Tonight’s Texas Bowl is going to be a throwback to the days of the Southwest Conference with an exciting match-up between the University of Houston and Texas Christian University. From a football point of view, it’s a classic match-up of high powered offense (Houston) against a formidable defensive squad (TCU).

It will be interesting to see how the Coogs respond in tonight’s game, their first without Art
Briles who ran off to Waco to become the newest Big 12 whipping boy. They also tote a 7-game bowl winning streak that is the second longest in the nation. In short, the Cougars have a LOT to play for.

On the other sideline, TCU is coming back to Houston after beating Iowa State in the Houston Bowl in 2005. This year’s edition is very different from the 10-1 team that trounced Iowa State. Entering the season as a BCS bowl buster darling, TCU has endured one of the most difficult seasons in the Gary Patterson era. They needed to win their last two games to get into bowl eligibility, and are happy to have a chance to win their third bowl in a row.

The game will come to whether Houston will be able to establish their running against the TCU defense. If Anthony Aldridge (1568 YDs, 14 TDs) starts rolling, the Coogs are going to be tough to beat. Stopping Aldridge will be the job of DE Tommy Blake.

As for the Texas Bowl itself, this is a pretty great match-up that should continue to build local support for our local bowl game. Last year’s Texas Bowl drew the largest crowd for a bowl that did not feature a Texas team. This year, with two Texas teams, one of them the local boys, they should draw 60,000+. TEXFEST, the pre-game party, kicks off at 3:00, and tickets ranging from $25-$75 are still available. Or you can always find yourself around Reliant Stadium at the end of the game to see the largest fireworks display in Texas! If you love Texas and football, and c’mon if you live in Houston you do, this is where you need to be tonight.

Oh, and did we mention that proceeds from the Bowl go to DePelchin Children’s Center?
- Michael Coppens

2007 Texas Bowl
University of Houston vs. Texas Christian University
TEXFEST @ 3:00 PM – Reliant Stadium Parking Lot
Kick-off @ 7:00 PM
http://www.texasbowl.org/