The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Willie Fritz Joins Ahead of Baylor Match Up This Week.

Episode Date: November 26, 2025

Willie Fritz Joins Ahead Of Baylor Match Up This Week.

132 of that time of the show. We're going to spend a few minutes here with our good friend Willie Fritz. He is the head football coach of your Houston Cougars, going to play a game Saturday in Waco for the 11 o'clock start. And Willie is with us here. Coach, thank you for the time as always. These 11 o'clock starts are becoming kind of a regular thing for the University of Houston. The kids, I know they practice early, but getting up and being ready for a game day

may be two different things. Well, it is a little bit different. You know, I kind of like them myself. honest with you but you know we get up we're already done with practice for today finished a couple hours ago so yeah we start off we had meetings at 7 30 in the morning and then we practice from 915 to 1115 most days so our guys are used to it but you know the TV kind of sets the game time and whatever it is we got to go out and play at that time and play the very best we possibly can you know we try not to change the

schedule up very much. What we do is as far as meetings and walk through and the time to go to bed and try to eat three and a half hours before the game and different things like that and the warm up is the same. So we try to keep it the same whether it's an 11 o'clock game or, heck, I think we played an 8 o'clock game against Oregon State at their time. So that was

quite a contrast. But try to keep the same schedule as much as we can. No matter where you have gone, you have been undefeated this year away from home. I don't know if that's coincidental or not, but in your mind, this is a football team that puts on the white jerseys and doesn't seem to be phased by it at all. Well, you know, I think part of that is having the same schedule, you know, and doing things the same way. And even though we talk like crazy about trying to eliminate distractions, you know, when you start getting 48 hours prior to the game. and then same thing 24 hours and resting and recovering

and staying off your feet you know, hydrating and eating properly. You know, all those different things. Studying your playbook. You know, it just seems, you know, the guys who've done a good job of that all year and sometimes it's also based on your schedule. You know, I like home and away games, obviously.

So, you know, you just got to do what the schedule tells you to do and play the very best you can. But we have done a very nice job this season on the road. You closed out the homestead, unfortunately, with the loss to TCU. It felt like to me, if you were to describe the game missed opportunities, is that the way you could kind of see it? No, I think you're exactly right. You know, we had an opportunity there on the goal line before halftime.

And, you know, it hurt us, you know, hurt us not only that we didn't, but heard us that they got the ball out on the 20 with the interception of the end zone. And, you know, we talk all the time about four-point plays, you know, scoring touchdowns instead of kicking field goals. You know, those are, you know, it's a big indicator who's going to win the game, who scores touchdowns in the red zone and kicks field goals. So there was some opportunities that we didn't take advantage of, unfortunately. You know, and we got to do a better job of that. As I've said many times before, everybody in this league is pretty good. If you don't play good, you're going to have a tough time winning.

If you play real good, you've got a good chance of winning. So, you know, we've played some close ones. We've won. We've played a couple close ones and lost. You know, you just got to play well and you've got to make the plays when they're there to be made. I have some very good friends, Willie, that are TCU alums and have gone to a lot of games this year. And the one thing they told me before the game Saturday was, you'll know what TCU squad showed up probably by the end of the first quarter. Do you size things up like that? Part of me was thinking they were obviously very embarrassed with the way they played against BYU the previous week. They were going to give you everything they had because look,

they want to go to a ball game. They want to go to a better bowl game. You guys have a lot to play for. And I thought when they were competitive early on and scored early that this was going to be a knockdown drag out type of game. Yeah, they did a good job early in the games, especially at first series. You know, you know, sometimes, you know, get late in the year. It's hard to, you know, replicate, you know, the speed of the game in practice, especially when you're banged up a little bit and things like that. But they did a very good job at first drive, going down the field, scoring a touchdown. And, you know, we, you know, played a very good defense in the second half. First half, you know, we gave up a few big plays. Heck, the field goal in the second

to have a base more on a big punt return by him than anything else getting a good starting field position. But yeah, it's, you know, when you start off good, sometimes that's what gives you confidence, but you got to just keep playing even if you don't start off good, which is the case with us. And that's happened to us a few times this year. We didn't play real well early, and then we started coming on later in the game. And, you know, so just got to keep weathering the storm throughout the ballgame.

all right this bailer trip to waco will feature a team they're at five and six they do score a lot of points Willie as you know a thought or two about Sawyer Robertson basically three to one on the touchdowns got 3,300 yards through the air tell me when they're dialing up and scoring they look like they're a pretty fierce team but there are the victim of themselves of some silly turnovers that wind up getting games out of the way for them yeah they're really loaded on the offensive side of the ball huge offensive line really big I got a big tight-in, had a great game against us last year, a big wide receiver, 6-1, 220, 225 out on the perimeter. So they're really loaded with skilled kids. And then, like you said, a veteran quarterback and Robertson knows where to put the ball. So, yeah, our defense is going to have to play great early. Last question for you, Willie. I know the kids are excited about the postseason and playing in a bowl game.

Do you try to squash that? I mean, how often is that conversation brought up to your kids, your position coaches? Are they naturally interested? Or are they saying, you know what, we can have this visit maybe in a couple weeks? Yeah, you know, I think they know that. Nobody said anything to me about it. We know we're going to play in a bowl game. We're excited about that.

That's great for the program. But, you know, we want to finish this regular season out. And, you know, great manner. Nine and three year two is fantastic. And, you know, we've got a tough opponent. You know, to be able to get there to nine and three. And, you know, we're just going to have to play as well as we can Saturday. I know it's not like a broken record, but everybody in this league is pretty darn good.

And, you know, that's going to be the case, you know, this weekend, this Saturday, two good teams playing against each other. And we just need to elevate our play and play better than we did last Saturday and come out of there with a win. Well, I love the fact the media was wrong and saying the squad was not going to do well this year to have eight, Maybe a ninth win is something to be proud of for you and your staff and those course, of course, those kids. Willie, thank you for the time. Safe travels to Waco. Happy Thanksgiving to you and the family, and we'll talk again before the bowl game.

Thank you. Go Coogs.