University of Houston Athletics
Competitive Schedule Awaits The Sumlin Era
2/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
- Schedule
- Schedule
HOUSTON, Texas - The debut of new University of Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin begins on Saturday, August 30, when the Cougars play host to Southern University in the first-ever match-up between the two schools. The inter-sub divisional clash is one of six home games for Sumlin in his first season leading the Cougars.
Houston also makes a first-ever appearance against the Air Force Academy on Saturday, September 13, in a Conference USA-Mountain West Conference clash at Robertson Stadium. The game will honor the United States Armed Forces, and details on the events will be released at a later date.
UH Director of Athletics Dave Maggard likes the balance he sees with the 2008 slate.
"This is a very good schedule for the University of Houston," Maggard said. "It is well balanced when it comes to home games and away games in relation to our opponents. We get to bounce back-and-forth between home and road games for most of the season, and we get to finish the month of November by never leaving the city of Houston.
"As for pairing up with the Mountain West Conference on two games, we both have a common television contract with CSTV which encourages us to play against the Mountain West. Both Air Force and Colorado State are very good football teams."
The Cougars hit the road for the first time on Saturday, September 6, traveling to Oklahoma State-one of four 2007 bowl participants on the Cougars' schedule-in Houston's first visit to Stillwater, Okla., since the 1986 season. After returning home for the Air Force contest, the Cougars face back-to-back opponents on the road, beginning with Colorado State on September 20 and then opening league play by traveling to East Carolina on September 27.
The Colorado State-East Carolina back-to-back games mirror the 2007, when the Cougars faced the Rams and Pirates in successive weeks at home. Houston rallied for a 38-27 win over CSU but fell the following week to ECU, 37-25.
After a busy September the Cougars get a much needed off week the first weekend of October before playing host to UAB on Saturday, October 11. This games marks the return of former UH head coach Kim Helton, who serves as the Blazers' offensive coordinator. Helton patrolled the UH sidelines from 1993-99.
On Saturday, October 18, Houston travels up Interstate 45 to face SMU in a clash of first-year head coaches, as June Jones takes over the Mustang football program after leading Hawai'i to a BCS berth in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia. As head coach of the Warriors, Jones faced the Cougars in the epic 2003 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, a triple overtime thriller won 54-48 by the Warriors.
In the first-ever visit to the state of West Virginia, the Cougars will mark their debut in the Mountain State with a Tuesday night ESPN appearance against Marshall on October 28. Houston faced Marshall for the first time last season in Houston, holding off the Thundering Herd, 35-28.
Wrapping up the season and the month of November, Houston plays host to three straight home games and then culminates the regular season with a visit to Rice Stadium on November 29 to face the Owls in the annual Bayou Bucket clash. The Cougars begin the home stand by taking on Tulane on November 8, looking for their sixth straight win over the Green Wave.
Then, in a battle of the only two teams to capture the C-USA West Division, the Cougars and Tulsa Golden Hurricane hook up on November 15; the day after the Hall of Honor inducts the Class of 2008 on Friday night. Houston wraps up its home slate by playing host to UTEP on November 22.
The 2008 schedule is tentative and subject to change over the next several weeks as television packages and dates are announced. Also, the Cougars begin spring football practice on Saturday, March 8 and culminate the spring drills with the annual Red-White Game on Saturday, April 12, at Robertson Stadium.
