University of Houston ready to open new stadium

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Friday is a big day for University of Houston. The brand new TDECU Stadium opens with a nationally televised game against the UT-San Antonio Road Runners.

On the eve of the stadium's debut, work continues and will continue even after Friday.

"There are still some items, some of the signage needs to be tweaked. Some of the signage is not up yet," says Vice President for Athletics Mack Rhoades.

Inside the gates, fans will get a view of the Houston skyline. And the concourse is opened up so a trip to the concession stand doesn't mean missing the action.

Mack Rhoades says they're expecting a sellout crowd for the home opener.

"It's the best ever in terms of season ticket sales. This will be the largest crowd that we'll ever have on our campus to watch a football game."

A steady stream of students lined up at the ticket office Thursday to make sure they were a part of Cougar history.

"Me and my friends have been looking forward to this for a really long time ever since they started talking about building a new stadium," says senior Parsa Baktash.

Former Cougar Cornerback Harry Simon says the new digs will be great for recruiting. But he says there's no place like the home he knew from 2003 to 2007.

"You don't have the blood, sweat, and tears yet," Simon says. "You don't have the bad calls, the great calls, the great games when the fans rushed the field in 2006. One thing for sure is we will have that. It's not home yet, but it will be home."

Kickoff is Friday night at 8pm.