Needing to win out to make a bowl game, WVU turned on the jets from the onset of their afternoon in Houston. They then turned that hot start into their best performance of the season, upsetting the No. 22 ranked Cougars.
The Mountaineers set the tone early with an opening drive touchdown. Scotty Fox, Diore Hubbard and Clay Ash combined to run for 57 yards as they marched West Virginia down the field with ease. Fox punctuated the possession with a six-yard keeper, giving WVU a rare 7-0 lead.
Keeping momentum, the defense forced Houston to punt and handed the ball rick back to Fox and company. And West Virginia, starting to finally resemble a normal Rich Rodriguez offense, kept rolling along after that.
In fact, Cyncir Bowers would join in on the rush attack and cap off West Virginia’s second possession by breaking away for a 21-yard touchdown. Houston eventually woke up, responding with a touchdown of their own.
The Cougars’ first score was aided by a face mask call that extended a Colby Young reception, adding 15 yards on his 30-yard reception before they punched the ball in a few plays later.
Even after surrendering a Houston touchdown, WVU maintained their momentum with another first half score. Thanks in part to Jimmori Robinson answering the call from his coaches and causing a turnover, Fox got the Mountaineers back into the end zone as they reclaimed a two-score lead early in the second quarter.
Fox threw up a 24-yard pass that was caught in the back of the end zone by Cam Vaughn. At the time of the score, West Virginia led 21-7.
But despite West Virginia’s strong start to the game they were unable to take a lead into the locker room at halftime.
Houston scored back-to-back unanswered touchdowns to tie the game – Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman was 16-for-19 for 154 yards through the air with 3:03 remaining in the half.
Avoiding a second half slump, which has become a common theme for WVU, safety Derek Carter Jr. grabbed an interception off a tipped ball, flipping the field and leading to a Kade Hensely 50-yard field goal that reclaimed a slim advantage at 24-21.
Then, right when it appeared as if Houston was finding a rhythm, cornerback Jordan Scruggs took his interception off Weigman all the way to the house for an 80-yard pick-6.
Watch: Jordan Scruggs Takes Interception to the House at Houston
West Virginia silenced crowd and jumped back ahead by multiple scores, granted that didn’t last long. Houston put together a 12-play, 75-yard drive to get in the end zone for the first time in the second half, cutting their deficit back to just three at 31-28.
However, WVU was not to be denied this time. On their next possession, Fox burst up the middle for a 34-yard touchdown run that put the Mountaineers back up by 10 as the scoreboard read 38-28 with three minutes into the fourth quarter.
Another defensive stop and another touchdown run, this time by Hubbard, and West Virginia was in firm control up 45-28 midway through the fourth quarter.
A quick 27-yard strike by Weigman kept Houston in the game, making the score 45-35.
And to place the final nail in Houston’s coffin, West Virginia even recovered a fumble by Houston on an Oliver Straw punt in the final minutes.
With the 45-35 win, Rich Rodriguez earns his first Big 12 victory as a member of the conference and the Mountaineers improve to 3-6 (1-5).
Next up for WVU is a matchup with Colorado back home at Milan Puskar Stadium.