Things were much different the last time the Cougars prowled into NRG Stadium for the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff.
Tom Herman, now in Austin with the Longhorns, was still head coach, was a few months removed from the program’s first and only American Athletic Conference Championship and its Peach Bowl win against then-No. 9 Florida State that launched the team to national prominence.
Former defensive tackle Ed Oliver, now with the Buffalo Bills, was just a true freshman, and current head coach Dana Holgorsen was cruising to a 26-11 win with West Virginia over Missouri on the other side of the country.