Houston quarterback Conner Weigman has moved into the Top 15 for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, a list announced Oct. 8, and he remains one of five Big 12 quarterbacks still in the mix.
The recognition fits the kind of season Weigman has put together through five games. He has thrown for 1,186 yards with 11 touchdowns and one interception, while completing 67% of his passes. He has also been a real factor on the ground, piling up 156 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 42 carries.
Houston says Weigman is the only Big 12 quarterback with at least 11 passing touchdowns and one or fewer interceptions. He is also one of three FBS quarterbacks with at least 10 passing touchdowns and at least five rushing touchdowns.
His numbers have come in a variety of ways. In the opener against Oregon State, Weigman passed for 305 yards and a touchdown and added 30 rushing yards and a rushing score. That was also where he threw his lone interception.
Against Southern, he was far less busy through the air, completing nine passes for 120 yards in Houston’s 77-6 win. Texas Tech gave him a tougher night. He threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns, ran for 56 yards, and came up short on a scramble into the end zone on a two-point attempt in the Cougars’ 28-26 loss.
The last two games have shown the full package. Against Georgia Southern, Weigman finished with four passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and 253 total yards. Against UCF, he found the end zone three times on the ground, threw for 239 yards and no touchdowns, and used his legs to pick up the slack.
With Weigman starting, Houston has scored on 54% of its offensive drives, which ranks fourth nationally and first in the conference.
The Cougars are 4-1 and have spent six straight weeks in the AP Polls. Weigman is now in the same group as Texas’ Arch Manning, Georgia’s Gunner Stockton and Oregon’s Dante Moore. For Houston, that kind of company says plenty about where the program is right now.
Weigman already delivered a huge season a year ago, when he accounted for 36 total touchdowns and threw four touchdown passes in the Texas Bowl against LSU, tying the touchdown record with Patrick Mahomes.
Now comes another stretch that should tell plenty about where he stands. Houston faces Kansas State next, a defense allowing only 15 points per game, before Weigman goes up against quarterback Drew Mestemaker and No.
18 Oklahoma State on Oct. 17.
After that, the Cougars travel to Salt Lake City to meet No. 12 Utah and Devon Dampier.
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Houston Is About To Face The Stretch That Defines Everything
Houston is staring at the kind of stretch that can redefine a season in a hurry. The Cougars have put themselves in the thick of the Big 12 race, and the next run of games will go a long way toward showing whether they can stay there. With conference positioning so tight, every week now feels less like a checkpoint and more like a referendum on where this team belongs.
The road ahead is unforgiving, with a trip to Kansas State, a home date with Oklahoma State and then another tough road test at Utah. Those three games will shape not just Houstons standing in the league, but also its broader case in the College Football Playoff conversation. For a program trying to turn momentum into something bigger, this is the part of the schedule that tells the truth. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Defense Finally Showed The Identity Big 12 Play Demands
Houstons defense finally looked the part against UCF, limiting the Knights offense and bringing a level of physicality that has been harder to sustain through Big 12 play. Defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong said there were still some early mistakes to clean up, but the overall performance gave Houston something it has been searching for: a cleaner, more forceful identity on that side of the ball.
Latreveon McCutchin was central to that effort, delivering an interception while also handling quarterback-spy duties in a game that featured several key defensive plays. The Cougars also generated multiple sacks for the first time since the Oregon State game, a sign they may be starting to translate activity into disruption at the line of scrimmage, and they will try to carry that into next weeks matchup with Kansas State. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Heads To Kansas State With One Big Test For Conner Weigman
The No. 22 Cougars head to Kansas State on Saturday carrying some momentum after bouncing back from their loss to Texas Tech with a pair of wins. It is another Big 12 measuring-stick game for Houston, and the focus stays squarely on Conner Weigman, who has given the offense a steadier feel as the Cougars try to keep climbing in the league race. Kansas State, meanwhile, comes in looking to recover from an unexpected loss in Cincinnati after being favored.
For Houston, the challenge is as much about settling into a rhythm as it is about the final score. Weigman has already shown enough this season to make the Cougars believe they can travel and score with anyone, and the betting profile around both teams suggests this could be another game with points to spare. Still, Saturday feels like the kind of spot where Houstons quarterback has to deliver against a sturdy Big 12 opponent if the Cougars are going to leave Manhattan with another statement win. [Read more 🡒]