Sep 6, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars head coach Willie Fritz walks on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Rice Owls at Rice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Houston, Willie Fritz Smoke Out Rice's 'Gun Choice' Offense

Originally posted on Houston Cougars on SI | By Noah Ruiz | Last updated Sep 7, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Entering Houston football's rivalry matchup with intercity rival Rice, Cougars head coach Willie Fritz knew his squad was gearing up to face a kind of offense he had seen time and time before, mostly under his own coaching guidance.

The 'gun choice' offense, as its called, employs a three-option scenario for the quarterback, where his judgement call will result in a keeper, dive option or a pitch option. To the Owls' disadvantage, however, Fritz spent his time at Sam Houston State and Georgia Southern racking up wins and yards under the same system.

Using an offense for so long means one grows to know its counters, which is exactly what the Houston defense was able to do against Rice as it went on its way to cruise home with a 35-9 victory.

Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Pass

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

While at Georgia Southern, the gun option offense brought the Eagles rousing success in Fritz's first year at the helm as his squad went on an undefeated, 8-0 Sun Belt Conference tear, winning the outright conference championship. Therefore, Fritz knew what was coming in a fight with Owls.

Rice was flustered on third down, converting just four times on fifteen attempts against the Cougars' defense. No touchdowns were allowed through the air in Houston's eventual rout except for one, though it was quarterback Chase Jenkins' 37-yard pick-six for the Cougars.

The triple option saw three Rice rushers carry the ball at least ten times, with just one touchdown to show for it in the fourth quarter. Jenkins' mobility did threaten to be the difference maker as he scored the Owls' lone touchdown, but with Fritz in control, there was not much Rice could do as it was rendered one-dimensional.

The Houston defense attacked the line of scrimmage with tenacity and grit, holding the Owls' rushing attack to just 3.3 yards per carry while not allowing a rush over 17 yards through four quarters of action. While the Cougars did not pull away until later in the game, it was the fault of the defense and its ability to diagnose Rice's attack.

With another win under his belt commanding the Houston program, Fritz has the ability to continue to flip the script on the outlook on the Cougars and their chances to compete for a Big 12 title. Experience comes with tough lessons to learn and, with luck, Fritz has learned enough to avoid the same mistakes and to keep on driving Houston deeper into a successful season.

This article first appeared on Houston Cougars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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