[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 177 (Tuesday, December 8, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1729]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 8, 2015

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, over the weekend, the Houston Cougars 
capped off their thrilling season with a 24-13 win against the tough 
Temple Owls in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game. 
Though Houston only won by 11, the team led from the opening gun until 
as Willie Nelson says ``The Party was Over''. With this win, the 
Cougars finished the regular season 12-1 and now have a matchup against 
the Number 9 Florida State Seminoles in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl to 
look forward to.
  What's most amazing about the Cougars' successful season is the fact 
that it was engineered by a rookie head coach. Tom Herman, a national 
championship winning offensive coordinator at Ohio State and recipient 
of the Broyles Award for the nation's top assistant coach, stepped in 
as a first-time head coach this season. Success like that in a coach's 
first season is hard to come by. Herman's Houston team was led by its 
do-it-all quarterback, Greg Ward Jr., who finished the season with 
2,590 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions. The all-
conference quarterback also tacked on 1,041 rushing yards and 19 
touchdown runs for good measure. The excitement of watching this team 
play had me reminiscing back to 1989, when Coach Jack Pardee's run-and-
shoot offense led the Cougars to a 9-win season and quarterback Andre 
Ware took home the Heisman Trophy.
  Mr. Speaker, Tom Herman and the Houston Cougars aren't finished yet. 
After the Cougars' New Year's Eve duel with perennial powerhouse 
Florida State, the team will refocus its sights on coming back strong 
again next year. With the Cougars locking in Coach Herman to a contract 
extension and returning many of its key contributors, this team will be 
a force next year and hopefully for years to come. As a University of 
Houston alum, I look forward to spending December 31st ringing in the 
New Year with friends, family, and another Cougars victory. Go Cougars.
  And that's just the way it is.

                          ____________________