Arizona State Sun Devils fans weren’t too happy with what they were seeing from the referees in the second half of Saturday’s meeting with the Houston Cougars in Tempe.
Unfortunately for them, the Cougars made sure that there would be no legitimate excuse about help from the refs in a 24-16 win over the No. 24 Sun Devils.
With the Cougars in the red zone up 17-0 late in the third quarter, fans from the student section retalited toward the officials after a defensive pass interference call gave Houston a new set of downs on 3rd and 5. Conner Weigman finished off the drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown to push the lead to 24-0.
Arizona State Sun Devils fans in the first quarter of the game between Arizona State Sun Devils and Texas State Bobcats. / Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images
A few different angles show how far some of the bottles flew into the end zone from the student section.
One bottle even landed right near the feet of Houston’s offensive huddle.
Take a look:
The ASU student section is throwing towels, water bottles and other items onto the field.
They’re upset about the latest PI call.
Team and fans are both unraveling. pic.twitter.com/3d9RfAnNCe
— Jake GarcÃa (@Jake_M_Garcia) October 26, 2025
ASU fans are throwing water bottles onto the field and shouting, “Refs you suck.”@FOX10Phoenix pic.twitter.com/Oq5Lti7Mbu
— Blake Niemann (@Blakes_Take2) October 26, 2025
ASU student section throwing things on the field after the refs throw another penalty flag. pic.twitter.com/VYRWNddkJp
— 🌵 Mr. Az (@MrAzSports) October 26, 2025
The Sun Devils ended up responding in the fourth quarter, scoring 16 unanswered points to make it a one-possession game.
Houston certainly has a lot to learn from in the win, but it probably didn’t surprise head coach Willie Fritz and co. that the defending Big 12 champions failed to go down without a fight.
At the same though, Fritz likely wishes his team could have keep their foot on Arizona State’s throat after being up 24-0. Regardless, the Cougars are now squarely in the Big 12 race, with their only loss so far this season being to then-No. 11 Texas Tech.
The remainder of Houston’s schedule? vs. West Virginia, at UCF, vs. TCU and at Baylor. The Cougars don’t face BYU and Cincinnati, who are at the top of the conference standings, this season. However, BYU and Cincinnati play each other on Nov. 22, meaning the Cougars could get some much-needed help in the standings while also needing to win out on their own.
Regardless of the season ends, it’s clear that Fritz has the program headed into the right direction. Sure, the Cougars would love to be in Arlington after the end of the regular season with a chance to punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff, but it will be hard to call 2024 a disappointing season barring an epic collapse down the stretch.
The Cougars will host the West Virginia Mountaineers (2-6, 0-5 Big 12) next Saturday at home from TDECU Stadium.