Senior quarterback Donovan Smith participates in Big 12 Media Days ahead of second season in Houston. | Courtesy of UH Athletics
Houston football is ready to embark on its second year in the Big 12 and its first year with head coach Willie Fritz at the helm. The Cougar’s schedule combines difficult opponents, tactical possibilities and important rivalries that will test the team’s commitment. After going 2-7 in 2023 conference play and 4-8 overall, the Cougars will look to make a mark in 2024.
The Cougars kick off non-conference play against UNLV on Aug. 31, and hope to set a positive tone for the remainder of the campaign. The first home game of the season will provide an early evaluation of the team’s readiness and areas that require development.
“What we are going to do is play a lot of guys for the first couple of weeks, to figure out the rotation,” Fritz said “Learning about your team early in the season is a process. Spring ball is great, and summer workouts are outstanding, but nothing compares to playing real games. We will find out about ourselves after the first couple of weeks.”
Even though Oklahoma moved to the SEC, the Cougars did not escape competition with the elite program. Houston will travel to Norman as they look to prove their potency on Sept. 7.
Houston then heads home to take on Rice and will look to reclaim the Bayou Bucket. After being down 28-0 against Rice in 2023, the Cougars rallied back to tie the game deep in the fourth quarter before losing the double overtime thriller 41-43.
On Sept. 21, the Cougars head on the road to face a familiar Cincinnati program in their 30th all-time meeting before matching up against Iowa State in their first-ever matchup on Sept. 28 in Houston.
Less than a week later, the Cougars will be thrown into Fort Worth to compete with TCU on Oct. 4.
The Cougars will have a week off before continuing their road stint as they attempt to snag their first win against Kansas on Oct. 19.
Homecoming brings the Cougars back to TDECU Stadium to face Big 12 newcomer and powerhouse Utah on Oct. 26.
The Cougars homestand will continue with a game on Nov. 2 against Kansas State. Last season, Houston suffered a 0-41 loss in their first contest with the Wildcats and hopes to score its first points against the program this season.
UH will have one more off week before heading to Tucson to compete with Arizona for the first time since 2018 on Nov. 15.
The Cougars will return home to celebrate their seniors during their final home game when they take on Baylor on Nov. 23.
UH rounds out its schedule with a trip to Provo, Utah to face the Cougars of BYU on Nov. 30.
In December, Fritz, the 64-year-old university head coach and two-time American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, was appointed the 16th head coach in Houston football history. 2024 will mark his first season with the Cougars and his 32nd overall season as a head coach.
“There are always some nonnegotiables on how you do things, especially with your football program and players,” Fritz said. “You have to get to know the university. What works at Houston might necessarily work at other places.”
Senior quarterback Donovan Smith will return for his second year in Houston. Smith was ranked 24th nationally in points per game and finished fourth in the Big 12 in completions per game.
He is the first quarterback since Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden to complete 30-plus passes for over 300 yards, four-plus touchdowns and a 70% or higher completion rate, doing so against Texas Tech on Sept. 30.
“There is something that you could fix every game. You are not going to have a perfect game every time, but even if you do, there is always something you can improve on. I go into each game thinking I must do one percent better,” Smith said. “Talking to my offensive line and communicating with them and trying to get on the same page helped me a lot last year to have better pocket awareness.”
The Cougars must prepare to adapt and learn together as they look for depth and vitality that will begin giving them an advantage in big games.
“I’m impressed with the squad we have here,” Fritz said. “We need to get it going quickly. The guys got to trust me, and I got to trust them. They all started with a clean slate when I came to Houston, and I got to do a good job of putting the guys in the right spots and having them do things they are capable of.”
The Cougars reported to preseason practice on July 31, one month before their first contest with UNLV.
