Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans: Pre-Game Notes and Player Inactives

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loco Photography, 

Copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.

By Robert H Kelly 

Copyright 2011 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (November 6, 2011) The Houston Texans will put their 5-3 record on the line as they take on the Cleveland Browns with a 12:00 PM CT kickoff at Houston's Reliant Stadium.

With the weather projected as overcast with the temperature in the upper 70s, the roof will be closed.

The Texans have seven players listed as inactive for today's game. They include:

• QB T.J. Yates
• CB Brandon Harris
• FS Danieal Manning
• G Thomas Austin
• G Andrew Gardner
• WR Andre Johnson
• TE Garrett Graham

The Texans will also have the following lineup changes:

• Jacoby Jones will start at wide receiver for Andre Johnson.
• Lawrence Vickers will start at fullback for James Casey.
• Troy Nolan will start at free safety for Daniel Manning.

The Browns also have seven players listed as inactive. They include:

• QB Thaddeus Lewis
• DB Dimitri Patterson
• RB Montario Hardesty
• RB Payton Hillis
• DB Ray Ventrone
• OL Steve Vallos
• DL Austin English

Chris Ogbonnaya will start at running back for Peyton Hillis.

Bye-Bye Cinderella: Butler Advances To the Championship Game After Beating VCU, 70-62

(Photo by Robert Kelly-TexSport Publications, Copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.)

By Robert H Kelly Copyright 2011 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (April 2, 2011) With a wham and a bam and not even so much as a “thank you m’am,” the Butler Bulldogs downed a stubborn, yet determined Virginia Commonwealth team 70-62 to return to the title game for the second year in a row at the 2011 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Championships.

Playing before a capacity crowd at Houston’s Reliant Stadium, the Bulldogs proved their trip to the championship game in 2010 was not a fluke, where they eventually lost to the Duke Blue Devils 61-59.

In a game marred by poor shooting, the Bulldogs managed to outlast VCU.

Both teams shot less than 40% from the field. Butler was 21 of 59 (35.6%) from two-point range, while VCU chipped in a mere 23 of 58 attempts (39.7%).

Both teams were about equal from three-point range, with Butler hitting 8 of 23 (34.8%) and VCU making 8 of 22 (36.4%). Shevin Mack led all Butler with 24 points, with Matt Howard adding 17 and Shawn Vanzant chipping in 11.

VCU’s Jamie Skeen scored 27 points for the Rams with Bradford Burgess adding 15. In the end, rebounding was the key. Butler out-rebounded VCU 48 to 32 and VCU head coach Shaka Smith was quick to note that fact in the post-game press conference.

“That was a big part of it. I think you can’t get out-rebounded by 16 in a game and expect to win," he said.

Smith also was critical of some of the easy shots that the Rams missed, saying, “[To] be honest with you, we missed a lot of easy shots, too, that if those things go down, instead of being down four late, we might be up two or four.

So there are a few different factors that came into play, but again, Butler was better and they deserved to win."

Butler head coach Brad Stevens said, when questioned on pulling away at the end of the game, “That was two really good teams. VCU has a lot to be proud of.  They inspired a lot of people, including us. They played terrific all the way through."

"We were fortunate to pull that one out," Stevens said. "We had guys make individual plays time and again that were crucial.”

Stevens and his Bulldogs will have to wait until later Saturday evening to find out who they will face in Monday night’s championship final.

Kentucky and Connecticut will face off in the nightcap at Reliant Stadium to determine the other finalist.

Reliant Stadium hosting Rice vs. Texas in 2010

HOUSTON, TEXAS (September 8, 2009) Reliant Stadium will play host to the 2010 Rice vs. Texas football game, SMG-Reliant Park and Lone Star Sports & Entertainment announced today. The teams will square off on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010. Kickoff time has not been determined at this time.

"Reliant Stadium provided a tremendous setting for one of the great moments in Rice Football history last December with our victory in the Texas Bowl, and we are thrilled to know that it will host the opener of our 2010 season against the University of Texas," Rice athletic director Chris Del Conte said. "I expect the atmosphere for that game will be unlike any opener in recent memory. Football fans throughout the region should circle that date on their calendars and make their plans now to join us for a tremendous college football event."

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, Dec. 18 at all TicketMaster outlets and online at TicketMaster.com.

"Reliant Stadium provides the ultimate fan experience," SMG-Reliant Park general manager Mark Miller said. "With the history of these two great teams, we'd love to see these student-athletes have the opportunity of playing to a sold out crowd of screaming fans."

The game will mark the third time the former Southwest Conference foes have faced one another at Reliant Stadium, with Texas winning 52-7 in 2006 and 48-7 in 2003. Texas holds a 69-21-1 advantage in the series, which dates back to 1914. Rice last defeated Texas on Oct. 16, 1994, upsetting the Longhorns 19-17 on a rainy Sunday night at Rice Stadium in front of a national television audience.

Rice will return to Reliant Stadium for the first time since the 2008 Texas Bowl, when the Owls beat Western Michigan 38-14 to cap off the school's first 10-win season since 1949. For Texas, it will mark a return to the stadium where the Longhorns claimed the 2005 Big XII Championship en route to the national title.

"We are excited to help bring this great old Southwest Conference rivalry back to Reliant Stadium," Lone Star Sports & Entertainment president Jamey Rootes said. "Games like this, along with the Big 12 Championship game and the tremendous success of the Texas Bowl over the last three years, have established Reliant Stadium as one of the premier venues in college football."

UIL to Move 5A Championships to Houston

AUSTIN, TEXAS (July 19, 2008) The 2008 UIL Conference 5A Division I and Division II state football championships will be held at Reliant Stadium in Houston, the UIL recently announced.

"We're excited about Reliant Stadium hosting the 5A Football Finals this season," said UIL Assistant Director and Director of Athletic Dr. Charles Breithaupt. "We will work closely with Reliant Park in creating a first-class championship experience for the schools, fans and students involved in the games. The people at Reliant Park and in Houston have always been very supportive of high school sports, and we look forward to having a successful championship event at Reliant Stadium."

"We're thrilled to have the Texas State Football Championships back in Houston and at Reliant Stadium for the first time ever," said Shea Guinn, President, SMG-Reliant Park. "Houston is the heart of Texas Football Country and we're proud to welcome the state's best football players to Reliant Stadium."

The Conference 5A Division II championship game will be held at 2 p.m., followed by the Division I championship game at 7 p.m. on Dec. 20.

THIRD ANNUAL TEXANS ALL ACCESS SET FOR THURSDAY, MAY 29

HOUSTON, TEXAS (may 28, 2008) The Houston Texans will host the third annual Texans All Access event at Reliant Stadium on Thursday, May 29. All Texans season ticket holders and sponsors are invited to the event.

The event, which runs from 6-9:30 p.m., will feature Texans general manager Rick Smith and the 2008 Houston Texans team, as well as appearances by the Houston Texans Cheerleaders, TORO, and the Bull Pen Pep Band. Parking lots will open at 4 p.m. and the Ford Gate, located on the southwest corner of the stadium, in Budweiser Plaza will open at 6 p.m. All fans must enter through the Ford Gate.

Once inside, fans will have the opportunity to get autographs from all members of the 2008 Houston Texans team as well as the Houston Texans Cheerleaders. A select group of Texans players and Houston Texans Cheerleaders will be stationed on the stadium floor, while players and cheerleaders will also be signing autographs on the field level concourse inside the stadium.

Fans will have the opportunity to take self-guided tours of the Texans locker room, weight room, training room, team cafeteria and players’ lounge. The tour will conclude with a walk down the players’ tunnel onto the field level. The Slags, a Houston-area band that won a fan vote at last year’s Texans All Access event, will be performing on the stadium floor during the event as well.

At 7:30 p.m., Smith will introduce members of the 2008 Texans team on the stage. Fans are welcomed to gather around the stage on the field level or to view the introductions from the stands in sections 103-110.

BELIZE-MEXICO WORLD CUP QUALIFIER TO BE BROADCAST NATIONALLY BY TELEMUNDO

HOUSTON, TEXAS (May 18, 2008) The upcoming FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifying match between Belize and Mexico will be televised nationally by Telemundo, Lone Star Sports & Entertainment announced today. The match is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start on Sunday, June 15 at Reliant Stadium.

The match will air in Houston on KTMD Ch. 47. Futbol de Primera will broadcast the match nationally on the radio. Locally, it will be carried on LaRanchera 850 AM.

Tickets for the first-ever World Cup qualifier in Houston range from $30-75 and are available at all TicketMaster outlets, including all Houston-area Fiesta stores. Fans may also purchase tickets online at www.ticketmaster.com, over the phone at 713-629-3700 or at the Reliant Stadium box office. Groups of 10 or more may purchase tickets together by calling 832-667-2390. As of Thursday morning, nearly 23,000 tickets have been sold for the match.

ABOUT THE BELIZE vs. MÉXICO MATCH:

The match will be the first FIFA World Cup qualifier to be played in Houston. The match is the first of a home-and-home series between the nations as they begin the quest to compete in the FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa in 2010. Belize will be the home team for the match, with the teams set to face off in Mexico on Saturday, June 21, 2008.

This match marks the beginning of the second round of World Cup qualifying. Belize defeated St. Kitts and Nevis by an aggregate score of 4-2 in round one, while Mexico had a bye in the first round. There are four rounds of qualifying which will conclude next summer, when the top three teams from the CONCACAF region will qualify for World Cup South Africa 2010 and the fourth place team will play a home-and-home series against the fifth place CONMEBOL team for one final spot.

The match will also mark Belize’s debut in the city. Mexico will be making their third trip to Houston in the last 12 months and sixth overall. They played a pair of matches in Houston during last summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup and faced the United States in a friendly match in February. Mexico made their Houston debut versus the United States on May 8, 2003. They played a pair of CONCACAF Gold Cup matches in Houston in 2005 and faced Bulgaria on November 16, 2005.

For the second consecutive year, Reliant Stadium will host a major international soccer event featuring the Mexican men’s national team on Father’s Day. In 2007, the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal matches were played on Sunday, June 17. Mexico defeated Costa Rica, 1-0, and Guadeloupe topped Honduras, 2-1, before a crowd of 70,092—the third-largest soccer crowd in Texas history

Likely making his debut in official international competition will be new Mexico coach Jesus Ramirez. Mexico will play three friendly matches under Ramirez – all in the United States – but the match against Belize will be his first in a competitive setting. Mexico faces China in Seattle on April 16, Argentina in San Diego on June 4and Peru in Chicago on June 8.

Broadcast information will be announced at a later date.