To quote the late Dennis Green, “They are who we thought they were! And we let’em off the hook!” And that’s precisely what happened to the then No. 22 Houston Cougars, who were handed a disappointing 45-35 loss by the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Houston’s time as a ranked team for the first time since 2022 came to a tragic end, with only one week spent on the AP Top 25.
A common theme throughout the season, Houston failed to consistently establish itself right out of the gate, and before they knew it, West Virginia was up 14-0 with four minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The Cougars would eventually wake up as they would eventually tie the game 21-21 thanks to three touchdown contributions from junior quarterback Connor Weigman, with touchdown passes to junior wide receiver Amare Thomas and senior tight end Tanner Koziol, and a 1-yard rushing touchdown heading into halftime.
The second half is where things began to unravel for Houston. Even though they only trailed 31-28 at one point during the game, poor ball protection, defensive lapses, and turnovers bit them big time for the loss.
The defense, which came in as one of the best defensive units in the Big 12 and the nation, gave up over 400 yards of offense, including 246 rushing yards, due to the Cougars’ playing man coverage majority of the game, which left the backfield unguarded.
Their reputation as one of the best ball protection teams in the nation also took a big hit, as they committed four turnovers, their most in a game this season.
Weigman looked out of it as well. Despite throwing for over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns, he threw two interceptions, including an 80-yard pick-six, while also fumbling the ball three times, with one recovered by the Mountaineers.
All Houston can do now is keep their attention forward, as they prepare to face the Central Florida Knights on Friday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. on FS1.
Delivered by Sean Paul
