The No. 22 Houston Cougars surprised by smashing the 2.5-point favorite, the Kansas State Wildcats, 35-16.
The Cougars entered a treacherous three-week stretch, but they proved they can survive. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly of Houston’s win against KSU.
The Good: Houston’s Offense Looked Unstoppable
Honestly, after the first quarter, it didn’t feel like the Houston Cougars could be stopped. Re’Shaun Sanford II ran for 90 yards on 20 carries, while Makhi Hughes added 78 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown.
The rush offense was great, totaling 233 yards on 43 carries. Quarterback Conner Weigman was no slouch, too: 19/30, 242 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Tight end Patrick Overmyer caught all the passing touchdowns, catching eight passes for 83 yards.
Houston TE Patrick Overmyer is tackled by Kansas State CB Donovan McIntosh during the second quarter at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
All in all, the Cougars totaled 475 yards, 26 first downs, went 7/14 on third down, 3/3 on fourth down, and didn’t turn the ball over once. The defense played well, allowing only 299 yards and holding the Wildcats to 182 passing yards, but the offense still felt like it slowly crushed Kansas State.
The hope was for Houston to pick up where it left off last week after it scored 27 unanswered points to win 27-17 against the UCF Knights. The Cougars did just that.
The Bad: A Missed Field Goal?
I’m pretty sure no Cougars fan is going to bed tonight thinking, “Darn, we really could’ve done a little better today.” People doubted how good Houston was and whether it could survive a road test. That’s why the Cougars were actually the underdog in this one. Houston silenced any doubters today with that performance.
The one negative was probably the missed field goal. That miss felt like a momentum loss for the Cougars. Fortunately, it was easy to forget, as the Cougars still headed into halftime with a 21-3 lead. Of course, though, Willie Fritz doesn’t want to see a missed field goal.
The Ugly: Kansas State… Yikes
The Wildcats looked ugly all day. KSU managed just three points in the entire first half. By the time it was 21-3, it felt like the Wildcats were simply done.
The Wildcats started the season 3-0 and looked strong. Unfortunately, they lost to the Cincinnati Wildcats 31-26 in a hard-fought road battle. If they hoped to do anything big in 2026, well, Kansas State needed to stun Houston.
Unfortunately for quarterback Avery Johnson and Co., that didn’t happen. The Cougars’ secondary stepped up, and Johnson seemed to scramble more than the Wildcats would’ve liked. Kansas State’s one strong suit, a secondary that had been the nation’s best coming into this game, didn’t look good.
Weigman picked apart the Wildcats’ elite secondary. It feels like Kansas State can’t hope for much more than a bowl game this season in 2026. Few expected this Wildcat team to threaten the Big 12, but the result was disappointing nonetheless.
For Houston, this win is such a massive statement. This team must face two elite teams next: the No. 18 Oklahoma State Cowboys and the No. 12 Utah Utes. The Cougars needed to show they were ready to win those games, and they certainly did.
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