Sept. 16, 2023 was a night Houston Cougar faithful waited two years to arrive. That date represented the first time TDECU Stadium ever played host to a Big 12 matchup. In a highly-anticipated matchup one of the four Big 12 newcomers, the Houston Cougars welcomed the reigning national championship runner-up TCU Horned Frogs.
While the hype, the fanfare, and the atmosphere delivered under the lights with 36,049 in attendance, the Cougars (1-2, 0-1 Big 12) could not register their first Big 12 victory. They remained one step the entire time behind TCU, and the Horned Frogs (2-1, 1-0 Big 12) spoiled the welcome party by holding Houston’s offense out of the end zone entirely in a 36-13 takedown.