Oliver ready to play without having ‘leash’
University of Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver said goodbye to his pesky knee brace during the week off.
“At first I was skeptical, but the more I played, the better I felt,” Oliver said.
Oliver had worn the brace since suffering an MCL sprain in his left knee Sept. 30 against Temple. His knee passed a stability test last week, clearing Oliver to practice and play in games without the bulky device.
“He told me ‘they took my leash,’ ” coach Major Applewhite said Monday. “I didn’t know what he was talking about at first, and then saw he didn’t have his knee brace on. He feels great about it. All those things are for safety precautions.
“As long as he’s feeling heathy and ready to go, I’m feeling good and ready to go.”
Williams may be back Saturday
There’s a chance outside
linebacker Khalil Williams could return Saturday at Tulane after missing a game with a sprained ankle.
“I feel like he should be able to get back possibly this week, if not this week next week,” coach Major Applewhite said.
Applewhite said the open date allowed the Cougars to get healthy with the exception of a handful of players with seasonending injuries.
“Everybody else is back to some degree,” Applewhite said.
Bowl projections vary for Cougars
Now bowl-eligible, the Cougars must wait to learn their bowl destination.
The latest projections from national media outlets have Houston (6-3, 4-2 American Athletic Conference) in the running for one of three bowls.
CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated have the Cougars playing in the Dec. 20 Frisco Bowl, formerly the Miami Beach Bowl, in suburban Dallas against Ohio (Mid-American) and Middle Tennessee (Conference USA), respectively.
ESPN is split, with Kyle Bonagura projecting the Cougars in the Dec. 21 Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl in St. Petersburg, Fla., against UAB (CUSA), while David M. Hale has UH in the Dec. 23 Birmingham Bowl against UCLA (Pac-12).
Bowl announcements will be made Dec. 3.
11 a.m. kickoff for Navy game
The Nov. 24 regular season finale against Navy will kick off at 11 a.m. and will be televised on ESPN, the American Athletic Conference announced Monday.