2011 UH Cougar Watch-11th Ranked Cougars Facing SMU

The detractors of the University of Houston's unbeaten march to BCS buster status have pointed to their schedule and made the charge 'they haven't played anybody'.  

Hey, UH opened up with a Pac-12 school in UCLA and beat them.  Not our fault they underachieved and you BCS big boys are 'scurred' to schedule us.

In 2009 we started 3-0, knocked off a Number 5 ranked Oklahoma State team which had Dez Bryant in their lineup along with Brandon Weeden, Texas Tech at the Rob and the SEC's Mississippi State in Starkville during their homecoming.week.

The Oklahoma State and Texas Tech games were on national television, and that doesn't get you many invites by the BCS big boys to put you on their schedules when you are a non-AQ conference school quite capable of walking out of their stadiums with a check and a televised win as well.

As a matter of fact Nebraska canceled a home and home series with the Coogs after we beat Oklahoma State   

And as much burnt orange hateraid flows from Austin and the Longhorn Elementary faithful aimed at UH, their beloved Horns will not schedule us in either football or basketball. 


So with the ESPN College GameDay bus in town, Case Keenum finally getting some well deserved Heisman love and the college football media spotlight finally focused on Cullen Blvd, the 10-0 Cougars get an opponent upgrade in the SMU Mustangs.        

UH knocked them off in Dallas last year 45-20 but the stakes are much higher in this year's tilt for UH.  The Cougars are not only seeking to remain unbeaten in their last regular season home game at the Rob and atop the C-USA West Division, but get a step closer to playing in the December 3 C-USA Championship Game and a possible BCS bowl berth.

But they'll have to handle their business against SMU first.    Eat 'em up!

ESPN College GameDay Headed To Houston

UH is finally got some media love from ESPN.   It was announced that the hugely popular ESPN College GameDay team will be here on Friday and Saturday  for our home game at The Rob against SMU this Saturday

TCU's upset of previously unbeaten number 5 Boise State just opened up the possibility of an 10-0 University of Houston doing some BCS busting.  But their degree of difficulty is now ratched up another level.

Should they win their final three games against C-USA West Division foes 6-4 (4-2) SMU, 7-3 (6-0) Tulsa and the C-USA East Division champ in the December 3 C-USA title game which is increasingly looking like 9-1 (5-1) Southern Mississippi, they would become the C-USA champions and automatically qualify for a BCS bowl   

But it's a big deal that GameDay is coming to H-town. “It’s a real compliment to the program,” coach Kevin Sumlin said in a Houston Chronicle interview. “I think it’s great for our university, for our fans and for the city of Houston. It’s a big deal and I think it really shows and validates what we’re trying to accomplish here. We’re happy about it.” 



UH officials will meet with ESPN on Sunday to discuss further details and logistics. GameDay will originate from UH on Friday (noon-2 PM CST) and Saturday (8-11 AM.CST). Students, alumni and fans are encouraged to come out for the activities both days.

And yeah, I'm planning on being there for Friday's events.   Something else more important is taking place on campus Saturday besides the SMU game that will have my undivided attention.

Eat 'em up!

Historic SEC Football Game Tomorrow

It would be more fun if they were playing for the SEC East Division lead, but tomorrow's 12 noon EST game in Nashville between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Vanderbilt Commodores will be an historic event just the same.

In 2004 the SEC head coaching color line was broken when Sylvester Crooms became the head coach at Mississippi State.  He resigned in 2008 before the second and third African-American head coaches were hired in the persons of Kentucky second year coach Joker Phillips and Vandy's James Franklin who is in his rookie season.  .

Interestingly enough, the three Kentucky schools that play FBS level football all have African-American head coaches.   Floyd Keith, the executive director of the Black Coaches and Administrators noted that around 11 percent of FBS and Football Championship Subdivision football coaches are African-American   While two black college football coaches facing off is still a rarity, times have changed. "It's not as unique as it used to be and I think that's a sign of progress," said Keith. "That's a good thing." 

But it is in the SEC since they only just broke the college football head coaching color line in the 21st century and it will be more noteworthy when an elite SEC program like an LSU, Auburn or Alabama hires an African American to run that team. 

But back to the historic match up that is happening in Nashville.  Both teams are coming in with 4-5 records and the winner will not only even their records at 5-5 but keep their bowl hopes alive.

Best of luck to both of you in this historic game.
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2011 UH Cougar Watch-Another Day, Another Blowout

The number 11 ranked University of Houston Cougars took a ride down I-10 east to face the downtrodden Tulane Green Wave in New Orleans, the team bringing up the rear in C-USA's West Division and sprinted out of the Superdome with a 73-17 win.

But just like UAB last Saturday, Tulane gave them a fight for the first quarter anyway and decided that the best way to defend the high powered Cougar attack was keep it sitting on the bench.  The Green Wave went on a 15 play 66 yard opening drive that ate 6:48 off the clock only to have it end on a Phillip Steward interception in the end zone. 

The Coogs only possessed the ball one time in the first quarter for nine plays but alas for Tulane, football is a four quarter 60 minute game. When the second quarter arrived the Cougars quick strike offense rolled into high gear and scored 73 points in less than two and a half quarters.   They were up 35-10 at halftime, had two punt return TD's of 70 yards by Patrick Edwards and a fourth quarter 76 yard one by Damian Payne to add to the offensive smörgåsbord.  Case Keenum was 22-29 for 325 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions.

He didn't have to throw as much tonight because Charles Sims broke a 53 year old school record for yards per carry in a game by piling up 207 yards and two touchdowns on just ten carries for a 20.7 average.  Three of Sims runs were over 52 yards with his longest being a 72 yard TD scamper just before halftime.  

The Cougars also tightened up the defensive pressure in the second half as they forced four consecutive three and outs and the offense kept scoring when handed the ball to put the game out of reach.

The Cougars moved to 10-0 on the season and 6-0 in C-USA West Division play but get a few days of rest before they face SMU at the Rob. 

HCC Southeast Panel Discussion On 'For Colored Girls'

If you TransGriot readers thought I was parked in front of the television watching the Bayou Bucket clash between my beloved UH Cougars and Rice at the Rob last night, I actually was spending some time down I-45 from UH enjoying a panel discussion on the Houston Community College Southeast Campus that started at 7:15 PM CDT.

As I've mentioned to you peeps who read this blog, I'm a little better connected than some of my haters presume I am, and it turned out one of those connections played a major role into why I attended last night's event.

Two weeks ago I was watching the rebroadcast of a METRO board meeting on the local cable access HCC-TV channel.   At the bottom of the screen was a crawler message advertising some upcoming events on the various HCC campuses and the contact person and phone numbers for further information on them. .  

One of the events that was advertised was a panel discussion entitled Reflections On  'For Colored Girls'- Confronting the Challenges of Race, Class and Gender in the 21st Century and was being presented by the Africana African-American Studies & The Women And Gender Studies Programs at HCC's Southeast Campus. 

That campus is not too far from the house and the panel discussion was scheduled for a Thursday night so I made a mental mote as I continued to watch the METRO board meeting to consider going to the October 27 event. 

I did a double take when I saw the name of the person who was the contact person for that event, a longtime friend of mine named Antrece Baggett. 

Talk about small world moments.  We hadn't seen each other since 1984 and she is now the Program Director of the Africana African-American Studies & The Women and Gender Studies Programs at HCC Southeast.  It also turned out that this was also the first event she was coordinating in her new role as the director of the program.

After watching the crawler message go by a few times to ensure I jotted down the phone number correctly, I called her yesterday afternoon to make sure the program was still happening.  Once I got the business end of the call taken care of she figured out it was moi, and we picked up conversation wise as if that decade and a half had never passed.

So yeah, was definitely in the house to support my homegirl.  I got the bonus of seeing her mom again as well and being introduced to the president of HCC Southeast Dr. Irene Porcarello and the Academic Dean of HCC Southeast Dr. Pauline Warren who previously had Antrece's position. 

After D.r Porcarello and Dean Warren welcomed everyone to the campus and students Brandy Rogers of HCC-Southeast and Ronica Jefferson of Texas Southern University introduced the panelists it was time to get the discussion started.   

The For Colored Girls panel discussion opened with a spoken word performance of the play by Rita Hughes and another actress before moving to the four minute statements from panelists Dr. Nikita Harris of Auburn University, Dr. Rockell Brown of Texas Southern University, psychologist Dr. Valdesha Ball, MD of Baylor College of Medicine, Professor Baggett and Thecia Jenkins, the Domestic Violence advocate at 'The Bridge Over Trobled Waters .

Each panelist discussed certain themes in the movie and related it to the issues that African-American and POC women were facing in the 21st century.   Some of the issues touched on ranged from the love-hate relationship we have with Tyler Perry  to touching on the fluidity of gender and the 'unwoman' meme I've talked about here.

After taking some questions from the audience the program closed with remarks from Director Baggett and I got a chance to talk to her and Dr. Harris for a few moments before I departed for the evening.

And nope, won't be the last time I talk to Professor Baggett either.

But yeah, enjoyed getting my learn on and seeing and old friend at the same time.

I Miss The U of L-UK Sports Hatefests

One of the things that will get me thinking about the time and friends I left behind in Da Ville is when the annual sporting hatefests in football and basketball occurs between the University of Louisville Cardinals and the University of Kentucky Wildcats.

It's exacerbated by the fact that these schools are situated in the two largest cites in the state in Louisville and Lexington and both campuses are only a 70 mile drive along I-64 from each other.  

I still chuckle about the times during me living in Louisville Metro fans on either side of the Red or Blue divide would ask me during the week of the Battle for the Governor's Cup (football) or the Battle of the Bluegrass (basketball) whether I was a Cards or Cats fan.

They would not be satisfied with my 'I root for both teams' answer or 'I'm a University of Houston fan' in an attempt to stay neutral . They would continue to attempt to convert me into becoming a fire and brimstone spouting t-shirt wearing member of Cats or Cards Nation with a missionary zeal while lambasting every aspect of the other school..

When they say 'A House Divided', they mean it.   It's so serious that friends, coworkers, families, couples and spouses that went to either Louisville or Kentucky are trading barbs at each other whether it's in person or online.   The effort to recruit us noncommitted folks to the gospel of Cat or Cards worship intensified along with the hype for for the game.whether it was in Louisville or Lexington.   

During that week on the football and basketball schedules of both schools you have wall to wall saturation coverage in the Louisville Courier-Journal, the Lexington Herald-Leader and TV stations in both cities of the respective schools down to the microlevel, especially for the basketball game which is nationally televised .

You cannot escape it, so you sit back and enjoy the fun because bragging rights were on the line in addition to which school would get the lions share of the best instate athletes .  But yeah, it does make me miss you wonderful peeps I left behind in the Bluegrass State even more

As for which team am I rooting for?   The one with the African American head coach on the sidelines..    . 

2011 UH Cougar Watch-Heading To Ruston

My fave college football squad will be taking their 2-0 record and a plane ride up to Ruston, LA to play the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 6 PM CDT today in a game that will be on ESPN3.  

They still haven't cracked the AP, USA Today or ESPN college football rankings yet but they are probably one or two wins away from doing so.

They are steadily moving up the 'Others Receiving Votes' ranks in the polls, trailing only Michigan and Tennessee.

UH had a successful business trip to Denton last week, spoiling the opening game in the new North Texas stadium by beating their hosts 48-23 despite a slow start on the offensive end.  It took a 21 point third quarter blitz to blow the game open and put them on cruise control for that game..

They hope to avoid another slow start this week against a determined Bulldogs team wishing to atone for a narrow home defeat to C-USA conference mate Southern Mississippi and defend their Joe Aillet Stadium.house against the on the rise Cougar program.

Coach Sumlin and Cougar Nation also wants them to be firing on all offensive and defensive cylinders as well from the opening kickoff.   The Cougars have a home game at 'the Rob' against Georgia State next week before they head to El Paso on September 29 to open C-USA conference play against the Miners.


Eat 'em up!