Coogs Beat Beavs in OT; Shift Focus to No. 12 Texas Tech

BY GARRETT ROSS | 365 Sports

Houston broke its post-bye week losing streak Friday night with a dramatic 27–24 comeback victory over Oregon State at Reser Stadium. The Cougars scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to erase a two-touchdown deficit.

Quarterback Connor Weigman completed 20 of 36 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for a score. His top target was Amare Thomas, who hauled in a team-high six receptions for 104 yards.
On the defensive side, Sione Fotu led the way with a career-high and game-high 15 tackles, earning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors. Carlos Allen also had a standout performance, forcing a fumble in the first quarter and recording a career-high 13 tackles. Allen now leads all FBS defensive linemen with 31 tackles this season.

Special teams proved pivotal once again for Houston. Latrell McCutchin Sr. blocked a 49-yard field goal attempt late in the first half, and Marc Stampley II blocked a 46-yard attempt to end regulation.

Now 4–0 (1–0 Big 12), Houston turns its attention to No. 12 Texas Tech (4–0, 1–0), led by former Cougars defensive coordinator Sheil Wood. The Red Raiders, coming off a bye week, visit TDECU Stadium on Saturday for Family Night, where Houston will debut its “Houston Blue” uniforms.
Head coach Willie Fritz addressed the challenge of facing Wood’s defense during Monday’s press conference.

“They’re very well coached,” Fritz said. Sheil has coached with me the past couple of years, and he does a tremendous job with the defense. They just don’t get out of position very often, play hard, and are good tacklers. I told our guys, ‘I think they punch the ball as good as anybody we’ve played.'”

Saturday marks the first meeting between the two programs since 2017. Houston has lost its last six matchups against Texas Tech, with four of those losses coming by double digits.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at TDECU Stadium. The game will air on ESPN.