H-Town is Space City, Hoops moves to 2-0
BY Garrett Ross | 365 Sports
For the second week in a row, Houston found themselves in an early deficit, but this time they escaped victorious. Tied at 27 with less than three minutes remaining, Ethan Sanchez drilled a 22-yard field goal to give the Coogs a 30-27 lead. Kentrell Webb secured the win with his first career interception, as he picked off UCF quarterback Davi Belfort in the end zone.
While a win’s a win, Houston needs to tighten some things up during this bye week. Conner Weigman struggled passing the past couple of weeks, including a three-interception performance against UCF. Weigman finished the night with 223 yards and two touchdowns, but the interceptions were inexcusable and, honestly, should have cost Houston the game.
Despite the interceptions, Weigman eclipsed the 2,000-yard passing mark on the season and tied Andre Ware for 17th on Houston’s single-season touchdowns responsible for list with 27 on the year (18 passing, nine rushing). Amare Thomas put the Coogs on the board first, as he hauled in a 64-yard touchdown pass from Weigman in the second quarter.
Thomas finished the night with 103 yards, but all of that was acquired in the first half. Dean Connors found the end zone on a 9-yard pass from Weigman that knotted the game at 24 in the third quarter. Connors finished the night with 10 rushes for 68 yards.
Houston’s defense played solidly, despite what the scoreboard may reflect. The unit limited UCF to just 104 yards in the second half, while the offense outscored the Knights 13-3. Latreveon McCutchin showed his athleticism on a 45-yard pick-six, while linebacker Corey Platt Jr. led the team with five tackles, including a pair of TFLs.
The Coogs (8-2, 5-2) matched their win total from last season with three regular-season games remaining and improved to 5-0 on the road in 2025. Houston gets to sit back and scout their final two opponents of Big 12 play this week, as TCU heads to Provo to face BYU and Baylor hosts Utah on Saturday night.
Neither the Frogs nor the Bears should put much fear into Houston, but neither can be taken for granted. The Coogs await the broadcast announcement of their matchup next week at TDECU Stadium against TCU. They will close the regular season on the road against Baylor at McLane Stadium on November 29.
Watchlist
Amare Thomas earned a spot on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List on Monday following his third 100-yard receiving game in the Cougars’ 30-27 win over UCF on Friday night. The Biletnikoff Award is given to the best pass catcher in college football and is awarded by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation.
Thomas is Houston’s leading receiver with 737 yards and eight touchdowns on the season. His 16.4 yards per catch is 16th in the Big 12, while his 99.9 depth pass receiving grade leads the nation.
Tanner Koziol has been named a John Mackey Award Semifinalist for the second consecutive season. The award is presented to the top tight end in the country. Koziol leads the Coogs in receptions (56), which is the most nationally at the position, while his 570 receiving yards have him at third amongst his position.
Hoops
Kelvin Sampson and the Coogs improved to 2-0 after trouncing Towson 65-48 this past weekend. Freshman guard Kingston Flemings put up 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting, while Joseph Tugler dropped 15 points and added eight boards.
Freshman center/forward Chris Cenac Jr. grabbed a game and career high 13 rebounds, including four offensive boards, for his second straight game with double-digit rebounds. He became the first freshman to record double-digit rebounding performances in each of the first two games to open the season in school history and the first Cougar to accomplish that since forward Devin Davis in 2016-17.
The Coogs will be back in the Fertitta Center on Wednesday night against Oakland at 7:00 pm.