At the end of the hour-long session with special teams coordinator Jamie Christian, the first-year University of Houston head football coach pulls out from his pocket a small piece of paper - his to-do list. Instead of driving in from his Sugar Land home, Levine slept on a black leather couch in his office to get an early start. The first half includes meetings with his coaching staff and academic advisers, plus film study of North Texas, Saturday's opponent. Later in the day, Levine will hold a brief team meeting, conduct an 80-minute practice and head back to his office for more film study. The sun is barely beginning to rise outside a second-floor window as Levine pulls up video of North Texas on a computer. For the next few hours, Levine sits in the room adjacent to his office and receives updates on his players' academic progress and an injury report from the team doctor. Mack Rhoades, the UH vice president for intercollegiate athletics, stops by around lunchtime for a quick visit. [...] does sports information director David Bassity, who asks for an updated depth chart for the weekly game notes. Chris Pezman, assistant athletic director for football operations, informs Levine that a school is interested in pushing back a future non-conference game. Since taking over the coaching reins for the Cougars' TicketCity Bowl appearance last January, Levine hasn't had much time for decorating his office, except for a few pictures of his wife Erin and his four children - Ben, 7, Asher, 5, Willa, 3 and Eli, 1. There are some trophies, including Andre Ware's Heisman Trophy and Wilson Whitley's Rotary Lombardi Award, and two sculptures of cougars sitting on nearby tables. Levine is meticulous in his attention to detail, for which he credits his mother Harriet, a career resource specialist for a school district in Minnesota. Another early influence was Bobby Petrino, who hired Levine as director of football operations at Louisville in 2003 despite "zero background in operations." For the next few hours, Levine leans back in his black leather chair and watches game film on his computer. Throughout the afternoon, Levine has brief meetings with punter Richie Leone, cornerback D.J. Hayden and running back Ryan Jackson. Some of the plays, including crushing hits by linebacker Phillip Steward and free safety Trevon Stewart, send the room into a frenzy. Levine tells the team NFL scouts have said it was "the most enthusiasm, excitement and energy" they had seen UH play with all season. Pezman comes into the office to discuss Saturday's game-day itinerary - from wake-up call to when the team will have its pregame meal and leave the hotel for the stadium. Levine closes his office door, turns out the light and goes to sleep.
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