What Willie Fritz said about West Virginia
Houston head coach Willie Fritz spoke with reporters this week about his team’s mindset following a difficult week and what he expects when the Cougars host West Virginia on Saturday at 12:00 PM ET on FS1.
Respect for Rich Rodriguez and WVU
Fritz praised West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez and the program’s toughness, noting that his team will need to be at its best.
“I got a lot of respect for Coach Rich Rod and what he’s done in all the different places that he’s been at,” Fritz said. “They’ve had a tough schedule, but we’re gonna have to play great. I told our guys, it’s a good ball club that we’re playing.”
Fritz added that the Mountaineers’ style of play demands discipline, especially on the road. “They were in a whisker of winning last week,” he said, referencing WVU’s narrow loss to TCU.
Handling adversity and staying focused
The Cougars continue to process the loss of strength coach Kurt Hester, who passed away hours before last week’s game. Fritz said his team has handled the emotional challenge with remarkable maturity.
“He was really close with the kids, probably more so than any strength coach I’ve ever been around,” Fritz said. “We want to honor his legacy by doing the very best we can every single day.”
He credited the leadership of team chaplain Joe Thompson and campus mental health counselor Emmett Gill for helping players and staff stay supported. “They’ve been around practice this week and will continue to be,” he said.
Scouting the Mountaineers’ freshman quarterback
Fritz said he’s studied West Virginia’s recent games and was impressed by the composure of freshman quarterback Scotty Fox.
“He seems to understand what they’re doing,” Fritz said. “They were right there against TCU, and that tells you how close they are to breaking through.”
Fritz expects West Virginia to present another physical test for his defense and stressed the importance of staying sharp early. “We’ll need to play really well Saturday at 11 o’clock,” he said.
Red zone success and defensive improvement
Fritz highlighted Houston’s 25-of-27 red zone conversion rate this season, calling it a sign of discipline and execution. “We talk about four-point plays — we want touchdowns instead of field goals,” he said. “That’s our goal every time we get down there.”
He also noted that while the defense has been strong overall, improving red zone defense remains a focus. “We’re playing really good defense this season, but that’s an area we can get better in.”
Perspective and crowd message
Fritz said the Cougars will continue to take a day-by-day approach and lean on their culture as they push through the second half of the season.
“If you wanna be elite, you have to consistently give your best every single day,” he said. “That’s hard, that’s why there aren’t a whole lot of elite teams.”
He ended the interview by calling for a strong turnout from Houston fans. “How you draw a crowd is you win,” Fritz said. “We’ve done that part of it, and we’d love to get a big crowd out there Saturday morning.”
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