Houston quarterback Conner Weigman (1) looks up toward the referee for the call, during the second half of an NCAA football match between the Houston Cougars and the Texas Tech Raiders, Friday, September 18, 2026 in Lubbock, Texas. | Gillian Wisniewski/The Cougar
After two weeks of the college football season, Houston has become one of the biggest names in the Big 12. With a win over Oregon State and a shutout over Southern, the No. 22 Houston Cougars were looking to be one of the best teams in the conference.
Heading into their week three matchup against the No. 13 Texas Tech Red Raiders, Houston looked ready to deliver an upset in Lubbock. With new tools in the offensive playbook and a brand new defense, the Cougars were ready to take on the notorious Red Raiders.
“We’re gonna have to play a really clean game you know, can’t make simple mistakes” said Head Coach Willie Fritz before their game against Texas Tech. “This is by far the best team we’ve played so far.”
However, Houston was defeated after a failed two-point conversion sealed the game late in the fourth quarter. After losing in such a heartbreaking fashion, how did the Cougars fare against their first in-conference opponent and what does this mean for the rest of their season?
Game recap
Starting off in the first quarter, Houston began to show why they had their No. 22 ranking in college football as they started off hot early in the game. On their opening drive, Houston fifth-year quarterback Conner Weigman was able to get the Cougars in field goal range, allowing Houston to go up three.
After Texas Tech failed to respond on their own offensive drive, Houston took the ball and immediately set up for another score. With Houston senior wide receiver Amare Thomas hauling in an 11-yard touchdown pass from Weigman, the Cougars were up 10-0 throughout the rest of the first quarter.
Entering the second quarter, Texas Tech knew they had to respond quickly if they wanted to stay in this game. They began the second quarter with a touchdown catch from Texas Tech senior wide receiver Kenny Johnson, putting the Red Raiders on the board.
Texas Tech began to build on their score after a quick touchdown from their senior quarterback Thomas Castellanos, leading the Cougars 14-10 late in the second quarter.
Houston responded with their own touchdown before halftime, with Houston wide receiver Koby Young scoring a 46-yard pass to put the Cougars up 17-14.
After a quick halftime, both teams were fighting to stay alive in the game. With only a three-point gap between these two ranked teams, the following shootout in the third quarter allowed Texas Tech to regain their lead and keep the score at 28-20.
With the fourth quarter having only a few minutes left on the clock, the Houston Cougars prepared themselves to tie the game with their last offensive drive. Houston did end up getting that touchdown, but barely missed out on a game-tying two-point conversion ending the game at 28-26.
“The guy we were going to, didn’t do a good job getting open, so Conner (Weigman) was forced to run it,” said Fritz after being asked about the failed two-point conversion. “So that’s kind of what happened for me.”
Weigman also weighed in on his thoughts on the two-point conversion stating, “You’ve got to reach out and try and get the two-point conversion. I gave it all I got.”
What’s next?
Houston had a stellar performance throughout the game, with Weigman having 282 total passing yards and three touchdowns on the night. The Houston offense was lethal, but fell on its own face at the end of the game.
“I’m really proud of the effort our guys put forth tonight, I thought we played extremely hard,” said Fritz in a postgame conference. “There’s a bunch of areas we’ve got to improve in.”
The Cougars could see Texas Tech again in the postseason if they continue to trend upward, as the Cougars can still make a run for the Big 12 Championship.
“That’s what we were saying in the locker room. We’ve got to focus on what we’ve got left,” Weigman said. “So nine games left, we’ve got to go make it happen so we can see them again.”
They now look ahead to week four of the season, as they head into Statesboro, Georgia, to take on the Georgia Southern Eagles for their last non-conference game of the season. Houston looks ready to get back on track after this heartbreaking loss.
sports@thedailycougar.com
