The Houston Cougars were riding high into Saturday afternoon with all the momentum, coming off their first-ranked road win since 2017 and into the top 25 after three years. Most expected them to come out with another big victory over West Virginia. That was not the case at all, as the Cougars got upset at home 45-35 in unexpected fashion.
West Virginia improved to 3-6 and got their first-ranked win since 2021 against Iowa State. Both teams put up over 400 yards of offense, but the Mountaineers led from the start and did not look back.
Here are four takeaways from Houston’s disappointing defeat.
Nov 1, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. (15) rushes for a touchdown against the Houston Cougars in the second half at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
Something that Houston struggled with early on this season came back to bite them to start this game. After a huge victory on the road and being ranked after three seasons, the defense surprisingly did not look like they had any life to begin this matchup. The Cougars came out flat defensively, as West Virginia went right down the field 75 yards in 12 plays.
Mountaineers true freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. ran in for the six-yard rushing score just over four minutes into the game. Additionally, the offense stalled after a couple of first downs on their opening drive.
Houston was struggling in containing West Virginia’s outside runs and gave up huge chunks of yardage. On their second drive, the Mountaineers strolled in for another touchdown on a 21-yard rush from sophomore running back Cyncir Bowers. The Cougars came out of the gate slow and were down 14-0 with four minutes to go in the first quarter.
The only good sequence for the Cougars finally came towards the end of the first frame where freshman wide receiver Koby Young made a good catch and held after an immediate hit. He was not down and continued to run down the field for what was ultimately a 30-yard gain.
Four plays later, junior quarterback Connor Weigman found senior tight end Tanner Koziol for the three-yard touchdown pass. Houston’s 75-yard touchdown drive brought some life back with a 14-7 score at the end of one.
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
The Cougars have stood out as one of the most ball-secure teams in the country. Houston only had two interceptions from Weigman so far this year and did not turn the ball over very much. UH looked completely different in this game. Houston had four crucial turnovers that resulted in 17 West Virginia points. The Cougars lost by 10, and that was ultimately the difference.
Houston faced a third and eight on their first drive of the second quarter, but Weigman fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by WVU. 35 seconds and two plays later, the Mountaineers scored a 24-yard touchdown on an incredible one-handed catch by sophomore wide receiver Cam Vaughn.
WVU took complete advantage of a Weigman fumble and got an early two-score lead. While Houston eventually tied it back, the giveaways continued in the second half.
After receiving to start the third quarter, Weigman had an interception on the second play of the drive. It was a deep pass intended for Young, but Derek Carter Jr. took it away and set up WVU at the Houston 47-yard line.
The situation got worse after a shocking pick-six from Weigman that was returned 80 yards for the touchdown by Jordan Scruggs. It was a short pass down the far side of the field that Weigman saw a tad bit late. It made all the difference as the Mountaineers went up 31-21.
The three uncharacteristic turnovers from Weigman resulted in 17 West Virginia points. It was an outlier performance that was not expected at all from the former five-star prospect.
He had two more fumbles that were luckily recovered by the offense. It seemed like Weigman did not have a solid grip on the ball during the rain, and it was just not a good outing from him overall. Weigman had 309 yards passing and four touchdowns, but the turnovers spoiled that.
“We emphasized ball security more than any team in America, but that didn’t materialize,” coach Willie Fritz said.
After the Cougars were down 21-7, Weigman and the offense responded with another 75-yard touchdown drive. Houston had multiple chunk plays on that drive, and Weigman kept it from one yard out for his ninth rushing touchdown of the year so far.
Following that, each team exchanged punts, but Houston punter Liam Dougherty had the perfect kick to pin WVU back at the one-yard line. After a stop, the Cougars had great starting field position at the opponent’s 47-yard line and punched it in for the game-tying touchdown two minutes later.
Senior wide receiver Amare Thomas had an incredible contested catch in the corner of the end zone from eight yards out as Houston stormed back to even it at 21. However, the second half became a completely different story.
The Mountaineers had 246 total yards of rushing compared to just 82 allowed for the Cougars. WVU did an incredible job containing Weigman’s legs, something that normally allows Houston’s offense to break out.
The Cougars’ signal-caller had 12 carries for -27 yards and suffered three sacks. Senior running back Dean Connors and sophomore DJ Butler had solid yards/carry, but constantly being behind did not help them.
West Virginia’s freshman running back Diore Hubbard was incredible with 116 yards on 29 carries and a touchdown, including an 11-yard rush that effectively put the game away as WVU led 45-28. Fox Jr. was effective, and his 34-yard rushing touchdown on 4th down was a backbreaker for Houston’s defense.
The Cougars missed a lot of tackles, but WVU made some great moves in the open field. Overall, it looks like not being prepared enough and the Mountaineers playing one of their best games of the season made the difference.
Houston will look to bounce back on Friday at UCF.