Celebration time is over for the Cougars as they must now turn their focus to the Lamar University Cardinals. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar
Following a landmark win with football toppling the No. 3 team in the country, the Cougars must now ready themselves to face the Lamar University Cardinals on Saturday at TDECU Stadium.
Although shifting his focus to Saturday’s game, head coach Tom Herman publicly reveled in what Saturday was for a final time.
“I’m really proud of our team,” Herman said. “I want to say thank you to the alumni, fans, student body and the city of Houston for supporting us the way that they did in that stadium. It legitimately felt like a home game, as it should.”
Herman was impressed with the Cougars’ ability to battle adversity, citing the love that his players and coaches have for each other as the fuel for their resilience. After entering the game as more than a 10-point underdog, the team ignored the noise and proceeded to ironically win by 10 themselves.
In true head coach fashion, he made it clear that he was not completely stirred by his team. With lapses on defense, kick returns and a costly late-game fumble by his senior quarterback, the Cougars still have many areas where they can improve.
“We had some coverage busts in the secondary,” Herman said. “Then at the four-minute mark we were about to go up 40-17 on the No. 3 team in the country and we fumbled the ball going into the dang end zone and put our defense back out on the field. That’s obviously very unacceptable.”
It might seem picky for a coach whose team just secured a spot in the top 10, Herman has proved that it is his staff’s attention to detail that yielded a 15-1 record in their tenure. Without finding something to correct from week-to-week, complacency will grow within the program.
It’s no secret that this week’s opponent is an inferior team to the Cougars. Since bringing back their football program in 2010, Lamar has struggled to just a 31-38 record while playing against Southland Conference competition. Transitioning from playing a college football powerhouse to a struggling small conference opponent can be tough on a player’s psyche.
Despite entering the game as an overwhelming favorite, the Cougars know that treating its preparation with earnestness is key to avoiding being upset. The coaching staff does everything in their power to not allow their team to underestimate an opponent.
“The culture that is ingrained in this program will not allow it,” Herman said. “I think these guys know that if coach McKnight or any of our assistants for one minute think that there is complacency or the foot is being let off the gas, they’re going to get smacked in the face with the proverbial shovel and reminded of what our culture demands of them.”
Herman speaks highly of Lamar and credits what head coach Ray Woodard in what he has achieved in reviving the program in the last six years. Citing impressive players on the offensive and defensive sides, he believes the Cougars will have their work cut out for them in practice this week.
Even though the fan support in NRG Stadium last weekend impressed him, Herman understands that filling TDECU Stadium for smaller-market games is crucial in becoming a nationally recognized program.
“If we fashion ourselves to be a big time football program, like the big time programs in the country, it does not matter what the opponent is or what is on their jersey,” Herman said. “Their fans, students and alumni come and support and watch their team play. This will be a very good litmus test for our fans, alumni and students to see, ‘Hey, do you guys want to be this or do you not?’ The proof is in the pudding.”
