West Virginia walked into Houston looking to stop the bleeding after showing some signs of life in last week’s loss to TCU. After five straight losses and weeks of frustration, the Mountaineers (3–6, 1–5 Big 12) finally got one to go their way, knocking off No. 22 Houston (7-2, 4-2 Big 12), 45–35, for their first ranked win since 2021.
West Virginia got the ball to start the game and set the tone right out of the gate, scoring a touchdown on three of their first four drives. Scotty Fox hit a few quick passes and leaned on Diore Hubbard and Cyncir Bowers for steady gains on a 12-play, 75-yard march that Fox finished himself with a six-yard keeper to make it 7–0. The next drive was more of the same — Hubbard chewed up yards between the tackles, and Bowers broke loose for a 21-yard touchdown run to stretch it to 14–0 midway through the first quarter.
Houston punched back with a scoring drive to make it 14–7, but Fox answered fast. On second down near midfield, he dropped a perfect ball to Cam Vaughn for a 24-yard touchdown to make it 21–7. The Cougars found life late in the half, putting together a pair of drives to tie it at 21 before the break.
The second half flipped on one play. Derek Carter Jr. jumped a slant at the WVU 33-yard line and returned it 20 yards to the Houston 47. That set up Kade Hensley, who drilled a 50-yard field goal — the longest of his career — to give WVU a 24–21 lead. Then came the backbreaker: Jordan Scruggs read a pass from Connor Weigman perfectly, jumping in front of the ball at the WVU 22-yard line and took it 80 yards to the house. Suddenly, it was 31–21 and the Mountaineers had momentum again.
Houston hung around, cutting it to 31-28, but WVU answered with their best drive of the season. Starting from the 27-yard line, Bowers ripped off a 23-yarder, and Fox finished it on 4th & 4 — a 34-yard keeper up the middle that stretched the lead back to 38-28 early in the fourth quarter. Perry and the defense forced a punt, and WVU went back to work. After a penalty on lineman Donovan Haslam for carrying Diore Hubbard forward erased a first down and made it 4th & 9 from their own 30 yard line, Fox hit Jeff Weimer for 53 yards down the sideline to the Houston 17. Hubbard capped it off with an 11-yard touchdown run to make it 45-28.
Houston added one more score to make it a two-possession game, but the Mountaineers bled out the final six and a half minutes — helped by a muffed punt — to lock down a massive win and finally exhale.
Scotty Fox went 13-of-22 for 157 yards and a touchdown while adding 65 yards and two scores on the ground. Hubbard led all rushers with 108 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. Cyncir Bowers added 65 yards and a score, and Jeff Weimer finished with three receptions for 67 yards, including the 53-yard grab set up the knockout punch. Rodney Gallagher led with five receptions for 53 yards. Defensively, Fred Perry was everywhere — 13 tackles, nine solo, two tackles for loss, and a sack — while Devin Carter and Jordan Scruggs each picked off passes that changed the game. The Mountaineers finished with 403 total yards of offense.
The Mountaineers are back at home next Saturday, as Colorado visits Morgantown for a noon kickoff on TNT, TruTV, and HBO Max. The Buffaloes (3-5, 1-4 Big 12), who have dealt with struggles of their own this season, face Arizona in Boulder tonight at 7:00PM on FS1.