Bragging rights come with return of rivalry game

Like any rivalry game Major Applewhite has been a part of in his career as a player or coach, one thing always seems to matter most.

“Bragging rights,” the first-year University of Houston coach said Monday.

Once part of the Bayou Bucket as offensive coordinator at Rice, Applewhite gets his first taste as a head coach when the Cougars (1-0) play host to the Owls (1-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday at TDECU Stadium.

Off the schedule the last three years, the two schools agreed to renew the crosstown rivalry as part of a four-game, homeand-home

series that runs through 2021.

This year’s meeting also carries importance as the first game at home for both schools since flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey.

“It’s great to have it back for the city of Houston,” Applewhite said.

UH has won 29 of the 40 meetings since the two teams began playing annually in 1971. Three years later, the Bayou Bucket was

introduced.

UH-Rice joins UCLA Southern California as the only games in the nation that feature two FBS schools from the same city.

“For the players who haven’t really dove into the history of the rivalry, it’s a game to them,” Applewhite said. “It’s Week 2 or Week 3 for Rice. For the schools, alumni and the city of Houston, it’s a rivalry that everybody is glad has been renewed.”

The only other time there has been interruption in the rivalry came after the breakup of the Southwest Conference in 1995. UH joined Conference USA, and Rice went to the Mountain West, putting a three-year halt (199698) on the game.

Conference realignment and few available dates to book non-conference games caused the latest interruption in the series after the 2013 game.

Applewhite has been part of rivalry games, first the Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma as a player and later as a coach, and the Iron Bowl against Auburn when he was offensive coordinator at Alabama.

In 2006, Applewhite was offensive coordinator when the Owls lost to the Cougars 31-30 in the season opener. Rice held a 30-14 lead early in the third quarter.

“Bragging rights are always up the rivalries,” he said. “This just happens to be, not so much statewide, as it is citywide. I remember being in rivalry games as a player, you run into a lot of those players. A lot of these guys you either played with or played against in (high school) district play or playoffs.”

In addition, Applewhite said a crosstown rivalry offers another home date for both schools to recruit in their backyard.

“It gives us and Rice another opportunity to play in the city in front of recruits and high schools they recruit very hard as well,” he said. “It’s a total positive for our city and both universities.”