I have a confession to make. I have never been to a University of Houston football game. I, in fact, have never been to any U of H sporting event and I am a proud alumni. I never had the school spirit that I should have had as an undergrad. And having finally experienced my first game this past weekend, I will admit my shame.
Now with that off my chest, allow me to begin my story…
University of Houston vs. Rice is and will always be a rivalry game and was the hottest ticket in town. Luckily, if you are a student, your entrance is free with your Cougar ID card.
The drive to the University of Houston last Saturday felt more like driving to go watch a concert or sporting event and less like driving to class. The color red engulfed the sidewalks and areas surrounding Robertson Stadium. This is game day at the University of Houston for Cougar football! The team is peaking towards the top of the BCS rankings and the U of H fan base includes not only alumni and students, but all Houstonians.
The game started at 7 p.m. and I got there around six. PACKED. Where could I park?! After finally finding a parking spot, my friend calls me and asks where I am. He had gottem to the stadium at five and managed to find a spot for our group toward the middle section. After having some trouble getting in with a very old Cougar Card (I really need to get a new one), we finally settle into our section and waited for the game to start.
My group knew this was my first game and I was told that I was lucky to have my first game be a sold out game with a stadium as full as this one. One of my friends recounted how he would come to games for the past few years and the stadiums would be near empty. Cougar Football had come a long way. The game was more exciting because the crowd was energetic and hyped up.
Now forgive me you football affectionados. I am not the biggest sports fan but I will try to do my best to highlight the game (I’ll leave the real sports analysis to the more professional fans). I do know that the Cougars scored a touchdown within the first 10 seconds, which was awesome! Great start to my first game! Then Rice took the lead. And then, RAIN!!! TWICE. A ton of it, well maybe not ton, but a whole lot. Rain or shine, I stuck it out. U of H ended up pulling ahead and winning by a large margin. They basically swept Rice off their feet.
If you were to tell me that I would be standing inside the Robertson Stadium watching University of Houston vs. Rice when I was an undergrad, I would have told you that you were insane. I will admit, I for one, had no school spirit 2 years ago. Now, looking back, I think I should have given it more of a chance. Since I am dedicating a few more years to the university, I figured, what the heck? Call me a bandwagoner, oh well, I think I need to develop a little more school pride. I am a Cougar after all.
Speak Your Mind