http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/10112806/The-Kickoff:-The-real-Saturday-night-special The real Saturday Night Game of the Week ABC and ESPN's 35 networks have been promoting Iowa-Penn State as the premier Saturday night game this week, and that's all well and good if you're into Big 10 snoozefests. But anyone who loves things like fireworks, fun and America knows that the Houston-Texas Tech game, kicking off at 9:15 ET, is the real main feature of the evening. Tech-Houston's got all the guilty pleasures a college football fan craves: big offense, intra-state/out-of-conference intrigue, and names like Taylor Potts and Case Keenum lighting up the late evening Texas sky. On top of an estimated 250 points being scored (the Vegas over/under is actually 73.5), there are a ton of other enticing sub-plots in this one. First off, Houston's offense looks eerily similar to Texas Tech's run-'n'-gun spread offense these days. There's a reason for that: Houston offensive coordinator Dana Holgoresen is a former Texas Tech assistant, having learned his X's and O's from Mike Leach. Moreover, former Tech gunslinger and New York Jet Kliff Kingsbury, is Houston's director of quality control. While at Tech, Kingsbury threw for 12,429 yards and 95 touchdowns. He left Lubbock in 2002 as the owner of seven Division 1-A passing records. If anyone knows Leach's offense, it's Mr. Kingsbury. This is Patriots vs. Browns; Belichick vs. Mangini. Student vs. pupil (or pupils, in this case) and all that jazz. When asked about his old QB Kingsbury on Monday, Leach was full of praise: "I think he was certainly the quarterback that lifted off the passing here at Texas Tech. When we first started, a lot of folks thought I was nuts to throw the ball and thought that Kliff was some guy out there that was just average and throwing it too much. Of course, he went on to rewrite the record books, not just at Tech but nationally. He was really instrumental to where we are today." Case Keenum carved up Oklahoma State. Is Texas Tech next? (Stephen Dunn / Getty Images) Houston, in the AP Top 25 for the first time since the 1991 David Klingler team, has had a week off to prepare and fine tune the gameplan for the Red Raiders. Texas Tech, meanwhile, is coming off a battle in Austin last Saturday night. Potts, Tech's latest big-stats gunslinger, is coming off a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit from Texas defensive end Sergio Kindle. Keenum, meanwhile, grew up rooting for the Red Raiders. Lightly recruited by Texas Tech, he went to Houston to play for Art Briles. When Briles left for the coaching gig at Baylor last offseason, Keenum stayed at Houston to play for Kevin Sumlin. He's well aware that his Cougars are favored at home on Saturday. "Now everybody is patting us on the back," he told the Houston Chronicle this week. "You've got to be careful about staying too high or too low. It's never as good as it seems, and it's never as bad as it seems. There's that one, and as my dad always said, 'It's not far from the penthouse to the outhouse.'" For college football fans Saturday night, this one is all penthouse, all the time. There's really no downside. You might as well cancel your plans. Sister's having a dinner party on the other side of town? Ax it. The kids want to see that movie about the raining meatballs? Tell 'em they'll have to wait another week. Want to spend some quality time with the wife or girlfriend (or both)? Tell her you'll do some work around the yard on Sunday. Just be sure to be in front of that TV at 9:15. Just kick back and enjoy it. After all, it's the best game of the night.
Ah, the guys at Forth and Fifty just published their Tech post.. http://fourthandfifty.com/2009/09/24/faf-opponent-essentials-texas-tech-red-raiders/
Iowa and Penn State? Really???? I'd rather watch a I-AA game than those two boring teams. I predict a final score of 6-3... I'm pulling for the Coogs to win, but I can't help but think the more hype is built up for this game, the more UH fans are setting themselves up for a huge heartbreak. I hope I'm wrong.
I'm not going to be let down, win or lose. It is a pure pleasure to have UH getting buzz, period. I'm all for the complete overhyping of this game as the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny... bigger than the final battle of lord of the rings... Ali/Frazier III... Hakeem vs. Shaq via taco bell... <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/k3Nqguav6nE&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/k3Nqguav6nE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
in honor of Hakeem (and now i've heard clyde too) being the captains for the game, I'm gonna be trying to start an 'MVP' chant in the students section. alums and people and other sections should join in
Man, I can't wait -- this is going to be a great game. Brings back so many memories of the old run n' shoot days when Houston was putting up 50 points a game.
I am freaking pumped for this game, everytime I come up to a big game for one of my teams I watch this video and it drives me insane in a great way! GO COOGS
Nuts...I've never seen anything like this when I was a student. Hope parking won't be a b**** when we go to the tailgate this afternoon!!
I know, dude...actually, I'm wondering how they're gonna deal with parking. Charge us a ridicilous fee for the open lots? last time I went, it was 5 bucks. oh well, I know the campus by heart and can find an open space. go coogs!
I go to UT and don't care much for UH, but that was the most r****ded blog posts I have ever seen. 12 UH fans? From the 4th largest city in the US? Yeah okay.... Obviously that blogger is a r****d sister humping republican. I don't even know what school he went to but I wouldn't be surprised if he went to one of those piss hole schools they have in bum**** Waco or Lubbock. *No offense to conservatives, I'm a conservative myself. There's a difference between a conservative and republican in today's time when republicans are the scum of the earth now and the moderate conservatives are forced to vote for the democratic hippies.* *I do not care if I have offended anybody from Waco, Lubbock, or hippies.*
