Houston isn’t just a nice story anymore. The No. 20 Cougars picked up one of their biggest wins of the season Saturday night, holding off No. 18 Oklahoma State 35-32 in a wild Big 12 showdown at TDECU Stadium.
And once again, Conner Weigman was the difference.
The Houston quarterback completed 24-of-33 passes for 343 yards and five touchdowns, one week after throwing four touchdown passes in a road win over Kansas State.
Houston led 14-3 at halftime before Oklahoma State finally got its offense going in the second half. The Cougars eventually built a 28-17 lead late in the third quarter, but the Cowboys weren’t finished.
Drew Mestemaker connected with Caleb Hawkins for a 66-yard score early in the fourth quarter. The ensuing two-point conversion made it 28-25.
That’s when Weigman delivered the biggest play of the night. On Houston’s next possession, he connected with Koby Young for a 48-yard touchdown, giving the Cougars some much-needed breathing room at 35-25.
Oklahoma State answered again, with Mestemaker finding Justin Bowick for an eight-yard touchdown to make it 35-32 with 4:59 remaining. But Houston never gave the Cowboys another opportunity, running out the clock on its final possession, with who else but Weigman rushing for a first down to seal the win for the COugars.
Mestemaker was outstanding in defeat, throwing for 365 yards and three touchdowns, while Oklahoma State finished with 499 total yards.
Houston was just a little better. The Cougars piled up 505 yards, improved to 6-1 and picked up their second consecutive impressive Big 12 victory. Willie Fritz’s team is officially in the conference championship race.
Houston is 3-1 in league play and travels to take on Utah next week in Salt Lake City, while Oklahoma State is 2-1 and hosts Colorado in Week 8.
