It was a big win on a big stage for the Cougars, one that long-time program supporters never stopped believing, in the quiet places of their hearts, would come to Cullen Ave. again. Sure there were the requisite 'heartbreak' moments (How many of the Cougar faithful thought "Oh no" after the questionable penalty that nullified an interception?) but in the end this Cougar team, coached by Kevin Sumlin, put to rest all of the ghosts of Cougar past and gave the school its biggest football win possibly ever.
Yes, during the Run n' Shoot days, there were big wins over the University of Texas. In the meaningful games however, games against Hurricanes or blitzing Aggies or Catholics led by Joe Montana, UH often came up just a little short under the bright lights of the National glare. UH has always been just on the edge of the National football conscience, just outside of the periphery, just off the radar.
All of that has changed this season, first with the win over OSU in Stillwater and then against the Wiley old Pirate on National TV in a game that pundits were salivating over. All of this changed because of a coach named Sumlin, a quarterback named Case and a pack of fast, very fast, young talent that's got something UH football has lacked for decades: Discipline.
Make no mistake about it, these are not the same Cougars you saw unprepared for games during the Art Briles era. Teams that were more likely to shoot themselves in the foot in big games than score touchdowns. This is a team whose strength is forged in the kiln of Coach Jackson's strength program, whose game plan has been designed by one of the best coaches in the College game.
Yes, this success is about the players, but it's also about Kevin Sumlin, a coach who's certain to be coveted at the end of the year by big-time programs with big-time budgets. It's about a University that's learned what it means to win, or what it takes to build a winner. UH isn't a 'helmet team' but they are a good team. Probably a top-ten team in the Country.
The fruits of this win will probably be a national ranking in the 12-14 range, which is too low. I have them in the 9-10 range, although I heard Mark May of ESPN put them at five last night. That's heady stuff for a team that, just a few years prior, was playing in front of 15,000 fans and had people wondering if D-1A was in their immediate future.
Next up is the Conference-USA schedule, games that won't have the hype or cache of the OSU and Tech games, but games that are going to be of heightened importance if UH wants to really cash in and take the B(C)S by storm.
