Houston Rises With Bowl Dreams Fulfilled and Arizona State Looming Next
BY GARRETT ROSS | 365 Sports
The Coogs clinched bowl eligibility with their 31-28 win over Arizona on Saturday. Houston has now eclipsed their win total from last season through the first eight weeks of 2025, which speaks volumes to the culture being established under second-year head coach Willie Fritz.
Fritz and offensive coordinator Slade Nagel have rekindled the spirit of quarterback Conner Weigman, whose performance against the Wildcats earned him conference offensive player of the week honors. Weigman was 15-23 for 164 yards, while rushing 14 times for 98 yards and accounted for four touchdowns on Saturday, three passing and one rushing.
A lot of Weigman’s success is attributed to the Coogs’ offensive line. The resiliency of the unit has been impressive all season, so it was refreshing for them to be named Big 12 offensive line of the week. Houston dominated Arizona on third down, converting eight attempts to keep drives alive; they also finished 2/2 on fourth down conversions.
The offensive line didn’t allow a sack for the first time since facing Utah last season. They finished the game with 95.7 pass blocking efficiency and paved the way for 232 rushing yards against the Wildcats. Dean Conners was the leading rusher with 100 yards on 20 carries, as the Coogs outgained Arizona 232-112 on the ground.
Despite dominating Arizona offensively, the Wildcats fought to the very end. Still, Ethan Sanchez delivered the death blow on a 41-yard field goal as time expired to secure the victory for Houston. Sanchez has been the MVP of this team all season and was once again named Big 12 special teams player of the week.
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Houston on Saturday. The Coogs’ defense was disappointing in the fourth quarter, as they allowed two touchdowns to let Arizona back in the game. But hats off to the Wildcats for not giving up. The injury bug struck again on Saturday, with receiver Stephon Johnson suffering a potential season-ending lower-body injury.
Johnson took to social media on Sunday to announce that he would miss the remainder of the season. Still, Fritz told the press on Monday that Johnson will get a second opinion before officially determining the severity of the situation.
The Coogs also lost a legend over the weekend, as Warren McVea passed away at the age of 79. He was the program’s first Black football player to receive a scholarship, breaking the ignorant rules of segregation and paving the way for future Houston greats.
He was a two-time All-American and holds the longest pass play in program history, snagging a 99-yard pass from Bo Bruiss against Wazzu in 1966. McVea would finish the 1966 season averaging 8.8 yards per carry, which remains the third-most in Coogs’ history.
Houston (6-1, 3-1) now prepares for a road trip to Tempe to face No. 24 Arizona State (5-2, 3-1), which upset No. 14 Texas Tech 26-22 last week. Kickoff is set for 7:00 pm and will be televised on ESPN 2.