The 2008 season will be a year of firsts for the Houston Cougars, and Coog fans are hoping one of those “firsts” is a berth in a BCS Bowl Game.
At the helm for Houston is the first African American head football coach at a big-time program in the state of Texas. Coach Kevin Sumlin brings in a solid resume and a keen mind. He was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma and Texas A&M, and he also spent time at other storied programs like Minnesota and Purdue.
Sumlin hopes to take Houston to new heights, ones departed head coach Art Briles had Coog fans accustomed to expecting, but not always acheiving.
The biggest change for Houston this season, is a change in coaching styles. Art Briles left for Waco during a wild off season, and he took his patented, high-flying offense with him. The Cougars racked up tons of points under Briles, who crafted his brand of gunslinging during his glory days as one of the most successful high school coaches in Texas history. But Briles special teams and defensive expertise left someting to be desired.
Coach Sumlin hopes to continue the offensive fireworks.
Sumlin appears to know that to win in Houston (or in C-USA for that matter), one has to put some points on the board. Sumlin, whose offense at Oklahoma averaged over 44 points a game his final season as offensive coordinator, convinced coach Dana Holgorsen to leave Texas Tech for a chance to call plays. Holgorsen will be joined by former Coog all-amerian wide receiver Jason Phillips to blend the famed Air Raid offense with a mixture of Briles patented style and a little bit of run-n-shoot to boot.
Heck, let’s call it the Coog Shoot until something better comes along. Whatever it is, it should be interesting.
Another first for the Coogs this season is something that hasn’t been on Cullen since Briles took over in 2001. One of the first hires Sumlin made when he accepted the gig was finding a special teams coach.
If you’re a Coog fan, then you know it’s a pretty big deal.
Under Briles, special teams play was –well—special. Sloppy play in the oft-overlooked aspect of winning football led to numerous setbacks in an otherwise successful tenure for Briles. Sumlin does not want to repeat the same mistake. In fact, Sumlin’s disciplined style of football has already turned some heads, and led to a few player departures as well.
No more Mr. Nice Guy.
Coach Briles was a great coach for the Coogs, anyone who tells you different is simply bitter at the circumstances of his departure. However, Briles wasn’t exactly known for having disciplined and detail-oriented teams. In fact, his laid-back style was part of his allure for some players.
But Briles’ success at Houston was marred by countless mental mistakes that were often self-inflicted. Muffed punts, silly fumbles and bad snaps led to numerous losses that could have made Houston a national power again.
Sumlin wants to succeed where Briles failed.
Kevin Sumlin believes he can win at Houston. He insists his teams will not lack discipline, and early reports for practice would indicate as much. Sumlin believes details are the key to success, and success at Houston is winning championships and convincing the finnicky fanbase to pack the seats.
This year’s Red-White game is perhaps the most telling of the new direction of the Houston Cougars. Sumlin had the team come out in full pads and played full-contact football at Robertson Stadium. The crowd cheered, the players looked sharp and the band played loud. Briles was known for light-contact, practice-oriented spring games that seemed to suck the life out of the excitement of the new season.
Coog Nation is ready for a little excitement.
“I know we can win here,” Sumlin remarked in a recent interview.
Perhaps Sumlin is right. Houston has the talent on both sides of the ball to be successful not only this year, but for years to come. Sumlin has immediately made huge inroads into recruiting in the talent rich Houston area, something he considers a “goldmine”, and the Cougars are already further ahead in the recruiting game this year than any in recent memory.
Houston is poised for another C-USA title run, and it’s up to Kevin Sumlin to focus on the details.
