2016 UH Cougar Watch- Cougars Beat Cincinnati 40-16

The game was actually closer than the final score indicated, but the number 6 ranked University of Houston Cougars beat the Cincinnati Bearcats 40-16 in front of a national television audience and a sold out Nippert Stadium/

It was The American conference game opener between two unbeaten teams considered the favorites to be playing in The American title game in December.  It was also a clash two teams rumored to be the front runners in the Big XII expansion sweepstakes.

But after a frustrating first half in which they turned the ball over twice and despite moving the ball at ease on the Bearcats went in at halftime tied 10-10,

The Third Ward Defense shut down any Bearcat attempts to run the football, but still managed because of Cougar turnovers to grab a 16-12 fourth quarter lead.

Greg Ward, Jr. then shook off the third quarter end zone interception he threw that the Bearcats converted for their go ahead touchdown to march the Cougars on a clutch drive to take the lead back 19-16, then the defense took over.

They contributed back to back pick sixes as part of that 28 point fourth quarter explosion to move the Cougars to 3-0 on the season and win their opening American conference game.

Will these two teams meet in December?  We'll see. But the Cougars travel to San Marcos next week to take on the Texas State Bobcats in a non conference matchup as they continue on their mission to crash the CFA College Football Playoff party.   .

2016 UH Cougar Watch- Coogs Open The American Conference Play Against Cincinnati

After playing a marathon football game against Lamar that lasted 6 hours and 18 minutes, the number 6 University of Houston footballers take their 2-0 act on the road to Cincinnati for their ESPN televised The American conference opener against the Bearcats.

Yep Cincinnati, the #HTownTakeover is headed your way, and Greg Ward, Jr will be starting this week.

Like UH, the Cincinnati Bearcats are also 2-0 and one of the schools rumored to be in the mix for Big XII expansion.  They would be like the Cougars a logical pick to be granted membership because Cincinnati would give West Virginia a Big XII regional rival and travel partner, but would also bring a quality basketball program to the party as well.

But unfortunately, the Big XII hasn't distinguished themselves in the logical thinking department, so we'll have to see what happens next month on the expansion front.  If I were leading the Big XII I'd be advocating expanding to 14 teams to ensure that if someone bolted for another league I still had the number of teams necessary to have a conference title game.  

But right now it's football season, and the the 2-0 Cougars are on a mission to repeat as The American champs, and make the CFA national championship playoffs as a bonus.  

But it all starts here at Nippert Stadium with a Bearcat team that would love to not only ruin those plans, but avenge last year's 33-30 loss to the Cougars and prove they are also Big XII ready at UH's expense.

Should be a fun game to watch starting at 6:30 PM CDT

2016 UH Cougar Watch- Number 6 UH Runs Over Lamar In Six Hour Game

It took them six hours and 18 minutes, and enduring a 3.5 hour lightning delay for a game that kicked off at 11:AM CDT, but the number 6 ranked University Of Houston Cougars adapted and overcame the adversity to beat the Lamar Cardinals 42-0 during their home opener at TDECU Stadium.

They also handled their collegiate football business without the services of QB Greg Ward, Jr  and running back Duke Catalon.   Ward and Catalon were nursing nagging injuries and held out of this non-conference matchup by the Cougar coaching staff because they want them healed and ready for their ESPN televised American conference opener on the road Thursday against the Cincinnati Bearcats.

So that meant backup senior QB Kyle Postma was at the controls of the explosive Cougar offense, and FYI people, there is no talent drop off when he is in the lineup.

Postma scored on a 39 yard TD run in the first quarter to stake the Coogs to a 7-0 lead they never relinquished before lightning strikes suspended the game with 3:13 left in the first quarter.

Once the game resumed at 3:12 PM,  the Cougars proceeded to run as if they time warped back in the 1970's during the break and were using Bill Yeoman's Veer offense.  They racked up 381 yards on the ground and had three players rush for over 100 yards for the first time since 1974.

Kevrin Justice scored to make it 14-0 with less than a minute to go in the first quarter, and was the first in a series of TD's that broke the game wide open and built a 28-0 halftime lead..


In addition to Postma's career high 106 yards and two TD's on just seven carries, RB' Kevrin Justice added 111 yards and two TD's, and freshman Mulbah Car  rushed for 108 yards and one touchdown as the Coogs ran over around and through the Cardinals to go 2-0 in this young 2016 college football season.

They have a short week plus travel to Cincy as they begin trying to repeat as The American champs and keep the possibility of crashing the CFA championship party alive.

2016 UH Cougar Watch -Facing Lamar

After beating then number 3 ranked Oklahoma convincingly 33-23 last Saturday, the University of Houston Cougars were elevated in the AP poll to number 6 in the nation and number 7 in the coaches poll.

It is the highest ranking a UH football squad has held since November 1990 when they rose to number 3 in the nation at thai time, and it is well deserved going into their home opener at TDECU Stadium against Lamar.

To the big victor goes the spoils.  This home opener was originally only going to be broadcast on the ESPN 3 streaming service, but now it is being televised locally on KIAH-TV, CW39.

Kickoff is at 11 AM CDT, and it will be interesting to see if the Cougars can stay focused and handle their football business against an opponent that doesn't have the same talent level as Oklahoma, but will be gunning to pin an major upset on them that would derail their attempt to crash the college football championship playoff party  .

UH Shocks The World Again To Beat No. 3 OU

'Nobody outside Beltway 8, including college football pundits  is giving the number #15 ranked Cougars a chance against a team that was a semifinalist in last year's College Football Playoff and is considered a favorite for the Big XII title.  But then again, none of the college football pundits thought the 13-1 Cougars could hang with Florida State in the Peach Bowl either.'
-TransGriot, September 3, 2016

Can I call it or what?

Once again, the University of Houston Cougars have shocked the college football world and beaten a top ranked football program nobody thought they were capable of beating.  They were a 13 point underdog going into this game, and this time it was number 3 ranked Oklahoma that experienced the H-Town Takeover in full effect at a sold out NRG Stadium.

UH earned their first win ever against the Sooners and their first win over a Top-3 ranked program since 1984 (they beat the hell out of the Texas Longhorns,snicker snicker) when they smashed the Big XII preseason favorites 33-23 with a national television audience looking on.

With UH days away from making their formal presentation to join the Big XII Conference, it couldn't come at a better time as far as UH alums are concerned.
The Sooners came out of the gate on fire, going 79 yards in just 8 plays, capped by a 32 yard Joe Mixon TD run on their opening possession. The Coogs answered with a 10 play 71 yard drive of their own that resulted in the first of Ty Cummings' four first half field goals from 35 yard out to cut the OU lead to 7-3.

The Cougar defense then began to show signs of slowing down the potent OU offense, holding them to a 25  yard Austin Seibert field goal to extend the OU lead to 10-3 after the first quarter,

The Cougars began to assert themselves in the second quarter, and after a 14 play 84 yard drive that chewed up 6:16, added another Cummings field goal from 26 yard out to cut the deficit to 10-6.  

The Coogs took their first lead after a 7 play 75 yard drive capped off by a Greg Ward, Jr 15 yard touchdown to a wide open Duke Catalon to go up 13-10.   But that lead evaporated after Baker Mayfield tossed a 64 bomb to Mark Andrews to put the Sooners back up 17-13.   

The undaunted Cougars went back to work chipping away at that Oklahoma lead, getting a 33 yard field goal from Cummings to narrow the deficit to 17-16, and aided by an amazing catch by Linell Bonner III, took the lead on Austin Cummings fourth field goal from 47 yards out with :03 left in the half to go up at the half 19-17.

The backbreaking play came in the third quarter after Oklahoma set up to kick a 53 yard field goal to take the lead, but it fell short and was returned for a kick six by Brandon Wilson to give the Coogs a 26-17 lead they would never relinquish. 



Mayfield tried to bring his team back but the UH defense continued their pattern of the last few years of forcing turnovers, and forced a huge fumble they converted into another touchdown to got up 33-17.
Oklahoma added a touchdown late after UH lost a fumble on the goal line enroute to another score that would have put them up 40-17, but instead they have to be satisfied with a huge 33-23 win.

It marked the first time in UH program history they have beaten Top 5 programs back to back, and the massive win puts them solidly in the discussion for a CFA playoff spot assuming they run the table the rest of the way.

But the most important stat in the game is that the UH Cougars are 1-0.

2016 UH Cougar Watch- Crucial Season Opener At NRG Stadium

My fave college football team starts what has the potential to be a blockbuster 2016 season when they kick off in a few hours against the number 3 ranked Oklahoma Sooners at a sold out NRG Stadium.

Nobody outside Beltway 8, including college football pundits  is giving the number #15 ranked Cougars a chance against a team that was a semifinalist in last year's College Football Playoff and is considered a favorite for the Big XII title.  But then again, none of the college football pundits thought the 13-1 Cougars could hang with Florida State in the Peach Bowl either,

But after an offseason in which they hauled in a recruiting class that ranked number 35 in the nation and included 5 star homeboy DT Ed Oliver, you may not want to sleep on this team.

We'll see if the H-Town Takeover can hang with a team they may have to face on a regular basis if the Big XII does the right thing and invites UH to join

But the start of this season for the Cougars seems to have a lot riding on it.  In addition to being considered for Big XII membership, the defending American Athletic Conference Champs will be trying to prove their 13-1 record last year wasn't a fluke along with the 38-24 Peach Bowl demolition of Florida State.

But as Coach Tom Herman said, that was last year's UH team. This 2016 UH team will have to forge their own legacy, and they can take a major step toward that in a few hours.

“We’re the same disrespected, little American Conference team with a giant chip on our shoulder,” Herman said. “The media and everyone else might have put us in the top 25, (and) that’s based off of what last year’s team did. We haven’t done anything.”

In addition to opening at NRG Stadium with Oklahoma and possessing the best ranking to start a football season since I was walking the campus, they'll also be facing on November 17 a Louisville squad at TDECU Stadium with revenge on their minds along with their opponents in The American who want to repeat on a weekly basis what UConn managed to do last year in upsetting the Coogs.

The Coogs are shooting for a repeat American title, a possible Heisman Trophy for QB Greg Ward, Jr,  and possibly crashing the College Football Playoff party if they can run the table schedule wise.

But the huge piece of that 2016 Cougar college football season puzzle starts at 11:00 AM CDT.

UH Will Name Renovated Hofheinz Pavilion After Tillman Fertitta

Hofheinz Pavilion has been the on campus home for the University of Houston Cougar basketball team since it opened in 1970.   While growing up here I got to attend several concerts held there like the Jackson 5 and Prince, along with a few Houston Rockets games after they moved here from San Diego in 1971.  It was the Rockets home arena for four seasons until The Summit was completed in 1975.

When Hofheinz Pavilion opened it had a seating bowl that could hold 10,000 fans, but after 1998 renovations that added luxury boxes to the top of the seating bowl along with an alcove honoring NBA Hall of Famer and Cougar alum Elvin Hayes, the seating capacity after the removal of seats to facilitate construction of the boxes was reduced to 8,479.

The building was named for Irene 'Dene' and Judge Roy Hofheinz (yep, the same Judge Hofheinz that got the Astrodome built) and a prominent politician and philanthropist in Houston, after they donated $1.5 million to help complete construction of it

With an eye on positioning UH to be included into a Power Five conference in the next round of Power Five conference expansion or their ultimate goal (along with Cougar alums) of joining the Big XII, money has been invested in upgrading the athletic facilities in recent years.

The opening of TDECU Stadium in 2014 was part of that, and the football stadium is designed so that an upper deck can be added to increase its capacity when necessary.  

With that football stadium issue being resolved along with the opening of the METRORail Purple Line that passes the stadium and the western and southern half of the campus, in 2010 a $60 million renovation to the aging Hofheinz Pavilion was announced complete with a naming rights deal to a then anonymous donor.

The sticking point became the naming rights of the arena that the Hofheinz family contended belonged to them in perpetuity because of the original 1969 donation with the stipulation the area be named for Hofheinz.  The Hofheinz family was also not happy they found out about it in a news report, and both sides filed lawsuits to resolve the issue.

A press conference was held this morning announcing a settlement to the naming rights kerfuffle, in which a plaza bearing the name and a bronze statue of Judge Hofheinz  in front of the renovated area that will be named starting in the 2018-19 season the Fertitta Center, after Houston entrepreneur and Landry's, Inc owner Tillman Fertitta.

Fertitta donated $20 million to the project. that is scheduled to be completed by the 2018-2019 season and sits on the UH Board of Regents as its chairman.

In addition, UH will petition the city of Houston to name the portion of Holman Street that runs in front of the renovated arena between Cullen Blvd and Scott St for Judge Hofheinz and make his papers available in the school's library and in the UH alumni center adjacent to the renovated arena.

"We know our father would want the athletic department at UH to prosper", said Fred Hofheinz, who served as Houston's mayor from 1974-1978.  "So we know he would support this move."

As for UH being announced as the newest member of the Big XII conference, that's still to be determined..

Will UH Be Heading To The Big 12?

Ever since the Southwest Conference broke up and TCU and UH were shadily left out of the merger of the SWC and Big 8 no thanks to former UT athletic director DeLoss Dodds, the end goal has been to get UH collegiate athletics back into a Power 5 conference where it belongs.

Dodds motivation for dissing UH during the formative stages of the Big 12 besides his burnt orange hatred for UH probably includes the fact he wanted to be able to have the lion's share of the Houston metro area's elite high school talent coming to Forty Acres instead of their local university on Cullen Blvd.

He knew firsthand that UH while in the SWC routinely and gleefully spanked the Longhorns and a University of Houston in the Big 12 would continue doing so.

But with the Big 12 having only ten teams (you need twelve to host a conference championship game) and with Texas A&M now being a member of the SEC, if the rumors and reports I'm hearing are correct looks like UH may finally get what it has been seeking since 1996 and become a member of the Big 12.

ESPN.com is reporting that UH, Memphis, Colorado State and UCF are lobbying the Big 12 in anticipation of the next round of league expansion.   If the Big 12 was wise it would expand to 14 teams, not just 12 as an insurance policy in case someone leaves for greener conference pastures.

Will we get to see the #HtownTakeover at a Big 12 stadium near you?  Maybe  Since they were unceremoniously kicked to the curb, things have changed.dramatically on campus.  It is a Tier One research institution like UT and Texas A&M, and is the third largest school in the state of Texas.

It is still sitting in the fourth largest city in the United States, is in the top area for Texas high school talent in all sports, is in a Top 10 TV market (number 7), and now has a METRO light rail line rolling past the west and south sides of the campus with a stop on the doorstep of the west gates of  the 40,000 seat (expandable to 60,000 seats) on campus TDECU Stadium.

UH is also a natural fit for the Big 12, and has rivalries with the four current Texas schools that would instantly be rekindled should they be extended an invitation to join the conference.

Also in UH's favor is many schools in the Big 12, with SEC member Texas A& M nearby, continue to express the sentiment that the league needs to decisively act to take back the Houston area as a Big 12 bastion before another Power 5 conference snaps us up.

In addition, the Big 12 North schools want Houston in the conference so they have a crack at recruiting the talent rich Houston area.  Their recruiting pipelines to the Houston area vanished after Texas A&M SECeded, and they need the ability to play a regular scheduled game in Houston so that they can have a shot at recruiting the Houston area's talented kids against the Texas Big 12 schools.

Even the current players in the Big 12, when they are surveyed, would like to see UH extended an invitation to join the conference.

And even more delicious for Cougar fans, UH membership in the league in addition to accomplishing a mission we've been on since being dissed and dismissed in 1996 means that the Texas based Big 12 schools could no longer run from playing us anymore.

While the Big XII continues to publicly downplay they are expanding, University of Oklahoma president David Boren,  Kansas State coach Bill Snyder and Baylor head coach Art Briles have been pushing for Big XII expansion.  It was confirmed that University of West Virginia president Gordon Gee, who sits on the Big XII expansion committee, paid UH a visit back in November.  

The November 30 UH campus visit wasn't for expansion purposes, but Gee quickly found himself in UH president Renu Khator's office for an hour, met UH head football coach Tom Herman, and was escorted by UH AD Hunter Yurachek, several members of the UH Board of Regents on a tour of the UH athletic facilities.  

So will we see the Cougars in the Big 12?  Sure hope so. UH will get a taste of Big 12 play when they open the season with Oklahoma at NRG stadium September 3, and we'll find out next month whether it happens for us.

If it does, I'd love to go to the Jerrydome and watch my boys play in a Big XII title game, or see a basketball game at a sold out renovated Hofheinz Pavilion against Kansas

And I'd love to see my Cougars once again routinely beating the hell out of Texas.

UH Cougars Finish With No.8 AP Ranking!

Time to pop my collar again as a proud Cougar! This 2015 football season will rank as one of the more successful ones in recent UH athletic history, and last night the final AP college rankings were released that confirmed what we Cougar fans already knew.

In addition to this Cougar team finishing 13-1, capturing the American title, beating Florida State in the Peach Bowl , knocking off four ranked teams in 2015, and beating teams from the ACC (Louisville, Florida State) and the SEC (Vanderbilt), the  Cougars finished ranked at number 8 in the final AP NCAA football poll,

That is the Coogs highest ranking since 1979, and probably sets them up for a nice ranking in the 2016 preseason AP NCAA football rankings this fall.  The Coogs will also kick off the 2016 football season at NRG Stadium against the Big 12 champion Oklahoma Sooners.

The Coogs great season is also helping them in the recruiting wars, since we are located in one of the best areas in the state for high school football talent.

Hey ESPN College Football GameDay, how about y`all coming down to H-town and the UH campus again like y'all did in 2011 to start the 2016 season off?
 

H-town Takeover Completed With 38-24 Peach Bowl Win

The H-town Takeover, as this 2015 UH Cougar season was dubbed, has so far been a smashing success in coach Tom Herman's first season.   The Coogs opened up 12-0, with the only blemish being a 20-17 loss in with all everything quarterback Greg Ward, Jr didn't play because of an injury.

They eventually captured the 2015 American Athletic Conference with a hard fought win over Navy, and claimed their first major bowl invite since the 1985 Cotton Bowl.

The H-town takeover was taking its show to the Georgia Dome in the ATL and their first ever Peach Bowl.  But their opponent in this first ever Peach Bowl trip was the 9th ranked Florida State Seminoles.

The Cougars took full advantage of being in the national spotlight by racing to a 21-3 halftime lead as the Seminole offense sputtered in the first half with four punts, a fumble and a intersection thanks to the stifling  Cougar defense as they bottled up FSU's Dalvin Cook .  

Florida State hadn't given up more than 25 points the entire year, and when they closed the gap to 24-17, the Cougars offense got it back in gear, scored 17 fourth quarter points to sprint to a 38-24 win to claim a signature Peach Bowl win and finish 13-1 for the second time in four years.  .  

The win over FSU was their first over a Top Ten program since 1979, and their third this season over a Power 5 conference school (Louisville (ACC), Vanderbilt (SEC) were the others).  

It should also do wonderful things for their recruiting, and will be interesting to see where they start off in the rankings in 2016.

So what you waiting for Big XII?  Do u and yourselves a favor and extend an invite to UH.  


   

Hail Cougars! 2015 AAC Champs!

Had the pleasure of watching my alma mater for the first time since 2006 win a conference title in football today.  And the best part of it was it was done in The Cage, AKA TDECU Stadium.

While the pregame talk was about our all everything junior quarterback Greg Ward, Jr (who should have gotten some Heisman love) in this inaugural American Athletic Conference title game, the UH defense are no slouches either.

But it was Ward doing much of the damage in this game with his legs, rushing for 148 yards and two touchdowns as the 17th ranked Cougars raced to a 17-0 lead thanks to a Ward 47 yard TD run in the second quarter and two Temple turnovers to go up 17-3 at the half.

The Cougars pushed the lead to 24-3 on Ward's second touchdown, and then the 20th ranked AAC East Division Champs turned up their defense to help the Owls get back into the game

They closed to 24-13 with 5:11 to play before the Cougar defense stiffened and Temple failed on a 4th and 3 with 1:58 left on the UH 19 yard line.   Two first down later and the Cougars would be happily accepting the American championship trophy at midfield.

The Cougars not only moved to 12-1 on the season, as the highest ranked champion in the Group of Five conferences, they punched their ticket to a New Year's Eve bowl game which is according to chatter will be either the Peach Bowl or Fiesta Bowl.

Congrats UH Cougars for an outstanding season, and I need to pick up my championship t-shirt.

UH Cougars Are AAC West Division Champs!

After being upset last week 20-17 by UConn with their all world quarterback Greg Ward, Jr on the sidelines for much of it, my fave college football team came into this matchup at TDECU Stadium with number 15 ranked Navy with a lot on the line.  

The chance for an undefeated season were gone, but the Coogs still had much to play for Friday afternoon. The Cougars were not only playing for the AAC West Division title and hosting the inaugural American Athletic Conference Championship Game, they were also playing to keep their hopes alive for a New Years Six bowl game.

The Coogs took the opening kickoff, marched efficiently down the field to score and take a 7-0 lead they would never relinquish against a talented Navy squad determined to make their own history with their Heisman Trophy candidate senior quarterback Keenan Reynolds.

Navy quickly answered, but UH took a page out of the Midshipmen playbook by executing long clock eating drives and capping them off with touchdowns, helped immensely by going 16 for 19 on third down and going 2 for 2 on fourth down to forge a 24-14 lead at halftime.

But it was the Cougar defense stepping up big once again by forcing a critical turnover on Navy's opening drive of the third quarter and converting it into a touchdown that gave them a 31-14 lead.

But Navy didn't quit.  They fought until the final whistle. but UH was just too good on offense and prevailed 52-31 to clinch the AAC West Division title, move to 11-1 on the season and ensure the AAC Championship game would be held in H-town.

They will face AAC East Division Champ Temple (10-2) on December 5, and I'm hoping I can get tickets for that game.  I'm also hoping they make more history by winning the AAC title and getting that spot in a New Year's Six bowl game.

Transphobia On The UH Campus?

Here's another example of why HERO is needed and necessary to combat discrimination in the city of Houston, and sadly it is on the campus of my alma mater, the University of Houston.

And it's also what happens when anti-trans attitudes are allowed to run unchecked in local media. They eventually filter down to the rest of the ignorati and start becoming microaggressive problems for Trans World and trans people just trying to get through their lives without drama.

Was reported to me by one of my on campus sources Monday night that this handmade sign was hanging on the ladies restroom door in the Tealicious restaurant in irony of ironies, the UH Welcome Center.

When Glissette Santana, the editor in chief of the Daily Cougar took a news team to the restaurant to check out reports concerning the alleged transphobic sign, the Tealicious management claimed the sign was in response to the broken single stall men's toilet.

Yeah right.   If you only have one functioning bathroom of a dual set of binary gendered potties, it would stand to reason the remaining operational toilet becomes by default a gender neutral restroom.  There is no need to post a jacked up sign like this unless you are harboring transphobic tendencies in the first place and wish to just be a transphobic jerk about it..

Something about this doesn't smell right, and I'm not talking about the stench from the allegedly stopped up men's bathroom at Tealicious.


TransGriot Update:  My source at UH has advised me that the transphobic sign has been taken down

The UH Trans 101 Panel

Had been back in Houston from Creating Change less than 24 hours, but crawled out of bed Monday morning to honor a commitment I'd made to head to the campus of my alma mater to appear in a Trans 101 panel.

The panel discussion was sponsored by the University of Houston Friends of Women's Studies, and took place in the MD Anderson Library Rockwell Pavilion as part of the Barbara Karkabi Living Archives Series.

It was also videotaped for posterity as part of that Living Archive series, which features public interviews with Houston women on diverse topics.  The videotaped interviews are then placed in the Corey C.Stewart Women's Archive in the UH Library's special collections.

It's also one that some of the misguided peeps in last spring's successful Tittsworth Act fight should have have had a seat in so they could learn something about the trans community.

So yeah, it's a wonderful feeling anytime this Cougar gets a chance to step back on this continually expanding and still under construction campus she once walked back in the day.   It's even more awesome to know that the video of this panel I played a role in will be viewed by future UH students and all who peruse them in the Stuart Archives.

So I joined the fabulous Nikki Araguz Loyd, UH LGBT Resource Center Director Lorraine Schroeder, UH student Skye and moderator Dr. Guillermo De Los Reyes at 11:30 AM for a well attended and fascinating discussion in which we covered a wide range of topics from being trans on a college campus to how cispeeps can be better trans allies.

The 1 PM end of the panel came way too soon, and after hanging out to talk to some of the panel attendees, it was time to head off with Nikki and Meagan to a lunch that turned into a road trip.

But I'm really looking forward to the next time I get to step onto the UH campus for an event.

UH Trans 101 Panel

Yes, I just got off the plane for Denver and haven't been been back inside the Houston city limits for  24 hours, but I'm still heading to the University of Houston campus for a Trans 101 panel that starts at 11:30 AM CST.

Hey, gives me an opportunity to put what I learned at #CC15 into action.

For you Cougars who wish to see Moni and her fellow panelists Nikki Araguz Loyd, Lorraine Schroeder, Skye and moderator Dr. Guillermo de los Reyes, it will take place in the Rockwell Pavilion of the on campus MD Anderson Library.   The pavilion is on the second floor of it.

Looking forward to seeing y'all there.

Texas Fall College Democrats Convention At UH This Weekend

Since I'm right down the street from the UH campus (for now)  and the price is right (FREE), will probably go get into reporter mode and check out the  Fall conference of the Texas College Democrats which is being hosted on the UH campus 

Will be nice to be around all that youthful energy and see the future Democrats of our state who will be working hard to get Wendy, Leticia and all our Texas Democratic candidates across the ballot get elected November 4.

And just a reminder, if you aren't registered to vote in the Lone Star State, you have until October 3 to do so.   If you are, early voting in Texas starts October 20

Convention will run from 11:00 AM-3 PM, so if you wish to see and hang around our younglings who will play a major role in turning our state back to its progressive roots, might wish to swing by the UH campus and check it out.

UH Cougars New Football Stadium Opening In A Month

A month from now the University of Houston Cougars will start their 2014 season on August 29 in their new football stadium with an 8 PM CDT kickoff against the UTSA Roadrunners.

Thanks to a lucrative $15 million ten year naming rights deal, it will be known as TDECU Stadium

The new TDECU stadium is a significant upgrade from the old Robertson Stadium which was demolished after their final game versus Tulane in 2012. 

TDECU Stadium in addition to a 40,000 seat capacity expandable to 60,000, thanks to the new east-west orientation of it, will have spectacular views of the nearby downtown Houston skyline from both the upper and lower seating bowls.   It will also have premium seating options, a state of the art video board, luxury boxes, Wi-Fi access, improved concessions and more.   Open and spacious concourses with views to the field and plentiful bathrooms were part of the TDECU Stadium design. 

The lights and new S5-M turf field manufactured by UBU Sports has been installed.   S5-M is a slit-film turf blade with a sand/rubber combination for infill. 

It's a low maintenance surface designed to host a multitude of events, including but not limited to, high school football games, concerts, band practice, specific UH intramural events and more.  It has both dark and light green turf that alternates every five yards, a west end zone design that incorporates the Houston skyline into it and an east end zone that highlights the secondary Cougar athletics logo.

In addition, TDECU Stadium will be served by the Robertson Stadium/UH/TSU Station on the soon to be opened METRORail Purple Line.

Over the next four weeks construction crews will be feverishly working to complete any remaining interior and exterior landscaping work left on the $120 million stadium that is just four weeks from opening for business. 

And will be interesting to discover what nickname the Coogs on campus will chrtisten it with.

ConGRADulations To My H-town Grads

The University of Houston, University of Houston Downtown, and Texas Southern University all held their commencement ceremonies this weekend on their various campuses.

Since I've come back home I have gotten to interact with in various human rights and other projects and events members of the Class of 2014 at these schools. 

I've had the pleasure of speaking on their campuses (still waiting for the invites from TSU and PV).   It has been a joy watching LaKeia, Yesenia, James, and Atlantis grow as leaders and quality people on and off their various campuses.

I've gotten to meet others like Guillermo in conjunction with the battle to pass the Tittsworth Act at UH, and will be rooting for him and everyone else in the Class of 2014 as they take their first steps into that different off campus world.

These younglings will definitely be alright. 

Congratulations to all my H-town Cougar, Gator and Tiger collegiate grads.  Know that I have much love for all of you. Megaprops to every one of you for accomplishing a major life goal, and hope this is just the first of many outstanding achievements in your lives.