Redshirt senior wide receiver Ronnie Williams streaks down the sideline for a 32 yard touchdown against Louisiana Tech. Of the 22 receivers on UH’s roster, only Williams and Isaiah Sweeney played downs in the Cougars’ last trip to Pasadena two seasons ago; neither of which caught a pass. | Nine Nguyen/The Daily Cougar
One week after putting up 693 offensive yards, 580 of which came through the air, the Houston Cougars head west to face a physical UCLA defense that through two games, allowed Nebraska and Rice a combined three points during the fourth quarter.
“They’re a bigger team. They put a lot of guys in the box,” said redshirt sophomore quarterback David Piland. “We’re going to have the opportunity to throw the ball. We’re going to have to wear them down with tempo and the right play at the right time.”
Despite the challenge of facing the Bruins in the Rose Bowl, head coach Tony Levine insists the team’s primary focus is internal.
“We’ve got to improve things within our team,” Levine said. “When you talk about executing our offense when a play is there to be made, you make the play.”
Specifically, the Cougars will seek to improve turnovers from the run game, which from an offensive standpoint, likely could have been a deciding factor in the outcome of last week’s 56-49 loss to Louisiana Tech.
“We had the ball live on the ground Saturday night six times, and we lost two fumbles,” Levine said. “When you lose the turnover battle in any football game, there’s a big correlation between who wins the game and who wins the turnover margin.”
For a largely inexperienced offense — many of who were not with the team two years ago for the Cougars’ last trip to the Pasadena, Ca. — maintaining poise will be a key factor.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys and having their confidence be high right off the bat is a great asset to the team,” Piland said. “We’re going into it with the same game plan, high tempo, and we’re the only people that can stop us.”
Defensively, under new coordinator Lou Spanos, the Bruins run a 3-4 scheme and have sought to use their strength at linebacker to improve their 89th rank in total defense from last year.
“They fly around and you look at some of the names (defensively) and they are guys who’ve played the last few years,” Levine said. “It’s no accident that they’re 2-0 and rated in the top 25.”
For UH, the game against a nationally ranked (22) UCLA squad also provides an opportunity to prove itself. The Cougars are off to their first 0-2 start since 2004 when the team finished 3-8.
“There is definitely a chip on our shoulders,” said sophomore wide receiver Daniel Spencer. “There are people doubting us from everywhere, maybe even in our families. We’ve got to come and show people that we are a good football team.”
