Former University of Houston wide receiver/return specialist Vincent Marshall wasn’t able to realize his dream of making an NFL roster this season, but his dream of playing professional football lives on.
The 5-8, 175-pound Marshall, who was cut by the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 1, was picked up by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League and will practice with the team this week, reported the Regina (Saskatchewan) Leader-Post on Tuesday.
Marshall finished his college career as the Cougars’ all-time leader in receptions (272) and receiving yards (3,770), and was third on the all-time list for touchdown catches (26). He went undrafted in April’s NFL draft, and was signed as a free agent by Atlanta where he lasted until the final cut.
Farmer captures the hardware
It didn’t take long for junior outside hitter Justine Farmer to notch her first accolade of the season.
Farmer was named Conference USA Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week on Monday in recognition of her standout performances in the Cougars’ five matches last week.
Farmer, who leads C-USA in kills at 5.06 per game, recorded five consecutive double-doubles, and averaged 5.14 kills and 3.55 digs per game. She registered at least 22 kills and 15 digs in each of the Cougars’ final four matches of last week.
Unfortunately, Farmer’s play was one of few bright spots for Houston. The Cougars (3-6) won only two of the five matches, and are currently on a three-match losing skid.
Nobody owns Tulane like Briles
The Houston and Tulane football teams will face off Saturday in New Orleans, but given how the two have fared against each other during the last four seasons, the edge goes to Houston.
The Cougars (0-1) have owned Tulane since Art Briles replaced Dana Dimel as Houston head coach prior to the 2003 season. Briles has a 4-0 record against the Green Wave, who haven’t defeated the Cougars since 2002.
With the exception of the Cougars’ 45-42 win in 2003, Houston’s average margin of victory over Tulane in the Briles-era is nearly 27 points.
More so, the Cougars’ offense averaged 512.5 total yards per game. Houston also averaged 37.3 points per contest.Therefore, give Briles some credit.
Quote to note
Attempting to follow in the footsteps of Cougars all-time receiving leader Vincent Marshall would appear to be a lofty goal, but redshirt freshman Teric Williams would like to give it a shot.
Williams, a converted wide receiver, doesn’t yet have Marshall’s reputation, but he does have his former teammate’s jersey number – 17.
That number holds special meaning for Williams, who wore No. 21 as a defensive back.
"I chose that number because I wanted something to drive me to my goals," Williams told the Houston Chronicle. "I know Vincent Marshall was a great player here, and I wanted to use that (No. 17) to push me to that same level."
Odds and ends
The Houston softball team announced its 2008 schedule on Monday. The Cougars will face 11 teams that participated in last season’s NCAA Tournament, including College World Series squads Baylor, Texas A’M and DePaul. … The Cougars soccer team will stay at home this weekend with matches against Grambling State and LSU set for 7 p.m. Friday and noon Sunday, respectively, at Robertson Stadium. … After playing five matches last week, the Houston volleyball team will tone things down with a three-match home stand this week, starting with a highly anticipated match against crosstown rival Rice at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Cougars are looking for their third straight victory over the Owls, dating back to last season.
