HOUSTON, Texas (August 25) - In lieu of a third and final scrimmage University of Houston head coach Dana Dimel will practice his Cougars on both Saturday and Sunday in preparation for the season opener versus Rice. The Cougars began the weekend with an intense two-and-a-half practice this afternoon at the Cougar practice fields.

UH is slated for a morning workout tomorrow and a Sunday afternoon practice. The Cougars begin full preparation for the Owls on Monday.

"This is a three-practice weekend," said Dimel. "We are not scrimmaging in order limit our chances for injury heading into the Rice game. Instead, we will have two more intense practices, just like today, and start our normal weekly game preparation by jumping into the Rice game plan.

"Now we'll spend the time getting the pieces together. We are going to make sure our two-deep is intact and ready to play. This is the week we see who is ready to step on the field and take care of business."

The Cougars will continue workouts next week leading up the matchup with Rice-the inner-city rivalry that is awarded the Southwestern Bell Bayou Bucket for a victory. Last season the Cougars held onto the bucket after a 28-3 win over the Owls in the season opener in the debut of John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium.

The Cougar-Owl clash is Saturday, September 2, at 7 p.m. at Rice Stadium. Tickets are still available by calling both the Houston and Rice ticket offices.