It’s hard not to get excited when Brian Early talks. He doesn’t speak to the media often, but when it happens, I’m always left wanting more. Stats that have defined Dana Holgorsen’s career at UH and an update on the Oklahoma series.
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Early Bird. Brian Early has been very high on Nelson Ceaser, his versatility, his football IQ, and his willingness to learn. Ceaser has been working on his first step, where he establishes leverage at the point of attack.
He spoke for 15 minutes or so and if you have time, you should definitely check out the entire interview. If you have 4 minutes, though, we’ve got you covered.
Exactly 4 minutes of Early highlights:
By The Numbers. We did a story after the 2022 season that was mainly stats from the four years of Dana Holgorsen. The two that seem essential to know are giving up 24+ points and scoring in the kicking game.
If UH scores in the kicking game, Houston is 9-2. If there isn’t a kick game score, the Coogs are 18-18.
The other telling stat is allowing 24 or more points. If UH does that, the team is 9-20. They’re 18-0 when allowing fewer than 24. UH allowed 24+ points nine times last year and went 5-4. Meaning in the first three years, the team was 4-16 when allowing 24+.
UH is 4-12 when they score 30 or less under Dana. That’s also a number to watch this year.
Enjoy Eman. Eman Naghavi is a fascinating talker. His facial expressions, the words he uses, and the way he communicates. Besides the run game, he’s focused on discipline and penalties.
“Penalties are something that’ll get you beat down the road,” Naghavi said Thursday. “You look at pre-snap and post-snap penalties, a lot of the presnap stuff is just having your mind right and being focused on the play. And a lot of the post-snap stuff could be technique, could be fatigue.
“So, things that we work on every day in drills and try to push them when they’re tired, and they have to do the right things. Don’t get holding calls, keep your hands inside, all that stuff.”
You can see his entire press conference here.
What it means: If Naghavi can come in and make an immediate impact on run-blocking and OL penalties, he’s an all-star.
Sooners Than Expected. After yesterday’s news about the OU home-and-home, two sources told me my info might be dated. UH could play at Oklahoma in week two of the 2024 season, with OU’s return game to Houston in 2028. An announcement could come soon.
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