Still a limited number of lower-level seats available

HOUSTON –Less than 10,000 tickets remain available for the kick-off game of the 2010 college football season between the Rice Owls and the Texas Longhorns, officials from SMG – Reliant Park and Lone Star Sports & Entertainment announced today.

The two teams will face off at Reliant Stadium on Saturday, September 4 at 2:30 p.m. CDT. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN. Official attendance the last time Rice and Texas played at Reliant Stadium was 40,069 on September 16, 2006.

“Ticket sales have been consistently strong, but they really picked up last week,” said SMG – Reliant Park general manager Mark Miller. “Labor Day weekend is the unofficial close of Summer and the beginning of football season. Houstonians are looking forward to the start of college football and especially this 2010 kick-off game between Rice and Texas. All signs continue to point towards a sellout.”

WICHITA, Kan. - A 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Zach Mettenberger to receiver Marcus Kennard proved to be the difference as No. 6 Butler defeated No. 4 Navarro College (Texas) in the Kickoff Classic at Cessna Stadium.

The Grizzlies' defense held following a turnover deep in their own territory and then intercepted two Navarro passes in the fourth quarter to seal the victory in front of 6,458 fans.

Butler fell behind early 3-0, but was lucky to hold Navarro to a field goal after the Bulldogs had first-and-goal following a 67-yard run by DePauldrick Green.

The Grizzlies took advantage of a Navarro miscue when a punt return was fumbled and recovered by Butler at the 14-yard line. Four plays later, Butler scored on a 1-yard run when Cody Mills dove over the top of the pile for a touchdown that put the Grizzlies up 7-3.

HOUSTON – Former Yates High School star Joseph Young has joined the University of Houston men’s basketball program with the start of classes Monday.

Young enrolled and is attending classes as a full-time student. He may practice with the Cougars in 2010-11 but will not compete in any games. He will have three seasons of eligibility remaining with the start of the 2011-12 season.

The son of former Cougar legend and director of basketball operations Michael Young, Joseph Young was ranked among the ESPNU Top 100 2010 recruits and was ranked No. 69 by MaxPreps. He was named the Texas Gatorade Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year and was named to the Parade All-America Third Team. Young also was recognized as a Class 4A TABC All-State Team selection.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Aggie football team scrimmaged at Kyle Field on Saturday without the services of over 10 players who had various injuries that kept them out of contact.

"We did get to see a lot of players," Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman said. "We will have some good tape to watch and an opportunity to improve in all areas of the game. We did have some guys miss the scrimmage but that gives other players opportunities for work and for them to get better."

Sherman mentioned freshmen running backs Ben Malena (from Cedar Hill High School) and Mister Jones (from Littleton High School in Littleton, CO).

The Aggie players will have Sunday off from meetings and practice and will return to the practice field on Monday at 8:25 a.m. on the Coolidge grass practice fields.

HOUSTON –The University of Houston Department of Intercollegiate Athletics in conjunction with Coca-Cola has announced a football ticket promotion now available at all Timewise Convenience Stores in the Houston area, for a savings of $80 on the four-ticket package.

In nearly 130 Houston locations, with a purchase of two 12-packs of any Coca-Cola product for $7, UH fans can redeem their receipt at the Athletic Ticket Office for four tickets to the 2010 football season opener against Texas State on Sept. 4 for just $40.

The promotion will run through game week of the Houston Cougar season opener. Click here for a list of all Timewise Store locations, http://www.landmar kindustries.com/retail.htm.

Four Big 12 Quarterbacks were named to The Manning Award Watch List, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The list includes 33 of the top quarterbacks in the nation heading into the 2010 season, with Missouri's Blaine Gabbert, Baylor's Robert Griffin, III, Texas A&M's Jerrod Johnson and Oklahoma's Landry Jones.

Former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy captured the award during the 2010 season.

The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates' bowl performances in its balloting.
The winner will be announced after the bowls in January and will be honored at a February ceremony in New Orleans.

Nebraska, Texas and Iowa State are beginning the 2010 campaign where they left off -- ranked in the top 10 of the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. NU, the Big 12 preseason favorite, leads the way at No. 2 followed by defending league champion UT and ISU at No. 3 and 9, respectively.

Both the Huskers (16) and Longhorns (4) received first-place votes while Penn State, which has won the last three national championships, earned the most with 40.

The Big 12 trio advanced to the NCAA Championship Omaha Regional last season. Nebraska eliminated ISU in the semifinal before falling to UT in the final.

Nebraska welcomes back six starters in 2010, including All-Americans Sydney Anderson, Brooke Delano and Tara Mueller. Overall, the team returns 12 letterwinners from last season. Lauren Cook the 2009 AVCA National Freshman of the Year, also transferred to Nebraska from UCLA. NU has claimed 11 Big 12 titles (1996, '98-2002, '04-08) and two national championships (2000, '06) in the league's 15-year tenure.

Just over a week into preseason practices and a number of Big 12 teams have suffered significant injuries.

Big 12 teams that have started preseason workouts have been practicing for just over a week and already the injury bug is biting.

* Nebraska coach Bo Pelini announced that senior offensive lineman Mike Smith will miss the season after suffering a broken leg. There’s a chance that Smith could request a medical hardship redshirt and return next season. The 6-6, 285-pound Smith started all 14 games at left tackle last season.

* Texas senior right guard Tray Allen, who figured to be a starter for the first time in his career, aggravated the left foot injury he suffered during the spring. 

HOUSTON – University of Houston fans enjoyed nearly two hours of football and followed that with good times with coaches, student-athletes and administrators during the annual Fan Appreciation Day at Robertson Stadium.

The Cougars worked out for more than 90 minutes on the field with several big plays highlighting the day’s action. Senior quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Case Keenum started the scoring with a 23-yard touchdown pass to junior running back Justin Johnson.

Junior cornerback B.K. Johnson returned an interception for a touchdown, and junior quarterback Cotton Turner hit freshman tight end Kenneth Bibbins for a 12-yard score. Freshman quarterback David Piland capped the day with a touchdown strike to freshman wide receiver DeAndre Perry on the scrimmage’s final play.

HOUSTON– Head coach Jonathan Dismuke and the University of Houston golf team will announce the program’s 2010-11 schedule through the team’s Facebook and Twitter pages, beginning at 11 a.m., Monday.

Fans can join the program’s Facebook page and sign up for its Twitter page to receive the 2010-11 schedule on a daily basis, beginning Monday. For 10 straight days, the schedule will be released at 11 a.m., each day, one tournament at a time, in a completely random order until all the tournaments have been announced.

The 2010-11 schedule features 10 regular-season events plus the Conference USA Championships.

Cougar fans are invited to join all 12 Cougar team pages on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news, notes and behind-the-scene glimpses. Fans can find more information about the Cougars’ social media by clicking here (http://www.uh cougars.com/ot/hou-social-media.html).

HOUSTON –University of Houston Athletics fans are invited to join the Cougars’ social media pages for all 16 intercollegiate programs on Facebook and Twitter.

The Athletics Department recently launched the official social media pages, giving fans a chance to stay up to date with the Cougars through a variety of platforms.

Fans can sign up free of charge to receive the latest information on all Cougar teams. They can pick and choose their favorite sports and receive the latest news and notes, behind-the-scene looks, photos and videos, live game updates, links from around the country and more.

On Facebook, fans have the opportunity to discuss Cougar-related topics with one another while following wall posts from the Department. Each sports program at Houston has a Facebook page for fans to add to their own profiles.

With Twitter, fans can receive updates during or immediately following competition, giving fans information as quickly as possible.

HOUSTON — The University of Houston’s trio of 1,000-yard receivers from 2009, senior James Cleveland and juniors Tyron Carrier and Patrick Edwards, have all been named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list, given to the nation’s top receiver.

The three receivers all topped the 1,000-yard mark for the season, accomplishing the feat for only the fourth time in NCAA history. Leading the team in receptions, Cleveland earned 2009 Conference USA Newcomer of the Year honors racking up 1,214 yards and 14 touchdowns. He ranked in the top-eight nationally in both catches and yardage, and his single-season yardage ranks eighth in the UH record books.

Carrier added 91 catches for 1,029 yards and seven touchdown receptions, while also dazzling fans with his kickoff return abilities, averaging 29.0 per return. He has caught a pass in all 27 games played and has a chance in 2010 to produce his third 1,000-yard season, which would be a first for Houston football.