蜜柚直播

Now well into the second full week of college football, Houston will open its season at 蜜柚直播 Stadium on Saturday after canceling its opener with UTSA due to the effects of Hurricane Harvey. The Star's Michael Lev and Zack Rosenblatt break down 蜜柚直播's speedy playmaker, the Wildcats' task of slowing Cougars DT Ed Oliver, and Houston's return to the field.聽

So 鈥� this doesn鈥檛 happen every week in college football:

蜜柚直播 Wildcats freshman quarterback Rhett Rodriguez 鈥� the son of UA coach Rich Rodriguez 鈥� made his debut against NAU last Saturday. The younger Rodriguez entered the game in the fourth quarter after backup Khalil Tate got hurt.

While Rhett huddled with his coaches and fellow quarterbacks on the east sideline, someone wanted to take his picture.

鈥淚鈥檓 like, 鈥楳om, I鈥檓 still in the middle of the game,鈥欌�� Rhett said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 like, 鈥業t鈥檒l take a second.鈥�"

It was an occasion worth commemorating for mom Rita, sister Raquel (a UA cheerleader) and even dad Rich, who mostly was focused on winning the game. Just months after graduating from Catalina Foothills High School, Rhett played in his first game for his hometown team, which his father happens to coach.

鈥淚t was kind of a surreal moment,鈥� Rhett said. 鈥淚鈥檝e thought about that a lot. Honestly, going into the game, I was like, 鈥業 probably won鈥檛 play.鈥� I wasn鈥檛 sure either way. Once I was in there, I was like, 鈥楿h, this is really it.鈥� 鈥�

Rhett didn鈥檛 have much time to think about it as it was happening. Tate hurt his shoulder and quickly returned to the sideline. Rich Rodriguez summoned Rhett, who already was loose (he helped warm up Tate) and had his helmet on. He came in for one play at the NAU 10-yard line, a handoff to Branden Leon that resulted in a touchdown.

鈥淭hey called the easiest play in the playbook,鈥� Rhett said, laughing. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have a read, I don鈥檛 have a throw or anything. Just (caught) the ball, handed the ball off and scored a touchdown. So I was 1 for 1.鈥�

After the Lumberjacks drove for a field goal, Rhett got to run the offense for an entire possession. Fellow freshman Nathan Tilford鈥檚 65-yard run moved the ball right back to the NAU 10. Four plays later, Rich Rodriguez called his son鈥檚 number. Rhett sneaked in from the 1 for his first career touchdown.

The outside expectation entering the season was that Rhett Rodriguez and the other three freshman quarterbacks on the roster would redshirt unless an emergency arose. Tate鈥檚 injury, with 蜜柚直播 leading 48-21 in the fourth quarter, didn鈥檛 qualify as one.

Rhett said he left that decision to his dad鈥檚 judgment.

鈥淣o one goes in wanting to redshirt; everybody wants to play,鈥� Rhett said. 鈥淚 just didn鈥檛 want him to think that I wasn鈥檛 ready, because I thought I was ready to go out there.鈥�

He was ready for some proper photos after the game. Both of Rhett鈥檚 grandmothers were in attendance, as was an aunt and other out-of-towners.

鈥淲e all got a big picture,鈥� Rhett said. 鈥淚t was a cool experience.鈥�

Tyrell Johnson is the 蜜柚直播 Wildcats鈥� fastest man. But that speed isn鈥檛 particularly useful when Johnson is unavailable.

The kick returner/slot receiver missed the first five games of 2015, the last three of 鈥�16 and time in between because of injuries. He鈥檚 healthy now, and if the opener was any indication, Johnson is ready to provide a spark 蜜柚直播 has been missing.

The senior from Fort Myers, Florida, electrified 蜜柚直播 Stadium with a 55-yard touchdown run on an end-around in the UA鈥檚 62-24 victory over Northern 蜜柚直播. He later added a 58-yard kickoff return, the Wildcats鈥� second significant special-teams play of the night.

鈥淚t seems he鈥檚 had a nagging injury each year that鈥檚 probably stopped him from really getting as many reps and as many opportunities as where he is right now,鈥� said UA coach Rich Rodriguez, whose team hosts Houston on Saturday night. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a guy you want to try to get the ball to.鈥�

Johnson has averaged one touchdown every 12 times he has touched the ball on offense as a rusher or receiver. At 5-7, 164 pounds, he is ideally suited for a returner/gadget role 鈥� a handful of plays per game where 蜜柚直播 can catch the opposition off guard.

Johnson was forced out of that role last season, when a rash of injuries forced him to become one of the Wildcats鈥� primary tailbacks. Johnson rushed for 78 yards on 16 carries against UCLA. Two weeks later he pulled a hamstring against USC and was done for the season.

Hamstring issues cropped up for Johnson multiple times. Even his return to the UA track team in spring was cut short because of them (although not before Johnson ran the 100 in 10.4 seconds).

But after taking time off before summer workouts 鈥� and devoting himself to 鈥減rehab,鈥� including daily cold-tub sessions 鈥� Johnson is feeling fit. It was evident on the second-quarter end-around, which Johnson described as follows:

鈥淭here was no one over there. My receiver buddy, Ced Peterson, he pushed his corner out of bounds. And I had Layth Friekh leading me around the end. It was my speed against their speed, basically. I had to just turn 鈥檈m on.鈥�

Johnson dashed to the same sideline on his fourth-quarter kickoff return. He had suggested to special-teams coach Brian Knorr that the Wildcats go wide after noting that the Lumberjacks were 鈥渟queezing鈥� him by angling kicks outside the hash marks.

鈥淚 think we can bust one back across field,鈥� Johnson told Knorr. 鈥淲e just went with it.鈥�

Johnson has yet to return a kick for a score, but the performance of 蜜柚直播鈥檚 special teams suggests he鈥檒l have a chance during his senior season. Shun Brown returned a punt for a touchdown in the first quarter against NAU.

鈥淲e preach that we鈥檝e got to be great in all three phases,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚t starts with special teams.鈥�

Every season, it seems like Jacob Alsadek is doing battle with another batch of future NFL defensive linemen. Alsadek has been a starter on 蜜柚直播鈥檚 offensive since his redshirt freshman season in 2014, and the Pac-12 has sent a horde of defensive line talent to the NFL since then.

Houston鈥檚 Ed Oliver will be the latest one.

The Cougars鈥� 6-foot-3-inch, 290-pound defensive tackle has been billed as the No. 1 player in all of college football, ahead of USC鈥檚 Sam Darnold and Louisville鈥檚 Lamar Jackson.

鈥淗e鈥檚 very quick, he鈥檚 very active as well as being very good technically...he鈥檚 a good player,鈥� Alsadek said of Oliver. 鈥淗e鈥檚 very good technically and that鈥檚 something we鈥檝e gotta take into account.鈥�

Here鈥檚 Alsadek鈥檚 list of the toughest opponents he鈥檚 ever faced:

Danny Shelton, Washington: Shelton was a first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns, and he was a load to block at UW. 鈥淚 feel like he鈥檚 one of those guys that鈥檚 a huge human,鈥� Alsadek said. 鈥淗e鈥檚鈥 think the best guy I鈥檝e ever gone against.鈥� Shelton had nine tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack when he faced Alsadek and the UA.

Solomon Thomas, Stanford: Thomas was a first-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers. 鈥淪olomon plays a lot like Ed, he just plays really low, he鈥檚 not very big. He鈥檚 just so good technically,鈥� Alsadek said. In two games against 蜜柚直播, Thomas had seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

Leonard Williams, USC: Williams was a first-round pick of the New York Jets. In 2014, Williams famously tackled 蜜柚直播 running back Terris Jones-Grigsby so hard that the UA senior鈥檚 helmet flew off. Alsadek said he Williams even playing his best. 鈥淚 think he was kind of checked out, to be honest,鈥� Alsadek said, laughing. 鈥淏ut when he wanted to play, he played really hard and really well.鈥�

Thank you, 蜜柚直播. You've filled the 2nd equipment truck. We're sending almost 70K lbs of goods to Houston.

鈥� 蜜柚直播 Athletics (@AZATHLETICS)

蜜柚直播鈥檚 season began last week, but Houston will start in 蜜柚直播 after their Week 1 match-up with UTSA was cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey.

This week, the Cougars finally returned to practice in Houston for the first time in a couple weeks after spending most of their time training and prepping for the season in Austin at the University of Texas.

UH coach Major Applewhite said the team is ready to 鈥渂e back in some normalcy.鈥�

Earlier this week, the Star spoke with Applewhite as part of the American conference鈥檚 coaches call.

Here鈥檚 some of what he had to say:

On if the team watched any football on Saturday without a game:聽鈥淚鈥檓 sure our players did, I spoke with a lot of them when they returned. A lot of them spent time watching games, a lot of them spent the earlier part of the day, kind of helping out teammates and doing those sort of things.

On getting back to Houston:聽鈥淚t鈥檚 been a ride and we鈥檙e ready to get back to some normalcy. Our players, staff, our support staff we spent a lot of the last (few days) making sure that everybody鈥檚 OK home-wise, transportation-wise, food-wise. Cross those ts and dot those Is in making sure everybody鈥檚 back. School week starts tomorrow. We鈥檙e ready to get back into the normal way of doing things.鈥�

On 蜜柚直播:聽鈥淕oing all the way back to all of the Rich Rodriguez-coached teams, whether it was at West Virginia or Michigan or 蜜柚直播 鈥� the teams play with great effort, they play with a lot of toughness, they鈥檙e very well-conditioned, obviously just from an offensive and defensive standpoint they have a great pace on offense and they run the football.鈥�

On 蜜柚直播鈥檚 season-opening win against NAU:聽鈥淭hat was a good opening win for them , it looked very clean for the first game out as a football team, thought they played with a lot of poise and their quarterback played with a lot of poise. He understands their system, he understands how to operate their system. He鈥檚 a competitive player. They鈥檙e a very good ball club. It doesn鈥檛 surprise me just being a fan of football and watching Coach Rodriguez and his staff, there鈥檚 a lot of continuity in his staff.鈥�

蜜柚直播 has made a concerted effort in the 2018 cycle to recruit players from the state of Texas, and Houston in particular.

The Wildcats have already secured one commitment in Darrius Smith, a running back from Dawson High School.

Smith fits the mold of an 蜜柚直播 OKG 鈥� 鈥淥ur Kind of Guy鈥� 鈥� largely due to his size. Smith鈥檚 only offers other than 蜜柚直播 came from Alabama A&M, Howard and Texas Southern. Even if he鈥檚 only 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, Smith is still one of the most productive players in Houston.

Smith rushed for 1,500 yards as a junior, added 300 receiving yards and scored 20 combined touchdowns on his way to winning the district鈥檚 MVP award.

Dawson coach Eric Wells said he uses Smith as a running back, slot receiver and, occasionally, a 鈥淲ildcat鈥� quarterback.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a great player, really smart as far as understanding the concepts we have on offense,鈥� the coach said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a special kid.鈥�

Wells said Smith size turned off some major programs, though schools did start calling after 蜜柚直播 offered him.

鈥淗e鈥檚 not quite big, but he鈥檚 not a midget,鈥� Wells said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 one of those kids sometimes that falls between the cracks but when you get in there and get a coach who watches his film and see how explosive he is it鈥檚 pretty easy to recruit him.

鈥淚t was funny because when 蜜柚直播 offered him, people started calling from everywhere. We saw him on paper as 5-9 so we didn鈥檛 even come by there. 蜜柚直播 offered and now 蜜柚直播 offered and people want to see why is he so special. They watch his film and it鈥檚 holy crap he鈥檚 awesome.鈥�

’s Greg Powers, who covers Texas recruiting, likes the fit for Smith at 蜜柚直播.

鈥淒arius is a good player but in RichRod鈥檚 offense he鈥檚 a guy who fits in there well,鈥� Powers said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a guy who was the offensive MVP of their district, he racked up over 2,000 offensive yards, catches the football well so I think he鈥檚 a great fit for what they like to do.鈥�