To stay in the top 25, a team must play every week like it deserves to be in the top 25.
The last time Houston lost at home as a ranked team was in 1980, so not a single fan at TDECU Stadium supporting the home team wanted to see that streak break, especially on a morning where the program had a blackout game in honor of Director of Strength and Performance Kurt Hester, who lost his life battling cancer.
For the Cougars, coach Willie Fritz put his team in a prime position to stay intact and in the race for a ticket to the Big 12 Championship Game, but he blew an opportunity to gain ground after allowing the most points in a game this season.
Nov 1, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars head coach Willie Fritz ton the sidelines coaching against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the second half at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
A sluggish start was highly uncharacteristic for the Cougars as the script didn’t go according to plan after a surprising 14-0 start from West Virginia, with Houston’s defense struggling to stop the run game.
The Mountaineers quarterback, Scotty Fox Jr., had his offense ready to light up the scoreboard and did so with a commanding first drive, going 12 plays for 75 yards, that ended with a rush touchdown by Fox Jr. The Cougars’ defense gave up 57 yards on the ground in the first drive and started off looking like it was going to be a long game.
On the following defensive drive, Houston allowed another rushing touchdown to running back Cyncir Bowers. Luckily, there was a 3-yard touchdown pass from QB Conner Weigman to tight end Tanner Koziol that felt like a drive that was a must-have to stay in line with West Virginia, with the way coach Rich Rodrquez had his troops ready to fire away.
Houston defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong had to reassess his defense’s effectiveness, considering how easy it looked to run through a brick wall of defenders. However, the formations weren’t effective after Fox Jr. connected with wide receiver Cam Vaughn on a 24-yard strike, with defensive back Latrell McCutchin in coverage.
At that moment, it felt like the ship was sailing away from the Cougars. Luckily, Weigman’s mobility and quickness to make decisions with his feet prevented the game from getting out of hand momentarily, recording another rushing touchdown followed by a perfect placement of a jumpball that fell into the hands of WR Amare Thomas to even the game at 21.
Nov 1, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman (1) fumbles the ball against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the first half at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
After the intermission, the Mountaineers received the ball to start the second half and were successful in putting points on the scoreboard with a 50-yard field goal. Weigman and the offense attempted to take its first lead of the day, but things spiraled in a hurry.
There was miscommunication by the Cypress, Texas, native as he scanned the field before the snap and thought there was man coverage instead of zone coverage, and made a poor choice, throwing the ball straight to the cornerback, which silenced the crowd.
Following the interception, Thomas hauled in a 9-yard catch that went for a walk-in touchdown, his second of the day. West Virginia accounted for the next 14 points with two drives that Rodriguez rolled the dice on, electing to go for it on fourth down a few times.
Fox Jr. galloped his way 34 yards into the endzone, where the preceding drive also saw RB Diore Hubbard do the same thing with an 11-yard score.
Falling 17 points with time not on the side of the Cougars, Weigman slinged a 27-yard dart to Thomas for his third score of the afternoon, but it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback due to all the mental errors made.
Scanning the statistics sheet, Houston took a hit on defense when it tried to stop the West Virginia rush attack, allowing 246 yards, with a significant portion due to Hubbard’s 108-yard day.
In the air, the Cougars only gave up 157 yards, which was a positive takeaway on a disappointing day. Another notable area was the Cougars’ accumulation of 400 yards of offense, but what spoiled the party was the turnover margin, with four takeaways for the Mountaineers.
UH quarterback Conner Weigman (1) and UH quarterback Zeon Chriss (2) / Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer
After a gut-wrenching performance with three games left on the schedule, Houston needs a ton of help from other teams in the conference to climb back up the ladder in the standings.
To add the name back to the Big 12 Championship race, winning out against UCF, Baylor, and TCU is the only path to a potential playoff berth. First, it begins with Fritz breaking down the film and discussing what went wrong.
What Houston needs now is a ton of help from other schools taking on top contenders in the Big 12. Teams like Texas Tech, BYU and Cincinnati all need to lose to help build Houston’s case for still being an elite team, even after not passing the eye test this weekend. Both teams in the championship game last year had two losses, so there is still a sliver of hope that things can change.
The Cougars hit the road for their next game against the Knights on Friday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. on FS1.