Quarterback Clayton Tune rushes for a 68-yard touchdown. | Katrina Martinez/The Cougar
The UH football team and Baylor Bears have not faced off in a game since 1995 when both programs were still a part of the Southwest Conference, but that streak will come to an end next Saturday.
After the UH football team’s season opener against Memphis was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Tigers’ football team, the UH athletics was able to pull off a quick turnaround to open their season on time.
Athletic director Chris Pezman reached out to Baylor’s athletic department about the two schools playing each other.
The two athletic departments quickly worked out a plan for the two teams to face off at 11 a.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium in Waco.
While the two football programs have not played in almost 25 years, they do share a long history against one another.
UH and Baylor’s first matchup dates all the way back to 1950, which resulted in a 34-7 victory for the Bears.
After the inaugural game between the two schools, the Cougars and Bears faced off six more times between 1952 and 1963.
The two schools would not meet up again until 1976, a few years after UH joined the Southwest Conference that Baylor was already a member of.
After UH joined the SWC, the Cougars and Bears proceeded to play each other every season from 1976-1995.
UH had immediate success against Baylor during their early years in the SWC, winning each of their four first matchups as conference opponents.
After UH won the first four, the two teams went back and forth trading victories against one another, many of which were extremely memorable.
One of these memorable games was one of the most dominating performances in UH program history when the Cougars cruised to a 66-10 victory in a 1989 game that was played at the Astrodome.
When the SWC folded in 1996, the two schools went different ways with UH joining Conference USA and Baylor becoming a founding member of the Big 12.
As a result, the Cougars and Bears have not faced off since the 1995 season, a game in which Baylor cruised to a 47-7 victory.
Overall, Baylor leads the all-time series against UH 14-13-1.
