[ad_1]
Houston coach Major Applewhite and US running back Ed Oliver announced on Friday night that they will move forward together, one day after the two men contested a jacket in the Cougars' win over the United States. Tulane.
During the second quarter of the 48-17 win in Houston, Applewhite approached Oliver, who missed four straight games due to a knee injury, on the sideline before half-time and removed the line player's jacket from his shoulder. Later, Oliver could be seen shouting at Applewhite as the team headed to his locker room at half-time and was retained by Houston athletic performance director Rod Grace.
Applewhite did not seem to react and kept walking.
Houston lost quarterback Eriq King for the season. King, who leads the FBS with 50 touchdowns, has a torn meniscus in his right knee, a source said.
Duke 's Daniel Jones makes Mel Kiper Jr.' s final standings for the top prospects for next year 's draft. In addition, Kiper chooses the top 10 at each position.
1 related
Oliver said Friday that he was caught in a moment of emotion.
"Last night, it's not what I am," said Oliver in a statement published through the school. "I am very passionate about football and last night there was a misunderstanding I was caught in a moment of emotion I have the utmost respect for the coach Applewhite and I appreciate the support of the Applewhite coach and his teammates.I love my brothers, my team and my city and I look forward to going forward with Come on, Coogs! "
Applewhite said that they will learn from the incident.
"Ed is a passionate human being and that's why he's the best player in the country," Applewhite said in a statement. "Last night was not revealing of its character and it was an exciting time within our program, and we can, and we will, learn from this situation as we progress together."
Oliver left the locker room at half-time and did not return for the remainder of the match. Then Applewhite played down the incident, evoking strong emotions, and added that he would like Oliver's return.
The coach explained that, according to the rules of the team, the jackets were meant for active players and that he preferred that even Thursday participants minimize their wearing because they wore only "50 degrees to l & # 39; outside. " He asked Oliver to remove him in order to treat him on an equal footing, which angered him.
Oliver, a junior who said in March that he would give up his senior season and participate in the NFL draft in 2019, is widely regarded as one of the top 10 picks. This season, he has 51 tackles and 13.5 tackles for the loss, but he went from No. 2 to No. 7 in the Big Board ranking of ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. this week after missing a month of action.
Oliver attempted to play against SMU on November 3, but he did not feel comfortable on the knee after participating in the pre – game warm – ups and chose to play. sit. He suffered a knee injury in Houston's Oct. 20 win over the Navy after being hit on the ground by an opposing offensive lineman.
Applewhite said on Monday that Oliver would not train until he felt healthy enough to play, but that he would welcome him when he was ready.
"I want him to come back, I want him to be part of our football team," Applewhite said Thursday. "If he wants to play, I want him to play … you'll manage the emotions all the time.And it's our job as coaches to help and help them." to develop this maturity and to go forward, and that is my job if he lets me help him, I will do it absolutely, in any way possible. "
Oliver's uncertain status since the injury has been a source of frustration for him, said Applewhite. His elite draft status and his imminent start have left some wondering if he should stay away from the rest of the season to not aggravate the injury and protect his draft status.
On Wednesday, Oliver posted on Twitter an enigmatic tweet that said: "I gave everything so I was screwed." This led to the thought that he had decided to no longer play this season with the Cougars. But Oliver told Thursday at ESPN's Laura Rutledge that this was not his intention. Instead, he said he wrote it so that if he can not come back, people will know how much he gave to the team.
Applewhite said Thursday that if Oliver was healthy enough to play against Memphis next Friday, he would.
Source link
