Dana Holgerson Says Houston Cougars Fans Want On Thing: 'Just Beat Texas'

It appears as though beating the Texas Longhorns is all Houston Cougars fans want out of 2023

The Texas Longhorns seem to be College Football's biggest villain - or at least the most hated team in the Big 12.

As one of the winningest programs in sports history, with one of the biggest fan bases in the country, that should hardly come as a surprise. 

During his weekly press conference with the Houston media, Cougars head coach Dana Holgerson confirmed as much, telling reporters that the matchup with the Longhorns, for all intents in purposes, is the only one that matters to his fanbase. 

“I’ve got a lot of comments," Holgerson told the Houston Media. "Just beat Texas. Don’t care if you win any of them but you’ve got to win that one. You can go 1-11 and it’s ok if you beat Texas.”

The comment from Holgerson is particularly comical considering the brief history the Horns and Cougars have over since the turn of the century. 

Since the year 2000, Texas and Houston have faced off just three times - in 2000, 2001, and 2002 - with the Longhorns winning all three games by an average of 35 points. 

Houston Cougars head coach Dana Holgorsen reacts after a play during the first quarter against the Sam Houston State Bearkats at TDECU Stadium / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

In fact, the Longhorns have won seven games in a row vs. Houston, dating back to their days in the Southwest Conference. 

The Longhorns' last loss to the Cougars came in 1991, in a 23-14 loss in Houston. 

Houston did hold a brief advantage over Texas in the late '80s, winning three-straight matchups in 1987, 1988, and 1989, winning those games by an average of 36.3 points per game. 

Overall, Texas leads the series vs. the Cougars by a 16-7 margin, with two ties in 1981 and 1968.

This is now the second time an opposing coach has proclaimed the Texas game as the only one that matters for their respective fan base, with Dave Aranda echoing a similar sentiment ahead of the Baylor matchup earlier this year. 

"I can't tell you how many times this offseason I heard 'Dave, just win this one game," Aranda said ahead of the Texas game. "That has been brought up to me multiple times."

For Holgerson's sake, things better work more in his favor on Saturday, as Texas would go on to blow out Aranda and the Bears 38-6 in Waco.

Kickoff vs. the Cougars is set for 3 p.m. CT on FOX.