In spite of a rough outing for the UH football team, it was a noble showing by the legions of Cougar Nation.
In this very space Friday, we challenged Cougar fans to show up for the game, and you did just that.
32,067 fans were in attendance, marking the fourth consecutive sellout of the season – a first in the history of Robertson Stadium. The student section was plenty rowdy for the nationally televised contest.
While what happened on the field was hard to watch, it is refreshing to see the growing amount of loyalty brewing in the UH community.
Unfortunately, throughout the game the Cougars made one critical mistake after another, which resulted in hundreds of fans making their way toward the exit each time. However, some fans stayed until the bitter end – hats off to those of you who did.
Soon enough, we hope to stop patting ourselves on the back for sellouts. Instead, it should become the precedent.
Despite being perennially mediocre, Notre Dame boasts a streak of 216 straight sellouts at their home stadium. Notre Dame is a program steeped in tradition, which breeds longstanding faithfulness for students and alumni.
It’s an impressive feat, but if UH fan support can stay this consistent we should hold ourselves to the same standard of team allegiance as Notre Dame. It’s how fans of a big-time program behave, and Cougar-faithful should make a habit out of it.
In both of the Cougars’ losses, they were under matched. A quick glimpse on the field, and one could see the players on UCLA and Mississippi State dwarfed our players.
But building a successful program takes time and patience on all fronts.
With plans to build a new state-of-the-art football stadium, it could become a significant component for recruiting players. There are a variety of reasons why an 18-year-old will select a school to attend, but tradition and facilities is key in attracting high-caliber athletes.
The team will go a few exits down Highway 59 for its next game at Rice. We hope to see plenty of Cougar red mixed in with the navy blue at Rice Stadium Saturday.
