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Opinion
 

Staff Editorial

                Matt Dulin     Chris Elliott                        Robyn Morrow                  Johnny Peña
                                      Fabian Sifuentes              Kristen Young

Football team to fans: We want you! 

By now, Cougar football fans have likely had the message burned into their brains: Attendance as of late has been an embarrassment.

Five-thousand fewer people -- a paltry 13,242 in all -- showed up to Saturday's win over Central Florida than showed up to the Oct. 21 win against Texas-El Paso. That's something not even a math major could understand.

Yes, Saturday's game was in the afternoon instead of the evening. Big deal. If you're a college football fan and a UH student or alumnus who didn't show up, excuses like "the time changed," "Central Florida isn't an exciting program" and "I was busy swimming with dolphins in Belize" aren't worth the shine on Art Briles' forehead.

But a negative attitude is not going to bring people back to the stands. It's more productive to list a couple of reasons you should make sure to attend Saturday's Homecoming game against Tulsa.

Tulsa may not have a world-famous band like Grambling State and may not be a Big 12 team like Oklahoma State, but the outcome will likely determine who faces a Conference USA East opponent in the conference championship. In short, this is the biggest game of the season -- much bigger than the two aforementioned contests that saw Cougar fans come out in droves, and likely the biggest game the Cougars have played since they won the C-USA title in 1996.

Saturday is also senior quarterback Kevin Kolb's last home game. Kolb has shone for the Cougars since his first season as a true freshman in 2003, and he deserves a Texas-sized farewell from the UH community. He's one of the most talented quarterbacks in the country and a huge reason the Cougars were able to climb out of the hole they were in before he and Briles showed up. And don't forget his fellow seniors -- they deserve an inspiring send-off, as well. 

So if you've been less than faithful to your home team as of late, don't worry about it. That's in the past.

What's important now is getting back into the seats and providing our talented athletes with the support they deserve, starting Saturday.