Saturday, October 6, 2012 // 1
The Daily Cougar
THE DAILY COUGAR
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2012 ®
OVERTIME COVER STORY /////////////////////////
RUNNIN’ RAMPANT Charles Sims, the face of UH football, doesn’t talk much but lets his play speaks for itself
/////////////////////////INSIDE
New-look secondary takes form // 3 //////////////////////////////////////
UH, UNT have stadium construction in kind // 8
The Daily Cougar
2 \\ Saturday, October 6, 2012
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How the West was won The Cougars’ hopes of winning the Western Division of Conference USA remain firmly intact following their 35-14 victory over rival Rice Over the course of the first three games of the season, the Cougars showed their inexperience. The up-tempo, score at will offense was the victim of turnovers and inability to move the football and the defense appeared to have taken a page from its Andrew predecessors. On Pate special teams, UH seemed light years away from the consistent electrifying plays of years past. Then, Saturday against Rice, UH showed a glimpse of putting all three phases of the ball together – something not seen since the Ticket City bowl in January – defeating the Owls 35-14. The week following, the weight appeared lifted off Levine’s shoulders, smiles became more prevalent in practice and press conferences and most importantly, the Cougars moved to 1-0 in conference. However, the question still looms as to where this team will
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OVERTIME SECTION EDITORS Andrew Pate Christopher Shelton COPY EDITORS Jason Dorn Channler Hill Samantha W COVER PHOTO Rebekah Stearns PRODUCTION Andres Garcia Farah Hasnie
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stand in the ultra competitive Conference USA West Division. Along with the Cougars, the preseason favorite SMU Mustangs and Tulsa Golden Hurricane have shown their capability and even the UTEP Minors could have what it takes to win the West. Certainly, after what fans were subjected to open the season, it is nice to even put UH in the conversation. This week, the North Texas Mean Green arrives at Robertson Stadium as a heavy underdog, a very similar sounding circumstance to plot of the humiliating week one blowout loss against Texas State. At 1-3, and uncertainty about which direction the Cougars will head the remainder of the season, every snap will be more closely examined by specators against opponents like North Texas and UAB. As it did last season, the winner of the West could very well come down to the last game of the season. Then again, for now, let’s just focus on beating North Texas.
FOOTBALL SCHEDULE TEXAS STATE
L, 30-13 LOUISIANA TECH
L, 56-49 @ UCLA
L, 37-6 @RICE (RELIANT STADIUM)
W, 35-14 NORTH TEXAS
Oct. 6 UAB
Oct. 13 @SMU
Oct. 18 UTEP
Oct. 27 @EAST CAROLINA
Nov. 3 TULSA (HOMECOMING)
Nov. 10 @MARSHALL
Nov. 17 TULANE
Nov. 24
Saturday, October 6, 2012 // 3
The Daily Cougar
Defensive backs take shape Christopher Shelton Assistant sports editor
UH defensive backs D.J. Hayden and Trevon Stewart ready themselves for the play. | Rebekah Stearns/The Daily Cougar Levine threw freshman defensive back Trevon Stewart into the fire at free safety against UCLA — a position he had not played before — after making seven tackles at nickleback against Louisiana Tech. Stewart took over for junior defensive back Kent Brooks, who opened the season as starting free
safety. Junior defensive back Colton Valencia has taken over for senior defensive back Chris Cermin who is now second on the depth chart at strong safety four weeks into the season. Levine said the squad is coming along. “Our secondary is meshing
together well. Part of that is based a little from trying to find the right combination back there. Trevon Stewart is a good example of that, moving from corner down to safety,” Levine said. “Colton Valencia, who was a special teams guy, is now a starter. Thomas Bates, also a special teams guy, is now working in the rotation at
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At a position where tackling is imperative, senior corner D.J. Hayden said the secondary takes pride in themselves as twodimensional players. “We pride ourselves on being able to tackle and cover because that’s what we have to do,” Hayden said. Tackling was not always the Cougars’ strong suit however. After UH struggled to make tackles in the first two games, head coach Tony Levine said he experimented with different combinations in the secondary. “What we’ve seen out of the secondary the last few weeks is improved tackling. They’ve been physical, they set the edge better, and Saturday when Rice was throwing the ball we did not do a good job of covering the ball,” Levine said. “They had some great hits on Saturday, and they weren’t all from our linebackers, many were from our smaller defensive backs as well.”
corner.” With the addition of Valencia and Stewart into the lineup, the Cougars are still not where they want to be. The team is 88th in the nation in pass efficiency defense, allowing opponents a rating of 139.6. UH is also 105th out of 120 schools in pass defense. The secondary, self-coined as the The Jackboyz, had its best performance of the season against Rice. Owls redshirt freshman quarterback Driphus Jackson finished 17-35, throwing for 272 yards. If not for an 88-yard touchdown pass, UH could have held Jackson under 200 yards passing. Hayden said the secondary is a close group whose mix of veterans and young players came together in the summer. “When they first came in and we used to have 7-on-7s, we got a feel for them and we just bonded,” Hayden said. “We talk trash to the younger guys a little bit and give them a hard time, but they’re cool.”
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WEEK
TOPIC
TIME #1
TIME #2
5
Maintaining balance for college success
Mon. 10/1 @ 3pm
6
Using APA Writing Style
Mon. 10/1 @ 2pm
Thurs. 10/4 @ 2pm
STAY ON TARGET
6
Preparing for exams
Tues. 10/9 @ 10am
Fri. 10/12 @ 11am
r $IBMMFOHFS 1SPHSBN
7
Studying for natural science courses
Mon. 10/8 @ 11am
Thurs. 10/11 @ 3pm
7
Learning beyond memorizing
Tues. 10/16 @ 3pm
Fri. 10/19 @ 4pm
8
Building organizational skills
Mon. 10/15 @ 4pm
Wed. 10/17 @ 3pm
8
Giving professional presentations
Mon. 10/22 @ 2pm
Thurs. 10/25 @ 11am
9
Effective study groups
Tues. 10/23 @ 1pm
Fri. 10/26 @ 3pm
9
Studying for natural science courses
Mon. 10/29 @ 3pm
Fri. 11/2 @ 1pm
10
Studying for Math/Statistics/Accounting
Tues. 10/30 @ 1pm
Fri. 11/2 @ 3pm
10
Time management–School/Life balance
Mon. 11/5 @ 11am
Tues. 11/6 @ 3pm
11
Analytical Reasoning
Wed. 11/14 @ 11am
Thurs. 11/15 @ 1pm
12
Boosting memory
Tues. 11/20 @ 2pm
Tues. 11/20 @ 4pm
13
Reducing test anxiety
Tues. 11/27 @ 5pm
Fri. 11/30 @ 4pm
14
Overcoming procrastination
Mon. 12/3 @ 3pm
Thurs. 12/6 @ 4pm
15
Coping with finals
Tues. 12/4 @ 3pm
Wed. 12/5 @ 1pm
Retention Programs
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The Daily Cougar
4 \\ Saturday, October 6, 2012
The Charles Sims Show Known for his powerful burst of speed, UH’s running back has become a centerpiece within the Cougars’ air-raid offense
Running back Charles Sims races towards one of his three touchdowns at Reliant Stadium against Rice on Sept. 29. | Rebekah Stearns/The Daily Cougar
Andrew Pate Sports editor
In 1901 former President Theodore Roosevelt said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” For UH, no player exemplifies the old adage more than redshirt junior running back Charles Sims.
We’re just going to play our game and let our game do the talking.” Charles Sims, discussing his philosophy on football The soft-spoken speedster rushed for 158 yards and a career-high of three touchdowns Saturday against Rice. Accordingly, Sims spoke for less than a minute at the post-game press conference. “That’s fine with me,” Sims said when asked a lengthy question about carrying the ball between 25 and 30 times a game. “It felt pretty good to get back out there and make plays.” Sims has gone far during his career with the Cougars. In a 73-17 rout of Tulane last season, the running back broke a 58-yearold school record by averaging 20.7 yards per carry. Three of the
10 carries were for more than 50 yards. In addition to his visibility in UH football marketing, where Sims appears around the city on billboards, he can also play different roles in the up-tempo air-raid offense. “He’s a dynamic player,” said head coach Tony Levine. “He may rush for three and he may rush for two, but at some point he’s going to break one and make a guy miss and take it for 50.” Sims’ career at UH got off to a quick start in 2009 when he led the team in rushing with 698 yards and nine touchdowns, and was named Conference USA Freshman of the Year. In June 2010, his career was put on hold when the NCAA ruled the runner ineligible for the upcoming season. The reasoning was kept private with University officials, citing privacy laws. Sims returned to the scene Spring 2011 and along with former running back Bryce Beall in the backfield, the tandem played an intricate part in the Cougars 13-1 campaign. For all the individual accolades Sims has been a part of, the back maintains a certain philosophy on talking about his success. “We’re just going to play our game and let our game do the talking,” Sims said.
Redshirt junior Charles Sims is best known for his explosive plays on the field and soft spoken manner off. His three rushing touchdowns last week were a career high. | Rebekah Stearns/The Daily Cougar
Saturday, October 6, 2012 // 5
The Daily Cougar
THEOPPOSITION Mean Green join C-USA following season’s end Tyler Owens North Texas Daily
Last season the Cougars defeated the Mean Green 48-23 at the opening of Apogee Stadium. UH held a one touchdown lead at halftime before outscoring North Texas 28-7 in the second half to clinch the road win. | File photo/The Daily Cougar
Running game powers offense Tyler Owens North Texas Daily Five weeks into the 2012 season, the Mean Green is 2-3, but the running game has been something the offense can rely heavily on during the games. Together, senior running back Jeremy Brown, redshirt freshman running back Antoinne Jimmerson and junior starting running back Brandin Byrd have lit up rivals’ defenses week after week. Of the trio, Byrd is the hardnosed back who prefers to run straight at the defense rather than out finessing them. “I make the one cut and get downhill as fast as I can,” Byrd said. “I don’t like to waste a movement if I can run full speed. I do a good job with that and just finishing with my pads.” Sophomore offensive lineman Mason Y’Barbo attested to Byrd’s grittiness as well. “Even though he can juke you and make you miss, when it comes down to it, he’d rather run straight at you, and we love him for that,” Y’Barbo said. “(Byrd) is not going to back down from anybody.” In addition to how he plays and produces in games, it is the dedication he brings to the program every time he steps on the field
that makes him stand out among his peers. “We don’t have a guy that works harder or has more character than Brandin Byrd,” head football coach Dan McCarney said. “He’s all in. He loves it, he cares, he wants to be different. He wants to be a part of this turnaround so that they’ll be talking about us for a long time instead of (being) easily forgotten, and he comes to practice every day that way.” Byrd has also developed a relationship with the offensive line that is a critical part of his running game’s success. “He’s one of my best friends,” Y’Barbo said. “We’ve been together since we got here. I love blocking for him. The running game is a strong point for us, but it’s (the offensive line’s) responsibility. If we don’t take care of what we have to do, (the running backs) can’t do their job.” Running backs coach Mike Grant said Byrd is correct in feeling no additional pressure than his position warrants, an important part of the philosophy that the team instills in its players. “We operate under the ‘next man in’ philosophy,” Grant said. “I want them to go as long as they can, as hard as they can and not leave anything in the tank because the next guy in is just as good.”
Junior running back Brandin Byrd has played an intricate role in UNT’s run game this season. | James Coreas/North Texas Daily
When the University of North Texas closes the book on the 2012 football season, it will also close the book on the Sun Belt Conference. On July 1, the Mean Green will join Conference USA and will play teams that are more geographically relevant to its area. “It’s going to be great for the school,” redshirt senior Christopher Bynes said. “Conference USA is way better than the Sun Belt, and it’ll bring in more athletes (and) more fans, so I think it’s a good move for the Mean Green.” Though the team is 48-88 in its 12 years in the SBC and a lot of fans may consider UNT’s time in the conference as a low point for the program, the Mean Green was relatively successful in its early SBC years. From 2001-2004 the Mean Green won the SBC and participated in the New Orleans Bowl four consecutive years under former head football coach Darrell Dickey, who earned four straight SBC Coach of the Year Awards. During that time, the Mean Green offensive attack was led by running back Patrick Cobbs, who had 4,050 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns during his time at UNT. “When I first got to North Texas in 2001, that first year we won a Sun Belt title,” Cobbs said. “It was great to be in the Sun Belt, and for four years all the Sun Belt knew was North Texas being champions. Here lately, it hasn’t been so much.” In 2005 UNT went from the best team in the conference to the worst and failed to win a home game that season. In 2010, Athletic Director Rick Villarreal told ESPN Dallas’ Tim McMahon that the team had to move on. “We haven’t done well because there was so much confusion and too much going on that we just went on a losing streak,” redshirt freshman running back Antoinne Jimmerson said. “That’s why we’re here now. We got a new coach, so we build a new team and a new family.” The move to C-USA in July will provide UNT with an opportunity to start off fresh in a new conference. “I think it’s a good move as far as getting more media exposure, and getting more TV exposure and letting everyone in the nation know who North Texas is,” junior defensive back Hilbert Jackson said.
The Daily Cougar
6 \\ Saturday, October 6, 2012
THEBIGBOARD AP TOP 25 RK
TEAM
// College football at a glance
C-USA MATCHUPS
C-USA
RECORD
PTS
1 Alabama (60)
5-0
1500
2 Oregon
5-0
1430
Boise State @ Southern Miss
3 Florida State
5-0
1349
Southeastern Louisiana @ UAB
4 LSU
5-0
1310
Tulsa @ Marshall
CBSSN
2:30 p.m. CT
5 Georgia
5-0
1252
Memphis
0
0
0
4
Tulane @ Louisiana-Lafayette
Cox 4 (NOLA)/ESPN3
4 p.m. CT
6 South Carolina
5-0
1152
Southern Miss
0
1
0
4
7 Kansas State
4-0
1123
Rice @ Memphis
FCS
6 p.m. CT
UAB
0
1
0
4
SMU @ UTEP
TW Texas
7 p.m. CT
WEST
W
L
W
L
Tulsa
2
0
4
1
Houston
1
0
1
3
SATURDAY
NETWORK
TIME
EAST
W
L
W
L
FSN
11 a.m. CT
East Carolina
2
0
3
2
ESPN 3
2 p.m. CT
Marshall
1
0
2
3
UCF
0
0
2
2
8 West Virginia
4-0
1066
9 Notre Dame
4-0
1043
10 Florida
4-0
937
11 Texas
4-0
932
SMU
0
0
1
3
UTEP
0
1
0
4
12 Ohio State
5-0
793
13 USC
3-1
703
14 Oregon State
3-0
647
15 Clemson
4-1
608
16 TCU
4-0
608
17 Oklahoma
2-1
581
18 Stanford
3-1
509
19 Louisville
5-0
404
20 Mississippi State
4-0
306
21 Nebraska 22 Rutgers 23 Washington
4-1 4-0 3-1
240 160 159
24 Northwestern
5-0
143
25 UCLA
4-1
122
TV GUIDE SATURDAY, OCT. 6
NETWORK
TIME (CT)
Navy at Air Force
CBS
10:30 a.m.
Kansas at Kansas State
FX
11 a.m.
Connecticut at Rutgers
ESPN U
11 a.m.
Northwestern at Penn State
ESPN
11 a.m.
Arkansas at Auburn
ESPN2
11 a.m.
Michigan State at Indiana Buffalo at Ohio South Florida at Temple
BTN ESPN3 Big East Network
11 a.m. 11 a.m. 11 a.m.
Boston College at Army
CBSS
11 a.m.
Mississippi State at Kentucky
SEC Network
11:21 a.m.
Virginia Tech at North Carolina
ESPN 3
11:30 a.m.
Virginia at Duke
FOX
1 p.m.
Northern Illinois at Ball State
ESPN3
1 p.m.
Dropped from rankings: Michigan State 20, Boise State 24, Baylor 25
Central Michigan at Toledo
ESPN3
1 p.m.
LSU at Florida
CBS
2:30 p.m.
Others receiving votes: Cincinnati 72, Boise State 53, Texas A&M 51, Michigan State 43, Texas Tech 39, Michigan 38, Louisiana Tech 37, Baylor 31, Ohio 30, Arizona State 15, Arizona 4, Miami (FL) 4, Iowa State 3, Tennessee 3
Georgia Tech at Clemson
ESPN
2:30 p.m.
Oklahoma at Texas Tech
ESPN2/ABC
2:30 p.m.
Wake Forest at Maryland
ESPNU
2:30 p.m.
SAY WHAT?
We’ll start off a drive and get rolling, but we really need to do a better job of finishing drives and coming out early in the game scoring in the first possession of the half.”
Illinois at Wisconsin
ESPN2/ABC
2:30 p.m.
Louisiana-Monroe at Middle Tennessee
ESPN
2:30 p.m.
Michigan at Purdue
BTN
3 p.m.
Washington State at Oregon State
Pac-12 Network
5 p.m.
Georgia at South Carolina
ESPN
6 p.m.
West Virginia at Texas
FOX
6 p.m.
Vanderbilt at Missouri
ESPN3
6 p.m.
Texas A&M at Ole Miss
ESPNU
6 p.m.
Miami (Fla.) vs. Notre Dame
NBC
6:30 p.m.
Florida State at NC State
ESPN2
7 p.m.
Nebraska at Ohio State
ABC
7 p.m.
UCLA at California
Pac-12 Network
9 p.m.
— David Piland, redshirt sophomore quarterback on the importance of finishing drives.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5TH
NETWORK
TIME (CT)
Western Kentucky at Troy
ESPN
6:30 p.m.
UTEP Miners at TULSA
FSN
7 p.m.
Tulane
0
1
0
4
Rice
0
2
1
4
COUGAR FLASHBACK
1980 Houstonian Yearbook
HOUSTON 13, BAYLOR 10
UH defeats Baylor The Cougars faced Baylor and won a defensive battle on its way to an 11-1 season in 1979, one of their best ever. It was a season in which the Cougars defeated two top 10 teams and finished 5th in the AP poll. — Christopher Shelton
11 players. 100 yards. 140 characters at a time. Follow @thedailycougar on Twitter.
Saturday, October 6, 2012 // 7
The Daily Cougar
20 Valencia (SS) 2
23 Stewart (FS) 10 McMillian (CB)
Hayden (CB)
42
90
Steward (LB)
Riser (DE)
92
54
Daniels (LB)
Mbu (DT)
95
49 Mathews (LB)
Scypion (DT)
45
Allen (DE)
DEFE ENSE OFFE ENSE 74
64
Harper (LT)
Cloud (LG)
63
8 27
Forsch (C)
76
Ashworth (RG)
69
Piland (QB)
Oragwu (RT)
81 McDuffey (WR)
3 Greenberry(WR)
9 Peace (WR)
Spencer (WR)
5
Sims (RB)
TEAMLEADERS 2012 stats, UH vs. Rice starters
UNDERTHEHELMET
// Getting to know the Cougars
PASSING
Player
Cmp Att. Yards Cmp% TD Int
Favorite dinosaur
Rat
David Piland
124
224
1401
55.4
7
7
112
Derek Thompson
74
131
927
56.5
6
3
130.4
Raptor
RUSHING
Yards
TD
Att.
Avg.
Charles Sims
58
5.17
300
5
47
Antoinne Jimmerson
59
5.6
341
2
45
Player
Long
Brandon Hartson
Favorite restaurant
Hobby outside of football
Pappasito’s
Long walks on beach
FIND A BETTER JOB. RECEIVING
Player
Rec.
Avg.
Yards
TD
Long
Daniel Spencer
23
15.8
364
2
74
Brelan Chancellor
19
20.5
389
5
80
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The Daily Cougar
8 \\ Saturday, October 6, 2012
Construction firm used by UNT, UH boasts national reputation Andrew Pate Sports editor When the University of North Texas athletic director was in search of construction services for the Mean Green’s new football stadium, he did not have to look far to see Manhattan Construction Group’s work on display. “The easiest thing was that they were in the process of building the Cowboys Stadium,” Rick Villarreal said. “We were able to tour the facility at different periods of time. Every time we were around their folks, you just saw things being done the right way.” Nearly two years after breaking ground, North Texas opened up its $78 million Apogee Stadium last September in a game against the Cougars following a satisfying experience with the firm. “The thing with Manhattan is that they will be very attentive to detail, but they’re also very open to doing things just a little better for you,” Villarreal said. “There were several points in the construction where Manhattan said ‘if you wanted to do this at this time, you could go ahead and do it and save a lot of money
and it’s something that you will want later.’” In addition to its work with North Texas and the Dallas Cowboys, the company has established its brand in Houston, partnering with the Texans to build Reliant Stadium and the Dynamo for BBVA Compass Stadium, something that appealed heavily to UH Athletic Director Mack Rhoades. “Manhattan Construction Company has constructed preeminent athletics venues for successful sports franchises in this great city and in the state of Texas,” Rhoades said in a statement. The project is expected to cost UH in the range of $105 million with construction beginning following the 2012 football season. If the firm’s handling of UNT’s Apogee Stadium is any indication, Rhoades and the Cougars have a bright future to look forward to. “The one thing that I would tell Mack is just to be open to their suggestions and be willing to discuss those things that are important to you,” Villarreal said. “As you go through the process, they are a company that can make those things happen.”
Following the 2012 season, with the help of Manhattan Construction, UH will break ground on its new $105 million project which is expected to be ready by the 2014 season. | File photo/The Daily Cougar