahoma State hosts Houston at 11 a.m. Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium.

After going a combined 23-4 in his final two seasons at Tulane, Fritz headed west to H-Town and has the Cougars off to a 4-1 start this season after going 4-8 last year.

Fritz spoke with reporters Monday to preview this weekend’s game. Here are three things that stood out.

1. Houston QB Conner Weigman in Concussion Protocol, but Expected to Play

The Cougars suffered their first loss of the season this past weekend, falling 35-11 to Texas Tech, but they also lost their quarterback in that game.

Conner Weigman suffered a concussion after going 5-for-12 with 71 yards and an interception against the Red Raiders. He had thrown for at least 200 yards in his previous two games before that.

On top of working his way through the concussion protocol, Weigman is also battling a cold. Despite all that, Fritz expects to have him when the Cougars travel to Stillwater.

“Conner Weigman, right now, he’s in concussion protocol, but doing pretty darn well,” Fritz said. “(Monday) he was gonna do some stuff, but he wasn’t feeling very well, had a cold. He’ll work back in (Tuesday) or (Wednesday) and should be full speed. There’s a protocol that they go through. … We’re looking forward to having him playing for us on Saturday.”

Weigman was a five-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. He started his college career at Texas A&M. He threw for 2,694 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions as an Aggie before transferring to Houston this offseason.

2. On the Cowboys

In some ways, with all the change that’s going on, the Cowboys probably aren’t the easiest team to prep for because players and coaches have been coming in and out.

Here’s what Fritz said when asked about OSU.

“I think they’re talented, without question,” Fritz said. “… I’ve seen them really run a lot of stuff. I think he’s throwing everything out there at you, so we gotta be ready for everything. They’ve got in some different formations and sets, and different, what some people would categorize as, trick plays. They’re doing a few of those things.

“They’ve got an interim defensive coordinator, a new guy that I’m sure is working through some things as well. They don’t give up a few big plays last week, they’re in the game.”

Tackling a Point of Emphasis

Through their first four games (all wins), the Cougars were averaging about nine missed tackles a game. That number jumped up to 15 against the Red Raiders in this weekend’s loss.

That was a big point of emphasis during Fritz’s news conference, as it was for interim OSU DC Clint Bowen following the Cowboys’ game against Arizona this past weekend. Everyone is always working on tackling.

“Part of it, you’re tackling good players,” Fritz said. “But more importantly, it was the approach to tackling, throwing too early, when you lead with your head or your hands or both, you’re not gonna make the tackle. We talk all the time about getting your near foot in the hoop and attacking the near hip, attacking with your leverage. We were just a little bit too far away when we initiated our tackling technique.”