It is safe to say that 2007 was Donnie Avery's year. First of all, Avery is the top wide
reciever for the Texas Bowl-bound Houston Cougars and he had a breakout season
with 81 receptions for 1,336 yards and 7 TD. On top of that, Avery had a game on October 13 against Rice that would shame even Randy Moss (13 receptions for 346 yards and 2 TD). And if you're looking for icing on that cake, take a look at the Cougs' winning record (8-4) which was good enough for a bid to the Texas Bowl opposite TCU. Not a bad year, eh?

Hard work is what got Avery to the upper echelon, a place that freshman teammate Terrance Ganaway would love to be in the future. Ganaway, a freshman running back for Houston, certainly put in his dues this season, though. The six-foot back is described as a "bruising inside runner". Ganaway lived up to that reputation in 2007, rushing for 550 yards and 6 rushing TDs on 5.1 yards per carry.

As the Cougars head into Friday's match-up against the Horned Frogs, Aaron Fischman caught up with Donnie and Terrance for a joint interview. We hope you enjoy the responses from these two native Texans.

 

Aaron Fischman: Who do you think was most deserving of the Heisman Trophy this season?

Terrance Ganaway: I think [Tim] Tebow deserved to win the Heisman simply because [of] his numbers. He rushed for over 20 touchdowns and he passed for more than 25. The first player in college history to do so, and he is still a sophomore. He still has got room to improve his game. He is truly the best player in college in 2007. [Darren] McFadden was a pretty good candidate but he had under 100 yards in three games this season. If you [are] going to win the Heisman, you gotta rush for more than 100, just 100, come on. Other than that [McFadden] had a very successful season that will skyrocket him up in the draft.

AF: Terrance, let's discuss the season-opener against Oregon. You guys were tied with them at 20 until early in the third quarter when Dennis Dixon started to "go crazy". What does that hard-fought game say about your team? What was it like watching Dixon play on the opposing team?

TG: I wish we [could've] won that game. But I tell you, Dixon is a great athlete. But Oregon was only better than us on that day. I believe if we come out mistake-free that game, then you got yourself a football game. We had their crowd silenced for the whole first half and right after half. But then again, we had a couple mistakes and then Dixon got in the groove. He had [an] 80-yard scamper to the endzone. But just like every D1 team, you have a player that can, and will, make the difference. I ain't going to sit here and say that he was a phenom, 'cause we contained him for a while, but [he's] most definitely one of the best players we faced all year.

AF: Donnie, what is it like catching passes from two quarterbacks -- Case Keenam and Blake Joseph -- rather than one? Briefly discuss the differences in their styles and abilities.

Donnie Avery: It's great to catch from both of those guys. Both guys are my favorite 'cause they bring different tools to the table. I call Case "the White Mike Vick" because he's so agile with his feet. And I call Blake "the Cannon" because he could probably throw the ball about 80 yards down the field when the pocket is about to close.

AF: Terrance, as a freshman you're backing up an amazing running back in Anthony Aldridge. What has he taught you? How do anticipate your role changing next season, after Anthony has graduated?

TG: The reason why I chose [Houston] was because I wanted to sit and watch a senior do what it takes for his team to win. I have learned a great deal from Quick, mostly how to be a leader. As far as my role [for] next year, I just hope it's good we have two other running backs [who] will be ready to go as well and we have two [who] will be finishing up their redshirt years. So it's not going to be given to me on a silver platter. I am going to have to work hard for it and rest [assured] I'm going to do that.

AF: Donnie, how did it feel to catch for 346 yards against Rice (on October 13, 2007)? What made it so easy for you that night?

DA: It was a very [exciting] game for me. I worked extremely hard that week to get ready for that game because Rice is our rivalry team. I knew the game was gonna be emotional, but I had no clue I was gonna have a record-breaking day. The quarterbacks and I were on the same page and we attacked [Rice] when they tried to man me up.

AF: Terrance, what went wrong in the game against Tulsa? [Editor's note: The Cougars lost 56-7 to Tulsa on November 10].

TG: They came out ready to play and we didn't. Them boys had everything going for them and I know we [were] questioning some of the calls by the refs. But, no, we lost that game in our [own] hands. I don't know if we just didn't know what was at [stake], but we didn't play for the conference title. Tulsa played at a different speed than us the whole night. If we were to play them again, it wouldn't be 56-7 at all.

AF: Donnie, what is your best memory of your time at the University of Houston?

DA: The best memory I had at UH was when I took the kick-off return back a hundred yards against Rice. I played on Special Teams all four years and never scored on Special Teams. So I guess you can say this was the best memory and accomplishment I ever had at UH.

AF: What can you tell us about your bowl game opponent, TCU? And what has your team done to prepare for the Texas Bowl?

TG: All we know is that we are playing TCU. Nothing more, nothing less. We are worried 'bout Houston. Evidently, we know that TCU is good 'cause [they're] in a bowl game. But we are just going to make ourselves better. We are just practicing at a high tempo and we just got the idea that we are just going to play at a level we haven't played at all year. I think it will be a good game and we will win.

DA: It's gonna be a fun and [exciting] game. TCU is a fast team, but so are we. We're not changing anything up. We're just gonna go out there, play our game and come out on top.

 

Watch Donnie and Terrance back up their confident talk on Friday, December 28 against TCU in the Texas Bowl. Coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.

If you liked this interview, be sure to catch up with other college football athletes with interviews in our archives.